The Hammock Half

The difference between my life in Tennessee and my life in the big city amounted to hammocks.

I said this slowly because he looked drunk— likely dim prior to drunk— nonetheless a certain shade of peculiar which seemed attractive. From a distance at first, and now, up close. read more

Shylock is My Name by Howard Jacobson

Why would anyone living today want to read Shakespeare? Thanks to Hogarth Press and their Shakespeare Project, I am finding out. I am only two books in, but reading the retellings after reading the plays is becoming an eye-opener for me. I have been told he is revered and still famous because he captured the timeless conundrums of human existence. I have come to find out that is true. I realize that sounds lofty but seriously, The Gap of Time based on The Winter’s Tale covered the pitfalls of jealousy. Shylock Is My Name, a retelling of The Merchant of Venice, features revenge, anti-Semitism, and cultural trickery. read more

Girl with Ice Cream

It had been a rough summer; they had tried to sell the house, beginning in the spring, but had failed. Priscilla wanted to lower the price and move on, he would have just as soon stayed if no one met the price they’d agreed on, and so they sank into a state of silent hostility. If she brought it up he’d remind her that they had a deal; he didn’t want to talk about it, which she took correctly to mean he didn’t want to leave, didn’t want to do the thing that would make her happy. read more

A Conversation With Molly Knight

Ostensibly, Molly Knight and I are the same.

We both grew up watching sports and, to varying degrees, make our living doing just that to this day. We both enjoy writing books and our moms were very proud of us when our first ones were released. We both have roommates that have Twitter accounts that are also really, really big baseball fans. read more