"This must be a good book. It simply must. I haven't any choice. It must be far and away the best thing I have ever attempted--slow but sure, piling detail on detail until a picture and an experience emerge. Until the whole throbbing thing emerges."

--John Steinbeck, June 10, 1938, on writing The Grapes of Wrath

Quote from Working Days: The Journals of the Grapes of Wrath, page 25. 

I am a huge Barbara Pym fan so I was thrilled when Stephen, a UK friend and pen pal, sent me a copy of this latest Pym biography which chronicles her early years. Below is an attempted Pym-like description of the book's delivery to my door!

Jane had suggested Sophie open the package only because the younger woman had been so disappointed to discover that her name had not been printed on any of the other mail carrier’s deliveries.

As Sophie held up the contents of the package with a listlessness that bordered on derision, Jane’s heart leaped.  It was a biography of an author she held in such high esteem that each lovely Dutton edition of the author’s novels decorated her bookshelf. This public adoration was no more than she had offered to her other favored writers—Jane Austen, and J.K. Rowling included—but here in these pages might be the key to understanding the writer who had made her laugh aloud repeatedly; more frequently, it might be added, than either Jane Austen or J.K. Rowling, who were both brilliant wits.

Dear Stephen! Her UK pen pal had kindly inquired whether she had read this latest biography and when she had mentioned that no library in the Chicago suburbs had been sensible enough to order it, he insisted on purchasing one for her.

Ah, the friendship among bibliophiles! Who outside the world of those who bonded over beautifully written phrases, clever plot points, and deftly crafted characters could possibly understand a gift such as this?

Jane smiled as she arranged her Pym shelf, took a photo of the new book, and emailed it immediately to Stephen. 

 

Bits of my personal library

I've had one complaint (yes, I'm talking to you, Stephen!) about the lack of posts, so here are a few personal library photos, in very small select sections! Enjoy!

Incomplete but somewhat impressive Bronte sister shelf:

Dickens shelves, including photos from our very first Dickens reading (my literary friends aren't into social media much, but as these are photos within a photo, I thought I could get away with it). Lower right corner is a photo of my husband's plum pudding. It looks unappetizing from here but it was delicious. 

Barbara Pym shelf. When I got on Facebook more than a decade ago, I began a Barbara Pym fan club there. It has taken off so much that the membership--kept in careful check by myself and three other moderators--now boasts of nearly 1,000 people. She's a wonderful writer. 

Rosalie K. Fry shelf with the two treasures blocking all the others. 

And here are a few photos of some of the books I've written: First the Pacific Theater book surrounded by the books that provided research materials:

The Korean translation of my European Theater book--along with the earlier Spanish version--which came out late last year: 

Finally: for the past year or so I've also been writing children's stories for two of my piano students based on prompts they give me. The prompts are delightfully creative and they enjoy what I do with them. Here is one of the students, caught in the very act of reading my latest:

Past reviews and essays, literary and otherwise

Before I started writing books for the Chicago Review Press, I wrote poetry and reviews. Below are a few of the best reviews/essays: 

That Girl: Season One: https://www.popmatters.com/that-girl-season-1-dvd-2496224924.html

Thames Shakespeare Collection: https://www.popmatters.com/the-thames-shakespeare-collection-macbeth-king-lear-romeo-juliet-twelfth-ni-2495705399.html

This WJ post brought hundreds of people into The Book Table (or so its owners told me at the time!). 
https://www.oakpark.com/News/Articles/12-6-2011/Missing-Borders-but-hailing-the-survivor-in-Oak-Park/

Another WJ post, this one on Oak Park's famous son: https://www.oakpark.com/2007/09/04/my-summer-with-ernest-hemingway/

Review of the live-action 2005 Narnia film: http://www.wildviolet.net/phoenix_rising/narnia.html

Review of Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants: http://www.wildviolet.net/mythic_mist/sisterhood.html

Review of Because of Winn Dixie: http://www.wildviolet.net/waking_world/winn_dixie.html

And finally, my review of each cinematic Fitzwiliam Darcy:  http://www.wildviolet.net/phoenix_rising/darcy.html

Deer in the Graveyard at 16th Street

Just published: https://peekingcatpoetry.co.uk/kathryn-atwood-2

I know the deer who were immortalized :) in the above poem survived being chased because I was able to film them about a year later. Only one appears in the video below, but as you can see, she keeps looking back towards her sister:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BxaPPNpnFot/

Ode to a Cold Snap

Just published!

My brother's cool video illustrates line four very well. 

Harry Potter and the Clue of the Screeching Owl: Harry Potter Characters in a Hardy Boys Setting (4)

Ron was sitting alone with a huge bag of popcorn in one hand, a bag of peanuts in the other, and a frothy cloud of pink cotton candy between his knees. He didn’t notice his friends entering the tent, partly because the frothy cloud of pink cotton candy was blocking his side view, but also because what he was looking at. It was a man in a cage—Harry assumed he was the aforementioned Colonel Bill Thunder--dressed in a white shirt, white riding breeches, and shining black boots. He had thick dark hair, a mustache…well, you get the picture: tall, dark, handsome, a whip in his hand. And there were four large black panthers on chairs before him.

“That’s animal cruelty!” cried Hermione, as she sat down next to Ron, who was so startled that he promptly spilled half his popcorn on a burly tattooed man seated in front of him. The man turned around with a surly expression while Ron, terrified, pointed to Hermione.

“I’m sorry, sir, that you were showered with popcorn, but that”, she said, pointing to the cage before them, “that is animal cruelty, plain and simple. These beasts weren’t intended to be whipped and trained for our entertainment. Their destiny is to be free and wild, their sleek coats gleaming in the occasional spots of sun in the rainforests of southeast Asia where they tend to be at the top of the food chain.”

Harry immediately understood that Hermione had done a lot of reading long before Hogwarts a History had become her favorite book.

The tattooed man stared at Hermione. Harry took her arm, thinking that his friend needed to get out of there fast. Then the man’s eyes filled with tears. His bottom lip began to tremble.

“Never heard ‘nuffin so beautiful in all my life” he blubbed. “Those cats should be— how did you say it, Miss? I want this tattooed on my ankle. Harry looked at the man’s heavily tattooed legs. His ankles were the only part of his legs that were free of ink.

The burly man took out a pen and a notebook.

“What was the part about them bein’ wild and free…?”

“free and wild” corrected Hermione, “their sleek coats gleaming in—”

“Wait, not so fast. Wild…and…free”

“Their sleek coats gleaming---”

“Their…sleek…coats…”

Fascinating as this interchange was, Harry’s attention was turned to the cage. One of the panthers looked like he was going to jump on the trainer whose back was turned.

“ ‘eww be kiwed!” shrieked Ron, who jumped up, spilling the remains of the popcorn, peanuts, and cotton candy all over the burly man’s open notebook.

“Sorry, sir” said Ron, “but the panther! Look at the panther!”

Colonel Bill Thunder heard Ron’s voice and turned around just in time. He snapped his whip in the panther’s face, missing contact but scaring the beast enough that it jumped back onto its chair, snarling, hatred in its eyes.

The crowd broke into wild applause. Hermione stood up and looked around furiously. So did the burly tattooed man.

“You lot should all be ashamed of yerselves” the man cried. "Them beasts,” he said, pointing to the cage while reading from his notebook, “should be free and wild, their sleek coats gleaming in the occasional spots ‘o sun in the rainforests ‘o southeast Asia where they tend to be…”

But the three friends didn’t stay to hear the rest of the speech that had the crowd, as well as Colonel Bill, dumbstruck. Ron and Harry pulled Hermione out by one arm as she waved to the burly man with the other.

Part One (which contains links to the other posts).