"What's the most you've ever lost in a coin toss?"
The above McCarthy quote has nothing to do with anything, other than that I'm stumped for a title for this quick update. From the Short Notice Files: Any San Francisco locals curious about Vincent Louis Carrella's Serpent Box, you're in luck. He's reading tonight at the Booksmith on Haight St. That's in just a couple of hours, I know. Leave work early. Or something.
I've been included among the gliterati at the 2008 Library Laureates Dinner, an annual fund raiser hosted by the Friends of the San Francisco Public Library. There have been some pretty heavyweight names on the list in the past, and this year I'll be in the good company of my local noir homies David Corbett, Sara Gran and Eddie Muller (the Czar of Noir).
Lastly, I just received an email that one of my favorite college writing instructors, Gerald Locklin, is retiring after over forty years of teaching. Locklin has quite possibly put more words on paper than Asimov and has more credentials than I could cite in one sitting. I always share one fond memory of Locklin's workshops: Class would begin, the two or three students whose stories were due took their turns on the chopping block. After each round of feedback from their classmates ("I loved your ending..." "I thought your main character needed more..."), Locklin would take the helm, speaking as fast as any cattle auctioneer: Okay... page one, first paragraph, you've got several dangling participles and a misplaced modifier in the last sentence. Second paragraph, check your verb conjugation. Second page, middle paragraph, you should use the subjunctive mood in your opening sentence. Bottom paragraph...
And so on. Creativity was no excuse for slacking on the basics. I've never forgotten that. Good luck with everything, Gerald Locklin.
That's all for now. Keep it between the ditches.
-Craig
The above McCarthy quote has nothing to do with anything, other than that I'm stumped for a title for this quick update. From the Short Notice Files: Any San Francisco locals curious about Vincent Louis Carrella's Serpent Box, you're in luck. He's reading tonight at the Booksmith on Haight St. That's in just a couple of hours, I know. Leave work early. Or something.
I've been included among the gliterati at the 2008 Library Laureates Dinner, an annual fund raiser hosted by the Friends of the San Francisco Public Library. There have been some pretty heavyweight names on the list in the past, and this year I'll be in the good company of my local noir homies David Corbett, Sara Gran and Eddie Muller (the Czar of Noir).
Lastly, I just received an email that one of my favorite college writing instructors, Gerald Locklin, is retiring after over forty years of teaching. Locklin has quite possibly put more words on paper than Asimov and has more credentials than I could cite in one sitting. I always share one fond memory of Locklin's workshops: Class would begin, the two or three students whose stories were due took their turns on the chopping block. After each round of feedback from their classmates ("I loved your ending..." "I thought your main character needed more..."), Locklin would take the helm, speaking as fast as any cattle auctioneer: Okay... page one, first paragraph, you've got several dangling participles and a misplaced modifier in the last sentence. Second paragraph, check your verb conjugation. Second page, middle paragraph, you should use the subjunctive mood in your opening sentence. Bottom paragraph...
And so on. Creativity was no excuse for slacking on the basics. I've never forgotten that. Good luck with everything, Gerald Locklin.
That's all for now. Keep it between the ditches.
-Craig