by Cynthia Newberry Martin | Jan 22, 2009 | craft of writing, Dani Shapiro, reviews, time |
Starting with the prologue, in which the narrator calls on the spirit of Vladimir Nabokov, time is everywhere present in Dani Shapiro’s Fugitive Blue. I read the novel in January of last year so time is playing with me and my memory as well. “Nabokov did...
by Cynthia Newberry Martin | Jan 20, 2009 | essays, reading, the day |
Sunrise Miami Beach. The dawning of a new day. On the front page of yesterday’s New York Times was the headline, “From Books, New President Found Voice.” In case you missed it, here are some of the highlights. Michiko Kakutani wrote that Mr....
by Cynthia Newberry Martin | Jan 18, 2009 | reading |
Well, you can only read one book at a time, right? Maybe not. There’s the book I’m reading. That for me is the one I take to bed at night. The one I read after dinner. It’s the book I want to read just because I do–for fun. Right now that...
by Cynthia Newberry Martin | Jan 14, 2009 | reviews |
One of my favorite things about William Faulkner’s Light in August is the language. His use of repetition is soft and alluring and draws the reader in. “He stepped from the dark porch, into the moonlight, and with his bloody head and his empty stomach...
by Cynthia Newberry Martin | Jan 13, 2009 | poetry |
I spent any free minute I had yesterday looking for a poem to go along with this picture. This morning, when I found the poem, I knew I’d been looking for the wrong thing. It was a poem to go along with how I was feeling that I’d wanted. Perhaps the...
by Cynthia Newberry Martin | Jan 12, 2009 | Columbus GA |
Low of 29 this morning in Columbus, Georgia. Frost. Sugared leaves. It made me want a poem.
by Cynthia Newberry Martin | Jan 10, 2009 | essays, reviews |
In 1980 Janet Sternburg wanted answers to the question of why other women write and “how they see their lives and their work.” Thus was born The Writer on Her Work. “It was a first,” writes Julia Alverez in the introduction to the...
by Cynthia Newberry Martin | Jan 8, 2009 | craft of writing, details, novels, the day |
More from John Steinbeck… March 6, 1951, Tuesday. “No sleep last night but I feel fine. And I don’t even know why I didn’t sleep. I was perfectly comfortable. Just couldn’t let go of consciousness. Funny thing.” Journal of a...
by Cynthia Newberry Martin | Jan 5, 2009 | craft of writing, details, reviews, stories |
Last Night is a slim volume of ten stories by James Salter. James is his real name. Salter is a pseudonym adopted because he was in the air force when he began to write. He was a fighter pilot who flew with Buzz Aldrin, Ed White and Gus Grissom. In July of 2004,...
by Cynthia Newberry Martin | Jan 3, 2009 | life, the day |
New Year’s Day is a pause for me. I lie on the sofa and watch movies and football. I let life happen outside of me and around me. Then yesterday I spent the entire day in action–restoring order after the holidays. Chopping wood, carrying water. ...
