While flipping channels the day after the Virginia Tech shootings, I came across this headline on Fox News: Are Gun-Free Zones More Dangerous? Typical Fox News response…over-the-top stupidity. Meanwhile, I’ve been thinking about how, the day after the shootings, 200 people died in Baghdad. 120 of them died in a bombing at a market. This was contrasted against the fact that in the U.S. the tragedy of April 16 was so anomalous to our experience as to be a major national event, leaving us shaken and horrified. Imagine living in a city where 32 deaths of innocent civilians constitutes...
Monthly Archives: April 2007
out of whack
While flipping channels the day after the Virginia Tech shootings, I came across this headline on Fox News: Are Gun-Free Zones More Dangerous? Typical Fox News response…over-the-top stupidity. Meanwhile, I’ve been thinking about how, the day after the shootings, 200 people died in Baghdad. 120 of them died in a bombing at a market. This was contrasted against the fact that in the U.S. the tragedy of April 16 was so anomalous to our experience as to be a major national event, leaving us shaken and horrified. Imagine living in a city where 32 deaths of innocent civilians constitutes...
Edward Falco on Cho Seung-Hui
Edward Falco, a playwrite and novelist whose name is likely familiar to readers of the litblogs, was quoted by CNN today concerning Cho Seung-Hui, who was a student in Falco’s playwriting class at Virginia Tech. Asked why he thought Cho became an English major, Falco offered what he called a guess. The kid couldn’t speak. I did everything I knew to draw him out. I tried to joke with him. I touched his shoulder while asking him a direct question. I put myself in quiet, one-on-one space with him — and I still could not get articulate speech out...
one more time
I just heard from my publisher that The Year of Fog is going into a second printing. Fun reading last night at Book Passage. Thanks to the event manager, Ron, as well as Virginia and Cathy for helping everything to go smoothly. Plus, sending good vibes to two friends at writers’ colonies right now–Meredith Maran at Ragdale, and Semi Chellas at Ucross.
reading tonight in the Ferry Building
I’ll be reading tonight at Book Passage in the Ferry Building at 7:00. Please come! (this means you.)
The international bestseller about one woman’s search for a missing child…
"Mesmerizing." ~Library Journal, starred review.
Stop dreaming, start writing!
