BY SCOTT ALEXANDER HESS When I wrote my new Lethe Press novel The Butcher’s Sons, a book about three brothers living in their father’s butcher shop in the gritty world of 1930’s Hell’s Kitchen, I spent two weeks in Ireland researching their great-grandfather’s back story.
BY CAMERON CONAWAY “In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, in the expert’s mind there are few.” —Shunryu Suzuki Beginner’s mind can be a pain in the ass. My palms sweat and I bite my nails and I pace around the house all while
BY SARAH GERARD “Show, don’t tell,” might as well be hanging above the doorway of every writing classroom. I can’t say I always agree with it—every rule must be broken occasionally—but it held true in the editing of “BFF,” my forthcoming chapbook to be published by Guillotine
BY JENNIFER GENEST Objects are a writer’s friend. Almost any object is loaded if you think about it long enough. I am always surprised when objects in a story end up doing the “heavy lifting (explaining difficult or emotional things)” without it seeming forced or obvious.