Writing Lessons from Ron Carlson

Writing Lessons from Ron Carlson I’ve never read anything by Ron Carlson that I didn’t enjoy. I began with his short stories and later read two novels, “Return to Oakpine” and “The Signal.” Later I read “Ron Carlson Writes a … Continued

Johnny Cash, Glen Sherley and Kristen Lamb

A Loose Connection: Folsom Untold and Rise of the Machines I took a long walk while listening to Folsom Untold: The Strange True Story of Johnny Cash’s Greatest Album. I wanted to listen to Folsom because I’d recently read Rachel Kushner’s The Mars Room (great stuff!) … Continued

Try a Family Book Club

People joke about their love of the wine and food, but book clubs are essentially a great experience because we get to discuss one of our favorite things with some of our favorite people. I’ve participated in book clubs with … Continued

The Miseducation of Cameron Post: Literary Quality YA

The film The Miseducation of Cameron Post based on the  YA novel of the same name won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Festival. I’m naive enough about the judgment of critics to think that this meant they would all … Continued

Fiction and School Libraries: What Happens When We Neglect Story

Schooled An issue that has been on my mind for years. My essay in the Eckleburg Review. We should be encouraging students to read fiction for many reasons. Supporting school libraries helps to ensue that we do.