A stripper, a wife-beater and an Islamic fundamentalist walk into a bar a few days before 9/11. You can read my review of Andre Dubus III’s latest novel here.
Archive for June, 2009
A book review: The Garden of Last Days
Wednesday, June 3rd, 2009Oregonian columnist rakes Susan Orlean over the coals
Tuesday, June 2nd, 2009
The writer many of us nonfiction writers aspire to be — no not Joan Didion, that other one, Susan Orlean — flew in from New York and spoke at Bella Voce this week, to the obvious disappointment of one Oregonian columnist Steve Duin.
If you don’t know who Susan Orlean is, then you don’t 1. Read the New Yorker 2. Follow literary nonfction 3. Watch Charlie Kaufmann movies.
And you’ve never read the best dog story ever — “Show Dog.”
I must be getting soft as I age, or perhaps following someone on Twitter has made me increasingly sensitive to the daily musings and frustrations of fellow writers, because I am pretty disgusted myself — with the tenor of Duin’s column.
To me, it’s stinky sour grapes masquerading as criticism (dude, try the pinot instead).
The crux of the column is to expose one of my three favorite tenets of journalism: hypocrisy. Basically, Duin argues that Orlean’s claim to be disinterested in celebrity — she writes often of the quirky, the extraordinary in the ordinary — and yet her claimed interest is overbalanced by her interest in herself.
To boot, he thought she really wasn’t that interesting.
“Oddly, the only character who really came to life in Susan Orlean’s presentation the Belle Voce luncheon Thursday at the MAC Club was … Susan Orlean,” Duin writes.
I’ve written about author readings before, and have a keen awareness that people attend them for various reasons. I for one go to add to my bulging collection of signed first editions and to forge a sliver — albeit a superficial one — of connection with the minds that I admire. Some people may just want to ask what colorist she uses. And if I learn a little bit about the writer themselves? Well, I’d expect at least that much from my literary celebrities.
Orlean is nothing if not admirable — even if you can’t get past that one New York Times story about her uh-mazing summer home in the Hudson River Valley. I like her so much, and envy her approach to such a degree that I used to read the entire Susan Orlean chapter in the New New Journalism nonfiction tome every time I went out to report on a full-immersion profile. Her works are classics of the genre. If you know anything about reporting, and the time it takes to write it well, you can see that she’s a master architect of reported prose.
I didn’t get to go to the Bella Voce event, so I can’t say for sure whether Mr. Duin’s judgment is well-deserved; but I expect not. But I can say that his column was a big turn-off. It didn’t inspire thought, it didn’t make me laugh, it didn’t get me to look at Ms. Orlean’s work anew. All it left me wondering was why someone would make a column out of single question when all he needed to do was ask Ms. Orlean herself.
He states:
“Orlean failed — if she even tried — Thursday to convey how the gospel singers, the skeet shooters, the taxidermists and the trailer trash have changed her understanding of human nature, or how they should change ours.”
How about this instead:
Um, Ms. Orlean, hi, big fan! I was just wondering… how do you think the gospel singers, the skeet shooters, the taxidermists, and the trailer trash have changed your understanding of human nature… and perhaps how you think it should change ours?
I guess a real human question posed in front of an audience is a lot harder these days then sending the nasty out into the ether.
Update: OMG direct Tweet from Ms. Orlean! She says: “Thanks for a very thoughtful piece abt that #$!% column. I don’t get his point; Bella Voce ASKED me to talk about myself!”
So there you have it.
Salem Monthly June issue is OUT
Monday, June 1st, 2009
As my girl Heidi always says: “Either you’re in, or you’re OUT.” For print publications, it always feels good to be out in the world, getting lapped up by thirsty readers.
I’ve got three smaller stories in the June issue of Salem Monthly. For one, my appeal to the world to check out Salem’s coolest junk shops in this month’s DSS column.
When I finally told husband Adam what I was writing about this month he kind of freaked out, since he has this idea that I have portrayed him as a cheapskate. Well, let me tell you that all of my nonfiction stories are true. We are only cheap in some areas of our lives so we can eat out and travel a lot.
Also, I have played down the stories of my father-in-laws parsimony so as to make them sound more believable.
You will also find a story about our very own Salem’s Latte, which has made an appearance on this blog before, if only in the comments section. Here’s an insider’s view of the coffee stand.
I finally looked up Salem’s Latte – THE BEST LATTE IN TOWN! – a few months ago after hearing through the grapevine that there is indeed a place where you can pick up Stumptown coffee in Salem. I think you’ll find that it’s a nice little story of quiet people trying to do great things.Stop by and see Carrie sometime – no, the irony of sharing a name with a Stephen King character is not lost on her – and tell her I sent you.
Also, if you’re really into coffee, you’ll want to read a story of how New Yorkers responded to the arrival of Stumptown in a recent story called “The Messiah Hails from Portland.”
Finally, I’ve got a story on the Salem Public Library’s “Read to a Pet” program. As my feature writing students will know, Rule #1 for newspaper feature stories is to put a dog in it. People love dogs. Of course, that’s not always possible, but I do find myself drawn to animal stories and have been looking for them here in town.
I have long been fascinated by therapy dogs — actually, assistance monkeys are more my thing these days — and found that the Top Dogs at the library are doing a great job of getting kids to overcome their inhibitions towards reading. Hey, whatever gets kids picking up books!
Here’s a pic that didn’t make it to print, of the two kids in the article reading to Snickers.
Doneva Milletta, the local woman who runs the program, sent me a really nice email that I received after the story went to print, so here’s two more of her cents:
“Because it is unusual to see a pet in the library in a public place, people are drawn to open their books more than not, just to pet and interact with the the animals. Since I started the program with the Salem library a few years back, their are quite a few children that continue to come back every month just to visit, read and even give the pets a few hugs or two. This has proven to be a positive experience for both the child as well as the pet. Unfortunately, some children don’t have a parent or special person that has made time for a child to read to them. Coming to the library and reading to a pet, gives them this opportunity.”
And as always, there are other people writing great stuff in the Monthly, so be sure to check out:
Editor Eric Howald’s story on dying newspapers.
A story by the editors on NE Salem’s new community garden.
Nate Rafn’s column on food preservation, which is very HOT right now (I even checked out a pickle book the other day).
