Today, I am working in a coffee shop. I can focus here and am looking forward to workshops that begin today.
It will be a long day but one full of writing and reading. I am having dinner with my husband after his meetings so that always makes me happy.
The Bradbury Trio [reading a poem, an essay, and a story every day] fuels my writing.
This trio structure works for me because I am inspired to write after I read.
I hope the reading you do today leads you to writing that could not have been created any other way.
Here are some of the texts that made an impact on me this week.
Poem: Turing Test
This poem is one that I am using as an inspiration for form. This poem reminds me of a Sara Lippmann prompt where you write the story in 3 word sentences.
Story: The Bee and The Orange Tree
Essay: Jenny Offill Essay
This is the essay I am writing today. I enjoyed Jenny’s WEATHER novel and it was recommended to me from Nina LaCour when I was in her Slow Novel class. I was lucky to be part of the program where Nina herself led the small groups.
What will these pieces inspire you to write!?
Have you read anything interesting this week that you need to share!? Please do so in the comments! I love recommendations and have found some of my favorite stories that way.
A little more about me: Tammy L. Evans is a writer, teacher, and coach living in a tiny house on a peninsula with her husband and adventure cat. Her location device is her loud laugh. She is currently working on a short story collection. Her poetry has been published in The Storyteller, FoxGlove Journal, Story Hall, Blue Insights, The Partnered Pen, and others. Her fiction has been published in Gone Lawn, Cabinets of Heed, Spelk, Five on the Fifth, Clover and White, Fiction Berlin Kitchen, and others.
So, what is the beverage of choice on this day of workshops? The book I'm currently reading is The Leopard Is Loose by Stephen Harrigan. Harrigan is an amazing writer of both fiction and nonfiction. He's one of the original writers for Texas Monthly. What stands out to me about The Leopard Is Loose is how Harrigan, and septuagenarian, can tell an authentic story through the eyes of a 5-year-old.