Thoughts for Feb 7 show round 1

I thought originally about Charles Dickens, as it will be his birthday on Feb 7.  But much was said about him last year on the 200th anniversary of his birth. It is also Sinclair Lewis' birthday, and Laura Ingalls Wilder. And on the 8th of Feb. we have John Ruskin, Elizabeth Bishop and Jules Verne's birthday.  There is much to choose from for this next weeks show. Any opinions?  

very cold day, jan. 24

Wow, it was cold coming in today.  And someone left the little heater on high in the studio, with the door closed. So it was a morning of cold and hot.  By the end of the reading, all my warm layers of closer were becoming a bit oppressive.

It was fun and challenging to read Jessica Keener's work, Night Swim.  It is very well written and the language easily flows as one reads it aloud.  Yet speaking from a non Jewish background and a man reading the journey of a young Jewish girl is a good exercise.  I think it is something worth doing more often. Reading  from very different perspectives can help us understand others better.  When I read this to myself, I imagine the voice of a young girl. But putting my own to it somehow engages me more in the character.

The story's characters and family dynamics are just that, chararcters and very dynamic. Thanks Jessica, for such a good story.

Next week, I am looking forward to reading short stories by John O'Hara. He is a wonderful and amazing short story writer. Short stories are a wonderful gift to literature. It is hard to distill a story to its essence in a short time, maintain engaging characters, full plots and keep it short.

January 17

Was a very dark when I arrived today. The sun came up during the show. It was great to read Checkov. I read two monologues of his, In Moscow and The address in opposition to smoking. Both were very ironic and funny. I have changed my mind about next week. I am going to read Jessica Keener's book, Night Swim, myself. It is not easy to get a woman to get up in the cold that early to read with me on the air. Actually, I have found it hard to bring in anyone else to read with me, or to contribute work. Oh, well, I will keep trying. It is always nice and rewarding to read work by people one knows, or is local in our towns.

Night Swim

I had wanted to read a chapter or two from a great book I read recently, Night Swim, by Jessica Keener. It is a great coming of age story of a young girl faced with some deep challenges and all the family dynamics that so many of us face. It is very well written and the characters are deep and pull you into their story. Unfortunately, it is written in the voice of the girl, and as a man, I just felt it would be too awkward to try to read it on the air, with a man's voice. Maybe it is just me, but, somehow, I think this book deserves better or maybe I need more confidence. I do recommend it, though. Check it out.

mid january

It was great to discover and read Robinson Jeffers. The California authors of the early 20th century certainly added an important voice to the sound of America. They exuded great strength and the connection to nature is vital to our continued dialogue with life at large. Next week I will be reading Chekhov, his birthday was listed as Jan. 17 in the Russian calendar, which is the 29th in our calendar, so in keeping with his understanding of his birthday - we will celebrate it on the 17th.

coming back

We had some snow storms for two weeks, then a deep freeze, last week. It was too cold when I got up. I will be back on the air on January 10th with poems and reflections of Robinson Jeffers as we celebrate his birthday.

dec 6

In looking at writers for this week, i discovered Rainer Maria Rilke. I knew very little about him, though I had heard about him. His birthday was earlier in the week and the Writer's Almanac mentioned him. I wanted to know more. So on Thursday morning I will be reading from a book of translations of his french poems. What a treat to discover a new voice, a great voice, a voice that has been a beacon for so long, yet I just now am nearer his shore.