Archive: Author: Hannah
Graveyard Cake
Some of you might remember this graveyard cake, put together by a mother/son bookclub reading The Good Thief. Now another group of readers in Rochester, NY has decided to create their own graveyard cake inspired by the book. Soon I may have to sponsor some kind of bake-off, but for now I will simply enjoy and post the pictures (special thanks to Chris Fanning for sending this one along). Later today I head to Rochester for their “All City Read” of The Good Thief, and hope to meet some of the chefs of this magnificent confection. Go here for a Reader’s Guide & list of events, sponsored by Writers & Books (who also put together a Good Thief scavenger hunt). For the next four days I’ll be upstate, reading and giving lectures, handing out wishing stones, presenting cartoon slideshows and playing the ukulele badly in public.
Gowanus, pt. 30
Selected Shorts: Dan Chaon
This weekend on Selected Shorts, we count the ways we love Dan Chaon. I don’t think there is anyone out there more beloved by his students or more admired by his fellow writers. He’s not only an amazingly talented wordsmith, he is also kind, as well as outrageously talented at speaking in front of a crowd. The first time I met Dan was at a panel at AWP. I was nervous in that way huge fans are when meeting writers they have read and followed for years. But Dan was so charming and funny, and immediately put everyone in the room at ease. As a writer, Dan has a knack for taking the darkest parts of people’s lives and weaving them into things of beauty. As the New York Times said in their review of Dan’s latest book, Await Your Reply, “Chaon has fashioned a braid out of barbed wire.” This weekend’s episode of Selected Shorts is dedicated entirely to a performance of his story “The Bees” by Tony Award winner Boyd Gaines. Afterwards, Isaiah does a great interview with Dan about his writing. I wish I’d been there, but this program was recorded a few years ago. I’ll be back on air next week with stories from Ian Frazier, Ellen Currie, Paul Simms and Jules Verne. For your time/station, go here.
Mercury
After traveling 6.5 yrs & 4.9 billion miles, NASA’s Messenger began its orbit around Mercury yesterday.
Kawaguchi-ko
In 2002, I went to Japan for the first time with my friend Yuka. We spent time in Kawaguchi-ko, where I took this picture of Mt. Fuji. Kawaguchi-ko is the epi-center of the one of the most recent earthquakes. Yuka still does not know if her family’s house there has been destroyed. Meanwhile, other family members are being evacuated because of radiation leaks at the Fukushima Power Facility, bodies are washing up on the shore from the tsunami, and most of the country is without power. Yuka has been keeping people here in the U.S. updated, unfortunately the day to day lives of everyone in Japan seem to be getting progressively worse. I wanted to share this information from Yuka. Please donate, if you can.
Dear Friends,
First of all, I would like to thank everyone who contacted me about my family in Japan. My family and friends are safe. However, the disaster that hit Japan this past week has been heartbreaking not only to my family but also the entire nation. As a Japanese citizen, I thank you for your thoughtfulness on the earthquake disaster. In Japan, people are trying their best to rescue and support the victims. Your kind donation in support of their efforts is the utmost help we can offer from outside the country.
The following are ways to donate to aid the victims of the Japan Earthquake and Tsunami.
1. American Red Cross (Donate through American RC will be sent to the Japanese Red Cross Society)
2. Japanese Medical Association in America
3. The Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City – Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Fund
Up to date information about the Japan Earthquake and Tsunami may be found on the following websites: Google Crisis Responses: 2011 Japanese Earthquake and Tsunami & NHK World (English)
Again, thank you very much for your help. Knowing such warm thoughtfulness from people so far away will encourage people of Japan to thrive and fight in this difficult time.
Sincerely,
Yuka Lawrence, LCSW
Selected Shorts goes to Paris
This weekend Selected Shorts features three stories by French writers: “A Parisian Affair” by Guy de Maupassant, performed by Rene Auberjonois (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia), “Kiffe Kiffe Tomorrow” by Faiza Guene, performed by Sonia Manzano (Sesame Street), & “The Secret of the Old Music” by Auguste de Villiers de l’Isle Adam, performed by Philippe de Montebello (former director of the Metropolitan Musuem of Art). I won’t be on this episode, but I’ll be listening in. Check your time/station & if you’re in NYC, join us this coming Wednesday at Symphony Space, where there will be a special recording of Selected Shorts, celebrating the 40th anniversary of Hunter S. Thompson’s Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas, featuring Michael Imperioli (The Sopranos), Anthony Rapp (Rent, Dazed and Confused) & Scott Shepherd (Elevator Repair Service’s Gatz at The Public).
Lulu Lives On
I found out today that a character from my short story, “Reasonable Terms,” has several pages on facebook and over 23,000 followers (far, far more than me). “Reasonable Terms” is about a group of giraffes who go on strike and stage a group mock suicide at a zoo. One of those giraffes, Lulu, starts hallucinating and has dreams of flying around New York City, peering in windows. The story appeared in my collection, Animal Crackers, and apparently was recently used in a standardized test for New Jersey high schoolers. The students had a strong reaction to the story, created facebook and twitter pages for Lulu, uploaded photographs, and even made their own psychedelic posters with catch phrases. So I guess the story struck a chord, or at least made them laugh (hopefully it did not inspire drug use). The strange thing was stumbling over this news in an online article, and realizing that a character I had dreamed up years ago was off having a whole new life that I knew nothing about. But I’m glad to hear that Lulu is still out there somewhere, floating over the city.
Selected Shorts: July, Parker, Lethem, Sedaris
I won’t be on this weekend’s edition of Selected Shorts (it was recorded B.H.T.–Before Hannah Tinti) but you should still listen in! There are amazing stories to hear: “Just a little One” by Dorothy Parker, performed by Dana Ivey (Boardwalk Empire); “The Spray” by Jonathan Lethem, performed by Robert Sean Leonard (House). “The Swim Team” by Miranda July, performed by Parker Posey (Best in Show), and “Jesus Shaves” by David Sedaris, performed by Tim Blake Nelson (O Brother Where Art Thou?). For your time/station, go here.
Good Thief Scavenger Hunt: WITH REAL BONES!
I’m looking forward to heading up to Rochester, NY soon, where they are doing an All City Read of The Good Thief. To kick things off, Writers & Books is hosting a scavenger hunt: WITH REAL HUMAN BONES!!!!!!! It all takes place tomorrow, at participating First Friday venues in Rochester. About a dozen bones will be hidden–find one and you will win a copy of The Good Thief, or tickets to an event at the end of the month when I’ll be visiting. For complete details, and to see the rest of the bones, go here.
UPDATE: THE WINNERS!!!