-
Guidelines for Non-Americans on Writing a Classic American Story
Put a character in a house with a porch and a yard, and call the place old, even though less than two centuries weigh it down. A picket fence is useful, along with a crabapple tree. Mention alcohol abuse or bootlegging, or get at least one character stupidly drunk. They may gulp down beer or whiskey or bourbon. Unless you take the story in the direction of A.A. If a male college professor appears, he better have an affair with one of his students. If it’s a female professor, she better be really forgetful and messy, or have the whole faculty working against her. Add a cowboy.
Artist Residency: Casa Tagumerche
Casa Tagumerche is a special place. The house runs on solar power and is surrounded by a garden of palms, cacti, citrus trees, and herbs. There's a pond in which koi splash and jump as though to greet you. The…
School Visit: A Whale in . . . Marrakesh
We love writing. We love traveling. And we love discussing our love for books wherever we go. So you can imagine how excited we were when the American school in Marrakesh invited Daniel and me for an authors’ talk.
Alongside the Road from Tangier to Chefchaouen
Daniel and I arrived late yesterday in Tangier for our first travel experience in Morocco. We were welcomed by this beautiful sunset and so much more. These are the things I saw last night alongside the road from Tangier to…
Reading in Brussels
We talked. We read. We had a blast. Thank you, Snug Harbor Brussels, Sofie Verraest, Nathalie Lion, Munt Punt Cafe, and others! Photography by Sem Vandekerckhove.
School Visit: St. John’s
On September 13th, I was invited to talk to some fifty 4th and 5th graders at the St. John's International School in Brussels. We discussed how difficult it can be to distinguish facts from fiction in a world with so…
Retracing
It’s easy to disappear in the dampness of this town. Twelve moons ago, my mother wandered through a murky labyrinth of streets and bridges, crossing canal after canal—like I do now—leaving no footsteps. Cold air snakes across her face and…
