by Jamie Chavez | Feb 10, 2017 | Books You Might Like
There is no greater divide in life than the one between kids for whom the experience of learning to read is a painful or tedious one, whose rewards are remote if real, and those for whom the experiences of reading and writing are addictive, entrancing, overwhelming,...
by Jamie Chavez | Oct 12, 2015 | Books You Might Like, The Writing Craft
Recently a friend of mine who has been blogging for years emailed me for some advice. “Can you recommend some great essayists?” he asked. He wanted to take his writing to the next level. “I’m not talking about reportage.” It’s an interesting distinction. Writing in...
by Jamie Chavez | Aug 28, 2015 | The Writing Craft
I have just started Joseph Brodsky’s book On Grief and Reason. Let me say I have only read one essay in a collection of thirty, and I flipped through the book, sizing up the chapters, actually counting the pages, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7—yes, this one’s good, it only has...
by Jamie Chavez | Jun 1, 2015 | The Writing Craft
My friend Beth is a writer. I’ve learned so much from her—from watching her work through her MFA program, from discussing writing with her, from reading books she recommends, from reading her work. Most recently, this: Wrangling an Elusive Essay Form: Mosaic. Stained...
by Jamie Chavez | May 4, 2015 | Authors & Other Writers, The Book Biz
Not too long ago I ran a post I called “Trains, Planes, and Pen Names (and Practice).” It is about authors—well known, award-winning authors—who, before they became well known award winners, did all sorts of writing to pay the bills. And, not coincidentally, honed...
