a person frying squirrels

I got to hear Philip Gourevitch talk about writing a few weeks ago. His was a useful and endearingly earnest attempt to give good advice to new writers. Here are some of my favorite things he said, many of which apply to new and aspiring artists of all kinds.

PG on beginners:

People will say, Why are you writing about that? You don't even know anything about it. You look at something for the first time, and everyone seems to know more than you do. You think, I must be ignorant...but let me have a look. Your authority is your curiosity.

You have to have a basic confidence you're going to make it work. Use your amateur spirit. [This seemed much better to me than beginner's luck, which sounds dumb and fickle. Amateur spirit, he implied, was a sort of fire-in-the-belly only a first-timer can bring to a project].

PG on his own writing:

I look at stories as containers--I approach it not knowing what's inside, and I have to shape it.

Writing is a great act of distillation and compression. It starts with a vast amount of over-reported material. At some point I go back to this database and confront the material and look at it as a set of characters and start to study the material as a text.

You are writing your world--slicing your way toward a cleaner version of it.

Density and swiftness fascinate me.

I figured out there were 3 things I wanted to do for a living: Imagine, think, and speak. I wanted to get on the road. I wanted to put people into motion across large landscapes.

PG on writing about real people:

You have a pretext for asking people nosey questions. That's one perk. You are looking at people and you don't have to pretend you're not.

A reporter goes to a village and gets a sound bite from Mala Tawala Walla and moves on. What if you threw out all the statistics and spent a month with Mala Tawala Walla? That's where the story is.

Official sources are boring, mostly. I want to talk to somebody I have to protect a little bit when I write about them, because they're that un self-aware.

PG on the kinds of stories he likes:

Too often nonfiction doesn't serve its subject matter. It slams data at you. Nonfiction and fiction have the same test: Be truthful. Good stories are works of imagination and observation. Why should they be divorced?

I'm interested in people who do or think things I wouldn't. What's the belief system of this person that makes him do things nobody else does? What about a person I've never heard of. A person frying squirrels.


I wanted to get up and hug PG when he got to the frying squirrels bit. That's pretty much my raison d'etre and inspiration for writing: The guy who fries squirrels. (Metaphorically speaking. And, sort of literally.) Bless PG and the dude with the deep-fat fryer.


Philip Gourevitch is the author of "We Wish To Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families," an in-depth account of the Rwanda genocide. He is editor of the Paris Review, a staff writer for The New Yorker, and a contributing editor to the Forward. In the aftermath of the genocide he spent over nine months in Rwanda trying to understand how this extraordinary crime had come to pass, how it was organized, how the Western powers had stood by and watched it happen, and how Rwandans are living with its legacy. His latest book is "A Cold Case."

little pleasures

It snowed like freakin crazy here last week, and on my way to work I saw a bunch of little sledders heading to the park. It reminded me of another day in that park that was kind of perfect.

Hippo Playground is one of the little pleasures in my neighborhood. I don't have reason to go there very often, since I interact with children about as often as I floss (um, not very often). But I jog by the hippo playground and it makes me happy to know it's there. It has a bunch of sculpted hippo families, and in the summer they are hippo fountains, with the big hippos squirting the baby hippos. The kids go bonkers for it, and it is all quite charming--especially since the hippos are situated in a little triangle in the park between the riverview parkway and crab apple meadow. Doesn't that sound nice?

The setting: It happened to be Thanksgiving Day, and it was a magical SIXTY-FIVE degrees in New York. For weather weirdness, this is on par with snow in Los Angeles. The whole city was outside in t-shirts in pre-turkey bliss. I took the occasion to go to Hippo Playground, because for once I had someone to take with me.

This little monster (Max, not the hippo) is the one kid in my life, and he happened to show up from Boston on quite possibly the most perfect day for playground-going. I love how he has to touch things to discover them (the hippos, the leaves dappling the ground, his nose) which is something adults forget about.

The hand placement here is priceless.

Mom and Max with Crab Apple Meadow in the background (can you believe that light?)

Our parting shot was this glorious view on the way home. This photo doesn't do it justice, but if you zoom in, the texture of those leaves is astounding--I want a gown made out of them.

We lingered at the park so long we were almost late for turkey dinner--but not quite. We gorged ourselves and came home to gorge some more on B Dub's homemade pies. Hippos+some favorite people + unseasonably awesome weather+ autumn light and leaves+lots of good food=pretty much as good as good days get.

P.S. It turns out real hippopotami are not fun to play with. According to Dirty Curty, my personal expert on the animal kingdom, they're almost as ferocious as polar bears, but not quite.

fair play to those who dare to dream

I could kiss John Stewart for ushering Marketa Irglova back onstage after she was cut-off from giving her acceptance speech. She was such a breath of fresh air, and somehow more lovely than everyone else there.

Truly, it would've been embarrassing if her and Glen Hansard's song hadn't won, sandwiched between those bubblegum Disney numbers. The two of them just sort of glow. You get the feeling they love making beautiful things and they love what they do. Something about them last night said, "We're so excited our pretty song won!" instead of, "We're so glad we're finally famous!" When Glen Hansard repeated "Make art! Make art!" at the end of his speech, it sounded less like a confirmation to the people in that room, and more like a plea.

in the news

These are some of the media pieces I mentioned in my last post. In my class, we do a project in which students choose a topic or issue, and everyone brings in related writing or media on the topic to make a "constellation" of info around it. The concept is that issues/ideas don't live in a vacuum, but grow out of an expanding dialogue that can be multi-voiced, contradictory, recursive, and eventually hopefully illuminates and clarifies the issue.

I consider some of these part of my personal "constellation" in trying to wrap my head around this--they're especially thought-provoking, alarming, or take an unexpected angle. A bunch are sent from commenters and friends who are similarly interested in mormons-in-the-media. Here is a sampling if you're interested in the dialogue out there.

Update: Please note that the following are not all necessarily "anti-mormon," but part of the dialogue around Mormons in the media right now (see above graphs).

"Mormons Dismayed by Harsh Spotlight" The Wall Street Journal Feb. 8, 2008-from Em
A Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll in late January revealed that 50% of Americans said they would have reservations or be "very uncomfortable" about a Mormon as president. That same poll found that 81% would be "enthusiastic" or "comfortable" with an African-American and 76% with a woman.

"Invisible Worlds"episode 141 from This American Life. This is the piece from my favorite radio show that first raised a red flag for me. Act 2 includes the Scott Carrier piece about how he "doesn't like" Mormons. If you start at about 18:40 you'll get Ira Glass's intro. October 1, 1999.
When I was younger, I was more tolerant of their [Mormon] beliefs and practices, thinking this is America and Mormons can believe whatever they want, including the notion that god promised this land to them, and they are his chosen people. But as I've got older I've become less willing to put up with it.

"Tough Room" episode from This American Life, Act 3 tells the story of two Mormon missionaries on Manhattan's Upper West Side (my neighborhood--woot.) Feb. 8, 2008 (This is a gentler treatment of Mormons compared to the '99 show.)-from Em

"What is it About Mormonism?" The New York Times Jan 6, 2008 -from Anne
To put it bluntly, the combination of secret mysteries and resistance in the face of oppression has made it increasingly difficult for Mormons to talk openly and successfully with outsiders about their religious beliefs.

Emily's Review on SFist This is Emily's review of David Cross's show that sparked a controversy that turned anti-Mormon (frighteningly) fast. Be sure to check the first comment which is from none other than David Cross himself, who signs off, "I do think it's astoundingly stupid to believe in Mormonism giving it and its founders history."

"Mormonism's Al Smith Moment?" The San Francisco Chronicle Jan 2, 2008 (I went to high school with the guy who wrote this. Go, Nate!) -from Em
By raising the possibility that Mormonism de facto disqualifies one for the presidency, the furor over Romney's religion has thrown the full citizenship of all Latter-day Saints into question.

Scarborough Country Scarborough points out media anti-Romney bias, Feb 1. 2008 -from Andrea

"What Iowans Should Know About Mormons" Wall Street Journal, Dec. 7 2007
A recent Pew poll shows that only 53% of Americans have a favorable opinion of Mormons. That's roughly the same percentage who feel that way toward Muslims... Why does a faith professed by the 9/11 hijackers rank alongside that of a peaceful, productive, highly educated religious group founded within our own borders?

"Mormonism: A Racket Becomes a Religion" Slate.com April 27, 2007

"Herder and the Mormons" Harper's Magazine May 2, 2007
I find the LDS-dominated audiences to be far more engaging than the norm. They present a rich study in contrasts. On one hand, they reflect an intensely family-oriented society, bonded to their community. On the other, thanks to the missionary tradition, they have a familiarity with the outside world...that I rarely come across in America beyond the coasts.

"A Mormon President? No Way" Slate.com Dec. 20, 2006
Nor is it chauvanistic to say that some religious views should be dealbreakers in and of themselves...Such views are disqualifying because they're dogmatic, irrational, and absurd. By holding them, someone indicates a basic failure to think for himself or see the world as it is.

Does anyone know where to find Richard Bushman's response--I think it was published in the Atlantic, or the New Republic? I am always interested in other suggested readings, too.

*Most of these come from Em, who really should be the one writing about this--if she weren't too busy writing her dissertation to go long blog rants :)

anti-mormonism on my mind

It's like a train wreck--I can't look away. Every time there is something about Mormons in the news (which has been a lot since the Romney campaign started) I have to read it, though it often pains me.

For me and some of my close friends, it reached a fever pitch when my good friend Emily, who does reviews for a Bay Area website, went to see a certain well-known comedian who went on a seemingly hateful tirade against Mormons in his act. She decided to say something about it in her review, and unleashed a tidal wave of anti-Mormon vitriol. The comedian himself commented on the website and joined the fray; it quickly became one of the most-read (and commented) articles ever on the site. Fuelling the whole bruehaha was a surprising number of people with strong feelings against the LDS faith.

I was stunned. I went to work that day with a pit in my stomach. I was the only Mormon in my department at a very liberal University. Would my friends and co-workers say those things about Mormons? Would they respond in the same way? I had only been treated with respect. But I wondered.

I wondered because some of the same authors and intellecuals I had my students read started making anti-Mormon comments. Christopher Hitchens, for example, called Mormonism a "mad cult" on Slate.com. I started to notice things, like the fact that there are a few persistent (though bedraggled and unenthusiastic) picketers in front of my church every Sunday. I was invited to dinner with one of my friends' families, well-educated Bostonians, who surmised that Romney had flip-flopped on the issues because "Joe Smith must've told him to be a fascist."

I've long noticed that people say and publish statements about Mormons that would be utterly unacceptable if the word "Mormon" were replaced with "black," "Jewish," "gay" or "Muslim." I am thankful that our society offers protection to minority groups--and wonder why Mormons are exempt. Several years ago, my favorite radio show (produced by Ira Glass, a personal hero) aired an essay by one of its regular contributors about how much he hates Mormons. The writer sits in his dentist's chair (his dentist is Mormon) and seethes with disgust for the faith while listening to his dentist talk to his assistant about his mission call. "Why?" I wanted to write This American Life. "Why is this okay, considered entertaining, when if you wrote this way about almost any other group it would be outrageous bigotry?" I was just out of college, had moved to the big city, and I was jarred by that essay--it made me feel more than confused. It made me feel vaguely...threatened.

All of these things piqued my paranoia that anti-Mormonism is more rampant than I had realized, and that the media's non-PC and sometimes harsh treatment of Mormons has sent the message to individuals that they could do the same. I felt somewhat validated when I saw this Wall Street Journal article this week titled "Mormons Dismayed by Harsh Spotlight." One quote reads, "I don't think that any of us had any idea how much anti-Mormon stuff was out there," said Armand Mauss, a Mormon sociologist who has written extensively about church culture, in an interview last week. "The Romney campaign has given the church a wake-up call. There is the equivalent of anti-Semitism still out there." I'm not sure if this should make me feel better because the problem is being taken seriously, or just freaked-out.

I've spoken to many friends who have noticed this, too. But everyone seems to have a different take on it. People who I respect fall on both sides of the camp--those who want to take a more aggressive approach and would like to see something like an Anti-defamation league, and those who are pacifist. There are also those who don't think there is a problem at all, but even the media is starting to confirm what many of us have sensed.

I take it all so personally, I actually feel kind of paralyzed. I have no idea what to do. Unfortunately, I think one solution for myself is the one that makes me most uncomfortable--outting myself often and openly. Confession: I sometimes avoid divulging that I'm Mormon if it's convenient, and I can get away with it. For example, I never divulge to my students that I'm LDS if I can help it. I figure, it opens a whole can of worms that have nothing to do with our course work, so why make it complicated? Especially in a a competitive academic environment in which background and education are often weighed and measured, it seems like a hassle if not a professional hazard.

Even as I write this, I know that it's incredibly cowardly and silly. There are lot of people with much more exposure and a lot more to lose than I do, who handle this all without breaking a sweat. And, of course, The fact that I'm Mormon might have something to do with what I'm teaching, afterall. I try to choose readings that make my students (and myself) think hard about pre-conceived notions and biases. Why should I shy away from my own (sometimes controversial) faith? Besides, I might learn something myself, even if it's just learning to respond better or getting a tougher skin. I might also be surprised that what I sometimes take for a negative response to my faith might just be naivety or surprise.

A few months ago, I went to see a play one of my former students put on. She was one of my star students, and we have kept in touch. She eagerly introduced me to her parents. They asked where I did my undergrad, and when I responded that I went to BYU, there was an awkward pause. I assumed they were thinking, "We paid all this money to have our daughter taught by a BYU grad?" and that their opinion of me slid just a little. Or, maybe they were just caught off-guard, or maybe they had indigestion. But who's to say maybe their expectations or ideas about Mormons didn't shift just a little for the better? I don't know. But I do know that when I hide my faith, that last scenario can't happen. And isn't that what I'm hoping for here, afterall?

super-dee-dooper tuesday

Yee-frickin-haw! This is the most fun election we've had...well, ever as far as I can remember. For once in my life I feel like there is the possibility for real change from both parties, instead of feeling jaded and cynical and like I might as well put down "Big Oil" or "The Military-Industrial Complex" as a write-in candidate.

I'm usually about as interested in politics as I am in sports (i.e. waste of time even for entertainment purposes). Sometimes I just feel defeated and depressed about emotional red-herring issues that steal the spotlight from stuff that I care about and seems to have a real effect on our future and quality of life, like the environment, foreign oil, and special interest lobbying. I've had to do some digging to get past the usual media garbage, though.

Where do you go to find out where candidates stand on the issues? Where do you go to find out whether that candidate's solutions are actually viable? What issues matter to you?

Viva Democracy!!

For some interesting thoughts on voting, see Liv's post.

field trippin'

B likes to go on Saturday field trips. Meaning, he likes to walk around the city and see what we find.

I like field trips too, but

1) B has a much greater propensity for walking than I do (his "quick walks" have been called "death marches" by friends and loved ones) and

2) NYC is freakin' cold.

Saturday it warmed up a little, and he talked me into leaving the house by reminding me that Magnolia Bakery just opened an uptown location in our neighborhood. As usual, butter and sugar can get me to do almost anything.

First we stopped here for a vanilla-vanilla. Breakfast of champions.

I spotted these on the sidewalk and remembered that winter does actually produce some of my favorite things.

And then what did my keen and perceptive eyes behold? Yes, you read it correctly. The cheese AND antiques store. Seemingly, these two don't go together. But really, it's quite simple. You just have a cheese counter on one side of your store, complete with a display fridge and some nice breads. Then on the other side--antiques, duh. I can't believe nobody thought of it before. (I got some triple creme that is unbelievable, btw.)

I finished my afternoon here, admiring nautical wall art in the dimly-lit back room, listening to stories and poems about lightning and forbidden lovers and half-blind brothers. (Thanks to Olivia and Nicole and their talented amigos).

If you have a friend who likes mundane adventures
If you make a friend with a penchant for odd pairings
If you have a friend of a friend who can make a whole story around the words "confetti" and "blue" and "ground"

It is quite possible to be less-than-rich and have a perfect Saturday in New York. In fact, it is quite possible that sometimes the less-than rich have the most perfect New York days.