T. C. Boyle's fourteenth novel was published in September by Viking. It is called San Miguel and on his blog, the author describes it this way: “It is set on the island of the same name, the most northern and westerly of the California Channel Islands, and the story it tells derives from my research into the ecology and history of the region for my previous novel, When the Killing’s Done. . . . This is my first book-length narrative in the conventional realist mode, sans … [Read more...]
A creative family: The Kanters
I think I first met Carol Kanter ("Her Best Medicine," "Alternative Eulogy" and "The Advanced Course") in the back of Books on Vernon when we both signed on for a poetry-writing class with Larry Starzec; he is a former businessman who came to poetry as a second career, studied at one of those low-residency programs and now teaches at Lake County College. This was in the 1990s. If my memory serves me correctly, Fran Podulka, Constance Vogel and Joyce Gordon were also signed on … [Read more...]
Publication date reading at Barbara’s and our latest review — reasons to celebrate
May 12 was the official publication date of Solace in So Many Words and also the date for our second reading. This was one was at Barbara's Bookstore (UIC), which has a separate performance space with great acoustics. The event, which was well-attended, started off with my short explanation of the book and how it came to be, followed by outstanding readings by: Carol Kanter who read her three poems, "Her Best Medicine," "Alternative Eulogy," and "The Advanced Course," Pat … [Read more...]