LOL, Daddy Chuck putting Hamiltons in the eggs again. Turns his yard into Thunderdome. Just think what would have happened if you put Roblox or fortnight gift cards in them.
Well that was convenient since I was planning to reread The Harvest and In the Cemetery Where Al Jolson is Buried today anyhow! I'm really starting to get her ...
I mean, I’ve read The Harvest before, along with pretty much everything else Amy Hempel has written, but DAMN it’s so good. She writes sentences that make me want to tattoo them backward on my chest so I can read them every day.
I think pronouns have become somewhat of a bugaboo outside of minimalism too in recent years.
And this is either going to be a difficult or an easy question, but would you say that Hempel’s work is the most important — or most archetypal — in the genre of minimalist writing? Curious because I think, in addition to Hempel, people would make strong arguments for the likes of Lish and Carver.
Read Peru by Lish, and it will demonstrate how voiciness in minimalism can exhaust the reader. But Lish was the editor.
Carver though...not really. If you look at What We Talk About When We Talk About Love, you see Lish's editorial influence more than anything. But Cathedral was more modernist and expansive.
When you get a chance, look at Barry Hannah and Christine Schutt. Then look up "The Poetry of the Paragraph" by then Gary Lutz (today her name is Garielle. I hate dead naming but finding her work can be tricky without doing it.)
I absolutely love The Harvest. And I liked the curt/terse/abrupt changes from scene to scene in the blizzard story. I'm going to ask for my copy of Amy's collected works back and reread it. She's a killer.
I feel like what I'm doing is exactly the same, except I soften the switch a little with some sort of transitionary final sentence, then the chorus and a single line break to indicate the new scene. Its all broken up into ~2500 word sections, but most of those sections have more than one scene with a chorus in between.
Speaking of Pointillism, have you read "Lincoln at the Bardo" by George Saunders? That's a great example. He pulls from different characters, time periods, sources, to paint a picture of the story. I had a bit of a learning curve reading it at first, but the landscape it conjures was so mysterious and compelling it had me visiting the real cemetery it's based on.
I wonder if anyone else shares my feelings about Amy Hempel’s stories. I appreciate every sentence and I totally get her stylistic genius. But rarely, if at all, do I get swooped in the actual story.
Her pieces are a train of perfect phrases, a display of mastery, I can see that, but for me they don’t add up in a meaningful transmission. I hope I don’t get lynched for saying this 😅. And all this on the body stuff is just tiring me emotionally. It feels like reading somebody’s homework.
I do appreciate the analysis and I learn a lot from every post, I don’t want to be disrespectful. I think what I want to say is that paying too much attention to every phrase can compromise a story.
(*In case my writing seems off, English is not my native language)
Cool. Happy Easter all you sinners. Amy Hempel has done wonders for my marriagibility.
Yes, and Happy Easter.
This year instead of candy, I put money inside the hidden plastic eggs. The kid response was seismic.
LOL, Daddy Chuck putting Hamiltons in the eggs again. Turns his yard into Thunderdome. Just think what would have happened if you put Roblox or fortnight gift cards in them.
Sacagaweas?
Happy Trans Day of Visibility...and Vengeance
Happy Easter! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgj3nZWtOfA&ab_channel=BoxyBrown this goes with the holiday
Argh. Moved all of my belongings solo yesterday. Will catch up in the AM. My eyes blur, cross, and close when I try to read. Damned west coast time.
Happy Easter! I found my huevos, and the redbuds are bloomed out. Dogwoods up next.
Hey! I made new Fabio stickers with a brand new design! You should take a look! I added the images at the bottom of my essay... https://candicec.substack.com/p/what-would-the-community-think
Thats hilarious. Do you still have a copy of the first one?
of course!
Can I see it?
I just added it to the essay and I also put the stickers and swag up for purchase in my Redbubble store! https://www.redbubble.com/i/sticker/Stevenson-Trash-Bandit-by-candicemcharles/101183019.EJUG5
Hello John -- Thanks for the book. I can't wait to dig in this weekend. Very kind of you.
I love the subject so much Ive bought copies for several people. It is fascinating, and has already affected how I communicate.
Amy Hempel seems to talk a lot about marriage and family. It's quite alienating.
I do love The Social Network soundtrack by Trentykins though... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yydZbVoCbn0&t=389s
Its the best! Love anything Trent Reznor does.
Meeeee too!
This technique has made writing fun again for me (especially now that I’m starting to finally wrap my head around it.)
You couldn’t pay me to write another constantly unspooling, linear story again.
Well that was convenient since I was planning to reread The Harvest and In the Cemetery Where Al Jolson is Buried today anyhow! I'm really starting to get her ...
I mean, I’ve read The Harvest before, along with pretty much everything else Amy Hempel has written, but DAMN it’s so good. She writes sentences that make me want to tattoo them backward on my chest so I can read them every day.
Amazing posts, thank you so much!
Phrase "Baby come hug. Baby come hug" sounds like a heartbeat.
That line, when I first read it, smashed me to a thousand pieces.
And this happens every reread.
Glorious point you make.
Thank you!
I think pronouns have become somewhat of a bugaboo outside of minimalism too in recent years.
And this is either going to be a difficult or an easy question, but would you say that Hempel’s work is the most important — or most archetypal — in the genre of minimalist writing? Curious because I think, in addition to Hempel, people would make strong arguments for the likes of Lish and Carver.
Read Peru by Lish, and it will demonstrate how voiciness in minimalism can exhaust the reader. But Lish was the editor.
Carver though...not really. If you look at What We Talk About When We Talk About Love, you see Lish's editorial influence more than anything. But Cathedral was more modernist and expansive.
When you get a chance, look at Barry Hannah and Christine Schutt. Then look up "The Poetry of the Paragraph" by then Gary Lutz (today her name is Garielle. I hate dead naming but finding her work can be tricky without doing it.)
I’ll check these out, thanks!
Agreed, but neither Lish nor Carver strike an emotional chord in me. Lish occurs as clever, and Carver as bleak.
These last posts have been amazing, Chuck!
Kinda also miss the crowd-seeding posts you used to drop here.
We'll get back to those very soon.
Oh no, not more wonderful stories to read! I wish Hempel was my homework in college.
I absolutely love The Harvest. And I liked the curt/terse/abrupt changes from scene to scene in the blizzard story. I'm going to ask for my copy of Amy's collected works back and reread it. She's a killer.
I feel like what I'm doing is exactly the same, except I soften the switch a little with some sort of transitionary final sentence, then the chorus and a single line break to indicate the new scene. Its all broken up into ~2500 word sections, but most of those sections have more than one scene with a chorus in between.
I just gave Nic my copy of "Confessions of a Pretty Lady" the memoir version of Pointillism. It's worth a read.
10-4
Oh, its Sandra Bernhard. Ill definitely read that.
I’m so jealous of Amy Hempel. Something to aspire to!!!
Also, anybody else visualizing some ancient tribe dancing all showgirl at a bunch of buffalo on a cliff? Very sacred moves.
I can see the Riverdance people stampeding anything off a cliff. That and clogging dancers.
Speaking of Pointillism, have you read "Lincoln at the Bardo" by George Saunders? That's a great example. He pulls from different characters, time periods, sources, to paint a picture of the story. I had a bit of a learning curve reading it at first, but the landscape it conjures was so mysterious and compelling it had me visiting the real cemetery it's based on.
I wonder if anyone else shares my feelings about Amy Hempel’s stories. I appreciate every sentence and I totally get her stylistic genius. But rarely, if at all, do I get swooped in the actual story.
Her pieces are a train of perfect phrases, a display of mastery, I can see that, but for me they don’t add up in a meaningful transmission. I hope I don’t get lynched for saying this 😅. And all this on the body stuff is just tiring me emotionally. It feels like reading somebody’s homework.
I do appreciate the analysis and I learn a lot from every post, I don’t want to be disrespectful. I think what I want to say is that paying too much attention to every phrase can compromise a story.
(*In case my writing seems off, English is not my native language)
I really like someone who writes about a severed head finishing sentences and a man answering only in phone numbers.
writers inventing new games, yay.