When I don't have my nose stuck in a book, I have it stuck in some other reading material. I used to joke that I'd read anything that stands still long enough. And it was only a little bit of a joke. I read other blogs, websites of authors I love (especially Monica Wood and Ann Hood), magazines (Family Circle, Good Housekeeping), Literary magazines (Glimmer Train, The Sun, Ploughshares), online literary magazines (The Literarian, Narrative, Five Chapters), articles about writing, the Maine Sunday Telegram, the Bridgton News, cereal boxes (the backs and the sides)...This week, I have been obsessed with NPR's three minute fiction. Maybe because I submitted a story of my own for the first time (to NPR, I mean, not ever), or maybe just because I feel a little out of sorts this week and short pieces are about all I can handle...but whatever the reason I've been trolling the NPR website ferociously. Some of the stories I really like (Exit and Heavy are my current favs) and some not so much. I also love reading the comments...not just because I'm voyeuristic (which I am) but because I like the way sometimes people say things that make me think of something in a new way. And isn't that what living life with an open mind is all about? Check it out here:
http://www.npr.org/series/105660765/three-minute-fiction
I also just read Caitlin Shetterly's piece in the Times about her dream house with John Taylor from Duran Duran: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/15/garden/caitlin-shetterly-drawing-on-inspiration.html?pagewanted=all. I have to say, the more I read of Cait's work, the more I'm a fan. Maybe because she and I are about the same age, this piece really brought me back. I was (and still am) a Bon Jovi fan and I had a life-sized poster of Jon Bon Jovi on the outside of my bedroom door, and a life-sized poster of Richie Sambora on the inside of the door. I never dreamt about marrying either of them (I just wanted to date them both and have them bring me flowers and buy me dinner) because I thought I'd be like my mom's cool friend Gretchen and stay single and childless forever and wear awesome colorful skirts and drink wine. And then, Life has a way of taking you places you never thought you'd go--and then making you realize how grateful you are it turned out the way you didn't plan. :) (at least for me that's what happened)
I was always a Def Leppard type of guy myself...no full size posters though. I reserved that spot for The Bangle's lead singer Susana Hoffs. Dinner and a movie with her not necessary. She just needed to look at me from her MTV video (back when MTV was known for it's MUSIC) with those big brown eyes and I was a puddle of melted, wistful, teenage hormones.
ReplyDeleteSOMETIMES, life has a way of taking you places you wish you'd never been while gently haunting you with reminders of the things you should have done. But that's not a bad thing either.
Thanks for introducing me to NPR's Three Minute Fiction. I'm hooked. When you get a chance, you might want to check out this site....one of my favorites for my short story fix (and its a UK site):
http://www.short-stories.co.uk/
And in order to catch up on my "classic" short stories that I can never seem to keep abreast of, I go here:
http://www.classicreader.com/
Hope you find as much enjoyment there as I have.
----Donkey
I also wanted to recommend that you read "Shoutin' into the Fog: Growing Up on Maine's Ragged Edge" if you haven't yet. You've mentioned before in your blog that you aren't into memoirs per say, but this is one I think you might enjoy.
ReplyDelete-----Donkey
Thanks for the suggestions--I'll check them out. As for "classics," I subscribe to the Library of America and get a short story e-mailed to me every week, although, to be honest, I'm about 80 stories behind!
ReplyDelete