All posts tagged: Creative Writing

Guided by Feeling, Not Feelings

May 29, 2021
by Michael
comments 18
Book Reviews / Reflections

I recently finished George Saunders’ latest book, A Swim in a Pond in the Rain. In it, he takes seven short stories by famous Russian authors and talks about what works in them—what’s going on at a deeper level than a cursory read might reveal and why he can’t stop reading them himself. He intersperses this with discussions of his realizations as a human being and a writer. I loved it, but it’s taken me […]

The Delicious Letdown of Losing Oneself

January 22, 2016
by Michael
comments 47
Creative / Poetry

It started with an idea, as these things usually do.  “I need your help with something,” I said. Hafiz was working on his Nerf ball free throw.  “I’m listening.” His face was an expressionless intensity, but the perforated foam hope fell short of the mark.  He seemed to savor the data point.  Silent as a feather in long term storage, the ball hit the knob on the closet door, rolled across the floor and settled […]