Go deep below the surface of any person, and you will find Swift’s narrator, George Webb, a man for whom the normal movements of life have become odd, and replaced by a kind of quiet obsession – love perhaps, or…
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A review of Can Poetry Matter By Dana Gioia
The reader will not need to agree with Gioia to enjoy this book. It constitutes by the nature of its subject a wandering into both the unknown and the unknowable. But Gioia seldom goes so far into speculation that he…
A review of Hermit in Paris – Autobiographical Writings by Italo Calvino
Hermit in Paris, along with The Road to San Giovanni comprises the extent of Calvino’s autobiographical writings, at least in English. There is still a mystery about Calvino, and that will remain; you won’t be able to understand, from the…
A review of Writing Alone, Writing Together by Judy Reeves
Writing groups can provide all sorts of benefits, from stimulating us to write new material in new ways, helping to improve our writing, encouraging our efforts and teaching us new skills, not to mention the camaraderie and pleasure of sharing…
Interview with Fiona Giles
The author of Fresh Milk talks about the genesis of her book, the process of gathering the material for it, the challenge of writing a book part academic thesis, part entertainment, and part how to guide, how she researched the more riske…
A review of Fresh Milk by Fiona Giles
For those of us who have experienced the sensual, emotional, and intense power of being able to feed our children for extended periods, there are many chapters in this book which will resonate. Those who haven’t probably won’t be interested.…
A review of Withdrawal by Michael Hoffman
Is this artlessness or is it art perfected? One hardly cares, for Hoffman is a natural storyteller and, although this is often not high praise for a writer, it achieves a different dimension when, as here, the writer is sufficient…
Interview with Gabriel Gate
The author of A Guide to Everyday Cooking talks about his latest cookbook, how fewer people are learning to cook from their parents, the proliferation of lifestyle programs, how he creates recipes, on using classic recipes, the photography sessions, kitchen wisdom, obtaining…
A review of Gabriel Gate’s Guide to Everyday Cooking
Guide to Everyday Cooking is an all-inclusive primer, with over 200 dishes and lots of information on techniques, ingredients, and kitchen help. As with all of Gate’s books, the focus is on using the freshest and best quality ingredients you can…
A review of The Robber Bride by Margaret Atwood
In the end, we choose our point, arbitrarily: “A period, a dot of punctuation, a point of stasis.” Atwood reminds us that the story could easily end elsewhere, that endings are random, and that, for her protagonists (but not for…