by Ann Marie Bausch When news of sexual assault allegations against author Junot Díaz broke in the spring of 2018, my first reaction was grief: Not him! Díaz was one of my favorite writers, an advocate for immigrants and the causes of the dispossessed worldwide, someone I felt I had learned from. But his alleged* … Continue reading What We Read
Considering our current moment, it would appear there’s no getting around our postmodern predicament at this point. The President is a former reality TV star, the U.S. has theoretically ceded its role as the leader of the free world, and the specter of a foreign power looms over the country. Sounds almost like the lampoon of a Michael Crichton novel (minus the time travel, of course) more than a real, present reality.
by Kristine Langley Mahler 2016 was filled with surprises that have challenged my resilience—an experience to which I’m sure many others can relate. As I reflect on the books I read last year, I’m startled to realize how much I connected with the messages of my top four recommendations: I was riveted by my ancestral past while … Continue reading Awareness First, Action Next: My Top Four Books of 2016
by Amy Rice com·fort food noun food that provides consolation or a feeling of well-being, typically any with a high sugar or other carbohydrate content and associated with childhood or home cooking.* com·fort read noun book that induces fuzzy warm feelings, can be read repeatedly, and is quick and easy to consume.** After I … Continue reading Comfort Reads
Many Parishes by Adrian Gibbons Koesters BrickHouse Books, 2013 Hard, dense, sometimes frightening, Koesters' collection leaves me in awe of her ability and fearlessness. While we were at Rainier Writing Workshop (Pacific Lutheran University) together, I saw her quick mind, sense of humor, and obvious skills. I had no idea of the depth of her experience. Many … Continue reading Review of Many Parishes by Adrian Gibbons Koesters
A Review of The Pedestrians by Rachel Zucker 143 Pages, $18 ISBN: 978-1-933517-89-6 Wave Books, 2014 A woman sings “Hey Jude” with a voice like weeping willow branches in warm wind. I am ten years old: still new on this earth. I am with my parents in a parking garage after a Mariners game. … Continue reading Review of Rachel Zucker’s The Pedestrians
by Nicole Sheets I’m less than a month away from my own nuptials, so a chunk of my summer reading has been accounts of weddings and marriage. For starters: Elizabeth Gilbert’s Committed, David Finch’s memoir The Journal of Best Practices, Rebecca Mead’s look at the bridal industry, One Perfect Day. And now I can add … Continue reading Erin McGraw’s Better Food For A Better World
by Amy Rice and Janine Darragh Janine and I knew we liked to read YA literature. We also might have deduced (Barnes & Noble’s signs were pretty subtle, after all!) that a specific genre in YA had some pretty good sales. So we decided to explore Young Adult Paranormal Romances. And the best way to … Continue reading Unexpected Spiritual Themes (And Creepy Faeries) In YA Paranormal Romance
By Vic Bobb, fiction editor The past half century has seen a remarkable number of talented Serbians contribute to the world’s store of interesting and worthwhile narrative. Justly celebrated as one of the most original among three dozen leading Serbian novelists, Borislav Pekić confronts me with two rather odd difficulties. One of them is practical: … Continue reading Why Borislav Pekic is driving me crazy this week
Rock & Sling 