In 2011, I was teaching an “adult transition to college class” for a special program at a community college. If you want to see a true and pure slice of America–America in all its glory of conglomeration, weirdness, exuberance, achievement, and commotion–visit a community college. The word “community” actually…
I recently watched the independent film Night Catches Us–and yes, I intentionally use the word ‘film.’ I’m not a snob about watching movies. I’ll watch about anything (I made it through most of Sex and the City 2), but I am a believer that analysis and…
People have granted Jonathan Franzen enough attention. I mean, someone actually compared Freedom to War and Peace. Yes, the cliché lives–and the comparison remains as unfortunately abused as ever (honestly, 21st-century upper-middle class America can never provide the intense characters, events, and conflicts of 19th-century Russia). Franzen…
2010 Short Story Finalist: Press 53 Open Awards Press 53 selected “The Tangle of Stems and Light” as a finalist in its annual contest. Press 53 is located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and supports literary writing of all types. In addition to showcasing new writers…
2010 Finalist: The Bellwether Prize Barbara Kingsolver sponsors this prize, and the National Writers United Service Organization managed it. (PEN American Center currently coordinates the contest.) My novel manuscript, Being Good About It, reached the final eight out of hundreds submitted. The prize seeks to support…
2010 January: LAByrinth Theater Company Master Class I was accepted into the Master Class (now the Ensemble Workshop), a five-week program offered by the innovative LAByrinth Theater Company in New York City. Taught by company members, the class is multi-disciplinary and includes work in body, movement, scene…