By Alice Lowe
I have no frame of reference for Ernaux’s memories of the restrictions and reconstruction of postwar Europe, of the domination of the Catholic Church and attending all-girl convent schools. I’m not yet a part of her collective “we.” But then she describes a photo of herself in 1955, wearing a short-sleeved sweater, polka-dot skirt, and ballerina flats, and I see myself. Continue reading
Writing “Arribada” is a way of expressing my heartbreak about beautiful places loved yet neglected by their inhabitants; and at the same time, the undying hope, optimism, and courage people who advocate to save these places give me for the future. Continue reading
My interest in fiction has to do with the way it gets to the emotional truths of our lives by uncovering the weaknesses and problems in all of us. More and more I am interested in fiction’s exploration of the ambiguities within which we humans live. Continue reading
The smoke filled the hut. Thick, blue. Continue reading
One of my favorite things about writing is the discoveries, and I find the longer form of the novel forces you to discover a lot. Continue reading
“If Abraham could take Isaac to the mountain, why couldn’t she send her son to unclog a drain? She had fought, first to have him, then to keep him. He was and would always be hers.” Continue reading
Characters are like anyone else—you have to hang out with them before you get to know them. Continue reading
Bloom 