Author Jen Michalski is intrigued by the spaces where empathy and imperfection coexist. Her latest novel All This Can Be True is a stunning result of this fascination – an emotionally resonant sapphic drama that delves into love, betrayal, and the contradictions – the secrets – with which we all live.
There’s a particular challenge that comes from writing a book in the world of another artistic discipline. Why? The usual challenges that apply to writing fiction apply, but so does the task of accurately depicting a very different creative word. In the case of Martha Anne Toll‘s new novel Duet for One, that world is classical music. Set in the wake of the death of an acclaimed pianist, Toll’s novel explores how her loved ones grieve and reflect on their own artistic triumphs and frustrations. I talked with Toll to learn more about book’s origin and the difficulties she faced while writing it.
In our morning reading: new writing by Catherine Lacey and Amber Sparks, an interview with Michelle Tea, and more.
An Imposition
by Claire Oleson
Shane was up to his thighs in the pond, moving pressure between his only two feet, thinking about his older brother, who had obliterated his femur to fine bone-snow just a month back. Skiing. Shane was lucky to have two working legs that were so pretty and so easy to use. He shifted his weight and basked in his luckiness. Weird to feel like this: to feel like what happens to your older brother is something that will happen to you eventually, that his whole body is a trailer for yours. This was not true, but Shane could not shake the gratefulness out of his legs. He wasn’t his brother. Shane was careful, borderline neurotic, thigh-deep in pond water, and not a skier. He was not whole because of luck; it was practical. Still: his legs looked good with his navy-blue running shorts hiked until they caught on his thighs and stayed there: bitch, lucky.
In our weekend reading: an interview with Megan Abbott, Chris Ware designed stamps, and more.
Bill Kroyer‘s detailed memoir Mr. In-Between scales the many rocky paths in animation from hand drawn to computer. Hear it from the guy who’s seen it all: a Midwestern animator who shot to Hollywood like a comet and to Disney Studios and abroad, finally landing back in Wisconsin where he serves as Professor Emeritus at Chapman University. An Oscar-nominated Director of films, commercials, and movie titles (including those dear to my heart, Labyrinth and National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation!), he’s a pioneer in his field. Tron, Ferngully: The Last Rainforest, and Animalympics are just a few of his acclaimed projects. When I quietly asked to interview him he responded, “Sure, I’ll do the show. I’d love to do the show.”
In our morning reading: an interview about an interview, revisiting Sleater-Kinney’s music, and more.
In our afternoon reading: thoughts on Pip Adam’s new novel, an interview with Sebastian Castillo, and more.