December 2012
“I Am In Here”: On Silence in Fiction
Alix Ohlin
Silence appeals to us not just because it’s a rare commodity in the modern world, but because it is profoundly intertwined with our consciousness and our sense of self. Silence can indicate oppression and taboo; it can also be spiritual, offering respite and calm.
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Many White Dresses: Emily Dickinson & Her Biographers
Amy Pence
Few poets that I know—male and female alike—have failed to answer Emily Dickinson’s provocation. She’s a rare find—both a woman’s woman and a man’s woman.
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Middle Birth: The Novella as an Art Form
Hunter Liguore
Novellas have developed in traditional literary history as a middle point between a short story, (7,500 words) and a novel (50,000+ words). While the length of a novella is part of what defines it, the directness of its plot also suggests its meaning.
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Privileged Perspective in Memoir: Building the Bridge of Trust by Trusting the Reader
Tara Caimi
Credibility is one of the most important qualities of an effective memoir, yet sometimes the truth is, indeed, stranger than fiction. What happens when real-life events are truly unbelievable?
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An Author’s Unlikely “Nervous Breakthrough”: Mary Karr's Journey Through Darkness to Illumination
Robin Lindley
Acclaimed memoirist, poet and, literature professor, Mary Karr displays her trademark lyrical writing and unique ability again to make the personal universal in her new memoir, Lit.
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R.T. Smith & Steve Scafidi: Two Poets Talk
Lana White Austin
How did you meet and what is at the core of your now years-long friendship?
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Geography of Genre: Authors Working in Both Prose & Poetry
Jessica Day
Genre is the starting point for many writers, a way of organizing their ideas or framing their story, and most writers generally find their way through genre by instinct—they don’t necessarily sit down at their desk and declare I am going to write a poem! (although, some of them may).
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