I'm very happy that my story "Skitter," first published in The Massachusetts Review and previously only available in print, is now online at LitRagger. I love their project of reprinting stories, poems, and essays so that they have an online presence. Here's how "Skitter" begins:
Another tooth plinked into the tea glass and Harush blinked at it twice.continue reading
[gallery columns="4" type="circle" ids="1449,1446,1442,1450"]Yesterday and all of last night and into 9 am this morning, the Center on Contemporary Art hosted a 24-hour art-making marathon at their Ballard location, the Shilshole Bay Beach Club. One of the 21 artists participating, John Osgood, wanted to collaborate with other artists during this frenzied event, and last month, I was invited to submit some of my writing. I sent John a couple short stories, and didn't know what would happen until I arrived at the marathon yesterday (of course, pretty much simultaneously with his other collaborators Amir Farhad, Robert Hardgrave, Stephen Rock, and a last minute fifth collaborator which added to the frenzy). John told me he'd chosen to work with my story "Skitter" and would paint a parade scene from it. He proposed that I paint text on the canvas and he would layer colors on top of that. I loved the idea, though I was nervous about painting, even if it was in my realm of text. After I decided what text should go on the canvas, he showed me how to use a paint pen, and I practiced as much as I could so that it didn't look like a 3 year old or drunk person had written it, though I suppose that's not necessarily a bad thing. John spray painted over my first layer of text, then wrote over the same excerpt with a red paint pen, using his infinitely cooler handwriting. Then he spray painted it again and handed me a calligraphy brush and more liquid black paint and asked me to write the text again in smaller letters, trying not to cover over the other two layers but getting between them. John is probably taking a well-deserved nap right now, seeing as he painted 5 new pieces, collaborating with 5 different people, all between 9 am yesterday and 9 am today. The works (and there was a ton of other fantastic stuff being made by 20 other artists) will be auctioned off tonight during CoCA's fun-n-fancy gala dinner, which is, I understand sold out. Of course I am eagerly awaiting the final product from John's take on "Skitter" -- above are a few photos from documenting the process. Special thanks to John Osgood and to Nichole DeMent. It was a fantastic night!***Update:Here it is, the final product, "Harush," by John Osgood & Anca Szilagyi:
In honor of Friday the 13th, I've uploaded to SoundCloud a recording of a short story of mine, "Skitter," about a man losing all of this teeth. It's the first time I've recorded myself (except for an experiment or two for teaching English as a second language), so please forgive the faint whine of a lawn mower coming from outside! I think it adds a certain je ne sais quoi. More aural fun to come![soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/52771480" iframe="true" /]
It's in my hands and it's lovely. The Fall 2007 issue of The Massachusetts Review arrived in the mail yesterday, with my story "Skitter" on pages 364-369. Sweet!
I'm skipping town for 2.5 weeks, escaping New York's hot damp stinky breath till just before Labor Day. It's exciting because I get to show M. around Montreal (where its in the blessed 70s) and then get down to work for two weeks at the Vermont Studio Center.In other news, my story "Skitter" is said to be forthcoming this October in the Fall issue of The Massachusetts Review. Naturally, paranoia prevents me from being more sure about that, but when I'll have it my hands I'll be a very happy lady.
Here's another photo from Thursday's reading.
Here's a photo from my reading on Thursday. I look a little demonic, but I guess that's me getting *really* into character.
Good afternoon!
Last night was joyfulicious. My first reading, really (if you don't count "coffee house night" in my dorm, freshman year of college, dressed in black reading poetry I'd written in high school...heh).
I went last, after Matt Cav and Professor Arturo, both wonderful readers and writers, both so different from each other and from me (hooray for variety!).
The podium successfully hid my shaking legs, which stopped trembling somewhere around page 5 of 9. I really enjoyed performing. It's one thing to sit alone and write (also, a joy; also, torture-- but we love pain, don't we?). It's another to get to share your work with a responsive crowd and really get into the voices of your characters as you've envisioned them, get into the rhythm and intonation, take the appropriate pauses, make eye contact with and funny faces at perfect strangers.
I'm looking forward to reading again. I've created a mailing list for future readings and publications. If you'd like to join, just enter your email address in the sidebar. I promise not to flood your mailbox.
I'm reading a short story at KGB tonight--it's called "Skitter" and its going to appear in The Massachusetts Review.
Also performing are Matt Cav, Kidd Lambert, and Professor Arturo.
In case you've never met me, I'll be the blonde woman gripping the podium,
trying not to fall over and praying my voice doesn't squeak.
I'll also be sweating profusely.
