News

Reviews, interviews, events, and announcements.

AnnouncementPacific University

When the Rewards Can Be So Great

This month sees the release of Pacific University Press's first book, When the Rewards Can Be So Great: Essays on Writing and the Writing Life, edited by the poet Kwame Dawes. I'm proud to have a craft lecture included there alongside those of my colleagues Sanda Alcosser, Steve Amick, Ellen Bass, Marvin Bell, Carolyn Coman, Claire Davis, Debra Gwartney, Laura Hendrie, Pam Houston, Valerie Laken, Dorianne Laux, David Long, Mike Magnuson, John McNally, Benjamin Percy, and Mary Helen Stefaniak.My essay, "The Courage to Sound like Ourselves," can be found here. The book is available here.
EventPacific University

Pacific University MFA in Writing, June 16-26

Day one of this season's Pacific University MFA in Writing residency is in the books. The day featured talks by Ellen Bass, Chris Abani, and Debra Gwartney. Many, many more to come, including guest lectures by Dan Raeburn, Garth Greenwell, Tyehimba Jess, Willy Vlautin, and others. I'm incredibly happy to be back in Forest Grove, Oregon, with this group. The residency goes through Sunday, June 26. Congratulations to all the graduates!
Event

Ann Neumann's THE GOOD DEATH event | Thurs. March 10

Thursday evening, March 10, I will be participating in an evening-long celebration of the publication of Ann Neumann's new book The Good Death. There will be music. There will be reading. There will be Advanced Directives. The event is hosted by Killing the Buddha, and also features Peter Manseau and Gordon Haber. Music by Ilan Moss and Alex Kramer.Thursday, March 10, 2016, 7 p.m.The Morbid Anatomy Museum424-A 3rd Avenue, Brooklyn
EventPacific University

Pacific University MFA Reading

Since Friday, I've been spending long and exhilerating days teaching at the January residency of Pacific University's MFA in Writing Program. We're on the beach in Seaside, Oregon. Each evening, the program hosts a faculty reading, and so far we've heard work from Sanjiv Bhattacharya, Claire Davis, Joseph MIllar, Kwame Dawes, Debra Gwartney, and Cate Kennedy. Tonight, I'll be reading with Marvin Bell and Craig Lesley. The readings are free and open to the public. 7:30 p.m.Best Western Ocean View Resort414 North Prom, Seaside, Oregon
AnnouncementVirginia Quarterly Review

"Good for You"

The Winter 2016 issue of Virginia Quarterly Review contains a new essay from me, "Good for You: What Makes a Happy Family?" Here is a little sampling:I've read reasonable and compelling arguments against having any children at all, though these arguments are often diminished by editors who provide headlines like this: "Having kids is terrible for the environment, so I'm not having any." I've seen eight- and nine- and ten-point lists in recent years that explain why not having any children is the best life choice a certain person has ever made. This seems like an exaggeration designed for the internet, but who am I to say? I don't know these people. Many of the reasons people often give for not wanting to have children—and I'm not making the opposing argument here—have to do with the way that they shut out certain other options in life, which children do. And just as I don't doubt sibling science, I don't doubt, on its face, either the soundness of the thinking or the soul-searching involved in coming to these conclusions. I don't tend to care whether other people have children or not.