Cover reveal for Ascension. It’s gorgeous and I couldn’t be happier with it. I hope you love it too!
Art by Scott Grimando, cover design by Sherin Nicole.
Taiye Selasi
Newcomer Taiye Selasi read from and discussed her new novel, Ghana Must Go, about a family reunited after the death of their father.
A Celebration of our Emerging Writers Fellows
Tonight at 7pm, The Center for Fiction celebrates a year of hard work and many accomplishments with readings from all nine 2012 Emerging Writers Fellows.
Meet the City’s emerging voices:Seamus Scanlon“Everything either happened or almost happened. Or could have happened…Irish humor is fatalistic and essential for survival. It may date from centuries of colonization and gray clouds all day - rain, hunger, famine, and emigration. The Catholic outlook of self sacrifice, pain, purgatory, and reward in the next life needed some antidote.”In an interview with Bookslut, Seamus Scanlon reveals what makes an audacious, brave, and great writer and why he doesn’t whitewash the truth. For him, “Political correctness has no place in fiction.”Leopoldine Core“Peanut quietly considered replacing all of her friends with dogs.”In “Historic Tree Nurseries” from Issue 6 of The Literarian, Leopoldine Core takes us into and far beyond a story of a man’s best friend.Lisa Lee“I stopped writing to my pen pal, Mary Wang, of Anchorage, Alaska, the year I started high school. Partly because my mother told me she was too ugly for me to be friends with, but mostly because I was terrified of being ugly myself.”Pen pals, correspondence, and the idea of “pretty” - Lisa Lee writes about not writing back in her Sycamore Review essay, “Dear Mary Wang.”Daniel LongBroke, broker, broken, sure…but maybe life don’t conjugate so easy. There’s flesh and blood and little bits of hope tucked here or there. Give us this day our daily bread. Or weekly bread. Or monthly. Give me a fair sum of bread per annum, and we’ve got a deal.
What I mean is, could you spare some old bread about now?
What I mean is, we’re fighting the dust.Daniel Long, an Oklahoman living in New York, had women “hiding tears” while he read at the Southern Writers Reading Series.Manuel Martinez“Try every type of food…Sleep whenever there is nothing else to do…” Most of all, “Don’t go anywhere but be afraid to stay where you are. Remember that there is always something you are missing.”Need travel tips? Manuel Martinez shares sage advice in Issue 1 of The Literarian.Rosalie Knecht“I arrived at adulthood and New York City with a smug and completely deluded attitude toward credit and debt. Namely: who needs it?” In “Taking On a Debt to New York” for the New York Times Opinionator’s ”Townies”, Rosalie Knecht takes on the rat race, ingenuity, and what happens when making a living is “neither tangible nor profound.”Tracy O’Neill“A man’s relationship with his mother shows which black and white movie star he is like,” says Tracy O’Neill in her essay on sons and mothers, “The Imperfect.” “The Imperfect” was published in Issue 5 of The Literarian.Tim O’SullivanAs Tim O’Sullivan writes in “On Irrelevance” for A Public Space, “A taste for topical relevance is cool. There are better places to look than fiction. Newspapers maybe. On TV, pundits speak provocatively on topics of the day. Fiction can handle these topics too, but I suppose people will always argue whether it’s the most appropriate tool and/or for how long the relevant topic will remain relevant.” So, what is O’Sullivan’s irrelevant gem? Find out.Jackie Reitzes“The water is seaweed colored, the boat’s belly white. There is the thought- maybe this is it, maybe I will not be leaving after all. Maybe my parents would kill me if I die doing a Leonardo DiCaprio impersonation. And the release of leaning into the fall, the surrender because there’s nothing to be done but wait. Close your eyes. Brace yourself. Hold your breath. See.”
Jack Reitzes story, “King of the World,” was read at The Liar’s League NYC. She is currently a teacher in NYU’s Expository Writing Program.
There are a few writers of color on here!
So I know quite a few people who teach young kids, who want to design curricula and provide resources for their students that are respectful of Native communities and teach non-Native kids some cultural sensitivity & histories…but most of them, being non-Native, don’t know where to start with that. My three biggest tips for that have always been to (a) privilege Native voices (b) tie the past with the present (c) don’t fossilize Natives in their own unit—weave these resources and histories together into the broader curriculum, rather than imply to students that Natives are an ethnic oddity or compulsory PC-lesson.
In that vein, I’ve been trying to help a friend who teaches young kids to find some books for the classrooms at her school, so that these things are available to students on the regular and are readily accessible to non-Native teachers looking for resources for their curricula; I have been shocked to see how many disgusting books are out there, written by non-Natives, with no care for cultural sensitivities of any kind! So: here’s some of the books on the list I’m suggesting to my friend—I’m hoping there’s some parents & educators on here that could benefit from the time I’ve spent sorting thru all the gross stuff! Here’s the list, with a brief description (these are mostly targeting the lower end of the K-4 range, but if you’re working with kids on a pre-K level you might also be interested in the selection of books by NW Coast artists at Native Northwest; I’m also compiling a list of books for intermediary/secondary grades and will post that when it’s finished):
- The Star People (SD Nelson, Standing Rock): A young Lakota girl narrates the story of how she and her little brother, Young Wolf, survive a prairie fire. They had wandered away from their village, entranced by the changing cloud shapes created by the Cloud People. They fall into a river and are guided home by their deceased grandmother, one of the Star People, who are the spirits of the Old Ones. The acrylic illustrations are inspired by the Native American ledger-book art of the late 1800s.
- Tallchief (Maria Tallchief, Osage): A picture-book autobiography of the early years of America’s first internationally significant ballerina. The story opens with Tallchief’s birth on an Osage Indian reservation. Her Scots-Irish mother made sure that Maria and her sister received dance and music lessons, and eventually her father persuaded her to choose between piano and dance. The story ends when, at age 17, Maria left home to seek her fame and fortune as a ballerina in New York.
- Eagle Song (Joseph Bruchac, Abenaki): It’s a shock for fourth-grader Danny Bigtree to move to Brooklyn from his Mohawk Nation reservation: suddenly he has no friends, and his classmates taunt him, asking him where his war pony is and telling him to go home to his teepee. Bruchac weaves into the story the legend of the great peacemaker Aionwahta, who united five warring Indian nations into the Iroquois Confederacy and turned an enemy into an ally. Can Danny be, like Aionwahta, an agent of peace, and find a way to transform the school bully into a friend? This appealing portrayal of a strong family offers an unromanticized view of Native American culture, and a history lesson about the Iroquois Confederacy; it also gives a subtle lesson in the meaning of daily courage.
- Giving Thanks (Chief Jake Swamp, Mohawk; Erwin Printup, Cayuga & Tuscarora) : A special children’s version of the Thanksgiving Address, a message of gratitude that originated with the Native people of upstate New York and Canada and that is still spoken at ceremonial gatherings held by the Iroquois, or Six Nations.
- When Beaver Was Very Great (Anne Dunn, Anishinaabe): The short pieces range from folk tales of Native American origin myths (the antics of Beaver, Rabbit, Otter, Bear, and others) to nature writing and contemporary stories of peace, justice, and environmental concern. Brimming with insight, vibrant with strength and beauty, these indeed are stories to live by, for all ages. Divided into the four seasons of the year, many of the stories are perfect to be read aloud to children.
- When the Rain Sings (various; Ojibwe, Lakota, Omaha, Navajo, Cochiti, Kiowa, Tohono O’odham, Hopi, Ute): A collection of poems by Native Americans in grades 2-12. Most of these selections were written in response to images of Native artifacts or historical photographs. The young writers’ personal reactions and associations to these images leave readers with a strong sense of each one’s experience as a modern Indian, and of the values that each holds dear. The book is a work of art in itself, with dozens of full-color and black-and-white photos from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian. The pages are also decorated with detailed border designs. Eight nations are represented.
- Berry Magic (Betty Huffmon, Yup’ik): Long ago, the only berries on the tundra were hard, tasteless, little crowberries. As Anana watches the ladies complain bitterly while picking berries for the Fall Festival, she decides to use her magic to help. “Atsa-ii-yaa (Berry), Atsa-ii-yaa (Berry), Atsaukina!” (Be a berry!), Anana sings under the full moon turning four dolls into little girls that run and tumble over the tundra creating patches of fat, juicy berries: blueberries, cranberries, salmonberries, and raspberries. The next morning Anana and the ladies fill basket after basket with berries for the Fall Festival. Thanks to Anana, there are plenty of tasty berries for the agutak (Eskimo tee cream) at the festival and forevermore.
- Sunpainters (Baje Whitethorne, Navajo): Grandfather Pipa calls Kii Leonard into the hogan to tell him that the sun “has died”; a solar eclipse has washed the surrounding mountains in and deep purples and reds. He explains to the boy that he must wait respectfully for the Na’ach’aahii, who come from the Four Directions carrying a paint brush and a can of paint, each responsible for replacing a different color of the rainbow. Repainting the world after the eclipse, the Na’ach’aahii restore life and allow the rebirth of the sun-processes pleasingly depicted in the Southwest-style art.
(via activismandsnaps)
"A lot of people proclaim a need for independence, for space. And while I could attest to that, more than anything, I was a tiger dying amongst the sprawling jungle. I longed for a cage of my own. My apartment, a two bedroom overlooking the gentrification of Philadelphia, had a décor of my design. I picked out the furniture, including the Ikea futon I dubbed “death trap,” and gave every trinket and knick-knack their designated spots: high school diploma and Bachelor’s degree over my black computer desk, novelty shot-glasses along the top of my bookcase and various Buddha figurines, from flea markets in South Jersey, on my dresser and nightstands. And of course, my vinyl collection, a two hundred piece of my heart that took me to the dustiest, most allergenic music stores on the East Coast."
— Longform Fiction is featuring my short story (and first ever publication) “Saturn Return,” originally published in 2008 by Up The Staircase. (via mensahdemary)
"
For Milton, the American otaku character in Peepo Choo, he gets a big shock when he finally gets to go to Japan, a place where he has always wanted to go to.
For me, I always wanted to see what it was like in Japan, to live there and be able to do things. But at the same time, I knew that there are things about going to a different culture that can be very shocking, especially when realize that you had misconceptions about what it would be like. I really wanted to address that issue, too. Japanese people experience this when they go to the States as well. I think it’s great to be excited about things, but being excited about things blindly can be really dangerous.
These differences really, really interest me. Because they make you think a lot about where you come from and why you do things. This kind of experience really helps you find out who you really are and what you want to do in life.
This happens to people from all cultures, and it’s something that every one of the characters in Peepo Choo end up dealing with. Even the assassin from America, even the yakuza guy who’s really into American culture, the bikini model, Milton the American otaku, and even Jody, the regular American guy, they’re all searching for who they are.
"— From an interview with Felipe Smith (Jamaican/Argentinean) creator of the comic Peepo Choo. (via angryblackgirlsunited)
(Source: alostbird, via angryblackgirlsunited)
"There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you."
— Maya Angelou (via writeswrongs)
so I heard you guys liked Chinese American Witches
I got an email last week from a good friend of mine about a book launch party where the author would be reading excerpts from her new e-book on… Chinese American witches
and I was like
what
oh my god
this is so exciting
WHO IS THIS GIRL SHE IS MY MIND TWIN WE MUST MEET AND I WANT TO BE HER FRIEND!
so I went to the reading and met Gwen Li, the author of The Switch Sisters. pointy hats were worn and Witches’ Brew beer was imbibed.
and guess what, guys! For the rest of today and all of tomorrow you can download the e-book FOR FREE off Amazon as part of a special promo!
WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR???
I can’t wait to read it!
From Amazon:
As the only Chinese family in town, the Switch sisters have always kept to themselves. But when Mara Switch is framed for murder, her sisters are forced to step into the spotlight and prove her innocence—all without revealing a dark family secret.
The Switch sisters know they’re different. With ink black hair and cat-like eyes, they certainly draw stares in a small town like Ambrose, where everyone else is white and has lived in the same neat houses with the same grassy lawns for generations. Behind their Chinese faces, however, the girls are also witches. The sisters manage to keep their special powers under wraps—that is, until Mara falls in love with the mayor’s only son. Their wedding is the most exciting event in town history, but festivities abruptly end when someone is murdered and Mara is unjustly charged. Her three younger sisters know that she’s innocent. Each with a budding magical talent, the girls must bring their powers together in order to save their sister. Meanwhile, the real murderer is still on the loose…
An immigrant story inside a witch story, THE SWITCH SISTERS is the first novella in a young adult series that follows Mara, Morgan, Marie, and Mina as they grow up, fall in love, and learn to embrace who they are.Signal boost and shoutout!
FAIRYTALES FOR LOST CHILDREN
(Author’s Note)
Dear reader,
Five years ago I sat down to write my first short story. It was a 2500 word narrative loosely modelled on my own life. Although I had previously written two unpublished, structurally messy novels, this one piece of short fiction altered my life in ways I couldn’t have imagined. This particular story was about a Somali teenager who had immigrated to the UK and although discouraged by the unforgiving weather and poverty had found a great deal of solace in exploring his sexual identity away from the prying eyes of his parents and community.
As we mature and grow wiser, our perceptions shift and we begin to fully comprehend the risks we took in our youth and see them not as perilous acts of recklessness but as necessary rites of passage. That is the thrill I felt after writing my first short story because I knew it was the most honest representation of myself up until that point. I was gay and deeply closeted but this small act of putting pen to paper and telling my story freed me up, allowed me to push open the closet door and greet the world outside.
Since writing that piece many things have happened. I came out to my family. I lost my family. I fell in love. I fell out of love. I made new friends, I went to university and I kept writing. In short, I became an adult. It was a stressful way to grow up for sure but each challenging experience was character building, vital to where I am today.
My book ‘Fairytales For Lost Children’ is a chronicle of what it means to be young and endure struggle. It’s about being different, revelling in that difference and forging forwards despite the constant curveballs that life swings in our direction.
At a time when the youth in our collective global community are losing their lives to homophobic abuse and hateful dogma, it is important to remember our shared humanity, the fact that we all ultimately have the right to be who we are, regardless of our gender, sexuality, religious affiliation or racial makeup.
I hope you enjoy reading ‘Fairytales’ as much as I did writing it. And I hope it offers you solace and comfort in the same way that it did for me.
Yours,
Diriye Osman
‘Fairytales For Lost Children’ is available to preorder here
(via poc-creators)
