People In Your Neighborhood

Meryl Streep's introduction to Hilary Clinton is empowering, inspiring and informative.

This piece by Andre Dubas, informal and passionate, on making a case for writing a novel before you know how it ends, is one of my favorite 'writers on writing'. 

A list of companies that Monsanto owns or controls.

Seven writers in the rooms they write, on how they write.

These piece in Jezebel on Rielle Hunter's 'apology' made me laugh out loud.

Please read this: Female In Public Ah, but there I go again. I am the guilty one. Guilty of being Female in Public. My body, my behavior, my posture, my words — they belong to others, who will judge whether they are suitable or not.

Kristin Auger writes In Defense of the Personal Blog

Oo la la! in France, a new cat cafe

Katie Granju on When Grief Attacks

Debunking the "Guns Don't Kill People, People Kill People" myth

Breastfeeding the Wolf

Literary Survey Yay!

Thank you to Lindsey, who gave her own list here.

Author you’ve read the most books from (the grammar nerd in me has to say:from whom you have read the most books): John Irving, Joyce Carol Oates, Sylvia Plath, L.M. Montgomery, J.K. Rowling, Alice Munro

Best Sequel Ever: I have no idea. I can think of good sequels, but none that fit this title.

Currently Reading: Night Film by Marisha Pessl and Le Divorce by Diane Johnson and The Spooky Art by Norman Mailer ( The Spooky Art is my favorite book on writing, and I've read it many times- I often keep it around just to dip into )

Drink of Choice While Reading: Coffee or Alcohol but mostly coffee

E-reader or Physical Book? Physical books. Always.

Fictional Character You Probably Would Have Actually Dated In High School: Harry Potter

Glad You Gave This Book A Chance: My grandmother gave me the  Kristin Lavransdatter trilogy, which I had no excitement about, and turned out to be some of the most unique, phenomenonally written books I've ever read- utterly captivating, devastating and a thrilling journey into a completely different life than I've ever known or imagined.

Hidden Gem Book: The Big House by George Howe Colt

Important Moment in your Reading Life: Reading Rabbit, Run by John Updike in middle school. Changed my life.

Just Finished: Levels of Life by Julian Barnes ( memoir of grief )

Kinds of Books You Won’t Read: Harlequin romances, although I did read them in high school.

Longest Book You’ve Read: Maybe The Bible? The Eleanor Roosevelt biography series, in which each book is enormous. ( they are so, so good )

Major book hangover because of: Harry Potter. Sniff.

Number of Bookcases You Own: Five.

One Book You Have Read Multiple Times: Anne of Green Gables.

Preferred Place To Read: In my bed.

Quote that inspires you/gives you all the feels from a book you’ve read: “In the world according to Garp, we are all terminal cases” 

Reading Regret: All the books I will not know.

Series You Started And Need To Finish (all books are out in series): A Song of Fire and Ice oh but maybe this doesn't count, I don't think the last book is out. Can't think of any other series though?

Three of your All-Time Favorite Books: The World According To Garp by John Irving, Ariel by Sylvia Plath, A Wrinkle In Time by Madeleine L'Engle

Unapologetic Fangirl For: Harry Potter. Also the Spenser novels by Robert. B Parker

Very Excited For This Release More Than All The Others: Whenever John Irving releases a new novel.

Worst Bookish Habit: Food and drink spills on the pages.

X Marks The Spot: Start at the top left of your shelf and pick the 27th book: A Stained White Radiance By James Lee Burke ( so good! )

Your latest book purchase: Night Film, by Marisha Pessl and Then I Was Mad by Mercer Mayer

ZZZ-snatcher book (last book that kept you up WAY late): Le Divorce by Diane Johnson. I am a huge fan of this trilogy, gets better every time I read. She's unique and so very good.

October Life

Fall has touched California and San Diego is beautiful this week, with two days of blowsy wind and crisp, darkening leaves twirling and diving all around our porch and onto the grass and walkways around the condo. The air gets watercolor blue layers and the sky goes grey blue and then it rained, for two days. There is a kind of joyous rejuvenation that happens inside of me every time this year that is supposed to occur during the Spring, but happens for me with the onset of rain, wind, sun that curtsys and makes room for burgeoning clouds, overflowing gutters, doors that slam shut on their own, stamped feet at the doorway. 

I have been writing and writing and writing. My novel, Agitate My Heart, is getting closer and closer toward the first finish line, and I am more in love with it every day, after a long period of cold hearted disapproval. I also have assigned writing, paid writing even! however small the payment, such as for Budget Fashionista, and then essay writing, like the piece that went up this week at Joanne Bamberger's website, The Broad Side. If you want to read it, take a look here. I am also working on a short story as well as editing my poetry book, The Pirate Queen.

I love this space here at Flux. I love what this blog has done for me as a person and a mother and a writer, I love what I have been able to do for others, and I will be forever grateful.  Every time I come here it's like coming home.  Even when I'm gone for a while, when I come back, it's just as easy and familiar and precious to me.

People In Your Neighborhood

This week has been deeply unsettling, scary and strange all across our country. I hope all of you are tucked in with some good books and coffee or tea for at least part of this weekend, invigorating and relaxing your big ole brain muscle. I plan on some serious child snuggling for heart rejuvenation. 

A literary hero of mine in video, John Irving, on how to tell if you are a writer. His voice, his style, is absolutely essential for me, I suspect for the rest of my life. Here he talks about how hard it is for new novelists today. :( No surprise, but still depressing all the same.

Lisa Adams is a blogger, mother and living with terminal breast cancer. She writes about her view on the October launch of 'Breast Cancer Awareness' via Facebook. Important to read.

Marisha Pessl's five books she keeps at her bedside. I am reading her second novel, Night Film, right now, and loving it.

The Truth Box.  This is so moving.

I recognized Louise Moulin's words on getting inspired while writing her first novel. The way she describes opening up to inspiration is often how it feels to me, also. The quote she found is now going to get written out and put up next  to this very computer I'm working on.

This was a fascinating read from NYT- Scientists Seek To Rein In Diagnoses of Cancer

My good friend and poet Dena Rash Guzman wrote a piece for Dirt and Seeds blog on how to give a good poetry reading, and it got picked up by Poetry magazine online! Woot!

I have some pictures on this blog: The Female Selfie

A work from home mom does a video parody and QUITS. I could relate, yo.

For more video levity, how about this?  Smootch.

People In Your Mutherfuckin Neighborhood

take a seat and read, bitches

This gangster version of Google ( Gizoogle ) is one of the best things on the internet, ever. Here's an example- THE example of why this TOTALLY RULES: 

A poem I wrote that was published in Diagram. 
The Gizoogle version of the same poem in Diagram.

SO AWESOME. I can now turn away from the internet forever and be happy. (Lies, lies, lies.)


America's best unknown writer: William Gaddis in TNYROB  - I had never heard of him. If I had gone to further college I probably would have. So much to read, so little time.

This made me laugh out loud: The Facebook Version of Marriage Going Great 

I loved this simple but beautiful little essay on giving away something the author didn't want to give away. I live like this and it's made my life a million times richer and less lonely. I feel connected to people I don't know because I believe we ARE connected.

Do you read Sweet/Salty? I have off and on for years, and Kate Inglis' recent essay about grief was a reason why.

Remember how I was saying I have a gynormous crush on Coach Taylor from Friday Night Lights?
Here he is in real life action.

This photo essay is personal and deeply moving. For years Nick has taken pictures of his twin brother who has cerebral palsy.

Another reason why I drink green tea: protects against the flu.

Zach Galifianakas interviews Justin Bieber. HAHAHAH

i was there

Objects

will you encounter me?
meet me by the eucalyptus tree
Californian fall, the hush hush of leaves

i am standing in this space.
where the lip of night mouths
the manna of my heart

i want you and you are gone.
when i was younger
i broke a window with my arm

there was a deep red gash, remember?
you came home and comforted me
that's what you always used to do

that's what i always used to do.
the air is sweet with cold,
it pinches my nipples and lips

i wake to a nightfall of loneliness.
just behind the pale blinking face
of this computer

there are secrets we used to share.
i put my hand through the window
there is no glass

only time.
only cold dark air, as wild as my heart
as empty as this place

where even rage was an object to adore.

Songbird- poetry reading

this is the way i felt like reading. so i did. 



i had only the language you gave me.
seven months old the words malformed
in my mouth, like a lumpy Down Syndrome tongue.
this is University Education: the meaning
hidden inside the puzzle, the puzzle hidden
inside the vault of Government Bank,
where only old white men can see inside.

the white shake of a stained diaper,
the opium bloom of an infant cry:
these dailies are not for Philosophy majors.
i sidled next to your fat pipe,
speaking in gutteral German, songbird's throaty discourse.
your words streamed over us like bile, a fouled water source,
gritty bathtub mom's hands circled and circled with bleach.

your words were Damnit, Shit, What the Hell,
i never heard an adult say I Don't Understand
so often. there was everything you did not understand,
an entire world of languages for Communications majors;
i hung upside down from mom's breast, trying to learn.
the trickle song that left my mouth was a warble, a sickle

celled singing, a corrosive tune to the family structure.
You Will Not Sing At the Dinner Table, i was instructed.
the galaxy eye of my sister was turned toward infinity-
i must breach the silence or die trying.
the pen in my hand, like a prosthetic song, a stand-in
a voice-over, a kind translator, the speech therapist
that smoothed my tongue and distilled the sing song
to the fine point, where words poured

in black ink on white paper, and i could flush triumphantly
without ever revealing i had a voice, after all.