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A blog on writing, writers and why we read. Posted most mornings by Marion Blackburn. www.marionblackburn.net |
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A Very Big Read
I can't remember when I've met so many wonderful people as I did last night, when I spoke at the Lenoir-Jones Big Read kick-off reception to introduce this year's book, Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston.
We had a good discussion of the book and of Ms. Hurston's times. I enjoyed the collection of vintage hats on display and which everyone wore. It was a lot of fun and I so appreciate their hospitality. It was a lively look at a golden era, the 1920s and 1930s, the days of flappers and the Harlem Renaissance, and a chance to pay tribute to a brave, noble, writer.
A story and photos from the event appear in today's Kinston Free Press.
This morning ... though I shouldn't ... I am taking several hours to revise a short story, Mackerel Sky, to get it ready to send off tomorrow for a judging. I wasn't planning to do so, but something said, just get the story revised and put it in the mail. It's a nice story that may have a chance and keeping it locked up in my office isn't doing anyone any good.
The story is about a father and daughter who both are in the town where they once lived, when a crisis brings them together. The daughter is very sick and her father can't understand what's going on. They've been apart for many years and he wants to remember their good times together, but finds he can't remember much of his life at all, as if he'd been a ghost throughout.
It may fall short, but it is one of my best so far ... a starting point in some ways for what's possible with enough work and thought.
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