The Short Story & All Things Carver

I am a new-comer to the American short story writer and poet, Raymond Carver, but from the moment I read "Cathedral", I have been hooked. I was drawn to him first by what he says in "Principles of Short Story", his 1989 essay, the ease with which he approached short story writing. Ease in the sense that he had to learn to demystify the writing process and aim for specificity, realism, clarity, and the sheer joy of the writing process (even where it may seem exhausting and time-consuming, the writer was trying to make an honest effort of producing a story, not because it was a special, world-changing story, but a creation, free of gimmicks and pretentiousness).

After I finished reading this short essay and sharing it to a writer's workshop last April, I felt liberated, I loosened up in my approach to writing and lost some of the seriousness and faithful belief in the mystery of writing that had for years pursued me. When it comes to writing, Carver seems to say, just write. And revise. Many times, until the story is pulled out of your control, and revise it again if another opportunity comes.

Carver is considered one of the most influencial American short fiction writers, and for me, his name has come up when I least expected. Like when I was helping with the compiling and editing of the Sacramento Poetry Center publication, Keepers of the Flame. I discovered (perhaps in the way David Livingstone discovered Victoria Falls, or how Columbus discovered America) that the Poetry Center had worked with Raymond Carver in one or two occasions. He was a Northern California guy. It was fascinating to discover that he favored poetry and the short stories, and he explained in his essay that this was because of the no-BS conciseness the genres afforded him. I was prompted to seek more of his work, and I have since acquired two collections of his short stories, one of which is Cathedral. And he keeps appearing in much of what I read these days.

On this blog we have already declared 2009 the short story year. It is thus fitting that there is renewed interest in everything Carver. The Library of America has published his collected stories in a volume of 1019 pages, and Carol Sklenicka has just published RAYMOND CARVER: A Writer’s Life. Two books worth checking out.

Some of the essays being written about Carver seem to keep referring to his editor Gordon Lish, whom some critics believe did excessive editing of Carver's stories, leading to the question: "How far can editor go in making changes to a writer's work?" It's a controversy I know little about, but the questions it raises are very important to every writer and editor.

For a taste of what's being written about Raymond Carver, see this New York Times review of his biography.

Feature: Lawrence Dinkins (NSAA), Sacramento Poet

NSAA

Today we feature a spoken word whose works I find moving. I have attended many of his performances, and we have shared the stage on several occassions. He is also a regular in the Sacramento Poetry scene, particularly at the Sacramento Poetry Center, Luna's Cafe, and the Mahogany poetry series, where he is a host. Please meet the poet known as NSAA.

1.Thank you for agreeing to do this interview. First, can you tell us a bit about yourself?

My stage name is NSAA pronounced (en-sah-ah). It’s an African adinkra symbol that basically means quality, as I understand it. It’s like saying "The real McCoy". What I like about the word/symbol is that it is based on the quality of cloth, for example; this cloth is hand made nsaa.

I’m a bit of an odd duck I’m afraid to say, my stage name is a case in point, how odd I will keep on the low-low, very political too. I love NPR, BBC and Democracy Now. My pet peeve right now, driving me insane, is what’s up with congress not fighting for universal healthcare. In the past the Democrats said the reason why they couldn’t do it was because the Republicans had the majority, boo-hoo, but now that the Democrats are in the majority they still don’t fight for it, why? I fear what will happen if they pass the bill that is currently in the house right now. I see a terrible shift in American society, a shift of putting more and more burden and responsibility on individuals and less on corporations. There is only so much an individual can do before they hit information overload, in the house bill we will all be required to buy health insurance or it will be a federal offense, does every answer to every problem require putting more on citizens whose plate is already full? If America was a club I would turn in my membership and ask for my money back because this club has no perks, opportunities yes, if you have money, but perks? No. Unfortunately, this is not a club this is my home; I digress, sorry about that. But this is a great example of what I write about.

I consider myself a free verse conscious poet. In my opinion poetry is the soul of the people and is as important as architects, politicians, and religious leaders. Poets throughout history pushed society and civil-thought forward, questioned the status quo and allowed us to look at issues from the human-condition perspective. It is the responsibility of the poet not to stand silent in times of crisis; we are the “sacred order of voice”, kind of like verbal super heroes, without the capes of course.

2.I have hosted an event at the SPC in which you were one of the features. You also have frequently participated in open mic sessions during most of my readings. How does participation in poetry readings help you in your art?

Open mic is one of the unique things about the poetry scene, very democratic. The open mic for me is more about catharsis rather than being about perfecting craft, cheaper than a shrink I tell you. It allows me to share artistically how I feel about issues, life and complex emotions like ambiguity. But, I must say this, poetry readings do give me incentive to write just like gallery showings incentivize art creation for a painter.

NSAA at the SPC

3.You host performances at the Ethiopian Restaurant on Broadway. Tell us a lot about that.

Mahogany is a local institution. Mahogany Urban Poetry Series is held at Queen Sheba Restaurant on 17 and Broadway and it goes down every Wednesday at 9 pm all thanks to Khiry Malik, local poet. It’s a mature free speech after-hour HBO style poetry venue. I host Mahogany every 3rd Wednesday. Khiry, one of my favorite poets, has been the curator of Mahogany for years now; he allows me to torture his audience once a month.

Every 3rd Wednesday DJ Supe puts down the music, dim lights sets the mood, the audience sip honey wine while listening to great poetry,and every time I host I think this is a great scene. Instead of going out dancing or to the movies people come to Mahogany to think and empathize. It is my pleasure and honor to be one of the hosts of one of the oldest poetry venues in Sacramento. I feel if there were more places like Mahogany we would have a better, well-informed Sacramento.

4.You are also a graphic artist. Would you like to say something about that?

Yep, I am a starving artist and business owner. I design business cards, chap books, cd covers and tray cards, simple websites, flyers and logos. Give me a “holla” at MyTbx if you need some work done.

5.Who are your favorite poets?

Oh that’s easy. Hands down, it’s “Straight Out Scribes”, a local mother-daughter poetry team. These poets are activists, smart and purposeful, known for their tireless campaign to free American political prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal. You can’t help but dig these two sistahs, watching them is what made me feel like I could share my words. I always wrote, but until I saw them I didn’t know you could write and share such politically-charged poetry. They are no longer together though. Staajabu (the mother), went back east to be with family. Every once in a while Staajabu comes back and they do a local tour. Best believe I’m in the front seat, ears wide open. Also, I hear there might be a new CD in the works. Keep that under your hat, and keep your fingers crossed.

6.How has the internet helped your art?

It make research easier, that’s for sure. I think I owe the library money, yikes. Also the internet has made it easier to share work and advertise poetry events. I have a Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/mywordout, just started blog last month: http://thedeskofnsaa.blogspot.com, and an event page: http://mywordout.com. Sometimes you have to stop setting up pages because you can waste your whole morning checking emails, friend request and hits. And facebook is digital crack. I get on there and hours go by without me noticing.

7.What is the place of politics in your poetry?

Central. Politics is very important in my work, politics can make our lives easier or harder, fairer or punitive, if we are not involved, not sounding a hue and cry we will lose slowly our free speech and everything we’ve fought so hard to obtain. We must protect what we have won and push forward to higher ground.

8.Last Friday [November 13] we shared the stage at the Sacramento Guild Theatre. How did you like that event?

It was great. Most of my favorite local poets were there and some new poets I’ve never heard before. I think I found some new favorites too. The poetry festival is an outstanding idea, two thumbs up for Terry Moore and Bob Stanley for pulling it off. I hope it it’s an annual event.

9. What are your plans for the future?

Right now I’m preparing my new chap book, “PoeticBlastastic”, for release by the end of this year.

10. This blog is read by poets in places ranging from Zimbabwe to Afghanistan. What words of encouragement would you give to aspiring poets, especially the spoken word ones?

Don’t stop pushing the status quo. Challenge yourself not only to write about pretty things, or about relationships and love, but see your role in society. You are the soul; better yet, the conscience of your community. We must use our gifts to make this world a better one: more tolerance, greener, merciful, peaceful and artful. Long live free speech. Poet or die.

Guest Blogger: Veronica Henry of MyAfricanDiaspora.com

This post features MyAfricanDiaspora co-founder, Veronica Henry. In this blog she introduces the organization and its mission, and provides information on the group's first Annual short story competition. Enjoy.

Our website: www.myafricandiaspora.com, provides news and information aimed at reconnecting the African Diaspora. My partner and I launched the site after tracing our African ancestry to Sierra Leone and deciding to use the power of the Internet to help foster the reconnection between people of African descent and their ancestral homes.

We're sponsoring a Short Story Writing Competition - open to anyone, any country or continent, but the main character must be of African descent. I believe this is a first of its kind, an international competition focused on providing positive, diverse images of people of color in literature. I'd like to invite all writers to participate and hope you'd like to help us spread the word. Full contest details are available here and included below.

Introducing the 1st Annual
MyAfricanDiaspora.com
SHORT STORY COMPETITION
In our ongoing effort to promote positive images that reflect people of African descent, the website that connects that African Diaspora is pleased to announce our first annual Short Story contest.

We're looking for fiction that is unique, stories with characters we'll remember, plots that leave us thinking. The contest is open to anyone, any race, any country, any continent. The only caveat? The main character must be of African descent.

Rules
1.The contest runs from October 1 – December 31, 2009, winner announced February 1, 2010
2.Entries must be 1500 words or less
3.The entry fee is $10 (via paypal or money order payable to DreamDeep LLC.) Address: DreamDeep LLC
9360 W. Flamingo Rd.
#110-117
Las Vegas, NV 89147
4.Main character must be of African descent
5.Story must be previously unpublished
6.Submit entries to info[AT]myafricandiaspora.com, with the words “Short Story Contest: (input name of your short story and genre)” in the subject line. Ex. Short Story Contest: Mystery My Story. Copy & Paste into the body of the email. No attachments.
7.Be sure to include your contact information and word count with submissions
8.There will be one overall winner and one winner from each of the following genres: Literary, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Mystery, Romance (we prefer stories without gratuitous sex or violence)

Prizes
1.First Place: $500 Genre Winners: $25 Borders Gift Card
2.Each winner will have their story and a feature article published on myafricandiaspora.com
3.The winners and top three entries in each genre will have their short stories published in a short story collection

Veronica Henry is co-founder and webmaster at www.myafricandiaspora.com - a news and information network aimed at reconnecting the African diaspora. Her 20 year IT career came to an end when her inner writer and entrepreneur inexplicably besieged her to give it all up. Born in Brooklyn, NY, she now calls Las Vegas, NV home. For more information, contact Veronica at info [@] myafricandiaspora dot com.

Chielo Zona Eze's Blog and Some Thoughts on Chinua Achebe and African Literature

Chielo Zona Eze, author of The Trial of Robert Mugabe, blogs frequently on African Literature News & Review ,and I follow his news updates on African literature. Brief postings that link you to the source. His latest post is on Chinua Achebe's rejection of the label "Father of African Literature", which has been reported on the Guardian and is based on an interview done by the Brown University newspaper, the Brown Daily Herald.

Eze's blog will lead to other news about African literature, interesting reviews on such books as Harare North, An Elegy for Easterly, The Thing Around Your Neck, and many others. Although short, his entries show a devotion to African literature, sometimes pure excitement, as when the announcement was made about the Oprah selection of Uwem Akpan's short story collection. Eze's entry celebrated the moment as great for African writers, pointing out that some agents and editors there may realize that they can profit from African writing. And indeed, Say You're One of them has been featured on The New York Times best seller list, a good indicator that the book is being bought. Eze's is a good blog to follow.

Now, let me blog a bit about Chinua Achebe. I used to teach Things Fall Apart (TFA) in San Francisco. I would ask my students to read Heart of Darkness , and excerpts of books on Africa, first; then we would move on to TFA, but not before we studied W.B. Yeats' "The Second Coming", where the phrase "things fall apart" was borrowed.

It was a composition class, so we could not do with much with the literature stuff, but Things Fall Apart never failed to interest the non-major English students, despite the initial cultural distance. Positioning some aspects of Things Fall Apart as a response to Conrad was perfect for the students because they could see how literature was used to argue a point, and they had fun (in my faithful judgment) writing a comparative essay on the two authors' approaches. It was always nice talking about Achebe, sharing my childhood exprience reading it.

That's the thing with reading. Not only will you associate the book's setting with places you actually know, but you will also remember where you were when you first read the novel. When I first read William Faulkner's The Sound and the Fury, I was at Machipisa in Highfield, Harare, waiting for an Emergency Taxi to Glen View. That was in January, 1988; then when I went back to the rural areas during the school break (I was in Form 5), I read parts of the book to my village friends who had asked me how A-Level was, and my answer was to share with them some Faulkner, D.H. Lawrence, and a little Shakespeare (Measure for Measure, etc,) never mind that some had failed O-Level literature. I remember we were walking along the Gwavachemai Mountain ranges, headed for the small hill known for its sweet baobabs,but on the way we would stop and I would read, trying my best to explain the mysterious Benjie.

As for Things Fall Apart, the setting of the novel was not too different from Mazvihwa, the place I was when I read it for the first time. So when I think of how I first read it, I also remember the associations I made between its characters and real people in our village. There was an Okonkwo, a Nwoye, an Obierika, and so on. And all the spirituality in the novel was quite routine for the village; we may not have had egwugwus, but we had masvikiro (spirit mediums), and there was nothing to stop us from calling them egwugwus. The book was depicting things that we saw everyday.

Things Fall Apart, which I read later than books by Thomas Hardy, Charles Dickens, was different in many ways from the British authors. The Dickens and Hardys, which I read in the same village setting, had transported me to distant places, but still, there was a certain familiarity, because I could picture and localize the setting and experiences, whereas with Things Fall Apart, I located the setting within the village. I was lucky that at first, Achebe was taught to me from a comparative angle, as one of the writers in a syllabus that also covered Hardy, Dickens, Shakespeare. Lucky because I realized early the diversity in literature. But I would meet the real Achebe in that first year of univeristy, where we started by reading books like Toward the Decolonization of African Literature, or Decolonizing the Mind, or the West and the Rest of Us, How Europe Underdeveloped Africa, and many others.

Then suddenly, Achebe became the father of African literature (in English), and the evidence was there in front of us: the literary activity in the year the book was published and the prominent position the college syllabi accorded Achebe's books. You read Things Fall Apart, then you desired No Longer at Ease, and soon you would discover Arrow of God, alongside the Francophone God's Bits of Wood, Xala, and The Old Man and the Medal, without, of course, leaving out Ghana's Ayi Kwei Armah. A door was opened to Kenya's Ngugi waThiongo: The River Between, The Grain of Wheat, Devil on the Cross. Then you zoomed back to the land of Achebe, quickly to be exposed to Wole Soyinka's The Lion and the Jewel, but not his The Interpreters (it's language was too opaque, its style too Eurocentric).

This went on for a while, until we finally came back to Zimbabwean literature. If one hadn't read them already (shame on you) here were the authors: Chenjerai Hove, Charles Mungoshi, Dambudzo Marechera, Musaemura Zimunya, Chenjerai Hove, Charles Mungoshi, Dambudzo Marechera. Fathers of Zimbabwean literature? Why not? In my poem "Like the Poets", written during that first year, I called them "fathers of the literature". Some worked in publishing, and you knew they were involved in the shaping of Zimbabwean literature. But when you wanted to raise things to the bigger picture, to African Literature, you went back to Achebe. He had essays defining the literature. So did Ngugi. Defining and practising the form. The writers were the fathers of the literatures, the writers were the teachers in society, the writers were responsible (a very big word then). Some of us began to write poetry that sounded like that of Okot p 'Bitek, Jack Mapanje and Steve Chimombo, taking the role of all the poets "that came before me: Zimunya, Marechera, Mungoshi, Hove, Diop...." It was great to learn that lovely phrase, afrocentic sensibility. The syllabi argued one point: All along you have been reading Eurocentric literature, now is the time to return home, to these fathers, and occasional mothers (Mariama Ba, Ama ata Aidoo), of African literature.

Now African literature has expanded. We have a new generation of writers and publishers (This should by now be obvious, but we really feel there is a rennaissance in African Literature. We: at least me.) The debates are changing. While the literature is not necessarily seeking to decolonize the mind,to free African language (but it occasionally does), it seems to affirm a new African (not necessarily Afrocentric) sensibility; we are now becoming aware of "the dangers of the single story", and, increasingly, the message is becoming that of saying "you're one of them". Taken out of context, this message seems to be saying that African literature is not a strange creature to other literary creatures, but that it can stand there with others when it's being considered for the Guardian Fiction Prize, or the Orange Prize for Fiction, or the Man Booker, the Nobel. Of course, this is not to say it has never stood there before. It has...many times, but there were times when it stood there because it was shockingly African. The creature now stands, still as African, but also simply as literary, with other literary creatures out there (or in here).

And why is Achebe rejecting the endorsement of "Father of African Literature"?

"It's really a serious belief of mine that it's risky for anyone to lay claim to something as huge and important as African literature ... the contribution made down the ages. I don't want to be singled out as the one behind it because there were many of us – many, many of us," he told the Brown Daily Herald.

In the meantime, universities have begun to set up Chinua Achebe Institutes, intiatives,colloqiums, etc, and Things Fall Apart is required summer reading for most high school students in (at least) the United States. You don't have to be a father of a literature for all this to happen. You just have to be an excellent writer.

UPDATE: an edited version of this article has been published by the journal Flatmancrooked. It was great working with the editor, James Kaelan.

Guest Bloggers Wanted

I am trying to take Wealth of Ideas (WOI) to another level by encouraging the participation of other writers/bloggers. If you have a topic you would like to share with readers of WOI, please contact me at manu@munyori.com to express your interest, or just submit your blog entry to me using the same email address. Here is the range of possible topics:

1 Book Reviews: They don't have to be formal. Just your thoughts about a book you read recently, or one you read a long time ago.

2. Current issues and enduring questions: Yes, current issues, politics, etc. After all, we are called Wealth of Ideas. If you have new insights on an enduring question--what is love in the 21st century, what is beauty, etc, send us something.

3. Entries on tools for the writer's craft: You are an editor, a publisher, etc, and you want to give us advice on a craft issue--plot, point of view, detail, characterization, etc, send us something, help us out. I would do this myself, but I am trying to follow my advice: "Shut up and write".

4. Informative pieces: If you have some information on a project you are working on, informatrion about writing contests, etc,submit the details.

5. Author Interviews: If you want me to interview you (because I really love doing this), or you have done an author interview, we can post it here as well.

6. Author Profiles: You want the world to know about this amazing writer you have discovered,a writer you like, let us know, send something. I know if someone were to ask me to talk about Toni Morrison, William Faulkner, Kazuo Ishiguro, I would not hesitate to do so.

7. Blog Book Tour: You have just published a new book and you want WOI to host your blog tour, I will interview you, post your book info and your answers to my interview questions, and I will ask WOI readers to ask you their questions through the comments section, etc.

If you would like to do any of the above, please let me know.

A World of Short Stories

Many people have said 2009 is the year of the short story. And a lot of the short story collections published this year have won awards ranging from Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award (which, of course, wouldn't be awarded to a novel or poetry collection), the Guardian Fiction Award and many others I can't think of right now.

Only yesterday (Friday, November 6), CNN's Anderson Cooper and Oprah's Oprah Winfrey admitted that this had been the year they fell in love with the short story through their reading of Uwem Akpan's Say You're One of Them. For this reason, they have decided to co-broadcast a discussion of the book on Monday (9pm Eastern/8pm Central Time). This is a huge event for a short story collection. If all goes well, I may participate in some small way in the Webcast.

Say You're One of Them has already been on the New York Times best seller list for weeks, and what that means is that Americans are buying (and reading) this book in great numbers. I have even begun to receive emails from old friends and former co-workers saying they are reading Uwem Akpan's book. That's good for the short story genre, but most importantly, for the exposure of literature set in Africa.

This year I have focused my reading on the short story because my own writing is also centered on the genre, but I have found myself saying things like, "I want to discover the secret of the short story." That's just because once I started, I couldn't stop.

I haven't discovered the secret yet, but I am enjoying the discovery of writers (contemporary and classic) I never thought I would be reading this year. Short stories are addictive (especially if you make a point to make 90 per cent of your pleasure reading center only on them); reading one author has led to the discovery of another, and this has been going on non-stop since February.

Short stories have become fashionable. As I browse new titles in book stores, I see all these things publishers are doing with the genre. There are more collected stories by single authors, huge volumes like those by Ballard, Trevor, and Carver. Then estbalished novelists have also caught on to the short story bug (or opportunity). Kazuo Ishiguro just released Nocturnes, a collection of short stories; Ha Jin is coming out [in December] with A Good Fall (which I recently reviewed. Lives of Chinese immigrants in the United States),John Grisham's Ford County is a short story collection, and someone just did the most voluminous Raymond Carver collection, displaying multiple versions of the short stories side by side to show Carver's revision process (It's been termed a treasure).

The most fashionable thing now (or we can call it profitable), is publishing short story anthologies that contain works by different authors. The collections have hot themes ("one world", "new voices of the world", "our changing world", "new generations"). Short story collections everywhere, from anywhere. I am even scheduled to co-edit a book of short stories by Indian and Zimbabwean authors, and work is in progress on one of the most gripping collections of contemporary African
short stories, a collection entitled African Roar.

I am noticing that some of the collections by single authors are like novels, with stories unified by a central concern. Ha Jin's stories, for instance, are all set in Flushing, New York. William Styron's new collection, The Suicide Run, is about the Marine Corps, and the different stories center on the same protagonist, and Uwem Akpan's Say You're One of Them deals with the plight of children across Africa, with all his stories told from a child narrator. So there is always an amazing unifying element in the collection, which gives it a sense of continuity that readers can appreciate.

Perhaps what's happening to the short story genre has been happening all along; I just haven't been paying much attection. But the articles keep pointing to the revival of the genre. Steven Millhauser, for instance, has written on the ambition of the short story in his famous New York Times essay. Then the awards too: most of the books getting short-listed and winning awards are short story collections. For once, I am seeing short story collections on the New York Times Bestseller list. And my search for the secret of the short story continues, as I take it beyond Borders & Barnes & Noble to Amazon, used bookstores, library booksales, to Goodwill and garage sales. Call it a bargain hunt, and I can tell you, the trips have been worthwhile: I have discovered names I never thought I would: Now I don't have to turn back to the same Dubliners each time I crave a short story.

2009, the year of the short story. And if this continues to 2010 and 2011, those too will be years of the short story. But do I hear poetry calling for attention too? Perhaps 2012? Then we give 2013 to the playwrights? As for the novel, well, what can I say, hang in there.

At the end of 2008, and early this year, I was blogging about Ruby Magosvongwe's labelling of Zimbabwe as a short story country, and there was a little bit of debate on the issue as some writers argued it could also be called a novel or poetry country. But the debates made me pay more attention, first, to the Zimbabwean short story, then before I knew it I was reading Flannery O'Connor, Flaubert, and Maupassant. Perhaps now, as the year ends,I am tempted to say that our [literary] world is a short story world(this moment at least).

Mungoshi to Address PAWA in Ghana

David Mungoshi, Vice President of PAWA.

Zimbabwean writer David Mungoshi, whose new novel, The Fading Sun, is forthcoming from Lion Press, will present a paper at the Pan African Writers Association (PAWA) in Ghana. This event,running from November 4 to 7 and attended by writers like Chinua Achebe, Toni Morrion, Nadine Gordimer, Wole Soyinka, Ngugi wa Thiongo and others, will focus on the theme: "LANGUAGE, LITERATURE AND SOCIETY IN A FRACTURED WORLD". Wole Soyinka will deliver the keynote speech.

David Mungoshi will present a paper on HIV and its depiction in contemporary Southern African writing. Among other things, the paper reveals that there is "now a body of creative writing whose main driver is the HIV and AIDS pandemic." Mungoshi argues that "this writing cuts across all the literary genres (poetry, the short story, the novel and drama) and... the gender divide." The paper also examines "the language question with a view to suggesting how society can best go forward in what might be termed the age of the virus."

The Pan African Writers Association (PAWA),is a leading Pan African Cultural Institution accorded full Diplomatic Status by the Government of Ghana in 1992. It is made up of the 52 National Writers Associations on the African continent, and seeks to contribute its quota to moral, cultural and intellectual renaissance in Africa.