Despite the odd fact that Raymond Carver and Ernest Hemingway have both been tagged with the term “realistic writer,” both write as if they are more concerned with style and form than any kind of fidelity to experience as actually lived by living, breathing people. …
As a rule, authors’ first books are rarely their strongest. Think of Faulkner, Dickens, and Morrison. Think of Jane Austen and Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Think of Nathaniel Hawthorne, who in his later years, sought out copies of his first book so that he could burn …
If you follow these rules, you are guaranteed to produce an American Short Story Masterpiece. Begin with both feet on the ground. Grab the reader by the throat and don’t let go until they are gasping for breath or pass out. Clearly identify in your …
Kate Sontag, an accomplished poet who graduated with an MFA from the University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop, has won numerous awards and recognition for her poetry. Her work has appeared in anthologies such as Boomer Girls, In Praise of Pedagogy, and The Chester H. Jones …
When I heard the words, “I can’t find your clitoris,” it occurred to me that hiring a male escort had been a stupid idea. I hadn’t slept with anyone in a long time. I hadn’t slept with anyone I liked for much longer. I wanted …
