A busy October awaits

October is going to be busy. My first personal essay (in quite a while) is getting published and should be coming to a news stand near you. The inaugural issue of Catamaran is coming out. Also, we're starting to practice for our event at SJSU on October 10th. More news soon.

More books I love (or am in the process of loving). P.S. -- would someone help me design my website?

Ben Lerner: Leaving the Atocha Station. Funny, mordant look at an artist who develops in spite of himself during a hash-fueled poetry scholarship year in Madrid. Even his narrator's musings about boredom are fascinating. Thanks to Elizabeth for recommending this one. I don't think I would have come across it on my own. By the way, this book deserves to be republished with a much better cover. Just saying. Normally I don't care about such things but it looks like something somebody printed up in a basement.

Josh Garrett Davis: Ghost dances: proving up in the Great Plains: A lovely, witty memoir about a Midwestern childhood, with seamlessly incorporated research. Not quite done but I'm hooked.

Henry Adams: The Education of Henry Adams. My oh my did I despise this book in high school, but I picked it up again the other month, mostly because it appears at the very top of a revered Wesleyan writer-in-residence's coveted  "lifetime reading list."  I was hooked from the very first page. Mr. Adams could write like crazy. Modern-day reviewers would attack him for his decision not to write about a  personal tragedy that must have been a defining moment in his life (wouldn't that qualify as part of his 'education,' according to his own, broad definition of the term?)  but I love the style, the thinking, and the way he avoids shoe-gazing memoir by suggesting the wider world around him.

If you have reading recommendations, that would be nice. If you are up for designing an author's website for me at a reasonable rate so I can leave behind this cheesy blog interface once and for all, that would be even nicer. Let me know. I know some of you Cactuseaters readers are high-tech wizards. I could use your expertise. If this ever happens, I would like the website to have a name other than "Cactuseaters," which is kind of misleading.

Matthew Parker's Larceny in my Blood -- and the Cactus Eaters! -- featured in The Millions website

Now get a load of this.  This eye-opening interview appears this week in my very favorite web-based literary magazine, and this interview just happens to include a mention of The Cactus Eaters. Anyhow, I thoroughly enjoyed Matthew Parker's hard-hitting, honest and funny book, which was published this month.Oh, and there's one more thing I want you to see: Wolf Larsen's beautiful song, "If I Be Wrong," featured recently on NPR. Here's the link to the song and video. Anyhow, I am glad to report that I am following up my recent TC Boyle interview with a Wolf Larsen Q and A. Stay tuned! By the way, I almost forgot to mention that the TC Boyle interview will appear, in print version, in the upcoming debut issue of Catamaran, which will also include a very brief essay I wrote about Boyle's work.

Now reading

Dave Eggers: A Hologram for the King
Jay Kang: The Dead Do Not Improve
T.C. Boyle: World's End

Sign up for journalist and author Peggy Townsend's workshop at the Capitola Book Cafe!

Journalist and novelist Peggy Townsend says: "One of the most powerful tools at a writer’s disposal is the interview.Whether its purpose is for narrative non-fiction, biography or fiction,the interview is a foundation of great storytelling.  In this workshop we will study effective interview techniques — from how to ask tough questions to drawing information from reluctant subjects to the role of our own lives in productive dialogue.  We will do close readings of interviews such as Richard Meryman’s poignant last talk with Marilyn Monroe, Truman Capote’s ego-clashing session with Marlon Brando, and a serialized reconstruction of a century-old love affair as a way explore the elements of a good interview: preparation, persistence, flexibility, courage, and curiosity. In-class exercises will help the writer hone their listening and observational skills as a way to create compelling, dramatic story."

The workshop is Saturday Sept  8 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Capitola Book Cafe. Sign up for this right here at Memoir Journal.

 Peggy Townsend was a journalist for the Santa Cruz Sentinel for more than 30 years, covering topics that ranged from the world of storefront boxing to the life of a homeless Korean War veteran trying to hang onto his dignity as his world fell apart around him. She has won numerous state and national awards for her writing, including twice winning first place for “Best Writing” from the California Newspaper Publishers Association.Her> work has also appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle, Boston Globe Magazine, American Prospect magazine and the UC Santa Cruz Review magazine.

A few thoughts about last week's travel class

Thanks to everyone who showed up for this.  I had students from all across town and all over the hill (one drove here from San Jose). Several volunteered to read their work out loud -- and so much of what they read was touching, specific, evocative and hilarious. There was mystical writing, biographical sketches, a William Least Heat Moon-style road trip, and place portraits focusing on a location in Santa Cruz. Each of these sketches was so different, you'd swear they were talking about different locations. Students imagined they were strangers visiting their own houses, describing them from an outsider's perspective. They did close readings of Jonathan Raban, Annie Dillard, David Foster Wallace and John Jeremiah Sullivan, and wrote several on-the-spot sketches. We shared tales of triumph and absolute horror from the publishing industry.  It was a remarkable group of people. Anyhow, I always get so much out of these class sessions. I'll try to come up with another workshop at some point this fall or early in the winter.

My podcast interview with T.C Boyle on Catamaran Literary Reader's webiste

Listen in on my recent interview with the celebrated author T.C. Boyle about environmental themes in his fiction, starting with "The Extinction Tales," which we are proud to feature in the inaugural issue of Catamaran, which will be coming to a bookstore near you this October.

In other news, there are still a couple of spots left in my writing workshop tomorrow (Saturday) at the Capitola Book Cafe:  In addition to the reading and writing exercises that will be sent directly to your email, we'll also do an additional reading (a great one from Jonathan Raban) in class, some on-the-spot writing assignments and a piece of travel writing that you will complete later on. See you all in a few hours!

This just in: Wallace Baine's story about my travel writing class in the Santa Cruz Sentinel

This just in -- and it will give you a strong sense of what we will be talking and writing about. See you soon.

A quick update about my class at the Capitola Book Cafe on Saturday and a couple of other things ....

First of all, it is filling up fast so if you want a spot, call them up.  Also, I forgot to mention: please bring, aside from the reading and writing and your notebook, a brown-bag lunch so we can have a 'working lunch' around noontime. Thanks, and I'm looking forward to seeing you all very soon! Last time I had a blast teaching this class, but it went so quickly. So much was left unsaid, and I want everyone to write their on-the-spot assignments at a much more leisurely pace. This longer format class will allow that to happen.  I've also allowed some extra time so we can all talk about things like writing groups (and how to find a good writing group), pursuing a freelancing career, launching your first book projects, etc.

Also, in other news, my interview with TC Boyle will soon be up in Catamaran Literary Reader's website, and I'll post the link here as soon as it's published. I'm also thrilled to report that a print version of that interview will soon appear in Catamaran's debut issue, complete with a brief piece that I wrote about Boyle's nearly 40-year exploration of humankind's strained relationship with the natural world. Cheers, and thanks for staying in touch.

Lots of news: T.C Boyle interview, SJSU talk, new class at the Book Cafe and more

Hello, Cactuseaters readers. Lots and lots of news to share with you during this busy month.  For starters, I just found out that the short nonfiction piece I'm going to read at the San Jose State event is going to be published (!)  which means that the talk will be a kind of 'sneak preview.' I'm pretty sure the publishing event won't happen until several weeks after the talk so you'll get the first look if you go to my event with my wife, Amy Ettinger.  I''ll share the name of the publication and the particulars as the date approaches. Right around the same time, I found out that The Cactus Eaters, at this late hour, is going to be reviewed in a national magazine, which is really great news, too. Eager to see what they'll say. Also, I just had a really good phone conversation with one of my favorite authors, T.C. Boyle; we talked for 40 minutes about the strained relationship between human beings and wild nature in a number of his books and his stories, starting with the Extinction Tales. I conducted the interview with the technical assistance of Catherine Segurson and Rebecca Goldman over at the Catamaran Literary Reader's headquarters at the Salz Tannery here in SC. And the cool thing is, you get to listen in on the talk. It's almost as if the phone line was tapped. The interview will be available in the debut issue of Catamaran  soon. That will be available in bookstores across the country this fall. And finally, the Capitola Book Cafe has just listed my upcoming fully expanded and all-new travel and place-writing class. More news soon! Anyhow, my weekends have been awfully busy lately, but I've been unwinding by going 'pick your own' fruit-hunting with my little daughter. The other day we put together a blackberry cobbler, using fruit we foraged off the side of Highway 1 out here in scenic Santa Cruz. Hope you're getting out there, enjoying the weather, hitting some farmer's markets and taking advantage of everything your town (wherever it may be) has to offer. Hope to see you all soon. All for now.

A Deeper Sense of Place (updated)

Hi everyone -- just wanted to give you and update on my upcoming class in late August. We'll do some writing exercises and discussion, we'll talk about 'reading like writers,' and then do some in-depth, craft-based readings of a few great travel and place pieces. My list of writers, so far: John Jeremiah Sullivan, Annie Dillard, Tom Bissell, Terry Tempest Williams (and others.)

Also, at the suggestion of two former students, I'll have some practical writing-life material too (encouraging stories, as well as horror stories, from the the freelance world, publishing, etc.) I'll talk about a whole bunch of stuff that I would never even think about posting to this blog, including some things that will make your ears fall right off when you hear them.

In other news, for the first time since hiking the Pacific Crest Trail,  I consumed a piece of prickly pear cactus. This time, it happened right in the middle of  downtown Santa Cruz, where I attended the Festival del Nopal, otherwise known as the Cactus Eating Festival. The festival was fun, but I thought the cactus was disgusting. So slimy! So insipid! So hard to chew! Maybe I'm too close to the subject matter to give you an objective assessment. On the good side, someone took the time to remove all the little prickly things -- a huge improvement over my last experience.

Meanwhile I've chosen the two things I'm going to read at SJSU -- one that is part of a long work in progress, and a small stand-alone piece that's going to be published really soon.

And, finally, thanks for all the Cactus Eaters emails that keep flowing into my inbox. Each one is appreciated. (For some reason, I am getting quite a few of them lately.)

In case you haven't seen this great profile of Springsteen in the New Yorker ...

For me, this magazine article by David Remnick was like a gift at the end of a productive but drawn-out day.

Travel writing class returns (new and expanded) on August 25th!

hi everyone --I just wanted you to know that I'll be teaching an expanded version of my place writing/travel writing class once more at the Capitola Book Cafe this summer. The class is set for August 25 at the Book Cafe  from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.  I am putting together a list of readings and preliminary assignments. Last class was wonderful but the time passed by so quickly (only two hours.) This new format will give us much more breathing room and allow you to delve more deeply into each exercise and exploration. Bring a sandwich and brown bag for a 'working lunch,' and I'll see you all soon. Almost forgot to mention that you should register directly through the Book Cafe (and not through this Cactuseaters blog.)

Introducing Catamaran literary magazine

I've become involved with this brand-new magazine based right here in Santa Cruz, CA. The first issue -- which is forthcoming this fall -- will have all kinds of surprises, including my Q & A with one of my favorite fiction writers, but I should keep my mouth shut for the time being and let you find out for yourself. Look for it in an indie bookstore soon. Anyhow, if you take a look at the link I enclosed, you will see a Catamaran video with all of us gathered at the beautifully refurbished Salz tannery site, which is now a major center for the arts on the Central Coast.

Amy Ettinger & Dan White reading announcement at SJSU

It's official. We're now part of the line-up for the fall season. Here is the announcement that has been posted on the Web. Hope to see you all there, and to clarify, this will be in San Jose. We will both read brand new material. (no Cactus Eaters recitations.) I am excited and nervous.  I'm thinking of reading two short, somewhat related pieces, one from a book-length project, and the other a stand-alone essay.

Now reading .... updated

Jeanette Winterson, Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? I got plenty of strange looks from people who saw me reading this on the bus in Santa Cruz. They must have figured it was a self-help book in reverse. In one sense it is. This memoir does not provide any soft and fuzzy pathway to creativity.  Winterson's adoptive mother is an accidental mentor who shaped her daughter's language while providing a reason for her creativity. The mom -- identified here as "Mrs. Winterson" -- gave her something to work against. What really struck me here is the amount of light Winterson lets in. The ultra-religious mom is frightening -- she sometimes locks her daughter in a coal hole -- but never comes across as a monster. Worth re-reading to see how she pulls this off. I would have gone through this a third time but it was borrowed and I had to give it back. ILL doesn't mess around.

Graham Greene, Brighton Rock.

Charles Yu, How To Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe

Kenneth Gross,  Puppet: an essay on uncanny life

Amy Ettinger & Dan White reading at the Martin Luther King Jr. library in San Jose

Hi, everyone.  I am very excited to announce that my wife, Amy Ettinger, will read with me on October 10, 7 p.m, at the Schiro Room, adjacent to the Martha Heasley Cox Center for Steinbeck Studies, located in Martin Luther King, Jr. Library at SJSU, not to be confused, under any circumstances, with  the Steinbeck Museum down in Salinas, although my mentioning of this distinction will probably cause even more confusion.  A reception will follow.

Amy Ettinger has written for the New York Times, New York Magazine, the Huffington Post, the San Francisco Chronicle, Sierra, Backpacker and other publications. Her personal essays delve into issues ranging from parenthood, childhood, mortality, creative competition among spouses and growing up on "the other side" of Silicon Valley. She will read a selection from her recent work.


I am a former Steinbeck Fellow, an occasional teacher and freelance travel writer, the institutional voice of Sammy the Banana Slug, and the author of a nonfiction book, The Cactus Eaters: How I Lost My Mind and Almost Found Myself on the Pacific Crest Trail,  which I completed during my fellowship. So it's fitting that both of us will be back at the center when I'm reading from my as-yet untitled, still-in-progress, brand-new nonfiction project. If you want to find out more, you'll just have to be there in person.  Looking forward to this. See you  then. In other news, looks like I'll be teaching a second -and significantly longer writing class out here. More soon.

Cheryl Strayed at the Capitola Book Cafe: "My feet are fine. They’ve been restored to their original beauty. It’s taken a while for my toenails to grow back.”

Plus: Mary Karr sings and dances, and much more.

Well, it's been a very eventful month here in Santa Cruz, and since I always bring my little black notebooks to all these events anyhow, I figured I'd share a few journal highlights with you. 

Never, in all my years, did I think I'd get to see the great memoirist and poet Mary Karr shimmying, shaking her hair, stomping her boots and singing back-up vocals -- and in one case, lead vocals! -- with songwriting legend Rodney Crowell at the Rio Theatre right here in Santa Cruz. 

In a couple of instances, I had to pinch myself to see if I was hallucinating. Was Mary Karr really up there on the stage, enthusiastically harmonizing to

-->"It's Hard to Kiss the Lips at Night that Chew Your Ass Out All Day Long?" Karr, who must have very good genes -- she looked all of 23 years old -- did not seem to be the principle draw that night. I had a strong hunch that most folks were  there for Crowell. The fact that Karr's last name was spelled incorrectly on almost all the promotional materials, except for the publicity put out by the co-sponsor, Bookshop Santa Cruz, suggests the concert organizers aren't familiar with her legendary work, including her classic, The Liar's Club.  But Karr -- who teamed up with Crowell on a brand-new album called Kin, featuring an all-star group of performers --  proved she could 'kill' even with a crowd that, amazingly enough, seemed to have no idea who she was. Sad to say, I have temporarily misplaced the little black notebook with some of the funny, shocking, and all-too-true observations she made about family and memoir writing. I bet you it's under a pile of laundry somewhere, but when I find it, I'll go right back into this blog entry and fill in those details, so stay tuned. When I find the darned thing, I'll add an "updated" tagline to the subject heading.

Was the Capitola Book Cafe ever so packed as it was on June 21 when Cheryl Strayed was in town to promote Wild? She read from the Hobo Times reporter scene, which had the whole place howling. That evening she offered some insights about Wild's creation and why it resonates with so many readers. 

Among some of the questions she answered from various readers that evening:

Have you always been 'all in' when it comes to revealing raw truths about yourself on the page?

"It's always terrifying. But writing that interests me reveals who (the writer) is with all their humanity. When you are taking those risks --and the endeavor of memoir is to tell a universal story -- when you do that right, other people see and hear themselves. Why should we read about this person's hike? The goal is to obliterate the question so people know why you're telling the story."

Are you surprised by the reception to the book?

-->

"I am stunned --completely shocked. The

-->hike I had back in 1995 was this wholly private thing." (She had a similar feeling of solitude during the early composition process.)  You’re profoundly alone with yourself. The only way to write a book is to go to a place of deep solitude." 

Later in the presentation, she answered questions about the PCT and the book's origins.

"The story in Wild began when I reached what I really thought of as the bottom. I didn’t know where I was going and there was so much I had to regret about where I’d been. It was really sort of by chance that I chose the PCT. There  was a blizzard and I needed a shovel. It was only later on when I realized, 'hey, that’s  metaphor.' I really needed to dig myself out. (Upon buying the shovel, she happened upon a PCT guidebook.) “(The trail) seemed so magnificent and incredible and big and everything I was not, everything I needed to attach myself to. My mother went from being perfectly healthy to dead in several weeks. I didn’t know how to be in the world without her. The question realy was, how could I live without my mother. For a long time, my answer was, I will not. I will do bad things. I raged against myself. Then I found out about the PCT. "

-->

"I'd  never gone backpacking one night, which turns out not to be a good idea. I was a waitress. I had wads of cash. I spent it all on backpacking stuff. The REI people kept saying, you really ought to pack your pack. (Shortly before embarking on the journey), “I could not lift my pack. At all.

-->Those first week weeks were the most humbling experience of my life. I thought, “I can do this. I can walk. Then I got out there and I thought, what the *&$%$! was I thinking?  And that was within the first 15 minutes!”

The book signing line was humongous, but Strayed, in the spirit of a true PCT hiker,  stayed until the last dog was hung.

 

Mary Karr and Rodney Crowell at the Rio Theater

I live almost across the street from the Rio; how could I not go? If I have a spare moment I will try to give you a report right here.

Cactus Eaters reader photo of the week: reading in the highest peaks

Thank you, John Murray, for sharing this picture with me today (it's his daughter, Chelsea, reading my book out in the Himalayas. As far as I know, that is the second farthest point my book has ever traveled.) And thank you, readers -- keep those photos and messages coming.