My first William Trevor, and forty pages into The Story of Lucy Gault his high reputation is well deserved: this novel is already beautifully rich and engrossing. From a reader’s perspective, it’s such a shocking change of narrative direction from my just-finished read, Roth’s Portnoy’s Complaint, which I also enjoyed (I think), for entirely different reasons.

The finest essay I’ve read this summer is “Keeping Pace” by dear friend and great essayist Brandon Lingle. “Keeping Pace” is up now at Guernica Magazine. The piece investigates parenting, heroes, mortality, running, and many other topics. In short, it’s a beautiful essay so worth your time. Read it HERE.

I’ve heard a lot about this book over the years and it’s about time I checked off the second book from Roth’s legendary line-up (first Roth read, The Plot Against America). The Human Stain is also on my list of Roth’s must-reads after reading a fantastic scholastic paper about the novel a few years ago from friend Gretchen Koenig.

I was so thrilled to recently receive an acceptance for a work of short fiction to Redivider, a journal I have admired for many years. I recall my first AWP book fair experience six years ago…so eager to find Redivider‘s booth and talk to the folks there about their beautiful journal. My good friends Robert Olen Butler and Brandon Lingle have both published there, and after many attempts I’m so excited to be joining them … Continued

I can’t say enough positive things about Bel Canto by Ann Patchett. I’m only 100 pages in and I’m in love! What narrative, language, accessibility, and power. Can’t recommend highly enough at this point. Wow.