By Mark Stevens If I had to pick a favorite prose stylist, it might be John Updike. (I don’t have to pick, do I?) Some think his stuff is over-written. I happen to think he was a poet whether he was writing fiction or criticism. Or poetry. In fact, Updike published eight volumes of poetry…
Tag: Mark Stevens
Those Little Bells
By Mark Stevens (This blog is a note to self. Thanks for letting me share.) I recently read a New Yorker profile of the writer Lydia Davis and I felt as if I’d entered a very calm, clear space. It’s a long piece, by Dana Goodyear, but it’s behind a paywall at the New Yorker…
George Saunders on Writing
By Mark Stevens One of the most highly-decorated writers of the last few years stopped by The Tattered Cover a couple weeks ago. The man was George Saunders, who wrote the short-story collection Tenth of December. Saunders has been showered in praise and critical acclaim. Shower? More like Niagara Falls. The list of awards and…
Scriptnotes…Do You Think in Movies?
By Mark Stevens Do you think in movies? Can you see your work in progress scene by scene, playing out on the screen? I do. I’d be surprised if you don’t. I’d be surprised if you don’t cast your story. Yes, I happen to think Hilary Swank would make a great Allison Coil. Or Amy…
Never Give Up!
By Mark Stevens Regrets? I’ve had a few. One bothers me more than most. I knew it at the time, when I first read Gary Reilly’s stuff. We’d meet in coffee shops, frequently the Europa Café on South Pennsylvania Street in Denver. Hip joint. Cool vibe. Gary would pluck a stack of things from his…