May 12, 2013
-- May 12, 2013
January 28, 2013
"What a wonderful life I've had! I only wish I'd realized it sooner." ~Collette
I’d been screwing around in community college for two years—taking classes, quitting midway—retaking the same classes. It took me three attempts to complete Cultural Anthropology and I loved that class. My best friend and I were renting a tiny clapboard house. Blue hydrangeas flanked our front door. Tapestry bedspreads billowed from the ceilings. Matisse posters crowded the walls. We’d bought a set of Corelle dishes at K-Mart and a cast iron pan at the flea market. I worked as an aerobic instructor and as a hostess at Golden West Pancakes. I made ends meet by collecting food stamps which we once used to throw an extravagant “C” party—crab, cookies, and Chablis—and then we ate top ramen the rest of the month. I had no plan, no dogged ambition. I enjoyed writing, stories mostly. I imagined I’d someday transfer to a university, become a teacher like my mom. But, in order for that to happen, I would actually have to develop some drive beyond throwing a “D” party—dogs, daiquiris, and ding-dongs.
Continue reading-- January 28, 2013
December 31, 2013
NOTE: The Next Big Thing is a blog series, winding its way through the internet. Today, I’m delighted to participate by answering a few questions about my project. Big Thanks to Nan Cuba for inviting me to join in. You can find out more about Nan's amazing forthcoming novel here.
The Ten Interview Questions for the Next Big Thing:
What is your working title of your book (or story)?
If This Had Been An Actual Emergency
Where did the idea come from for the book?
Preparing for a writing workshop I facilitated at the time, I was collecting images for my students to use as prompts and I pulled out two to keep for myself. The first was a picture of twin sister — teenagers. They were leaning in toward a mirror, applying mascara and lip gloss. They were so vulnerable and powerful at one and the same time. The second image was of an injured canary, one wing stretched painfully out, cradled within a man’s hands. Somehow the dual images suggested a story to me.
Continue reading-- December 31, 2013
December 29, 2012
So happy and proud to have a review in the Sunday New York Times. Read it here. "My Escapee: Stories" by Corinna Vallianatos is a gorgeous collection. I was lucky to have it plunked in my lap.
-- December 29, 2012
December 25, 2012
Exciting News!
SHOUT HER LOVELY NAME makes notable lists. So grateful for the wonderful attention and to be in such grand company. The Oregonian, San Francisco Chronicle and New York Times.
-- December 25, 2012