“The shade held no allure for me – I was here for a belly full of booze and the insouciant regret of a peeling sunburn. I’d sleep it off tomorrow and be back in the rotation on Monday with a fresh take on Herb’s high-minded theories on risk versus reward.”
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DIY MFA Reading List: “Gravity’s Rainbow” by Thomas Pynchon
Thomas Pynchon puts most other writers to shame with “Gravity’s Rainbow,” his surreal, mind-melting, madcap romp through post-war Europe.
Continue readingDIY MFA Reading List: “Independence Day” by Richard Ford
A father enlists the Founding Fathers to try and teach his increasingly maladjusted teenage son the true meaning of “independence”, in Richard Ford’s lyrical sequel to “The Sportswriter”.
Continue readingDIY MFA Reading List: “Slaughterhouse-Five” by Kurt Vonnegut
Listen up: Kurt Vonnegut speaks truth to power (and yes, he’s talking directly to YOU), in this melancholy meditation on the psychological costs of war and violence.
Continue readingDIY MFA Reading List (Double Header): “The Elegance of the Hedgehog” and “Anna Karenina”
“Don’t Worry, Be Happy!” – Muriel Barbery channels Leo Tolstoy (and Bobby McFerrin) in this rich little literary treatise on time.
Continue readingDIY MFA Reading List: “Jesus’ Son” by Denis Johnson
Denis Johnson’s starry-eyed protagonist fumbles towards ecstasy, in this lyrical collection of linked short stories about addiction, loss, and recovery.
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