#AmReading Archives - Page 19 of 20

October 19, 2016October 18, 2016

Remington Roundup: Readers, This is for YOU

Most often, the Remington Roundup includes links for writers, but this month, it’s entirely devoted to readers.

Over the next two months, I’ll be posting on four-freshly pressed books–as author Q&A’s or as a general review–all four from different genres and guaranteed to pique your interest. Today, I’m offering a sneak peek at these books with notes to mark your calendars: there are also giveaways in the near future (after all, good reading is good sharing)!

Science Fiction & Fantasy: City of Weird, edited by Gigi Little

Published by Forest Avenue Press, this book hit the Bestsellers list at Powell’s City of Books one day after it launched. From Forest Avenue Press’ website:

…death, darkness, ghosts. Hungry sea monsters and alien slime molds. Blood drinkers and game show hosts. Set in Portland, Oregon, these thirty original stories blend imagination, literary writing, and pop culture into a cohesive weirdness that honors the city’s personality, its bookstores and bridges and solo volcano….

Kirkus includes City of Weird in its list, “A Savory selection of Science Fiction and Fantasy Books to Read,” and yeah, savory is a perfect description. I’m relishing each story I read, going all wide-eyed as I get lost in the pages, even though I know there’s no such thing as a tattoo of an octopus that comes alive, hungry for more than just mollusks. Or is there?….

Look for my review at the end of October.

Romance: Opposite of Frozen, by Jan O’Hara

A romantic comedy about protagonists Oliver Pike and Page Maddux and “fifty-one seniors on a multinational bus tour, including a ninety-five-year-old with a lethal cane.” From The Thurston Hotel Books website:

In the hold of the bus, amid the walkers and luggage, lies a half-frozen stowaway. Page Maddux is commitment-averse and obviously lacking in common sense. Once revived, she’s also the person Oliver must depend upon to help him keep the “oldsters,” as she calls them, out of harm’s way.

Once a month, I meet with a group of senior citizens for a writing class, and what I’ve learned in my time with them is that age serves to energize. They don’t mess around; they mean business–in life as much as in love, I imagine. Especially when it comes to bringing people together.

Even more intriguing, Opposite of Frozen is the second book in a series of 12 novels, each written by a different author but set in the same fictional Canadian town–a literary cooperative that gives readers the taste of several authors’ work in one collection.

Watch for the Q&A (& giveaway) in early November.

Poetry: Floodgate Poetry Series, Vol. 3, published by Upper Rubber Boot Books

If you’re a poetry lover, this one’s for you, with three chapbooks between the covers of one publication. From Upper Rubber Boot Books’ website:

…brothers Anders and Kai Carlson-Wee’s Northern Corn invites us on a trip across an America of dust, trains, poverty, dignity, and dreams; Begotten, co-written by Cave Canem fellows F. Douglas Brown and Geffrey Davis, bravely and tenderly explores fatherhood in the era of Black Lives Matter; and Enid Shomer’s Driving through the Animal lovingly moves between unflinching witness of destruction and hope for the future.

To get a taste of the authors’ work, check out the website of Kai Carlson-Wee; listen to F. Douglas Brown read two of his poems from his collection, Zero to Three; read Enid Shomer’s poem, “Bald,” on 32 Poems.

Watch for the Q&A (& giveaway) with authors Brown and Davis in late November/early December.

Graphic Memoir: Flying Couch, by Amy Kurzweil

A cartoonist, writer, and teacher, Amy Kurzweil’s work has appeared in The New Yorker, Huffington Post, and more. Her new graphic memoir is a story about three generations of women. From Amy Kurzweil’s website:

At thirteen years old, [my grandmother] Bubbe (as I call her) escaped the Warsaw Ghetto alone, by disguising herself as a gentile. My mother taught me: our memories and our families shape who we become. What does it means to be part of a family, but how does each generation bear the imprint of the past, its traumas and its gifts? Flying Couch is my answer to these questions, the documentation of my quest for identity and understanding.

Watch the book trailer (one of the best I’ve seen).

And, look for the Q&A (& giveaway) in mid December.

So…if you haven’t subscribed to the blog yet, this is a good time to do so (for the giveaways alone–free books, people!). It’s easy: CLICK HERE.

August 10, 2016August 8, 2016

Remington Roundup: #Read, #Write, #Submit

Summer has been a whirlwind of activity at home and beyond, but in the mix of vacations, retreats, and cleaning out closets to get ready for fall, here is a cluster of literary links to pull you back into the field of reading, writing, & submitting.

#Read

There’s a new literary journal on scene that incorporates both print and audio, and not just for dual sensory enjoyment. The Deaf Poet’s Society, “an online journal of disability literature & art,” publishes poetry, prose, art and more by writers with disabilities and makes the work accessible for anyone and everyone.

…the word “disabled” can encompass a wide variety of experiences. . . . If we’re not writing our lives, then someone else controls our narrative,” [Deaf Poets Society poetry editor Cyree Jarelle Johnson] said.

The first issue is out with beautiful art and prose. Take a look (&/or listen); spread the word.

*Above artwork, “Untitled (hands with gold pigment),” by Stephen Lapthisophon, featured in Issue 1 of The Deaf Poet’s Society.

#Write

For the last several weeks, I’ve been working on a new studio space: painting, hanging art, setting the scene. At times I’ve felt self-indulgent and worried about the fact that I’d spent more hours cultivating the space than using it. But making space for your writing is an important psychological aspect in the journey to create, as Maria Popova says on Brain Pickings:

The room, time of day, or ritual selected for working may enable or even induce intense concentration or a favorable motivational or emotional state.

Set the mood, but don’t stop there:

…despite all these fruitful strategies for optimizing creative flow, the bigger truth — something I wholeheartedly believe — remains: There is no ideal rotation of the chair or perfect position of the desk clock that guarantees a Pulitzer. What counts, ultimately, is putting your backside in the chair….

#Submit

Speaking of putting your backside in the the chair and Johnson’s quote about “writing our lives,” the call for submissions for Hidden Timber Books’ Family Narratives Anthology is still open until September 1st! We’re looking for:

“creative nonfiction, found poetry and other poetry, and essays inspired by diaries and letters, genealogical records…the telling of historical family narratives for present and future generations, both for our own families and for other readers.”

Dig up those old letters from your best friend, dust off that high school journal, put every card you received from your mother in order and uncover the puzzle of your world as seen through her eyes. You have a story; we want to read it.

April 20, 2016April 19, 2016

Keep an Open Mind, Watch the Magic Unfold

So much in life and writing is about showing up, putting one foot in front of the other, and being open to where the path takes you.

When I began working with a group of senior citizens at Harwood Place almost four years ago, I had no idea what might come of the experience. Since our first meeting in June of 2012, I have gained so much as I witness the writers’ love for the work, their joy in storytelling, and their strength of spirit.

cover image for Stanley Together, we have published three anthologies and hosted formal reading events to the delight of other residents, guests, and family members. And now I’m thrilled to announce one writer has published her first children’s book: The Adventures of a Sparrow Named Stanley, by Betty Sydow.

If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you might remember Betty and her poem, “Then and Now, Sweet Treats.” I have known Betty to be a great writer of short fiction and poetry, and when she read her piece about Stanley to the group the first time, it was clear she has a gift for writing children’s stories as well.

image of several Stanley books When Betty approached me about turning her tale about a young sparrow into something more and publishing it as a children’s book, I was unsure as to how much I could help her. But Betty’s confidence and determination, along with Stanley’s sweet story, was hard to resist, so we began our journey of revisions and research together. Months later, I met with Lisa Rivero over coffee, told her about the project, and asked if she had any ideas.

Lisa is an author herself, and when we met (unknown to me), she had been considering a new venture as publisher with her own company, Hidden Timber Books. She read Betty’s story, fell in love with Stanley, and carried Betty’s dream to the next level, bringing Stanley to print and making the story available for everyone to enjoy. Much of this journey with Betty has been a lesson in simply showing up, taking chances, asking questions, and watching the magic unfold, a lesson echoed in the pages of her book.

Stanley, on his own for the first time, is eager to find his place in the world around him. Not content to be just any old sparrow, he sets off to try to become famous and finds himself caught up in tiny adventures and mishaps along the way. In the end, it is his determination and spirit, along with the wise words of an owl, that help him become the sparrow he is meant to be. The Adventures of a Sparrow Named Stanley is a sweet story about finding what you’re good at and thriving in the joy of sharing that gift with others.

Author Betty Sydow (standing) and illustrator Carolou Lennon Nelsen. Photo credit: Amy Bielawski

As Betty, Carolou Nelsen (the illustrator), Lisa, and I sat together recently to discuss final edits and cover images for the book, it became clear to me that Betty, at the young age of 89, exhibits the same spirit she writes about in her book; Betty is inquisitive, unafraid to try new things, and determined. I’m so grateful to have been part of her journey to publication.

You can purchase a copy of Stanley on Amazon, stop by Lisa Rivero’s blog to enter the giveaway, or if you’re local, stop in at the author reading in May (time and place to be announced soon). Betty Sydow and Carolou Nelsen are a dynamic duo sure to inspire and entertain!