Monthly Archives: October 2008

Celebrate the Author: Gene Zion
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Posted on October 30, 2008 by

Recognize this guy? He’s a white dog with black spots who likes everything except getting a bath. So begins the adventure of Gene Zion’s Harry the Dirty Dog(1956), one of the handful of stories I and my daughters can recite by heart from beginning to end. We’ve enjoyed all the Harry stories — at the … Continue reading →

Posted in Picture Books | Comments Off

Revisiting ‘Wise Blood’
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Posted on October 9, 2008 by

My task, which I am trying to achieve, is, by the power of the written word, to make you hear, to make you feel — it is, before all, to make you see. That — and no more, and it is everything. If I succeed, you shall find there, according to your deserts, encouragement, consolation, … Continue reading →

Posted in Novels | Comments Off

Writing about books: 25 prompts
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Posted on October 6, 2008 by

I’ve been trying to brainstorm some writing prompts to help me engage with my reading without falling into ruts or formulas. In fact, I think I’m going to do away with “book reviews” altogether, and switch to “book engagements.” Most of the time, my responses are complex and hard to “score” in the way a book review … Continue reading →

Posted in On Reading, Writing | Comments Off

To be Told: Thoughts on “co-authorship”
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Posted on October 2, 2008 by

Everyone has a story. Put another way, everyone’s life is a story. But most people don’t know how to read their life in a way that reveals their story… It is the force that orients us toward the future, and yet we don’t give it a second thought, much less careful examination. It’s time to … Continue reading →

Posted in Nonfiction, Writing | Comments Off