A few weeks ago LA Times book critic David L. Ulin gave a talk at San Diego Writers, Ink (at their venue, that is– The Ink Spot) and he was fantastic. He was in conversation with San Diego’s Arthur Salm, who is also pretty great. (by the by, Mr. Ulin is also quite the Silver [...]

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Did you happen to read the piece in the January 3rd NewYorker on Joan Crawford? It was called “Escape Artist: The Case for Joan Crawford” and was written by David Denby. I like how the subtitle in the table of contents said: The Joan Crawford Problem. The piece is mostly a review of Donald Spoto’s [...]

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Did you watch the Golden Globes last night? I’m a sucker for awards shows, though I don’t watch all of them, mostly, of course, the Oscars, the Emmys, Golden Globes, and Grammys (and sometimes MTV Music Awards). I thought that Ricky Gervais started sort of slow but then he picked up momentum with some REALLY [...]

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Latest addition to my vintage paperback book collection: Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl– with the 1959 George Stevens movie tie-in (the book features actress Millie Perkins on the cover). My other vintage paperbacks are here. And here. And here. (click on the link on the sidebar for vintage books to see others [...]

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So I’ve decided to read Cleopatra: A Life, a biography of the queen of eyeliner (of the Nile, I mean) by Stacy Schiff before I read the other book.  Ted’s aunt gave it to me for Christmas and I’m very excited about it. I was obsessed with Egypt as a kid. This was during the [...]

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I’m off for about three and a half weeks, which means writing and reading and being creative. I’m almost finished reading the book I spoke about in my previous post (The Prince, The Showgirl, and Me) and I’m eying a stack of books by my bed. Which one next? The Pure Lover by David Plante? [...]

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The end of my semester. How it flew by– but doesn’t it always? I taught at a new school this semester and enjoyed it immensely. There’s a full-time position opening up that i’m applying for… cross fingers for me. I can’t believe it’s my winter break (and Christmas!). Cannot wait to get to some serious [...]

Posted in Movies, Uncategorized, books, my writing, nonfiction, writers 2 Comments »

It’s been over a week, sorry, since my last post. Lots going on– school is coming to a close– I finish teaching the last week of May. I cannot wait. I’ve rented an office with a co-worker of mine–it’s beautiful, pics to come! So I plan on spending my summer writing–especially since I have literally [...]

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<–got this photo at an antique store just outside Johnson Vermont last month. On the back it says “Uncle Fred’s brother Alvin. Hazel’s father.” Today had one of the longest (and most productive) days of writing since I got back from Vermont. Also, kind of nice to go with the hubby and write. We went [...]

Posted in Vermont Studio Center, books, cute photos of me, my writing, nonfiction, postcards, ted, writers No Comments »

It’s writer Mary Gordon’s birthday today. (picture from Random House). Mary Gordon was one of my favorite teachers during my MFA. She was generous, honest, and so precise in her feedback. She also made you feel like you were a friend to her. I loved visiting her apartment on the Upper West Side and chatting [...]

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