Lakshmi and I are starting a writing group in NYC. The inaugural meeting is this Sunday, December 2nd, 11AM – 2ish, coffee shop location coming soon. It doesn’t matter if your interest is poetry, children’s lit, creative non-fic, or screenwriting – everyone is welcome (even if you’re “only” a reader). Feel free to tell/bring friends or post the info as a bulletin on your myspace.
At meetings we plan to workshop members’ writing, do writing exercises, etc. Let me know if you want to come so I can give you all the details about the location (include your email if I don’t already have it). If you have something short (like a poem or an excerpt from a story) that’s ready for workshop, email it to me by Friday (short notice, I know) and I can send it around before Sunday.
I hope to see you there!
Luv,
Kat
PS – If you’re an out-of-stater, you can participate remotely by emailing your responses to writing prompts to the group or posting on a blog.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
On Savoring a Good Book
I was recently talking to Christina about the idea of rushing through books. This discussion was brought about because we had just gone to see the Times Talks interview with Philip Pullman on The Golden Compass and she had been rushing to finish the last of the His Dark Materials trilogy so as not to have the ending ruined at the discussion. It happens that she did not have the time to finish the book and the ending was revealed during the question and answer portion of the evening. I later asked Christina whether she was bummed about having the ending spoiled, and she said that she actually was not because she could now savor the rest of the book without the mad dash to finish it. We agreed that the fear of spoilage was a little too familiar after the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows this summer.
No obsessive Harry Potter fan that I know went to any of the Deathly Hallows release parties (or left their house on July the twenty-first) out of fear that the long awaited conclusion to the series would be spoiled. There was outrage at the New York Times for printing their review of the book two days before its release date. And fans the world over finished all 759 pages of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows before the sun rose on the twenty-second of July. Personally, on Saturday, July twenty-first, I went swimming at the public pool and baked cookies to pass the time before my copy of the book arrived at 3:30 in the afternoon. My original plan was to read through the night, but I ended up pacing myself. I finished Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows on Monday the twenty-third. I would have liked to give myself a week to really savor the experience, but my fear of spoilage was too great.
But, by rushing, had I spoiled the experience anyway? I had discussed in depth the idea of the literary carnage left in a speed reader’s margins with my friends who were also Harry Potter fans. Next to plot spoilage, not being able to really digest the book was my biggest fear. There is the argument that you will never absorb everything in a good book on the first reading and your relationship with the book grows by rereading. I read an article (forwarded by Andrea) from Time’s website entitled “Harry Potter and the Sinister Spoilers” by Lev Grossman and Andrea Sachs that defends spoilers using this rational. The writers claim that if knowing the ending of a Harry Potter book ruined the reading experience, fans would not read the books multiple times. Grossman and Sachs actually go so far as to say that “spoilers are a myth.” I agree that prior knowledge of a novel’s outcome has no affect on the literary merit of a book, but spoilers can affect your reading experience.
Plot is the victim of spoilers. Plot is the stuff that gets your heart rate up, causes a flush in your cheeks, and renders you totally unable to put the book down. Plot belongs to the first breathless reading of a book when you have no idea what is going to happen. It is not plot – what happens in a story as opposed to how it happens – that causes the discussion, obsession, and even derision that is necessary for longevity. A story endures because of well-developed characters that grow as they are rediscovered over and over again, but the suspense created by a well-plotted novel is spellbinding and can only be experienced once. The Harry Potter books are both character and plot driven. An entire book was written debating the duality of Snape (The Great Snape Debate). Another book, Mugglenet.Com's What Will Happen in Harry Potter 7: Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Falls in Love and How Will the Adventure Finally End, theorizes about both character and plot. But to discuss spoilers is to discuss plot, and J.K. Rowling is a genius when it comes to plot. Rowling’s ability to surprise no matter how much fans hypothesize beforehand is magical. And to spoil a book is to take away the magic of first discovery.
So what do you think? Is it more important to savor a good book or to find out what happens? Do you agree with Grossman and Sachs that spoilers are a myth? Even if spoilers do not affect the literary merit of novel, I still prefer to experience a book for the first time as the author intended it. I will sacrifice time with the characters to experience the magic of plot. As to whether that is an even trade, I can only say that I can reread Deathly Hallows as many times as I want, but I can never read the novel for the first time again.
No obsessive Harry Potter fan that I know went to any of the Deathly Hallows release parties (or left their house on July the twenty-first) out of fear that the long awaited conclusion to the series would be spoiled. There was outrage at the New York Times for printing their review of the book two days before its release date. And fans the world over finished all 759 pages of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows before the sun rose on the twenty-second of July. Personally, on Saturday, July twenty-first, I went swimming at the public pool and baked cookies to pass the time before my copy of the book arrived at 3:30 in the afternoon. My original plan was to read through the night, but I ended up pacing myself. I finished Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows on Monday the twenty-third. I would have liked to give myself a week to really savor the experience, but my fear of spoilage was too great.
But, by rushing, had I spoiled the experience anyway? I had discussed in depth the idea of the literary carnage left in a speed reader’s margins with my friends who were also Harry Potter fans. Next to plot spoilage, not being able to really digest the book was my biggest fear. There is the argument that you will never absorb everything in a good book on the first reading and your relationship with the book grows by rereading. I read an article (forwarded by Andrea) from Time’s website entitled “Harry Potter and the Sinister Spoilers” by Lev Grossman and Andrea Sachs that defends spoilers using this rational. The writers claim that if knowing the ending of a Harry Potter book ruined the reading experience, fans would not read the books multiple times. Grossman and Sachs actually go so far as to say that “spoilers are a myth.” I agree that prior knowledge of a novel’s outcome has no affect on the literary merit of a book, but spoilers can affect your reading experience.
Plot is the victim of spoilers. Plot is the stuff that gets your heart rate up, causes a flush in your cheeks, and renders you totally unable to put the book down. Plot belongs to the first breathless reading of a book when you have no idea what is going to happen. It is not plot – what happens in a story as opposed to how it happens – that causes the discussion, obsession, and even derision that is necessary for longevity. A story endures because of well-developed characters that grow as they are rediscovered over and over again, but the suspense created by a well-plotted novel is spellbinding and can only be experienced once. The Harry Potter books are both character and plot driven. An entire book was written debating the duality of Snape (The Great Snape Debate). Another book, Mugglenet.Com's What Will Happen in Harry Potter 7: Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Falls in Love and How Will the Adventure Finally End, theorizes about both character and plot. But to discuss spoilers is to discuss plot, and J.K. Rowling is a genius when it comes to plot. Rowling’s ability to surprise no matter how much fans hypothesize beforehand is magical. And to spoil a book is to take away the magic of first discovery.
* * *
So what do you think? Is it more important to savor a good book or to find out what happens? Do you agree with Grossman and Sachs that spoilers are a myth? Even if spoilers do not affect the literary merit of novel, I still prefer to experience a book for the first time as the author intended it. I will sacrifice time with the characters to experience the magic of plot. As to whether that is an even trade, I can only say that I can reread Deathly Hallows as many times as I want, but I can never read the novel for the first time again.
Pumpkin Hummus
I found this recipe by googling 'Pumpkin Hummus'. You can follow this link to the original on Cooking Light's website (I omitted the fresh parsley and toasted pumpkin seeds). I first heard of pumpkin hummus in a magazine interview with Ewan McGregor in which he eats the aforementioned health snack. Pumpkin hummus sounded delicious, and, though, I might not look as sexy eating it as Ewan McGregor, I wanted a piece of the pie (pun intended).
When Joe invited me to a Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows book discussion, I thought it the perfect opportunity to make pumpkin hummus (pumpkins are for Halloween as Halloween is for Harry Potter). I made it the day before to make sure it wasn't disgusting and it wasn't! It was so delicious that I might never make traditional hummus again. I brought it to the party with Whole Wheat Pita chips (pitas cut into wedges and toasted at 350 degrees), cucumber (very refreshing), and red pepper (brings out the sweetness). If you make one recipe from this blog, please make this one!
Pumpkin Hummus
2 tablespoons tahini (sesame-seed paste)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon – 1 tablespoon olive oil
3/4 teaspoon salt
pinch of cayenne pepper
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin
1 garlic clove, chopped
Place all ingredients in a food processor, and process until smooth.
* Technically, as long as the garlic was finely minced, you could avoid using the food processor.
When Joe invited me to a Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows book discussion, I thought it the perfect opportunity to make pumpkin hummus (pumpkins are for Halloween as Halloween is for Harry Potter). I made it the day before to make sure it wasn't disgusting and it wasn't! It was so delicious that I might never make traditional hummus again. I brought it to the party with Whole Wheat Pita chips (pitas cut into wedges and toasted at 350 degrees), cucumber (very refreshing), and red pepper (brings out the sweetness). If you make one recipe from this blog, please make this one!
Pumpkin Hummus
2 tablespoons tahini (sesame-seed paste)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon – 1 tablespoon olive oil
3/4 teaspoon salt
pinch of cayenne pepper
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin
1 garlic clove, chopped
Place all ingredients in a food processor, and process until smooth.
* Technically, as long as the garlic was finely minced, you could avoid using the food processor.
Friday, November 9, 2007
One Year Ago Today
So it was exactly one year ago today that I had my Spinal Fusion. I had to be in the hospital at 6 AM and I went into surgery at around 8:30 or 9:00 AM. The surgery lasted for about 7 hours. It took so long because I had an anterior and a posterior fusion - or two surgeries done at the same time - also called a back-front-back which went something like this:
1. Back - went through the back first, removed all of my hardware and replaced it with new metal, then stapled me shut
2. Front - flipped me over, went through the front and put a cage (the Cadillac of hardware according to the doc) between my L5 and S1 vertebrae to ensure stability, stitched me shut
3. Back - flipped me over again, removed the staples, tightened the hardware and stitched me closed
I'm writing this around six o-clock pm, and a year ago at this time I was in the recovery room (also called the ICU) vomiting up the anaesthesia. I couldn't feel any part of my body below my chest (thank you, epidural), but, somehow, it still hurt. It was also extremely upsetting because every possible precaution had been taken to prevent my throwing up, including an all liquid diet the day before and nothing for over 12 hours before the surgery, numerous anti-nausea shots, an anti-nausea IV drip, and a seasickness patch behind my ear. The vomiting, which was as close to an Exorcist experience as I ever hope to have (green projectile barf, enough said), persisted for hours and it was a full 24 before I was discharged from the ICU and sent to my room.
So, that said, it's a year later. A year seems like a long enough time to fully recover when you're lying in a hospital bed, but it's really just the first phase (especially when you're recovering from your second surgery in one year). But in the hospital, I needed two nurses to turn me over in bed and a call button to go to the bathroom, so, no matter how tough my current situation is, it's not as hard as it could be. I wish that certain things about the future were a little less scary (like a job and the fact that all of my friends are moving away just as I'm getting better - which is a completely selfish feeling on my part, I know), but that's just the way things are at the moment. I also wish that this post were slightly more cheery and celebratory, but there you go - I felt that I had to post something because it's exactly a year and this is what came out.
1. Back - went through the back first, removed all of my hardware and replaced it with new metal, then stapled me shut
2. Front - flipped me over, went through the front and put a cage (the Cadillac of hardware according to the doc) between my L5 and S1 vertebrae to ensure stability, stitched me shut
3. Back - flipped me over again, removed the staples, tightened the hardware and stitched me closed
I'm writing this around six o-clock pm, and a year ago at this time I was in the recovery room (also called the ICU) vomiting up the anaesthesia. I couldn't feel any part of my body below my chest (thank you, epidural), but, somehow, it still hurt. It was also extremely upsetting because every possible precaution had been taken to prevent my throwing up, including an all liquid diet the day before and nothing for over 12 hours before the surgery, numerous anti-nausea shots, an anti-nausea IV drip, and a seasickness patch behind my ear. The vomiting, which was as close to an Exorcist experience as I ever hope to have (green projectile barf, enough said), persisted for hours and it was a full 24 before I was discharged from the ICU and sent to my room.
So, that said, it's a year later. A year seems like a long enough time to fully recover when you're lying in a hospital bed, but it's really just the first phase (especially when you're recovering from your second surgery in one year). But in the hospital, I needed two nurses to turn me over in bed and a call button to go to the bathroom, so, no matter how tough my current situation is, it's not as hard as it could be. I wish that certain things about the future were a little less scary (like a job and the fact that all of my friends are moving away just as I'm getting better - which is a completely selfish feeling on my part, I know), but that's just the way things are at the moment. I also wish that this post were slightly more cheery and celebratory, but there you go - I felt that I had to post something because it's exactly a year and this is what came out.
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