by Cynthia Newberry Martin | Nov 8, 2008 | Dani Shapiro, memoir, novels, truth |
Playing with Fire was Dani Shapiro’s first novel. It was published in 1989. It begins, “There are many versions to this story…” And indeed, nine years later, the author published another version–“the true story,” the...
by Cynthia Newberry Martin | Nov 7, 2008 | catching moments, reading |
“Island living has been a lens through which to examine my own life…I must keep my lens when I go back… I must remember to see with island eyes. The shells will remind me; they must be my island eyes.” Anne Morrow Lindbergh, Gift from the Sea...
by Cynthia Newberry Martin | Nov 5, 2008 | memoir |
“Wordstruck is exactly what I was– and still am: crazy about the sound of words, the look of words, the taste of words, the feeling of words on the tongue and in the mind.” Robert MacNeil from his 1989 memoir, Wordstruck* Robert MacNeil’s...
by Cynthia Newberry Martin | Nov 3, 2008 | Columbus GA |
What often stands out to me in Richard Russo’s writing is the dialogue. Which makes sense as he is also a screenwriter. Here is a short piece of dialogue from The Bridge of Sighs. “Mom says you’re writing your life story up there.” “Nothing...
by Cynthia Newberry Martin | Nov 2, 2008 | time |
“Here she is with another hour before her.” The Hours, Michael Cunningham One of the reasons I love reading this novel is the way the author intertwines the lives of the three women with recurring words and images–steps forward, cold water, failure,...
by Cynthia Newberry Martin | Oct 31, 2008 | reviews |
“The weather was unusually warm for the last day of October. We didn’t even need jackets. The wind was growing stronger, and Jem said it might be raining before we got home. There was no moon.” To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee I read it in...
by Cynthia Newberry Martin | Oct 30, 2008 | craft of writing, Dani Shapiro, details |
Dani Shapiro is one of my all-time favorite writers. She knows how to tell a story–how to slowly release details in order to build tension and lure the reader forward. The first book of hers I read was Family History, published in 2003, but which I did not...
by Cynthia Newberry Martin | Oct 28, 2008 | reviews, shapes, truth |
The Lucky Ones is Rachel Cusk’s fifth book. In it, there is a Contents page, which announces five sections. Each section stands by itself. There is a passing reference in each section to at least one character in another section. With a lovely circularity,...
by Cynthia Newberry Martin | Oct 27, 2008 | journeys, poetry, the day |
Pine Mountain Trail Pine Mountain, Georgia October 26, 2008 23 miles 11hours, 7 minutes The day grew light, then dark again– In all its rich hours, what happened? from Apple by Jane Hirshfield Given Sugar, Given...
by Cynthia Newberry Martin | Oct 26, 2008 | journeys, poetry |
Today, Sunday, October 26th, I’m walking. It’s a day in the woods. An autumn ritual (because of spring snakes). A 23-mile hike, which last year took 11 hours. We choose the date by trying to maximize the chance of cool weather with enough daylight...
