writing life – Page 74 – Andrew Careaga

John Updike (and others) on why fiction matters

Thoughts on “the subtlest instrument for self-examination … that mankind has invented yet”

My town’s public library held a used-book sale recently, and among the armful of treasures I picked up there was The Writer’s Digest Handbook of Short Story Writing, Volume II. I’m a sucker for books about the writing craft, even if they’re nearly 40 years old (this one was published in 1988) and especially if they’re in reasonably good shape and only cost 50 cents. Shut up and take my money, I say.

Friday Five: Hippocampus Magazine editor Donna Talarico on creative nonfiction

‘Like fiction, good memoir can also allow people to get lost in another world.’

Portrait photograph of Donna Talarico, founder, publisher and managing editor of Hippocampus Magazine — Donna Talarico, Hippocampus Magazine founder, publisher and managing editor

The literary genre known as creative nonfiction (CNF) has grown in popularity in recent years, and one brilliant and consistent source of great CNF is Hippocampus Magazine. The online literary magazine has been going strong since its debut in 2010.

In today’s Friday Five, Donna Talarico, the magazine’s founder, publisher and managing editor, provides her insights on CNF and the magazine she founded.