Midweek Notes from a Practicing Writer

I am feeling even more busy than usual. So this will be fairly brief.

IMG_2186Booked!

Two excellent book events this past week to report to you.

The first was Jessamyn Hope’s lovely launch (for Safekeeping, her debut novel) at Brooklyn’s Book Court. (I am told that the recipe for the specialty cocktail for the evening, “The Safekeeper,” will soon be made available.) The crowd was terrific (and the books sold out!).

The second was a terrific discussion between Jessamyn and another Fig Tree Books author, Jon Papernick, expertly moderated by Wayne Hoffman, at BookCulture on Columbus Avenue in Manhattan (where the accompanying photo was snapped). Après-event drinks and snacks nearby were generously provided by Mitchell Waters, the agent who represents both Jessamyn and Jon.

It’s really something to see the authors talk about their books with the readers in these settings. Having read earlier versions back when I joined Fig Tree Books last summer, I’ve had to wait some months to enjoy these public discussions of the finished works (it has been worth the wait!). Bonus: These events marked my first visits to the respective bookstores: I loved them both, and I’ll be going back!

Running Around the Reservoir

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I’m by no means the first person to realize that some of my best writing ideas arrive and/or seem to grow most healthily when I’m out for a jog. A few days ago, while so engaged, I came up with an idea for a poem that I am extremely eager to tackle (a bit of research is required first).

But wait—there’s more! With my nifty, still-new iPhone, I’m also continuing to enjoy the opportunity to snap photos while I’m away from my desk. Above, a view from the north side of Manhattan’s Central Park reservoir as I glimpsed it yesterday morning.

Dropbox

Finally: a practical question. Anyone have any ideas why Dropbox might not be sync-ing between my desktop and laptop? It would be most helpful if I could solve this problem before I leave for a conference this weekend. Wish me luck! And thank you!

4 thoughts on “Midweek Notes from a Practicing Writer

  1. Jenny says:

    I run regularly and I find when I can’t run (massive snow or injury), I have a much harder time writing. I definitely run with my iPhone and I have some hilarious voice memos that I recorded while running because I didn’t want to forget an idea I had (“What if [huff huff] the main character [pant huff] isn’t really her [huff gasp huff] daughter?”)

    1. Erika Dreifus says:

      That’s so funny, Jenny. I haven’t “graduated” to the voice memos yet, but I suspect those are coming!

  2. Clive Collins says:

    Very happy to hear of the two bookstore events, Erika, especially as I read your post shortly after finishing Adam Gopnik’s fine but sad piece on the closure of La Hune in Paris,(http://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/when-a-bookstore-closes-an-argument-ends) a store I imagine you have visited.

    When a bookstore closes it diminishes the life of the district it served. Bookstores like cafes, bread shops and bakeries, enrich our communities. Lose them and we impoverish the life in our communities. So, I was cheered by your blog and by another New Yorker article, this one on the artist Mark Bradford who has given space to Eso Won Books in one of the buildings he is renovating in South Central Los Angeles (I think!) (http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/06/22/what-else-can-art-do)

    PS Forgive the silly question, but is the reservoir in your photo the one that Woody Allen walks by in Hannah and Her Sisters?

    1. Erika Dreifus says:

      Hi, Clive–Indeed, I have visited La Hune–the first time because a friend in Paris told me that I HAD to. As for the reservoir, it has been so many years since I’ve seen that movie. I should imagine that it’s entirely likely that it’s the same reservoir. Thank you for your thoughts.

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