Lily Hoang
https://literature.ucsd.edu/people/faculty/lhoang.html
Lily Hoang has published some books and won some awards. She is Director of the MFA in Writing at UC San Diego.
You, whore.
Baudelaire says: All art is prostitution.
Discuss.
To mumble, to shout
“Reading remains inseparable from… labial mimeticism and its vocal activity – there are texts that should only be murmured or whispered, others that we ought to be able to shout or beat time to.” -Georges Perec
(I only put up the photo because it’s irresistible!)
i may be old but i can still read
Alec’s post got me thinking. See: in a couple months, I’ll be a decade older than Alec. A decade! Whereas those of you already past your twenties will kick me for saying it: I’m already mourning the loss of my youth. I’ve been mourning it since I turned 24! (And to be fair, I didn’t really start writing until then…)
But why? Why are people so revved up about Alec’s post? Why is age such a sensitive issue?
One day, I’ll probably look like this:
Well, ok, maybe I won’t be wearing the hat & I won’t be missing teeth, but my point is that one day, I’ll be old & you’ll be old & Ryan Call hopes he’ll still be blogging here when he’s in his 50’s.
I’m getting off point though.
There are virtues in being young, sure. Virginia Woolf thought the best “season” for reading was between 18 and 24. I’m way past my reading prime! And the truth of it is, I care a lot more about my “reading prime” than my “writing prime.” Writers can write whenever. There’s no cap, no time limit. If anything, when I’m as old as the woman in the picture, I’ll look back on the all books I published in my 20s and be appalled. Or at least I hope that happens.
Lily Hoang—
“writers” who don’t actively write shouldn’t call themselves “writers.” true or false?
190
I should be writing…
Because you’re obviously not writing right now, what ARE you doing?
translation mania
I’ve been reading a lot of Aeschylus lately, doing research, or something like that. Well, it started out as research, then, I got caught up in reading, as often happens. Then, I got caught up in how different translations can be.
Check this out. Here, I offer five translations of the same passage, each one equally lovely, each one equally amiss:
Boooring
I’ve been to a lot of readings. Most of them are incredibly boring.
I’ve also been to some shows. Whereas the bands aren’t always good, I’d rarely categorize them as “boring.”
I’ve also been to some art openings. Sure, there are usually obnoxiously pretentious people there, but again, not “boring.”
So what makes going to readings boring? The way I see it, almost anything can make a reading be a complete failure: you could be a bad reader (read too fast, too slow, too soft, too loud, etc.); you could be reading a bad reading piece (because let’s be honest: not everything written sounds good out loud); the room could be unamenable (too loud, too quiet, too bright, etc. etc.); the list could go on.
But what makes a good reading? What makes a reading NOT boring?
I’ve got some readings coming up over the next few months, and I’d prefer not to be a boring reader.
Also, when you go to readings, what is it that you want to hear? Would you rather hear something published, something forthcoming, or something brand spanking new?
Quotation Marks
Do you use quotation marks when writing dialogue? Why? Why not?
I find myself justifying their use or non-use with some regularity. Sometimes, I use them. Sometimes, I don’t. When I don’t, I don’t for the aesthetic value and/or because I find it disrupts the text. When I do, I do because I feel like it. And for no other reason. Only rarely does it have anything to do with grammar or clarity.
Lily Hoang—
my mom wanted to give me a kindle for christmas. luckily, she didn’t. do you have one? do you want one? would you use it & how?
Conversation with the fabulous Kathleen Rooney
Kathleen Rooney is a rock star, and don’t you doubt that! Rooney has written & published a gizzillion books, most recently FOR YOU FOR YOU. She’s also co-editor/publisher of Rose Metal Press.
Here’s the thing about Rooney: You see her and she’s got this inky hair, long, and she’s usually wearing black. She’s a bit intimidating from afar. (People in black are usually intimidating to me. You’ll notice I’ve mentioned attire for both Rooney & Jeremy Davies, yeah?) Then, you start talking to her & she’s chipper as anything. Then, you read her poetry & damn, if you’re not completely knocked far far away!
What I mean is: If this interview/conversation isn’t enough to make you fall in love, read any of her ten thousand books & you’ll be convinced. You can try them out here or here or here or here.