Articles by Sonya Chung
October 28, 2011
Post-40 Bloomers: The Stories of William Gay 2
While Gay himself might prize being considered among the Southern greats, his stories of desolation and beauty — brimming, yes, with the familiar Gothic elements of violence and darkness of hearts — feed and trouble our souls, whether or not we come to the text already knowing the “timeless tolling of whippoorwills, both bitter and reassuring,” or have passed ugly nights in a honkytonk, or keep a rifle or a pistol under the bed.
September 29, 2011
Post-40 Bloomers: Yvvette Edwards and A Cupboard Full of Coats 3
“I suppose I qualify as a late bloomer but I don’t feel like one. The term has connotations of stagnation, finally followed by some kind of transformation. I’d probably prefer to equate myself to a fine wine or good cheese, something that takes time, passion, and dedication to mature perfectly.”
September 26, 2011
Post-40 Bloomers: “Late” According to Whom? 37
I myself am hesitant to use the word “late” (or “older,” for that matter) in reference to writers over 40. Late relative to what and according to whose definition of early or on-time?
September 7, 2011
(Re)Imagining True Lives: On Historical Fiction 9
Let me just say, with as much un-dotty enthusiasm as I can muster, that I am, like, way super excited about the histo-fi seminar I’m teaching this fall, “(Re)Imagining Lives.”
August 23, 2011
New Documentary on James Salter 0
Checkerboard Films has produced a new documentary film on James Salter, “James Salter: A Sport and a Pastime.” You can see Nick Antosca and myself, waxing admiringly, as the “young literary voices” who’ve been influenced by Salter.
August 22, 2011
No Place Like Home 5
At the risk of stating the obvious: isn’t it strange, I mean, this thing about being a human being breathing and thinking and sensing and dwelling always, always, in a place?
