This week I started reading Erasure, Percival Everett’s 2001 novel about how African-American literature is perceived and discussed in the literary mainstream. (This 2001 novel was adapted into the film American Fiction, which was nominated for an Oscar last year, and which I wrote about here.) I find the title of this novel especially relevant at this time of year, as the annual celebration in the U.S. known as Black History Month draws to a close, and as attempts to erase our nation’s Black history continue. At all levels of government, in schools, colleges, and universities, and in the corporate world, Black History Month celebrations have been “muted,” as Forbes puts it, due to a rollback of diversity, equity, and inclusion, or DEI, initiatives and practices. One highly visible example: on the eve of Black History Month, newly appointed Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth barred the DoD from using “official resources, to include man-hours, to host celebrations or events” related to Black History Month and other “cultural awareness months.”)
Continue reading “Friday Five: the end of Black History Month”Tag: literature
Is the literary man an endangered species?
A recent New York Times op-ed raises some concerns.
An opinion piece in The New York Times over the weekend — titled “The Disappearance of Literary Men Should Worry Everyone” (gift link) — has me thinking about the role of gender and, dare I say, diversity in the field of literature today.
The author, David J. Morris, who teaches creative writing at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, writes that “literary fiction has become a largely female pursuit.”
Continue reading “Is the literary man an endangered species?”Friday Five: great classic Hispanic novels
Here we are in the middle of National Hispanic Heritage Month in the USA, and as promised in my earlier Friday Five that highlighted contemporary Hispanic authors you should read, today I’m sharing my picks for five “classic” novels by Hispanic writers.
Friday Five: Labor Day weekend reads
Happy weekend, readers, and happy Labor Day weekend to my fellow U.S. Americans. I hope you’re all able to get some down time this weekend, unless you, like me, are taking part in Jami Attenberg’s Mini 1000 writing exercise this weekend, in which case, I hope your labors are fruitful.
If you’re in need of some fresh reading material to wind down your summer and move into fall, here are five goodies I’ve selected just for you:
Continue reading “Friday Five: Labor Day weekend reads”Friday Five: Q&A with Thea Swanson, editor of Club Plum Literary Journal
‘It’s important to me to keep this going for years.’
When I first learned about this cool online journal called Club Plum Literary Journal and read about its mission to offer readers and writers “an ongoing literary conversation, a resonant entry into a beautiful or strange or dark place,” I knew I wanted to be a part of it. And I was thrilled when editor Thea Swanson selected one of my writings to include in the latest issue, which came out earlier this month. Once I learned the piece had been accepted, I invited Thea to take part in a Friday Five, itself an attempt at an ongoing literary conversation. Read on for insights from Thea about the journal she founded (now in its fifth year), her thoughts on writing and creativity, and a special touch she adds to each published piece.
Continue reading “Friday Five: Q&A with Thea Swanson, editor of Club Plum Literary Journal”