Category Archives: Uncategorized

I grew up going to art museums. My mother always took me, although we have very different tastes in art: she likes modern art, by which I mean late 20th century. I like art of the 19th and early 20th … Continue reading →

I’m reading Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood. I’m only at the beginning, a couple of chapters in, but it’s making me think about writing with a sort of precision, so that every word is perfect, every word counts. That’s what … Continue reading →

I wanted to title this post “How to Be Fascinating,” but there isn’t enough space on the sidebar for a title that long. I’ve been very lucky, as a writer and scholar, to be able to meet so many fascinating … Continue reading →

I’m writing the novel. Not a novel, but this particular novel. Or should I say that I’m learning how to write a novel? This novel. I find it very difficult to talk, or write, about writing the novel. So why … Continue reading →

I’ve been writing down my dreams. Or trying to, because of course dreams start to slip away as soon as you wake up. The reason I’ve been writing them down is that I’ve been reading books on myths and fairy … Continue reading →

I love meeting artists. I love meeting writers too, of course. I travel a lot, and everywhere I go, I try to meet other writers. Whatever our backgrounds, we immediately have a common language: of wordcount, royalty payments, and more … Continue reading →

On my last day in London, I went to a lecture on graveyards and then walked around the Abney Park Cemetery in Stoke Newington. Here is me in the cemetery: (Is there a difference between cemeteries and graveyards? I’m guessing … Continue reading →