>Sewanee–Day Eleven

>We had readings this morning from Shannon Cain, Tom Hunley, Elizabeth Kadetsky (Scholars) and Rachel Cline, Chuck Erven and Chelsea Rathburn (fellows), followed by a terrific craft lecture by Margot Livesey on developing characters, citing Aristotle, Forster, Gass and others.

In the afternoon, Brad Leithauser read poetry and also an excerpt from his new novel, the link being that he’s been thinking of poems as books he’s not going to write, except that one of his poems includes an incident that has become the opening of the novel.

The evening activity was a reading by Alice McDermott from her novel that is coming out in September, capped by a “shotgun reading” where all the participants could read for just one minute each. It was, um, scattered, but fun.

About the author

I am the author of three novels--THE LAST BIRD OF PARADISE, OLIVER'S TRAVELS, and THE SHAMAN OF TURTLE VALLEY--and three story collections--IN AN UNCHARTED COUNTRY, HOUSE OF THE ANCIENTS AND OTHER STORIES, and WHAT THE ZHANG BOYS KNOW, winner of the Library of Virginia Literary Award for Fiction. I am also the co-founder and former editor of Prime Number Magazine and the editor of the award-winning anthology series EVERYWHERE STORIES: SHORT FICTION FROM A SMALL PLANET.

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