Monday, September 15, 2008

Quick Update: Hurricane bits, McGrath, and the Bastion of Industrial Decline

Hurricane Ike, or at least his remainants, blew through town yesterday. It almost felt like Livingston, MT with all the wind gusts. All I could think about was Greg Keeler's "Hotel Livingston, MT" parody. It gave me a full day inside. Left to reading and writing I got a fair amount of work done the "Bastion of Industrial Decline" novella I've started for workshop. Set in present day Windsor, ON and Detroit, MI, it allows for a small microcosm for the lives being lived under the collapse of North American manufacturing. More importantly though, I started Campbell McGrath's "Seven Notebooks" collection. It's a fantastic read thus far. Highly influenced by the landscapes of Florida (ohh ... childhood memories) and by his time as an instructor of Creative Writing, it is simply put, beautifully written. I also finished up David Berman's "Actual Air" collection. Yeah, he's the lead singer of the "Silver Jews" and that undoubtedly helped get this book published. But, as writers we all have to milk whatever advantages we can. All in all, Berman's book was entertaining. Not life changing, but entertaining. I'll post "New York, New York" shortly here.
Lastly, I'll be giving my first reading on October 10th here in Bloomington. Myself and the rest of the first year MFA's will be hosting readings at the Pourhouse Cafe on Kirkwood. Time is 7 pm and the readings go on both the 10th and 11th.

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