If you liked Alexander Chee’s essay on studying with Annie Dillard, rejoice. There’s more where that came from. Chee’s piece is part of the just-published anthology Mentors, Muses and Monsters: 30 Writers on the People Who Changed Their Lives, edited by Elizabeth Benedict (Simon & Schuster, Oct. 2009). I love hearing about how writers interact with other writers and what lessons–positive or negative–they gleaned from their teachers, so I can’t wait to read this.
Here are some additional sneak peeks:
- “The Scholars and the Pornographer”: Carolyn See on her father, who turned to writing pornography at the age of 70, in The Rumpus
- Jim Shepard offers “An Appreciation of John Hunt”, also in The Rumpus
- Joyce Carol Oates reflects on her writerly influences in “In the Absence of Mentors/Monsters,” in Narrative
For more, check out the Mentors, Muses and Monsters website, read an excerpt via B&N.com, or pick up a copy of the book.
Washington, DC: Monday, Nov. 9 at 6:30 pm
with Elizabeth Benedict, John Casey, and Maud Casey
Chevy Chase DC Public Library
Cambridge, MA: Friday, Nov. 13, at 6 pm
with Elizabeth Benedict, Jay Cantor, Chris Castellani, Julia Glass, Margot Livesey, and Jim Shepard
Brattle Theatre (tickets required)
Fort Greene, Brooklyn: Monday, Nov. 23 at 7:30 pm
with Elizabeth Benedict, Alexander Chee, Mary Gordon, Martha Southgate, and Lily Tuck
Greenlight Bookstore
NYC: Monday, Dec. 7, at 7pm
with Elizabeth Benedict, Mary Gordon, Sigrid Nunez, and Lily Tuck
Upper East Side Barnes & Noble
This video (from the publisher) features Elizabeth Benedict discussing the book:
