by Cynthia Newberry Martin | Sep 26, 2008 | life, poetry |
One of my favorite poems is “Otherwise” by Jane Kenyon. It begins “I got out of bed on two strong legs. It might have been otherwise.” For the complete poem, please go to http://www.loc.gov/poetry/180/050.html. “Otherwise” first...
by Cynthia Newberry Martin | Sep 25, 2008 | reviews, shapes |
With her first novel, Saving Agnes, Rachel Cusk laid the foundation for her writing life. The Temporary is her second novel. It was published in 1995, two years after her first. And I see improvement. The author is using fewer words, and in places, she goes...
by Cynthia Newberry Martin | Sep 24, 2008 | first novels, reviews |
In July, I read Arlington Park and discovered a writer new to me–Rachel Cusk. She was born in Canada in 1967, grew up in Los Angeles, and now lives in England. Arlington Park is her most recent novel. Although I thought it was slightly brusque in its movement...
by Cynthia Newberry Martin | Sep 22, 2008 | reading, the day |
September 22, 2008–the autumnal equinox–fall at last. My favorite season. And it felt like fall this morning. Canada geese flying over. The first leaves changing color. It’s no surprise that in two of my all-time favorite books, the authors write...
by Cynthia Newberry Martin | Sep 21, 2008 | catching moments, reading |
At the end of The Hours, in the Acknowledgments, Michael Cunningham thanks Three Lives and Company for being in existence. He describes this bookstore as “…a sanctuary and, to me, the center of the universe. It has for some time been the most reliable...
by Cynthia Newberry Martin | Sep 19, 2008 | craft of writing |
Niagara Falls All Over Again (published in 2001) is a well-crafted novel written by Elizabeth McCracken. In the space of two and a half pages, the author uses several techniques to pull the reader into the story. Early in the novel, the author describes an accident...
by Cynthia Newberry Martin | Sep 17, 2008 | catching moments, poetry |
Last Friday night, at Leon Coverson Stadium in Greenville, Georgia, the Patriots faced the Cougars. It was the red and black against the blue and white. At the start of the game, the sun lingered behind a cloud. A few minutes later, smoke from the concession stand...
by Cynthia Newberry Martin | Sep 16, 2008 | reading |
One of the reasons I write is to find out what I’m thinking, what I mean to say, and then to be able to hold onto it. When I talk, I often repeat myself with such slight variations that it must be maddening to a listener. I tend to want to summarize. I want to...
by Cynthia Newberry Martin | Sep 15, 2008 | catching moments |
I hear the rain, and then I don’t. I look out the window to see the bright green end-of-summer leaves twinkling, like stars, better than stars. I look to the sky for an explanation. The drops of rain are carefully spaced apart, and the sun is shining. The drops...
by Cynthia Newberry Martin | Sep 14, 2008 | catching moments, reading |
Last Sunday I was looking through Ellen Gilchrist’s Falling Through Space trying to find the passage where she writes about getting down on the floor to play with her books. Well, I couldn’t find it, but in the process, I discovered that Falling Through...
