Moldy Oldie: a speech for the Riverton Porch Club
I gave this speech to the Riverton Porch Club in the fall of 2007. There are parts of it I quite like, so I thought it might be worth sharing here.
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I’ve written a novel called Mary Modern, which was published by an imprint at Random House this past July. It’s about a girl, a genetic scientist, who clones her grandmother. Yes, it’s strange, and people are always curious about the novel’s unusual premise and how I came to write it. The story is in no way autobiographical, though the book’s genesis has a lot to do with the women in my family and how they encouraged my love of reading.
A few years ago my aunt Eileen gave me a copy of my great-grandparents’ engagement portrait, which was taken sometime in the ’teens. It’s a very striking portrait, and not only because it shows a handsome young couple on the cusp of their life together. I would stare at that portrait and think of what I knew would happen to them, and my great-grandmother Anna in particular, after they left the portrait studio. She would die after giving birth to her fifth child, her fifth daughter, at the age of thirty-three. My grandmother was five years old at the time, and she spent most of the rest of her childhood in foster homes. I was unsettled by the thought that Anna knew nothing of her future life, and I knew too much. I started wondering what we would have to say to one another if, through some temporal blip, we were granted an hour in each other’s company.
I started creating a family called the Morrigans, with a daughter, Lucy, who is so lonely in her crumbling ancestral home, and so ambitious, that she actually sets out to clone the dead. As I researched the possibility of human cloning, I learned that the function of what scientists call “junk DNA” is still a big question mark. Some say these seemingly useless codes in between our functioning genes had their purpose much earlier on in the course of human evolution, but are now obsolete. This mystery of science really captured my imagination. What if, in Lucy Morrigan’s fictional universe, “junk DNA” codes memories and physiological changes over time? So that when Lucy clones her grandmother from an old bloodstain, thinking she will give birth to a baby girl, she winds up with a young newlywed from 1929? So I set the stage for a rather unprecedented identity crisis when a young Mary Morrigan wakes up in the year of her 80th wedding anniversary, with all her memories intact. Needless to say, she’s pretty angry at this girl, Lucy, who is older than she is but claims to be her granddaughter.
My grandmother was an avid reader, and passed her love of a good yarn on to my mother, who passed it on to me. When I was in elementary school I wrote whimsical little stories, and I was fortunate to have many teachers who encouraged me. Some of them were so encouraging that I saw fit to name characters after them. My grandmother encouraged me, too, of course. But it was only after she passed away that I really started to see myself as a writer. I began to write as a way of dealing with my grief. So you might say my grandmother first made me a reader, and then, through the loss of her, a writer.
Oddly enough, I never thought about any of this until the novel was finished, and I began reading the first proof pages. But a novel about a girl who clones the grandmother who read to her as a child, played with her, humored her, protected her—well, when you put it that way, the psychology behind the story isn’t so complex. I dedicated Mary Modern to all four of my grandparents, but to my Grandma Dorothy most of all.
One of the best experiences in the process of publishing Mary Modern was being able to watch my mother devour the book in galley form. She read it in about twenty-four hours, and said most of the time she was so engrossed in the story she forgot who’d written it. We have a lot of books in our house. My mother sometimes jokes the bedroom floor is going to collapse under the weight of my bookcases. If that ever happens, though, I will tell her it is actually her own fault for reading to me too much when I was a kid.
John Ruskin said that if a book is worth reading, it’s worth buying, and I’ve always believed that; but there are other people, like my grandmother, who subscribe to the “that’s why we have the library” school of thought. Those people are more sensible than I am, I suppose; they will never have to worry about their ceiling caving in. Still, I enjoy not only reading but owning my books: making tick marks when I come across a particularly beautiful or clever sentence, and the ability to revisit a beloved book any time I choose. I also just like to glance over at my bookshelf, recognize the title on a spine, and remember how much I enjoyed it, or how much I’m looking forward to reading it. I am very taken with the idea of not only a room, but a library of one’s own.
It’s only recently, too, that I noticed how many of the story’s plot turns transpire in the Morrigan family library. I don’t think this is a coincidence. This is a room that holds thousands of books that once belonged to Lucy and Mary’s ancestors (and my heroines would probably tell you the books belong to them still). There is a velvet sofa before a grand old fireplace where the characters sometimes gather with a glass of wine for a long chat. There is a butterfly collection displayed on the mantelpiece and old portraits arranged on a great wood desk by a bay window. Every character in the novel harbors a fascination with this room, even if they aren’t a member of the family. The library is in essence a repository of family knowledge, and it also serves as a rather eerie metaphor: for oftentimes, the most profound family secrets are hidden in plain sight.
But no matter how grave the secrets or difficult the dynamics, I believe that the love, protection, and encouragement of the family can transcend death, and that’s a belief I’ve brought to bear in this novel. I guess what I’m really trying to say here is this:
Literacy is fostered through dedicated teachers and organizations like the Porch Club, but it begins on the lap of someone who loves you.
Fleet Library, part 2
(Fleet Library, part 1.)Here are some pictures from the Visual + Material Resource Center upstairs at the Fleet Library:
And look, an old friend!: 
Fleet Library, part 1
In high school I dreamed of going to the Rhode Island School of Design. I wanted to be an artist of some stripe, only I couldn't get a portfolio together in time, so I wound up studying art history at NYU. That path led me to paint with words instead, and while I love this life, I do occasionally think about how things would look now if I'd had more courage and confidence as a high schooler. A few weeks ago Elizabeth invited me along to a reception and tour of the Fleet Library at RISD, and I got to indulge again in that little daydream. (Not that I'd have been able to use this library back in the day—it only opened in 2006.)The library is in a converted bank building, with all the best details and features intact. It is an absolute delight. 
The lovely folks at the Fleet had wine, apple cider, fresh fruit, and other nibbly things on offer, and Elizabeth and I chatted with our new friend Chelsea before the tour began. 
We left the library that evening feeling thoroughly inspired. I mention that "lost" dream of high school not because I care to dwell on "might have beens"—it is a waste of energy, for the most part—but because I haven't actually given up on it...(Coming Thursday: fun shots from the Material Resource Center and Picture Collection on the second floor!)
Tips for Better Fiction, part 2
(Tips for Better Fiction, part 1.)
Say it without explaining it.
Whether your story is set in another galaxy or the next town over, build the world for us through dialogue and description. As they say, “Show, don't tell!” This goes for your characters too—if Johnny is a mischievous little boy, show him drawing a mustache with blue marker on a framed portrait of his great-aunt Mildred, or picking holes in his sister's stockings on the drying-rack. This requires much more imagination than simply writing “Johnny was a troublemaker,” and your reader will appreciate that.
Find the joy in discipline.
As children we're implicitly taught to see “discipline” as a four-letter word, and yet we couldn't get anything done without it! You don't have to write every day (I don't know any writer who does, although I'd say most of us do take notes on a daily basis), but if you can stick to a somewhat regular writing routine (and stay offline while doing it!), you're that much closer to actually finishing something. Whenever you put in some quality writing time, take a moment to feel good about what you've accomplished.
Let it marinate.
It's amazing how much work you wind up doing on a subconscious level. With several novel projects I've felt very strongly that their time just hadn't come yet, so I put them on the “back burner.” When I've come back to them months or years later, I've found these projects fully “marinated” and ready to go. Treat your story like a hearty vegetable stew: give the ingredients a chance to mingle for maximum satisfaction!
Use your intuition.
Give that vast unconscious mind of yours more credit: underneath all that doubt, you know what you're doing. The trick is to get out of your own way.
Ask yourself, "Who cares?"
Why does this story matter? How is it different from what's already out there? Make your story richly worth your reader's while.
Enjoy the process!
Don't be in a rush to finish your project. This may surprise you, but I've found the greatest enjoyment in the actual writing of my books, as opposed to seeing them on the new fiction table at Barnes & Noble or doing book signings or other publicity. There's no feeling on Earth like hitting that creative flow state, so relish it while it lasts!
Know when to let go.
Sometimes you wind up writing something just for the practice, and that's totally okay.
Find a community.
Take a class, join a writing group, go to readings, make friends with another writer (who appreciates your style, and vice versa) and give each other feedback and support. Sometimes building worlds inside your head can be exhilarating, and other times it is rather lonely—finding a balance between solitary and social will allow you a sustainable and much more satisfying writing practice.
Remember: you don't have anything to prove.
We are all born storytellers, and because each of us has a unique way of looking at the world, we each have the potential to come up with a story no one else could tell. You don't become a writer only when you've seen your work in print; you're a writer the moment you commit to the story you need to tell.
For more tips and frank talk on the writing life, check out my blog entries tagged “useful writing posts.” I'd love to hear your suggestions for future entries!
How to Value Creative Work
Recently I asked my friend Elizabeth what she thought about unpaid writing gigs that hold the potential for greater exposure. She looked at me in that wonderfully incredulous, no-nonsense way of hers.
"You do NOT write for free."
"No exceptions," she said.
Of course, I was free to do as I liked, but if I wanted to be taken seriously as a professional artist, I would need to say "thanks but no thanks" unless there were some sort of trade involved. I could write an essay in exchange for a massage, say, or a three-month supply of Fair Trade vegan chocolate. But to write for nothing, no exchange of energy, would be to disrespect my own talents, skills, and (ahem, expensive) education.
But what about start-up websites that may not have any advertising revenue yet with which to pay me? "You can leave those opportunities to people who just write for fun," Elizabeth replied. Part of me was resisting this advice, but I knew she was right.
Around the time we were having this conversation, my friend Kirsty (whom I met at Hawthornden last year, and will soon see at the Edinburgh launch of her debut story collection—for which I'll be doing another Q&A-contest, by the way!) reposted the following screenshot of two Craigslist ads, the second a response to the first:
Absolutely silly.
"You wouldn't go up to a chiropractor at a cocktail party and say, 'can you just make this quick adjustment for me?'" Elizabeth went on. "And if you did, the chiropractor would say, 'I can take care of that. Just call my office and make an appointment. I charge $150 an hour.'"
Why is it, then, that artists are so often expected to work for free? Is there a pervasive cultural perception that because "anyone" can "make art," that only a very few should make a living at it while the rest of us remain happy to "dabble"?
So tired of this complete lack of professional self-confidence. Seriously. SO tired of it. I just want to kill it with a fork. #stabbity— Sarah/Katherine (@pennyvixen) March 27, 2014
I have been sitting with Elizabeth's advice for the past week or two. I have thought over the times when I have made school appearances, asking and receiving less than I was worth in return for my time, energy, and knowledge, because at the time I felt that speaking for free was simply a gesture of goodwill from a writer who had "made it" with a Random House book deal. I offered a free writing workshop (eight two-hour sessions) a couple of years ago because I wanted teaching experience and figured it would be a great way to make my own opportunity. I don't regret any of those decisions, but I do feel that the time has come when I can no longer say, "sure, I'll come speak to your students for free." I have been very, very nice—so nice and so generous that I have not actually behaved like a professional. I'd committed to two (albeit quick) unpaid writing projects before I had that conversation with Elizabeth, but in future, if there isn't at least a modest honorarium involved (hey, I know school budgets are tight), I simply cannot do it. (I'm excepting the Skillshare because a free exchange of knowledge is the raison d'être—at least in our version of a skillshare. And in that case, I received even more than I gave.)
Whatever the reason artists are so often expected to labor for nothing beyond a quick thanks a lot, the fact is, we writers and musicians and artists need to put a price on the work we're doing. St. Martin's didn't pay me for Bones & All with a pat on the head, now, that's for sure! In any given exchange in the professional arena, one of us has to value my time and talent—and if it isn't me then it certainly won't be you.
What do you think? Am I empowering or limiting myself by writing solely for pay?
Tips for Better Fiction, part 1
I whipped up this handout for my writing class at the Somerville Skillshare. Part 2 coming next week (or maybe the week after.)
Be a voracious (and indiscriminate) reader.
Begin by reading everything you can get your hands on, not just the genre you're interested in writing. As you read, pay careful attention to what does or doesn't “work” for you. Let the book and its author teach you how (or how not to) tell a story—for example, to learn about plotting, read a lot of mystery and suspense novels even if you're not interested in writing mystery yourself. Whether or not it's a “good” book, and whether or not you enjoyed it, you are learning your craft.
Play...
Ask yourself, “What if...?” and see where your imagination takes you. To paraphrase Roald Dahl, those who believe in magic will always find it—but that said, don't be too earnest or serious about this process. The magic happens when you're too busy having fun to notice it sneaking up on you.
...And enjoy the balance between play and work.
A writer is always working, and never working. You get to live inside this neat little paradox!
Observe.
If you can stop and notice the vivid details all around you, your descriptive writing will grow crisper and more evocative in kind. (For instance, lately I have noticed a person outside the State House wearing a teddy bear costume and playing a keytar. There's no way I'd settle on “street musician” when he or she has given me that much to work with.) Which leads me to my next point:
Keep your pen and journal (or at least a piece of scratch paper) with you at all times.
You never know when you'll see something strange or overhear a priceless piece of dialogue you can build a story around. Even if you're just going to the bathroom, something cool might spontaneously occur to you while you're in there!
Experiment with work habits, styles, and techniques to figure out what works best for you.
It's always fun to read about what works for writers you admire, but there's no sense adopting someone else's process or “rituals” hoping for the same success. Also keep in mind that your habits and pet rituals will probably evolve over time, or vary from one project to the next.
Cultivate a sense of urgency.
Fall in love with your story, especially if it's a novel. Give your project the very best that's in you. Don't worry, there'll be more where that came from! And on that note:
Take time to “refill the well.”
When you're “stuck” or just in between projects, get away from your desk and reconnect with whatever gets you excited about life. Go to an art museum, see a play, read up on a topic that intrigues you, or meet up for coffee with a friend you haven't seen in awhile. I guarantee you that somewhere, sometime—as long as you're not looking for it!—your next great idea will tap you on the shoulder.
Invest in your characters.
If your protagonist isn't as real to you as your own best friend, he won't feel real to your reader either. Like a real-life friend, your protagonist should have a personality abundant in both virtues and flaws—but even if he's deeply flawed, make sure we still care about him.
For more tips and frank talk on the writing life, check out my blog entries tagged “useful writing posts." I'd love to hear your suggestions for future entries!
A Glimpse Before Packing
I love perusing other people's bookshelves, so I thought I'd give you another peek at mine before I began packing it up. 
As I mentioned the other week, I'm moving in with my friend Kelly in May, and before that (the whole month of April) I'll be on a working holiday in Ireland. (This will be my first trip back in three years, so you can just imagine how excited I am to reconnect with old friends. Then I go to London to see Seanan and have lunch with Hana, my editor at Penguin UK!) I'd hoped to finish blogging about Uganda before taking this trip, but you know how it is. Stay tuned for photos from West Cork, where I'll be revising the manuscript in a cottage apartment a twenty-minute walk from the sea. (How amazing is my life??)
I can count on one hand the number of sleeps I have left on this bed. It's been a lovely year, but I'm ready. #movingsoon
— Camille DeAngelis (@cometparty) March 23, 2014
A Highly Unlikely Scenario giveaway!
When [Leonard] got home from school, he helped his grandfather to the toilet, then brought him a snack—usually canned peaches, sometimes herring with sour cream. Then he did his homework on the old man's settee, and when he'd finished, his grandfather would say, Listen, boychik, I need you to listen good, and he would pick one of his stories (he only had a few) and he would tell it, and after he told it he would say, You're a good egg, boychik, you tell no one about this except your grandson.
***
I first "met" Rachel Cantor in October 2009 when we tweeted about our Yaddo acceptance letters. She and Nova and I were all going to be there in April, and we got to know one other online over that six-month interval. So when we all finally met face to face at the colony, it didn't feel like a first-time meeting. As I've written on the blog before, we had a great time together, chatting over dinner and wine and raucous games of PIG in the poolhouse (though I don't recall Rachel being quite so enthusiastic about that game as Cheryl and I were!)
Rachel is a big part of why my time at Yaddo was so rewarding. She's been very kind to me over the past four years, letting me stay at her place in Philly when I needed to figure out what I was doing post-Yaddo, and coming early to the Petty Magic launch party to help set up (bless her!!) After writing hard for years (publishing more short stories than even she can keep track of, I'm sure), Rachel got a two-book deal with Melville House in 2012—a richly deserved success. The first of those two novels, published in January, is A Highly Unlikely Scenario: or, A Neetsa Pizza Employee's Guide to Saving the World. The book has received an enthusiastic reception in the New York Times and many other publications.
Featuring time travel and fast-food political factions, medieval Jewish mystics, the unreadable Voynich manuscript, Marco Polo and Roger Bacon's Brazen Head oracle, Rachel's novel somewhat defies categorization: it's science fiction liberally seasoned with satire and clever wordplay, mildly absurdist yet wonderfully human (which, I can tell you from experience, is the last thing from easy to pull off when the plot is doing the driving.) One of my favorite aspects of A Highly Unlikely Scenario is the tenderness between Leonard, the awkward young protagonist, and his loved ones, especially his grandfather and his nephew Felix. (The timelines of these two characters don't overlap, which is perfect actually, because on the birth of his nephew Leonard feels he's been given a second chance.) This familial tenderness is present on pretty much every page, but it never gets mushy. Rachel's storytelling is playful, with a wonderful sense of curiosity, and I can't wait to read her second novel with Melville House! (See our Q&A below.)
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Everything about the book's invented setting evolved with the book; coming up with these details was one of the book's great pleasures. Nothing is more fun than starting a sentence not knowing how it will end.
(from the interview at the back of the book)
The very first thing that struck me about A Highly Unlikely Scenario is what great fun it must have been to write! You mention in the Q&A at the back of the book that the novel is partly inspired by a conversation you had with a rabbi about the rich tradition of Jewish mysticism in the 13th century. How did the plot spin out from there? Tell us about the moment you knew you HAD to write this book.
The initial idea for the book came many years before I started writing, and by the time I did start writing, I’d accumulated so many additional ideas, images, and weird historical factoids that it’s hard to pinpoint the moment when I knew I had to write A Highly Unlikely Scenario. For ten years before I’d been working on a pair of other books—a story collection (Picnic After the Flood) and a novel (Door Number Two, forthcoming from Melville House in 2015). Both books were essentially quite serious and they both concern the same characters, so when I finished them, I was very ready to start something new. And I wanted the new thing to be very, very new! As in, something I’d never done before—and what I came up with was a story that combined a bunch of genres—sci fi/fantasy, adventure, historical, romance, satire … As you mentioned, I also wanted to have fun! In 2007, I had two residencies—at the Millay Colony and the sadly no-longer-operational Hall Farm Center—at just the right time. The time and space those residencies afforded me made A Highly Unlikely Scenario possible.
I always like to hear about how other writers organize their research. Juggling so many elements, how did you manage to keep everything straight?
I am very (very!) organized! Most importantly, I used document maps. I live by document maps! Document maps are a function in Word that allows you to create an always-accessible table of contents using headers. Basically, if you use headings, you can press the document map icon and get a navigation column featuring those headings. By clicking a heading in that column you can get to any section in that document instantly. So I had a “Research” file with lots of sections I could easily access, including a timeline, which tracked events from the thirteenth century (Rumi born, Isaac the Blind dies, Marco Polo’s travels begin); research on medieval Rome (with subheadings for various sources), Pythagoras, pilgrims’ dress, medieval words, etc.; a bibliography; and so on. I also kept a separate file with images culled from the Internet (e.g., building floor plans from medieval Rome, ancient maps). I also always have a notes file in which I talk through a story or book with myself, including how best to use research. Finally, and I think this is surprisingly important, I keep my research books together on the same shelf very near where I write.
Do you have any writerly rituals or superstitions? Any lucky foods, maybe?
Hah! Will you think less of me if I don’t? I’m such an irregular writer (not at all a write-everyday kind of writer) that I have no “usual” schedule, and therefore no set of rituals that prepare me to be at the computer. I wish I did! I definitely need my cup of Irish breakfast tea before I can write, though I also need my cup of tea before I put on my shoes or send an email!
@cometparty You look wonderful with @rachelcantor : pic.twitter.com/CZoAO4c974— Delia (@DeliaCabe) January 25, 2014
As I tweeted to Rachel the other day, my only complaint about her novel is that I wish it were longer—which is the best possible complaint-slash-compliment, right? I'm giving away a copy she signed for me at her Harvard Books event back in January, and to enter, all you have to do is leave a comment here and tell me your favorite historical character (since so many good ones make cameos in Rachel's novel!) As always, you get extra entries for Facebook comments, shares, tweets or retweets.
Contest closes 5pm Thursday, March 20th. Thank you and huge congratulations, Rachel! (P.S.—follow Rachel on Twitter!)
A HIGHLY UNLIKELY SCENARIO giveaway finished—time to pick a winner. Ding ding ding, @eireannmor! DM me your address! (@rachelcantor)— Camille DeAngelis (@cometparty) March 21, 2014
Skillshare recap, part 2
(Skillshare recap, part 1.)Two things: first, my creative writing workshop, and second, some reflections on helping to organize this marvelous event. 
How did I cram a creative writing seminar into fifty minutes? Well, I didn't. I thought of what would've been most useful to me as a new writer—the only way to do it is to do it!—and that's what I gave them. They filled a conference table and spilled out onto the couch, extra chairs, and the floor, and a few more settled themselves on a couch outside and across the hall at the café. The turnout was, like every other class at the Skillshare, absolutely stunning. (John had originally said he'd be thrilled if seven people showed up for each class!) Judy, one of my Squam buds, came with a friend.So I laid my photo and postcard collection on the table, unfurled my mind maps, and said, here's a prompt and here's a technique, and here's how I use them. I'll be here if you need me; otherwise I want to see you writing for fifty minutes straight.Most of the people in the room promptly got down to business, though I did detect a mild whiff of panic. A few students came up to me and whispered that they needed more guidance, so we riffed back and forth until they felt confident enough to put the words down without judging what was coming out. One man came in late, and when I explained what we were doing he said, "That's it?" He wrote down his email address so I could send him PDFs of my handouts (I'd printed 30 each, and run out), and left. Someone hard at work on her mind map nearby remarked that he'd utterly missed the point.That said, you can't connect with every student; your approach won't lead everyone to a place of inspiration, and I really need to keep that in mind as I gain more teaching experience.(By the way, I'll be posting the content from those handouts on the blog over the next couple of weeks.) 
Back in October, Amy Lou happened to run into John Massie during one of our Make Out! nights at the Armory. He told her he was planning the first-ever Somerville Skillshare and invited her to a planning meeting. I applied online to teach a writing class, then Amy Lou brought me along to that meeting at John's house, and before I knew it I was second-in-command on social media. It's been a busy few months leading up to that one immensely exciting (and gratifying!) day, and as I'm writing this, one full week later, I feel like I'm still winding down. My friend Jen coming all the way from Virginia to attend as many art classes as she possibly could only added to the thrill of it. (I'll blog about Jen's visit on Wednesday.)Since I landed in Boston last spring I've slowly been finding my way into pockets of community, writing- and yoga-wise, but joining the Skillshare planning team took my feeling of Boston-belonging to a whole new level. Everyone on the team is absolutely lovely, and I'm really looking forward to working with them on future events and getting to know them as friends. I'm so used to creating in solitude that I think this experience was even more life changing—or, to be more precise, life expanding—for me than it may have been for the others. We put in the work, hoping for a modest turnout, and our efforts were returned to us a thousand-fold—or at least it feels like that. Eight hundred people turned out for the event, and we'd have considered the Skillshare a success with only a quarter of that. It was exhilarating to see people enjoying their classes, the music, the camaraderie and the free samples of Slumbrew, and to know that I'd had a part to play in making it happen. It makes me wonder what further awesomeness I can dream up, on my own or as part of a team. 
Armory, 9:45am. Photo by John. When I joined the group I joked that I was an honorary Somervillian, but I'm thrilled to say that come May I'll be a REAL resident of Somerville. I'm moving in with my friend Kelly, who has a beautiful attic apartment not far from Davis Square. I'll have space to cook and make art and, you know, nest, and I'll blog more regularly about all that good stuff. (Kelly and I met at yoga last summer—she saw me wearing a Vaute Couture "V is for Vegan" tank and came over to talk to me after class, and since then she's become my closest vegan friend in Boston. You can just imagine how over-the-moon we are to be sharing a kitchen!)But back to the Skillshare—I'll close out with a few more photos: 
Miranda Aisling, author of Don't Make Art, Just Make Something (read her Q&A here). 
Eric Tondreau's contact staff class. 
Liz Corkery designed our gorgeous posters along with teaching the intro to screenprinting class. Many more photos on the Skillshare Facebook page.
Skillshare recap, part 1
Salsa dancing with Sam Newland. It was WONDERFUL.
I would like to write a proper recap, but my brain is still a little bit fried, so I'll save it for next week. In the meantime, here are some tweets and photos to give you an idea of just how well it went.
Emily Garfield's imaginary mapmaking class is immensely popular – and they're making awesome stuff #SOMSkillsharepic.twitter.com/CdUzcT2GW3— SomervilleSkillshare (@SomervilleSS) March 2, 2014
Pics from @SomervilleSS are coming in! Check out this great one of me @aprlao+@audrey1653 all sporting #DMAJMS pride pic.twitter.com/0fDBkJeXYj — Miranda Aisling (@MirandaAisling) March 4, 2014
Yup, that's @Slumbrew giving out samples! #brewlove#localfavorites#SOMSkillsharepic.twitter.com/i6CXtxJaDW — SomervilleSkillshare (@SomervilleSS) March 2, 2014
#SOMSkillshare mastermind John Massie and his adorably fluffy pup: http://t.co/YttHkGANx4 — SomervilleSkillshare (@SomervilleSS) March 2, 2014
The #SOMSkillshare is so hot, we had to evacuate the Armory! (Fortunately classes were only interrupted for 5ish minutes.) — Camille DeAngelis (@cometparty) March 2, 2014
#SOMskillshare let me fulfill my dream: to make my girlfriend a bouquet of duct-tape flowers. They made her smile! #happygf@SomervilleSS — Evil Librarian (@evil_librarian) March 2, 2014
So, the #SOMSkillshare was a big success – lots to build on, lots to celebrate. Proud to have been an organizer for the inaugural event. — Those Who Wander (@ThoseWW) March 3, 2014
Great job by John Massie & everyone in the #Somerville community at today's #SOMSkillshare! pic.twitter.com/Sfv7ig8jNR— Mike Connolly (@MikeConnollyMA) March 2, 2014
So gratifying to see a roomful writers scribbling away at my #SOMSkillshare class earlier this afternoon! http://t.co/20RuFTnueK— Camille DeAngelis (@cometparty) March 2, 2014
We love you @FlatbreadSville. pic.twitter.com/p84izilSLj— SomervilleSkillshare (@SomervilleSS) March 2, 2014
Best way to end the day MT@OneBrickBoston: Winding down from a busy day of #volunteering at @SomervilleSS w/some @Slumbrew! #Somskilllshare— One Brick - Melissa (@OneBrickMelissa) March 2, 2014
More soon! (And in the meantime, there are loads of great photos on the Facebook page.)
The Somerville Skillshare Kickstarter campaign!
As you know, I'm teaching an intro to creative writing class at the first-ever Somerville Skillshare, and this week we launched a Kickstarter campaign to keep the event 100% free. We're hoping to raise two grand for space rental, class materials, and publicity expenses (which feels totally do-able—fingers crossed!) Many of us teachers are offering private lessons for a pledge of $125, and mine consists of a two-hour session of writing coaching (which I'd ideally format as two one-hour in-person meetings plus reading time, although Skype or Google Hangout would work as well. You certainly don't have to live in the Boston area to take advantage of this!)
I especially want to see us meet our fundraising goal because the primary organizer, John Massie, has been working with superhuman dedication to pull this thing together. In case you're still wondering what the heck a Skillshare is, I want to share an email John sent out to friends and family today:
As most of you know, I'm from Somerville. One thing that's always impressed me about this city is its diversity and the number of creative people who live here, from artists to hobbyists to crafters to just...funky individuals with weird stuff going on. It's one of the many things that gives this city its character, and something that I've always loved about this place (and probably one of the reasons I ended up back here after graduating college a few years ago).
So last summer, I heard about this thing that's happened in a few cities called a "Skillshare." It's basically a day where a random assortment of people from a given community gather in one location to hang out and teach each other interesting stuff. I thought to myself, "it would pretty darn cool if something like this could happen in Somerville." And if it can happen in Brooklyn and Seattle, why not Somerville, a 75,000 strong community chock full of artists and creative types? I bounced the idea of a few people (i.e. my Dad, my brother, and my roommates) and got some encouraging responses.
So on a muggy August day I walked into the Somerville Armory (a community education space and performance hall located near Davis Square) knocked on a few doors until I met the Director (an awesome lady named Lea), and pitched the idea. She thought it sounded interesting. Twenty minutes later, I walked out, feeling both excited and slightly foolish, because I had just written a check for many hundreds of dollars to book the entire building for a random day in March, 2014. I was committed.
Fast forward six months. Since that day--and many email blasts, excited conversations, new friends, headbangs against the wall, late night pizza deliveries, daydreams at work, tantrums about HTML, "oh shit!" moments, group meetings and furious notetakings later—this idea is actually happening.
In fact, it's just not happening, it is happenin'. We've got 8 talented, committed organizers (Danielle, Spencer, Paula, Camille, K.Adam, Isaac, Sarah, Courtney, and Melissa! Y'all rock.), a fancy-pants Wordpress website, nearly 40 local teachers lined up to teach nearly 40 free classes on everything from bookbinding to salsa dancing to stock investing, 3 local food sponsors (Flatbread, Slumbrew and Taza Chocolate), 10+ volunteers lined up from One Brick, a few articles written about us in some local publications like Somerville Beat (and more on the way!), a modest-but-growing Facebook platform, some unique, original content about some of Somerville's most interesting residents, and even a short video put together by one of the organizers that features nothing but original footage of our teachers. It's been a wild ride, and a ton of fun, and we're completely making it up as we go (which has perhaps been the most rewarding part). And we have absolutely no idea if anyone is going to show up to the event.
Here's the conclusion to this story. Somerville Skillshare is happening in less than three weeks, on March 2nd, 2014, at the Somerville Armory. And I'd like to ask for your help making it happen.
So if you can chip in a few bucks, we'll all be incredibly grateful. I hope to see you at the Armory on March 2nd! My class is on at 1pm in the yoga studio (fittingly enough, haha).
The Glass Casket giveaway!
I imagine myself sneaking in through your window with a knife between my teeth to steal velvet ribbons out of your brain, but then you wake up and we just have tea instead.
—McCormick Templeman (to me, via email)
My dear friend McCormick Templeman's new novel, The Glass Casket, is on sale today! I read an advance copy and I can tell you that I very quickly lost count of how many times I felt that I-wish-I'd-written-this envy. ZOMBIE SNOW WHITE, how brilliant is that? It's an awesome idea, but even more importantly, it is beautifully executed. Here's the full synopsis:
Death hasn't visited Rowan Rose since it took her mother when Rowan was only a little girl. But that changes one bleak morning, when five horses and their riders thunder into her village and through the forest, disappearing into the hills. Days later, the riders' bodies are found, and though no one can say for certain what happened in their final hours, their remains prove that whatever it was must have been brutal.
Rowan's village was once a tranquil place, but now things have changed. Something has followed the path those riders made and has come down from the hills, through the forest, and into the village. Beast or man, it has brought death to Rowan's door once again.
Only this time, its appetite is insatiable.
Now you want a copy, right? I'm giving one away! (Read on.)
Because McCormick and I have already done a couple of Q&As on the blog (see The Little Woods and Dipping Your Toes in Different Realities), we thought we'd do a round of this-or-that.
Zombies or cannibals? Romero zombies.
Typing or longhand? Longhand for notes, typing for drafting.
Juice or smoothie? Smoothie.
Telepathy or levitation? Telepathy.
Austen or Shelley? Both Shelleys.
Peaches or pears? Peaches.
Krishna or Zeus? Krishna.
Tea or coffee? Coffee (but secretly, tea.)
Sky-diving or scuba-diving? Scuba-diving (but also sky-diving)
Rapunzel or Cinderella? Cinderella, but mostly the mice.
Angels or witches? Witches!
Gaiman or Pullman? Pullman.
Poker or tarot? Tarot.
Chocolate or chocolate? Pickles.
Ha!
To enter the novel giveaway, all you have to do is leave a comment answering one of these this-or-thats. (And/or you can tweet, retweet, or share on Facebook, all of which get you more entries.) Contest closes Thursday at 5pm ET.
Congratulations to my dear friend!
Edit, February 19th: and congrats to BekahCat, who has won the giveaway! Thanks so much to everyone who entered.
More Book Love
What I'm reading, and what I'm looking forward to reading: a very partial list.
I've only recently discovered the magic that is an inter-library loan system. Here I have two long-since out-of-print novels by Lord Dunsany, the Anglo-Irish fantasist who has influenced the likes of Neil Gaiman and H.P. Lovecraft. Funny how someone felt the need to cross out his title (repeatedly; and these are books from two separate libraries, too). Irish nationalists hiding in libraries all over Boston! 
For Love of Animals, as previously discussed—I'm hoping my mom (a devout Catholic, in case I hadn't mentioned that already) and I can read it at the same time and I can include some of her impressions in my book appreciation post.And while we're on the topic of Christianity + activism, here's a book my sister gave her, which I'm also very interested to read: 
I met Renée Rosen at the Midwest Literary Festival all the way back in 2007. This is going to be a juicy read! 
An incredibly thoughtful Christmas gift from Todd & Bill! (They'd given me the first Wolf Gift novel awhile back—also autographed. So so nice.) 
Humans of New York, a gift from my literary agency. Beautiful book, beautiful photographs. 
Another reason I'm excited to have a kitchen come spring—Amber Shea Crawley's Practically Raw Desserts, which I won on a Chic Vegan giveaway! (Review forthcoming.) 
No longer timely, I know (you can tell how long I've been intending to post this), but this Christmas card from Jen made me laugh out loud!
Phoning It In
Lately I've been hard at work on this new novel. Once I've reached my daily goal (yes, we are back to the wordcounts), there isn't much time or energy left over for blogging, but you'll forgive me, right? It's temporary. 
My plan is to finish a messy first draft soon (within the week!) and then sort-of take a few weeks away from it, letting the tendrils of the first revision to weave and arrange themselves at the back of my head while I read for research, sew and knit, daydream about future projects, and plan a trip back to Ireland in April (working holiday, yay!) I'll also be packing up to leave my place at Kings College, because a monthlong trip abroad feels like the perfect segue. (I need a kitchen, people. I need a welcome mat, and a bathtub, and a blue sofa.)
The muse is a friend. She might be on time or she might keep you waiting, but she'll never stand you up. #amwriting— Camille DeAngelis (@cometparty) January 12, 2014
Somerville Skillshare!
Just a quick post to announce that I'll be teaching a creative writing class at the first-ever Somerville Skillshare at the Armory on Sunday, March 2, 2014! The event is free and open to all (not just residents of Somerville). I found out about the Skillshare through my dear friend Amy Lou, applied to teach, and wound up on the planning committee, which has been a ton of fun. The Skillshare is the brainchild of John Massie, a lifelong Somerville resident who is really passionate about building community through knowledge sharing. Sharing the joy I find in storytelling in such a fun exploratory setting is going to be a hugely rewarding experience for me.
Read my Q&A here (in which I discuss the philosophy and goals of the class) and then head over to the Classes page to see what other modules you might like to take. I'm particularly excited for Emily Garfield's Imaginary Mapmaking and Liz Corkery's Intro to Screenprinting (though I could go on, there are loads of classes I hope I have time to sit in on, like windowsill gardening and lacto-fermentation.) [Update, 2024: links removed, website defunct!]
If you don't live in the Boston area, I'd be so grateful if you could pass the word to any friends of yours who are local. Very excited for March 2nd!
Get psyched! MT @ThoseWW: Excited to watch this #Somerville event unfold on March 2nd / http://t.co/PF9y8U3ZuL #Skillshare @SomervilleSS— SomervilleSkillshare (@SomervilleSS) January 15, 2014
Christmas surprises
You may recall that I put this book on my wish list. I love it when my sister and/or Elliot give(s) me something I mentioned on the blog. 
I got Kate this magnet from a shop called Rhody Craft at the Providence farmers' market. Hee! 
One night I whipped up some hot cocoa using almond milk, carob powder, cane sugar, cinnamon, and a little bit of vanilla. The next day, and the day after:
"Are you making more cocoa?"
"Why, do you want more cocoa?"
"Do youuuuuuuu want more cocoa?"
"I guess I'm making more cocoa!"
* * *
And, lastly but certainly not leastly, a Christmas surprise that wasn't under the tree: K. R. Paradis wrote a lovely piece of music inspired by the holiday "covention" chapter in Petty Magic! Honestly, it's been a week since she posted it and I still can't quite believe I have readers this awesome.
To the Unseen Future
I tweeted so much about the Harvard Books warehouse sale that they gave me a $25 gift card! So I went to Cambridge last Wednesday night to pick up a Christmas present, but the section I needed was inaccessible due to a reading in progress. "Oh well, I'll just hit the occult section and buy more books for myself!" 
@cometparty "For research." YEAH RIGHT, LADY. *eyebrow wiggle*
— Sarah P. Miller (@SarahPMiller) December 16, 2013
Books and Chocolate and Books
I went to the Harvard Books warehouse sale yesterday, and it was MARVELOUS. I felt like I was browsing a half-sized version of the Strand, only without the grumpy sales staff. (Everyone there was really friendly and helpful, by the way. Good job, Harvard Books!) 
"If everyone -- including the women -- looks like Putin, then it's Van Eyck."— Sarah P. Miller (@SarahPMiller) December 2, 2013
There were a few food vendors there as well. I finally tried Taza Chocolate (which is all vegan and made in Somerville!), and I can't even tell you how exquisite are the gingerbread and cinnamon chocolates. 
Morning at @jpcentreyoga + afternoon at #hbswarehousesale with @tazachocolate = the perfect Sunday.— Camille DeAngelis (@cometparty) December 8, 2013
(This post is especially for Jen, who would've been there and salivating along with me if she only lived closer.)* * *Update: SQUEE!
@cometparty You're one of the winners of our #HBSWarehouseSale promo! If you follow us we can then DM you details on getting your gift card.
— Harvard Book Store (@HarvardBooks) December 9, 2013
Up and Writing!
I'm thrilled to announce that I'll be teaching at Squam Art Workshops next fall! The class is called Up and Writing and it's designed to help you evolve from a person who daydreams about being a writer into one who actually writes. You may look at my books and see a gulf of experience between you and me, but there isn't, really—as I mention in my first Flashwrite episode, I spent a good deal of time talking and thinking and reading and dreaming about shaping words into stories before I developed a writing practice in earnest.How did I become a "real writer"? More to the point, how can you? Sign up for the workshop and find out! A week at Squam is an incredibly life changing experience in general—you breathe in the delicious pine-scented air, go swimming in the lake, count stars (and lose track), listen to the loons calling at night, learn a lot, get crazy inspired and make friends for keeps. Squam is the closest thing I have ever found to heaven on Earth.Registration doesn't open until January, but you can pre-register to save your spot. I just pre-registered for Spring 2014 and I'm over-the-moon excited. A really cool online workshop with Harriet Goodall—Gift of the Heart—just launched today as well!