the unreal used to a lush, yet disturbing effect.
midweek magic — genius girls making games with twine and showing us how– March 27th 2013
Dear Friends of Magically Real -- The world is filled with unsung heroes, and under-appreciated genii. It is a thrill to discover them and glimpse the workings of art-forms that you never really knew existed, and to get a nicely heaping spoonful of humility, when you encounter talented folks who can do deep, amazing, revolutionary … Continue reading midweek magic — genius girls making games with twine and showing us how– March 27th 2013
Story time Sunday, March 24th 2013. Darren in Geneva
I tell Darren I love him, and he just looks at me. I've told him this in French and in English for more than 30 years, but he still looks at me, and then he vanishes and I'm standing in a phone booth in Geneva, or talking to the manager of a hotel, and looking … Continue reading Story time Sunday, March 24th 2013. Darren in Geneva
Sunday Special Edition: getting it right side up… March 17th 2013
Dear Friends – How can we talk in a fresh way about the extreme socio-economic inequities that plague our globe in the 21st century? Or better, how do we show them to ourselves and each other in ways that make us stop, think, wonder, ask? I would like to say that it is easy for … Continue reading Sunday Special Edition: getting it right side up… March 17th 2013
sunday special edition, 03/10/13 — does niceness count?
dear friends -- It's interesting, isn't it, that the word "nice" was originally connected to the word "stupid"? That's what the OED says: OED definition of nice I, for one, don't mess with the OED. That connection makes sense: being nice these days tends to be seen as something that you do when you're too … Continue reading sunday special edition, 03/10/13 — does niceness count?
special sunday edition — 03/03/13 — is realism real(ly any good)?
Dear friends -- two different posts by two brilliant, but very different writers got me thinking about this question today. One friend posted that she thought ARGO was an ok movie, but says it would have been better if had been real. Another writer who is an acquaintance posted a thoughtful, highly-critical analysis of ZERO … Continue reading special sunday edition — 03/03/13 — is realism real(ly any good)?
My novel’s coming out! The Puppet Turners of Narrow Interior, Urban Farmhouse Press
1. What is the title of your book? The Puppet Turners of Narrow Interior 2. Where did the idea come from for the book? The book emerged from a short story that I had written titled “Henry’s Fence.” The story didn’t work, but Henry was compelling to me, so I kept writing about him. As … Continue reading My novel’s coming out! The Puppet Turners of Narrow Interior, Urban Farmhouse Press
storytime sunday, special Oscars edition, 02/24/13
Once upon a time there were two pretend women. One was German. One was Jewish. They decided to get together to talk about critical theory and philosophy because why should complicated ideas belong only to professors and students of professors and people with fancy degrees from Harvard and Yale? Why shouldn't you have and be … Continue reading storytime sunday, special Oscars edition, 02/24/13
storytime sunday 02/17/13 — why picnics like writers
Once upon a time there was a picnic. The picnic liked reading and listening to writers read. The picnic was hungry to be consumed by words. So the picnic decided to attend the literary festival. It wanted to be with beings like it: happenings that are celebrations of sharing. Picnic = fest = feast But … Continue reading storytime sunday 02/17/13 — why picnics like writers
storytime sunday (monday edition), 02/11/13 — When you don’t share the story
Last night some of the workers from Magically Real HQ had dinner with some family members. Being Jewish, we did some complaining, some eating, and then we did some talking about other family members (don’t worry – it wasn’t any of YOU). During that meal, I remembered a story I wrote about a distant relative. … Continue reading storytime sunday (monday edition), 02/11/13 — When you don’t share the story
Stephanie Barbé Hammer Writing (Un) Real 