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Las Vegas Book Festival 2018
It’s early Sunday morning and the rare Las Vegas rain is performing a duet with my roof shingles. The perfect moment to write about yesterday’s Las Vegas Book Festival. It takes place at the Historic Fifth Street School. Strolling in the morning sun I could just make out the curves and simplicity of Mission-Revival architecture through the vendor tents. Lofty literary discussions and colorful artwork meant for children are both at home in the courtyards and rooms of this 1936 gem. I attended a 9 AM panel titled Historical Fiction and the Search for the Usable Past. Moderated by John Hay, the panel included three writers with distinct contributions to…
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Reading: Excellent & Enlightening
There is an inordinate burden placed on own voices literature. Due to a lack of true representation in the market, these works are expected to portray an entire population accurately (which is of course, impossible). The demands own voices authors face are much higher and the pressure to present the perfect story greater. There There by Tommy Orange fulfills all those demands. That’s why it’s brilliant. Well, that’s one reason of many. Reading most quality novels is like observing a grand metropolis from a great height, you see it all unfold in a magnificent tapestry. Reading this work, however, is like observing that same metropolis from a great height with…
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Reading: Daughters & Mothers
This novel was another book club pick, and although it’s almost three times as long as the previous one, I tore through it in half the time. Tayari Jones’ prose forges compelling, realistic characters on a heartbreaking journey toward love in its many forms. The narrative in Silver Sparrow unfolds through the eyes of two teenage girls—Dana and Chaurisse—who have much more in common than they realize. Beyond sharing (unbeknownst to Chaurisse), a father, they also share the real and consuming desire to be seen. This is not a need for attention, but a need to be understood and loved in a way that recognizes who they are as people.…
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Artist Feature: Krista Diamond
“The world is a violent place” Krista Diamond offers as an explanation for the often gruesome ends characters in her short stories suffer. We’re sitting in Lofti Café, enjoying iced beverages on another sweltering Vegas afternoon. She talks about “the feeling of dread that follows you around…as a woman, the world is a violent place.” When she repeats the last sentence her voice is steady and calm but a little softer than it was the first time. As if the addition of the word ‘woman’ demands compensation in tone. However, Diamond’s writing is not limited to reflecting the punishing anger women endure. She writes a combination of nonfiction as well,…
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Reading: Devastating & Delightful
To read Chelsea Hodson’s essay collection, Tonight I’m Somone Else is to take up residence inside the author’s head. She doesn’t so much invite you in, instead, she pushes. And as you go careening forward you can’t help but enjoy the fall. If you’re a woman, you need to read this book. If you’re a writer, you need to read this book. If you’re currently breathing, you need to read this book. You need. To read. This book. Hodson posits we are not the mere sum of our experiences; we are not where we’ve been or what we’ve seen. Our selves are best summarized through our thoughts. The ones that…
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Reading: Redundant & Repetitive
Full disclosure: I didn’t exactly pick this book. I’ve recently joined a book club (for the first time ever) and this was next on their list. I’ll also admit to initially not recognizing Shirley Jackson’s name. She is, of course, the mind behind one of the most famous short stories of all time—“The Lottery”, a tale that is a masterpiece of gothic horror and social commentary. After realizing who the author was, my expectations definitely changed. This might be unfair to Jackson, but such is our reality, if one produces exceptional work all consequent pieces are measured against it. And for me, “We Have Always Lived in the Castle” did…
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Looking for Culture in Vegas? Dime Grinds has You Covered
A common complaint from those who move to Vegas from other cities is the lack of cultural activities. I always thought that was a load of hooey, but after attending several Dime Grinds events I know it is. Hosted by Joe Maxx Coffee in Henderson and organized by the Henderson Writers Group, Dime Grinds is a monthly event that combines: authors (aspiring and accomplished), 10 cent coffee, and three readings. Walking into Joe Maxx Coffee on the first Sunday of every month feels like visiting a friend’s house. The coffee shop itself is airy and spacious. With a variety of comfortable seating options and featuring a rotating selection of local…
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Flash Feature: Noa Sivan
You should be reading flash fiction. I’ve seen it defined a few different ways, but the one which seems most consistent is that flash fiction is fiction with a word count under 1,000. Good flash fiction packs the entire emotional journey of a short story or a novel in a tight space. But it doesn’t feel rushed or unfinished; it feels like you’ve opened a window into something unexpected and quick. We keep hearing about how our attention spans are shorter, how we’re bombarded with more content than ever before. If reading a novel is docking your ship in a friendly port after a terrible storm, then reading flash fiction…
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Where to Buy Books in Vegas
In my first blog post, I discussed my hatred of Amazon and love of libraries. I also tapped The Writer’s Block as #TheVegasILove. And as much as both libraries and The Writer’s Block are wonderful they’re not the only game in town. I’m going to assume you enjoy supporting local businesses rather than large corporations (because you’re a good person, right?). So to aid you in that support, here are profiles on three amazing locally owned bookstores. Dragon Castle Books (Used) This used bookstore is owned and operated by a mother/son team: Carla and Danny. As soon as I walked in, Carla greeted me from behind a counter surrounded by…
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Reading: Suicide, Love, Incest
Grabby blog post title, right? These are all elements in Banana Yoshimoto’s NP, but they’re not what the book is about. Sorry for the bait and switch. The book is actually about welcoming a dark force into your life. Our narrator, Kazami, sidesteps a darkness bubbling from within to face one that comes crashing into her life in the form of the novel’s true protagonist—Sui. The title, NP refers to a fictional book of 97 short stories written in English by Sarao Takase, a fictional Japanese author. A cancer of sorts, the book infects all those who become emotionally invested in its language with an urge to take their lives.…
