A Kind of Love
Last Friday we went to the One Story reading at the Lower East Side's Pianos bar. And truth is, I've fallen a little in love with One Story and their premise: every three weeks they publish one story, in chapbook-like format. A perfect little read, uncluttered by poems and reviews and other stories. Also a perfect read for: before bed; subway ride, etc. And the booklet's so small it fits right into your coat pocket.
Next month's reader is Margo Rabb and so I did a little googling to familiarize myself with her work before the reading itself. (Hey, I'm nothing without my geekiness.)
One of her stories, How To Tell A Story, which won the Zoetrope contest a few years back, spooofs MFA programs. (Chillingly real, let me tell you.)
Anyway, towards the end there's a passage that's the truest description of how I'm feeling about this unending drive to write...
I think now that my writing is as dear to me as a family would be, and crazy as that sounds, I think writing requires the same kind of attention, of commitment, of love, that people do. To be faithful to a story even when it fails me, to come back to it again and again when I worry that I may never make it work, that it may always disappoint me, that everything I've put into it could be lost--to know this, yet still keep writing--what could that be, if not love?
Because, really, folks: anyone with half a brain would give up and go back to law school, don't you think?
Last Friday we went to the One Story reading at the Lower East Side's Pianos bar. And truth is, I've fallen a little in love with One Story and their premise: every three weeks they publish one story, in chapbook-like format. A perfect little read, uncluttered by poems and reviews and other stories. Also a perfect read for: before bed; subway ride, etc. And the booklet's so small it fits right into your coat pocket.
Next month's reader is Margo Rabb and so I did a little googling to familiarize myself with her work before the reading itself. (Hey, I'm nothing without my geekiness.)
One of her stories, How To Tell A Story, which won the Zoetrope contest a few years back, spooofs MFA programs. (Chillingly real, let me tell you.)
Anyway, towards the end there's a passage that's the truest description of how I'm feeling about this unending drive to write...
I think now that my writing is as dear to me as a family would be, and crazy as that sounds, I think writing requires the same kind of attention, of commitment, of love, that people do. To be faithful to a story even when it fails me, to come back to it again and again when I worry that I may never make it work, that it may always disappoint me, that everything I've put into it could be lost--to know this, yet still keep writing--what could that be, if not love?
Because, really, folks: anyone with half a brain would give up and go back to law school, don't you think?
posted by Minerva Jane at
12:08 PM
3 Comments:
you never cease to inspire me, mj :)
i love that quote!
What a wonderful quote - I love it! Love visiting your blog - you are a "happening" person....I wish to fall more in love with writing - not only the doing but the reading of...
That was really great perspective on writing. And on life...and our imaginations. Rabb's story you linked was very interesting to me because although it starts as a intellectual kind of piece...she leaves us with nature and processing our ideas.
If you can, or if you haven't alreading Minerva Jane, next time you're in The Strnd or a second hand book store see if you can see the long not-in print book The Naked Artist by Peter Fuller...the first chapter describes a fascinating theory he has that neotony is linked to imagination and art making. The very biological survival humans opted for with parent child dependancy...where the infants head grew bigger so that a baby , a human baby, is born completely dependant on its caregivers...specialized the hand to eye developement and the brain...making art is a "transitional object" for the human...like a teddy bear or blankie or thumbsucking. (ala D.W. Winnicotts study of childhood
.I've kind of nutshelled it here in this scomment but it is fascinating to read....if you can or are inclined to track it down.
I really enjoyed Rabbs story you linked, thank you. and I love to hear bout this evenig you hve been enjoying at the piano bar. What a brilliant idea for an evening with a published chapbook...that is just so so cool!!!
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