February 4th, 2010 / 2:30 pm
Author Spotlight
Jimmy Chen
Author Spotlight
The Postman’s Mother by Megan Savage
The postman has never penned a letter. Not on paper. For the postman a letter has always been a prayer sent upward from head to heaven. He has also never left home. Now, Mother rests abed, breath labored, bedsores hot. For supper, he serves her mashed potatoes and coleslaw, and afterwards he reads from Pearl S. Buck.
— from “The Postman’s Mother” by Megan Savage, published in Spork, 2006
There are no letter “i”s in this piece, a convincing nod to George Perec’s A Void, which I find very impressive. Try to write just one sentence like this; it is very difficult. This was originally published in 2006, but deserves a fresher read. Read the rest here.
Tags: Megan Savage, spork
Wow, instead of saying “in bed” she says “abed”. Impressive indeed. Interesting that there’s a Mrs. Chen in the story.
Wow, instead of saying “in bed” she says “abed”. Impressive indeed. Interesting that there’s a Mrs. Chen in the story.
Only carefully can such a sentence be made.
Only carefully can such a sentence be made.
Yes, you must be very careful when you make such a sentence.
Yes, you must be very careful when you make such a sentence.
We concur—one must construct carefully, lest eagle-eyed readers catch an error!
We concur—one must construct carefully, lest eagle-eyed readers catch an error!
good job people, for i cannot pen such a sentence
good job people, for i cannot pen such a sentence