Words of the Week: Mikhail Baryshnikov

by Erika Dreifus on
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I’ve always adored Mikhail Baryshnikov. But now I have an additional reason to appreciate him.

Meeting recently with the press in Israel, where he is starring in a play (Dmitry Krymov’s stage adaptation of Nobel Laureate Ivan Bunin’s [1870 – 1953] short story, “In Paris,” performed in Russian with Hebrew subtitles), Baryshnikov gave the following answer when pressed about politics:

“I’m not taking sides in any conflict. Art should heal and not divide. I would not give advice to any person; I don’t live in Israel and am not entitled. I deeply admire this country and love these people.”

Bravo–and thank you–Misha.

The Wednesday Web Browser for Writers

by Erika Dreifus on
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  • Eavesdrop on an intense discussion among litmag folks concerning the practice of charging fees for online submissions.
  • Sometime over the past couple of days, I was clued into the redesign of the Welcome Table Press website. So I clicked over to take a look. Among the finds there: the text of Jerald Walker’s superb essay, “The Suspension of Belief: On Being a Practitioner & a Teacher of the Essay in the Age of Skepticism.” I recall being enraptured by Walker’s presentation at the first Welcome Table Press symposium on the essay in April 2010, and I’m so glad to have the essay in pdf.
  • One fiction writer nears her MFA graduation. Check out her thesis–and reflections thereon.
  • Thinking about making the switch to freelancing? Do the math.
  • Quick profile of Amina Gautier, author of the new, Flannery O’Connor award-winning story collection, At Risk. (I’ve been looking forward to this book–I was awed by a story of Gautier’s that I read a few years ago in The Chattahoochee Review. (h/t @Dolen)
  • Also TBR: Don DeLillo’s new story collection, The Angel Esmerelda. (h/t @davidbcrowley)
  • Some thoughtful ideas on “Diversionary Tactics, or How to Lose Your Readers.”
  • Last, but not least: the November Jewish Book Carnival is online, replete with links to news, reviews, and interviews featuring Jewish books & authors.

    • Quotation of the Week: Pete Hamill

    by Erika Dreifus on
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    “I always mention Flaubert’s advice to young Guy de Maupassant: Get black on white. That is, start writing. What you write can always be changed later, sharpened, deepened, or even thrown away. But nothing will emerge if the words are locked within your skull. Start.”
    –Pete Hamill

    Source: Hamill’s response to the question, “What is the best piece of advice you would give a writer just starting out?” In an interview conducted by Tom Callahan, published in the December 2011 issue of The Writer.

    “Writing Jewish Worlds”: NYC Event on Friday, November 18

    by Erika Dreifus on
    2

    If I weren’t traveling to New Jersey on November 18 for an author event of my own, I’d do my very best to get over to the Graduate School and University Center of The City University of New York. What promises to be a fascinating program will begin at 4 p.m.: “Writing Jewish Worlds.”

    “Join authors Mikhal Dekel (English, City College), Marianne Hirsch (English and Comparative Literature, Columbia), Nancy K. Miller (Comparative Literature, English and French, CUNY Graduate Center), Lara Vapnyar (Comparative Literature, CUNY Graduate Center), and Wayne Koestenbaum (English, CUNY Graduate Center) as they discuss the genesis of their recent books, the rewards and impasses of writing about Jewish subjects, and the tensions between the personal and historical motivations of their work— whether in fiction, nonfiction, poetry, literary criticism or history.”

    The program is free, but it seems as though they’d like reservations. Click here for more info. And if you go, please report back! I’d love to hear all about it.