Someone recently recommended the novel Women Talking by Canadian author Miriam Toews. The film adaptation is out now in theaters but I think I’ll wait until I finish the book. It sounded so interesting I ordered a copy on Amazon. Of course, I wanted to share it with you as well. This one seems like a mix of a feminist tale and psychological fiction based on real occurrences of sexual violence that took place between 2005 and 2009. While this is a sensitive topic, a book like this begs for discussion about these strong women who survived of a great deal of pain and trauma.
Is this a book you would read? Have you already read it? Let’s start a conversation in the comments below.
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Back when I was in high school and college, I read a few of William Faulkner’s books and short stories. Most of us have at some point read or heard of “A Rose for Emily” or come across some of his other frequently anthologized stories. I still remember his novel, As I Lay Dying (the first one I read). My first impressions were: I’ve never read a book like this. What an incredible story, and what a unique way to tell it.
The southern gothic narrative unfolds through the eyes of 15 different characters, some of whom are related to Addie, the mother of the Bundren family. Early on, she passes away, and much of the story is about the journey to bury her in Jefferson, Mississippi. Selfish motives or not, the characters continue on their trip as we learn about the current situation through many perspectives.
Last week I was challenged in a fiction writing class to mimic an author I admire, and I chose Faulkner. Although he is a difficult author to imitate, I admire him for his experimental side and originality. Faulkner is known for his slow, lengthy descriptions of characters and objects. His sentences are often complex and quite different from Hemingway’s sparse style (a near complete opposite). Faulkner’s writing is a slow burn, and I tried to emulate that with the description below. The characters and situation were drawn from my novel in progress.
It was a Friday evening in mid-June when Hayley walked down the old Brooklyn Street. It was perhaps a strange time of day to be heading to a job interview, but she agreed last week to meet Mrs. Ryan to discuss the proposed tutoring position. She had assumed, at first, the house belonged to her but learned toward the end of their last conversation that it was owned by her parents. Since the death of Mr. Ryan, Mrs. Ryan and her daughter Julia have been living here, and it was explained that if hired, this is where Hayley would tutor Julia over the summer.
1720 Ridge Road was a large, fairy-tale-like cottage made of uncut stones of different colors and sizes; somewhat pieced together haphazardly like a jigsaw puzzle, situated on what was considered by locals as one of the quietest streets by the Narrows Bay. Although the house was similar in style to a cottage, it was anything but small. Across the front of the house, there was a long row of double-hung windows with brown shutters facing the vast lawn.
A grand, wrought-iron gate surrounded the sloped property; the top of it was adorned with an intricate leafy design. Over the years, she had read about houses like this one, but she had never visited such an unusual place with this much character. It was as if she had stepped out of Brooklyn and into another world.
From the corner of her eye, she noticed Mrs. Ryan standing in the garage doorway beside a row of hedges. Hayley waved and walked over, slowly pushing the heavy gated door aside.
As of 2022, some of Faulkner’s first stories entered the public domain. If you’re interested in his life and legacy, you can learn more at https://williamfaulknersociety.com/
Do you have a favorite Faulkner story or a most-loved author you admire? Let’s start a conversation in the comments below.
Hey there! Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this blog post, please let me know by sending a like or comment below. I’d love to hear your thoughts! You can also subscribe to future blog posts at the top of the sidebar to your right or connect with me on Twitter: @jennwardwrites.
New Year’s resolutions have been around for ages. According to history.com, about 4,000 years ago, the ancient Babylonians are said to have been the first group of people to make New Year’s resolutions. I’m sure, though, back then, it didn’t look the way it does today. The ancient Babylonians weren’t promising themselves to lose that last ten pounds they gained over the holidays. It probably had more to do with basic survival, like harvesting crops and building their civilization. And here we are, thousands of years later, carrying out an ancient tradition, always trying to better ourselves.
I am someone who has almost always made New Year’s resolutions for myself. Many people aren’t fans of the New Year’s resolution tradition for obvious reasons (which I can understand). Nearly every year, some of us make them, and more often than not, we break them.
In the past, I’ve made long lists with no specific target date or plan in mind. Recently, I’ve been working on goal setting with my students. We’ve been using SMART goals as a strategy. If you aren’t familiar with this acronym, it stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely. That means that identifying a goal you want to work toward is only part of it; the other part is figuring out how you will get there.
This time round, I’m doing things a little differently. So, this year, I thought of some very realistic goals that I’m working on. I’ve separated my goals into two lists: my personal and career-oriented goals. If you are wondering what goals are on my lists, here they are:
Personal Goals
Meet new people
Take breaks from working
Travel more
Take care of my health
Start exercising again
Career-Oriented / Education Goals
Work on getting published again
Continue to build and update my website
Start working on my thesis
Finish my MFA degree
Establish a routine for writing
I know that I need to make some changes in my life and be aware of my goals. I will continually remind myself what I want in my life and ask myself what I will do to get it. Even if we don’t fulfill every single goal by the end of the year, it isn’t bad to write them down and at least try to work on them. It gives us something else to get up for every day.
