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October 2013

We Can Talk About These Things

World Wide Poetry Studio Interviews Alvin Pang
Alvin Pang
Alvin Pang is a Singaporean poet whose latest book, When the Barbarians Arrive features new and selected poems. I, of course, wanted to talk to him about his satirical, shrewd, and energetic poems (and in the full podcast you will hear that) but we also had an enlightening digression about his work as an editor and advocate for Singapore's diverse poetry scene. I had no idea!

The Irresistible Nature of Certain Kinds of Truth: An Interview with Melissa Febos

Sarah Fawn Montgomery, Prairie Schooner's Assistant Editor - Nonfiction, recently interviewed Melissa Febos, winner of Prairie Schooner's second annual Creative Nonfiction Contest. Read on as they discuss the irresistable nature of certain kinds of truth, Montaigne, trying to say the unsayable, and more.

SFM: In her interview with Prairie Schooner, guest judge Lia Purpura said, “The essay is wildly capacious and inviting and open to invention—perhaps because it’s grounded in, a priori, a human’s singular experience of the world. That’s the promise the form makes, and it’s an intimate, exciting one.” Why does nonfiction appeal to you as a writer? What about the form—in this case the form of the essay—speaks to you?

Priest Pond (Part 2)

Below is the second part of Lisa Gornick's story from our Fall 2013 Issue, "Priest Pond." Lisa Gornick is the author of two novels, A Private Sorcery (Algonquin) and Tinderbox (Sarah Crichton Books/Farrar, Straus & Giroux). ‘‘Priest Pond’’ is part of a forthcoming collection of linked stories, Louisa Meets Bear (Sarah Crichton Books/Farrar, Straus & Giroux).

priest_pond_lisa_gornick

Priest Pond by Lisa Gornick

Priest Pond (Part 1)

This week we will be featuring Fall 2013 contributor Lisa Gornick on the Prairie Schooner blog. Lisa Gornick is the author of two novels, A Private Sorcery (Algonquin) and Tinderbox (Sarah Crichton Books/Farrar, Straus & Giroux). Her stories have appeared in many literary journals, including AGNI, Confrontation, The Mas­sachusetts Review, and Slice, and have received awards including distinguished story by The Best American Short Stories, finalist Glimmer Train Fiction Open, and winner of the Summer Literary Seminars Unified Literary Contest. ‘‘Priest Pond’’ was featured in the Fall 2013 issue of Prairie Schooner, and is part of a forthcoming collection of linked stories, Louisa Meets Bear (Sarah Crichton Books/Farrar, Straus & Giroux).

Fall 2013 Event: Barry Lopez Reading

by Prairie Schooner intern Grace Mortensen

On Monday, September 30th, Prairie Schooner hosted an event featuring acclaimed environmental writer Barry Lopez and clinical psychologist Dr. Mary Pipher. The event was held in the ballroom of the City Campus Union to an audience of more than 500 people.

Comics: The Building Blocks of Culture

Richard Graham's Literature as Comics
Comic Image

Google-eyed. Jeep. Rube Goldberg devices. Dagwood sandwiches. Buster Brown shoes. Mickey Mouse college courses. All of these common phrases and descriptors are derived from comic strips, books, or artists. It’s fun to see the wide-ranging influences of a typically cast-upon popular media. So often regarded with disdain and suspicion, yet also certainly loved and treasured, comics ought to be respected for what they have given to American cultures, popular or otherwise.

Creative Nonfiction Contest Winner!

Melissa Febos
Congratulations to Melissa Febos, winner of Prairie Schooner's second annual Creative Nonfiction Contest! We received more than 500 excellent submissions, and contest judge Lia Purpura had this to say about Febos's winning essay, “Call My Name":