Spring into Spring with Reading, Readings
A favorite part of my many jobs across the years has been interviewing writers — from my early days as a journalist in Connecticut, to my “Off the Page” literary online chat show for washingtonpost.com, which turned into my first book, Off the Page: Writers Talk About Beginnings, Endings and Everything in Between, and now to my position as associate professor at the University of Southampton. My first act when I became head of creative writing there was to begin Writers in Conversation, a reading series that has seen the likes of Jennifer Egan, Gary Younge, Helen Macdonald and Eley Williams read and speak to our lucky students. (We even launched a Youtube channel.)
So it’s a little odd to flip the roles in our first event of Spring 2024, when Toby Litt, our new head of creative writing, interviews me. Join us for our next Writers in Conversation, as I talk about The Same Country on the Avenue campus in Southampton at 6 pm on Tuesday 20 February. All are welcome!
There’s a few other chances to catch me in action this Spring. I’m a guest of Cardiff University’s MA Creative Writing programme on Monday 19 February in the lovely city centre Little Man Coffee Company at 5 p.m. Then in March, I travel down to Bridgend for the new home of Seren Books’ popular First Thursday reading and open mic. I’m there Thursday 7 March at Carnegie House, reading with Kathryn Gray, who is releasing her much-anticipated second poetry collection, Hollywood or Home. Join us there at 14 Wyndham St., Bridgend, CF31 1EF.
The Same Country at your book club
I had my first Book Club event for The Same Country a few weeks ago - what a blast! Members of the Democrats Abroad UK book club asked me terrific questions, brainy group that they are, with an informed and definitely political slant - a different slant from questions at the next Book Club I’m doing in Swansea, I’m sure. If you or a friend are in a book club, pass the word. I’m happy to join in person or online, and my only fee at the moment is signing up your members to this email newsletter. Not too painful, I hope!
Signed copies are still available for purchase at UK bookstores where I did events, including Griffin Books in Penarth; Cover to Cover in Swansea; October Books in Southampton; and Waterstones Leadenhall in London (though call first to double-check). Waterstones stocks copies at many other locations, too.
The Same Country is also available at these bookstore Web sites
Just Finished, and Currently Reading: Recommendations
Alice McDermott’s Absolution is stunning - a subtly piercing story about in a group of American military contractors and their wives in Saigon that explores the experience of being a woman/wife in the 1960s, an American in Vietnam, and an American woman now. Among many other moments, the three scenes which end each of the book’s three sections were strange and fabulous and disruptive and upsetting and beautifully written. I was thrilled to see she’s longlisted for the PEN/Faulkner Award this year - and what a marvelous list of books! I already had in my sights The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride, whom I interviewed for The Washington Post awhile back… but just pile onto my already high Must-Read pile, why don’t they?
For my teaching at Southampton, I’m reading the above two books by Xiaolu Guo, who is our second guest this semester at Writers in Conversation. Join us Monday 4 March at MAST Southampton to hear her talk about how her exploratory, intellectual, playful, precise work.
Another favorite writerly practice is to read the work of people I’ve met at residencies. Upcountry by Chin-Sun Lee is the latest treasure I’ve found this way, and it’s especially exciting to read a debut novel, too. Upcountry looks at three very different women — a professional woman who’s moved to the country, the working-class woman whose house she buys for a song, and a young woman in a nearby cult — and explores the intersection of class and culture and men and women with sympathy and complexity.
And I’ve talked about Donna Hemans’ upcoming novel The House of Plain Truth - which is now out, along with my interview with her for Electric Literature.
If you’ve read The Same Country by now, it would be so helpful if you wrote a review — on GoodReads, Amazon, or whatever is your favorite books or social media site — or just shared a few words on social media.
And please recommend my email newsletter to anyone you might think would be interested — in the world of books, as well as my own bits of writing and news.