When my sons went to college, they worried about all sorts of things — would they make friends, would they meet girls, would they be homesick, would they like their classes and would they do okay in them. They wondered about dorm […]
Writing fiction requires a substantial mix of audacity and humility. The writer sets out to illuminate a sliver of reality. Even though that place may be achingly familiar, it will contain spaces and experiences the author has never lived. How do we […]
Acquaintance rape, the subject of Jon Krakauer’s newest book, Missoula: Rape and the Justice System in a College Town, is a topic feminists have been writing about for decades with barely a head nod from the mainstream media. Now Krakauer’s book is […]
A past acquaintance rape, a political candidate, a pesky reporter, a friend with a moral dilemma – these are all ingredients of my novel. And they were also the subject of a recent Ethicist column in the Sunday New York Times magazine. […]
When I started the search for a publisher for Again and Again, a high-profile friend referred me to a big name agent (we’ll call him Mr. Big). “He wants women writers,” she told me. “Your novel is just what he’s looking for.” […]
My friend “Carol,” a school principal, got the call at lunch time just as she was leaving for the hustle-bustle of the cafeteria. The caller identified himself as an investigative reporter who’d tracked Carol down because she’d been good friends in college […]