Dear friends of the unreal - Here's another very real essay about a sticker that got put up in our neighborhood.... Please take a look, and let's imagine what would happen if our idea of the neighbor got expanded, ALOT. Welcome, Neighbor!
Author: Stephanie Barbé Hammer
Stephanie Barbé Hammer is a magical realist prose fiction writer, novelist, occasional essayist, and a committed, intermittent poet, as well as a passionate instructor of writing. A 7-time nominee for the Pushcart Prize she has published work in Hayden's Ferry, Pearl, CRATE, Rhapsoidia, NYCBigCityLit, the East Jasmine Review, Apeiron, Inlandia, Literary Alchemy and the Bellevue Literary Review among other places. She is the author the fabulist novel THE PUPPET TURNERS OF NARROW INTERIOR (Urban Farmhouse Press), a novelette, RESCUE PLAN (Bamboo Dart Press), a prose poem chapbook collection, SEX WITH BUILDINGS (dancing girl press), and a poetry collection, HOW FORMAL (Spout Hill Press).
Stephanie's new novel PRETEND PLUMBER is available for order from your favorite bookstore, and her poetry chapbook CITY SLICKER will release in July 2022.
July 1st 2022
Friends of the unreal blog – The past couple of years have been intense ones for me personally and creatively. Being locked down so far away from family and friends in California but having the comfort of my spouse, Larry, I engaged in some very deep introspection and memory and wrote like crazy. As an … Continue reading July 1st 2022
june 26th 2022 — hold the line
Friends -- I've been silent on this latest development -- the Supreme Court's overturning of Roe -- because I feel what everyone I know is feeling: disgust, distress, fear, rage, disappointment, frustration with our entire governmental system, a feeling of being at the end of ideas and out of hope, and also a sense that this … Continue reading june 26th 2022 — hold the line
Why I write about hope
Friends -- on Medium this afternoon I wrote a short piece on this topic. I reproduce it here in its entirety. Why I write about hope what’s the alternative? My view of the world tends to be dark. Until recently I loved movies like the Terminator films, and books like Riddley Walker. I just finished watching Ozark, which, as anyone can … Continue reading Why I write about hope
Pretend Plumber post-party writing fun
And. . . it's a launch! Tonight friends and family from both coasts (and some folx from the middle) joined thee zoom-o-sphere for a book party featuring readings by incredibly talented creatives, two give aways, and.... a writing prompt. If you attended the party, you will have received your assignment . Please post your writing … Continue reading Pretend Plumber post-party writing fun
My initial response to the RoevWade memo leak of May 2nd 2022
I shared this poem on facebook. I wrote it very quickly on Tuesday morning May 3rd, and made minimal edits. On May 4th, I took a writing workshop with poet activist Andres Sanchez where he emphasized the importance of story-telling and activism. Here is the poem. 1. I had sex at 16 with my first … Continue reading My initial response to the RoevWade memo leak of May 2nd 2022
Novel-writing and why it matters
Dear friends -- Happy Cinco de Mayo! I'm taking a look back over my various attempts at writing novels on Medium, and here is the first part of that essay: Why I write novels This week I’m junking the “about” in my title and getting right to the question of why I keep on trying … Continue reading Novel-writing and why it matters
New “Why I write about”
Friends -- This is a short piece where I think about writing and teaching connected to the holocaust. My novel Pretend Plumber does not address the holocaust directly. This comic tale focuses on a young Los Angeles teenager, who is Jewish, but who is also white and highly privileged. Yet, the event that Jews call the “Shoah” … Continue reading New “Why I write about”
April — Special in-depth conversation with Anthony LeDonne about my new novel PRETEND PLUMBER
Hello friends! What a spiritually resonant week this is, as folx navigate Ramadan, Easter and Passover all at the same time! Because of this convergence, my wonderful friend Anthony and I thought this might be the perfect time to record and share a conversation about spirituality and Jewishness in my new novel Pretend Plumber, now … Continue reading April — Special in-depth conversation with Anthony LeDonne about my new novel PRETEND PLUMBER
Let’s talk sandwiches — food matters in my life and fiction
Dear friends of the unreal -- In my latest Medium piece, I wax eloquent about my history with a famous foodstuff and how it works in my new novel. Food is love, my husband once told me and food is crucial in my forthcoming novel, Pretend Plumber. I love food. No, seriously, I LOVE food. I’m … Continue reading Let’s talk sandwiches — food matters in my life and fiction
Stephanie Barbé Hammer Writing (Un) Real 