Uncategorized Archive
Roundup: Finding Time and Space to Write
As we look forward to updating the Ploughshares blog for the new year, we’re also looking back at all the great posts since the blog started in 2009. Our roundups explore the archives and gather past posts around a certain theme to help you jump-start your week. This week
THAT LIT, LIT LIFE (with global characteristics) 9 (of 14)
So there I was, my head in Colm Tóibín’s Ireland (more, later) while chattering about Mo Yan’s China on BBC World TV. It was Friday, October 12, 2012 at 0615 hours in Central, Hong Kong. An ungodly hour (up at 0430 hours to reach their studios on time) to
Care of Wooden Floors
Care of Wooden Floors Will Wiles New Harvest, October 2012 304 pages $24.00 In Will Wiles’ debut novel Care Of Wooden Floors, an unnamed narrator is invited to mind an empty apartment in an unspecified Eastern European city. Upon his arrival the narrator discovers that his friend, Oskar, infamous
I Don’t Stand Alone: Poets Orlando White and Sherwin Bitsui on the Importance of Mentors
Whether it’s in the acknowledgment section of their books or in daily prayers of gratitude, many writers thank mentors for helping to shape their paths as artists. In the interview below, authors Sherwin Bitsui and Orlando White graciously open the window to their friendship and writing. How did
Literary Boroughs #25: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
The Literary Boroughs series will explore little-known and well-known literary communities across the country and world and show that while literary culture can exist online without regard to geographic location, it also continues to thrive locally. Posts are by no means exhaustive and we encourage our readers to contribute in the comment section. The
It’s Just Like TV, But Without the Bodies
“But,” I said, “I once heard something that I trust. Leontius, the son of Aglaion, was going up from the Piraeus under the outside of the North Wall when he noticed corpses lying by the public executioner. He desired to look, but at the same time was disgusted and
Roundup: Scary, Creepy, Dead, and Haunting Posts
As we look forward to updating the Ploughshares blog for the new year, we’re also looking back at all the great posts since the blog started in 2009. Our roundups explore the archives and gather past posts around a certain theme to help you jump-start your week. Since Halloween
Dear Dr. Poetry
The Revolution Happened And You Didn’t Call Me Maged Zaher TinFish Press, September 2012 67 pages $15.00 Dear Dr. Poetry, I’ve been occupying Wall Street continuously since September 2011. Since we lost Zuccotti Park, I’ve been sneaking into Goldman Sachs’ offices at night to sleep standing up behind a
An Interview With Aurora Anaya-Cerda, Founder of La Casa Azul Bookstore
In an age where bookstores are closing, independent bookseller and former middle-school teacher Aurora Anaya-Cerda opened the doors of La Casa Azul Bookstore, in East Harlem, last June. I first heard about La Casa Azul through some of my online communities including Letras Latinas, VONA, and a small group
Literary Boroughs #24: Richmond, Virginia
The Literary Boroughs series will explore little-known and well-known literary communities across the country and world and show that while literary culture can exist online without regard to geographic location, it also continues to thrive locally. Posts are by no means exhaustive and we encourage our readers to contribute in the comment section. The