I’ve been thinking about book reviews and criticism. Back in May I was in the audience for a panel held during Book Expo of America (BEA) called The Crisis In Reviewing, Disappearing Space and Disappearing Pay. Whenever a panel is listed at a conference or festival I’m attending on this general topic I always make an effort to sit in… because I love books, I … Continue reading Book Criticism: The Great Migration?
On Wednesday I posted a review of The Case of Lisandra P., a thriller written by the French writer Hélène Grémillon and translated by Alison Anderson. I began the review with a paragraph defending the position that while I felt it was a mediocre book, even mediocre books deserve reviews. That it was unfair to demand that women to produce only amazing books which are worthy of … Continue reading In Defense of Reviewing Mediocre Books #WITMonth
When I was in art school I discovered a deep love for the materials out of which art is made: the brushes, the differences in brands of paint pigments, pens and pencils and the cases made to store them. Hours would go by at Pearl Paint on Canal Street spent looking at different types of paper. This passion for tools has crossed over into my reading … Continue reading The Reader’s Toolbox
I’m in the midst of writing a review of Memory At Bay, a novel by Evelyne Trouillot translated by Paul Curtis Daw. As I was writing an idea became stuck in my head – relevant to the book and the review, but too large and unformed at this stage to actually use. The only way I can think of to move past it and get back to … Continue reading A Case for Diaspora Writing as a Literary Movement
I’ve set aside today to read. My usual routine for days like this is to make prodigious amounts of tea, put the “fireplace” video on the television and pretend I’m stranded in a Scottish Inn. The video operates under the same concept as the Yule Log. Which, for those who haven’t had the pleasure, is played during the holidays on public television – transforming television screens … Continue reading A Quick Post On A Day Spent Reading, Fake Fireplaces & Sergio Pitol
READER AT LARGE 