Posts tagged with Going Away Shoes

2 comments

March 4, 2010

McCorkle’s Magic Words

Jill McCorkle can pack a room. I had the pleasure of attending her reading last night, at her alma mater UNC Chapel Hill, where the fans turned out like it was a literary home game. I actually felt a little out of place without a copy of Going Away Shoes on my lap. The woman next to me was obviously suspicious that I might be less-than-devoted to the event, she kept checking to make sure I was laughing at the appropriate moments. I was.

McCorkle gave a wonderful reading. A good author does not always a good speaker make, but she’s engaging and warm and immediately puts the audience at ease–like maybe we’re old friends. She read the story Magic Words, which is one of my favorites. It’s told from four points of view, which have been melted together in a meditation on what it truly means to say “please” and “thank you”. McCorkle described the format of the story as a compressed “landscape of a novel”; packing the punch of 200 words into 25. (Now, I’m going to link you to the full text of this story, but I recommend going out and getting the book, because the stories work together quite nicely and, if you like this, I guarantee there’s more in the collection you’ll want to read. Magic Words.)

Afterwards, she took the time to field a few questions. I was most interested in her advice to young writers, seeing as she’d done her first-ever reading on that same campus about thirty years earlier. “The more you write, the more you write,” she said. It’s not about waiting for the perfect story to spring from your head, fully formed, it’s about putting in the time, each and every day, and developing a craft. Sounds like a lot of work, but the post-reading queue of people waiting to have books signed is a testament to the fact that the woman obviously knows what she’s talking about.

-Susannah

1 comments

February 19, 2010

NPR Lovin’

Monday, between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m., on NPR’s All Things Considered, host Michele Norris will be interviewing Heidi Durrow on her new book, The Girl Who Fell From The Sky. So, while you’re driving home or making dinner or digging trenches (or doing whatever you do in the early evening), be sure to tune it for an audio treat.

Segue: SPEAKING OF NPR, I just love it. If you’re ever in the car, listening to mindless radio, and that Lady Gaga song comes on again, just make the change. Do something good for yourself. And that’s my Public Radio PSA.

Need a warm-up before Monday? Jill McCorkle was recently featured on North Carolina’s public radio station, reading from her collection of short stories, Going Away Shoes. Listen here!

-Susannah

1 comments

January 14, 2010

Sure-Footed

Please welcome our new intern, Susannah Long, who is writing today about Jill McCorkle’s Going Away Shoes.

Jill McCorkle has me thinking about shoes. Not styles and prices and the long-term benefits of arch-support, but more along the lines of, What are our shoes telling us? And what are they telling other people about us?

I just finished reading Going Away Shoes, a collection of eleven short stories about family dysfunction and the pitfalls of human relationships, all of which, in one way or another, reference footwear. McCorkle suggests that our shoes are more important than we give them credit for. And she might be right. They allow us to go out and do. Nine times out of ten, when someone asks, “You ready to go?” your answer is going to be, “Just gotta put my shoes on.” But they also define our limits. Wearing sneakers? Can’t eat at certain restaurants. Wearing sandals? Better hope it doesn’t rain. Wearing high heels? Don’t get chased.

Right now I’m sitting in a coffee shop, eyeing everyone else’s choice in shoes. That lady’s boots are out of style, but she’s sensible and warm and dry. Whereas, this other chick is wearing some sparkling sort of dress shoe and is probably getting a mild case of frostbite, running around in this weather. Oh, and there’s that guy, with the two-tone leather lace-ups that say, “I’m not a professor yet, but someday I’ll delight in talking over three-hundred heads at once.” Not to judge or anything, because I think, a lot of times, we wear the shoes of the person we want to be. I certainly do.

I remember being twelve and discovering the magic of punk rock. I was about as hardcore as a homeschooler, but I had my mom take me to the mall and I put down my $40 for a pair of black Converse. They were the first shoes I ever bought with my own money and they were too stiff and too clean to wear to school, so I just wore them around the house for the first few months—trying to make them look like they belonged on me. Or maybe, like I belonged in them.

The last story in the collection is called “Me and Bigfoot.” It’s about a single woman who comes to care for a stranger’s pair of work boots. Though she’s never even seen the boot owner, she thinks up the perfect man to fill those empty shoes and goes along as if the figment of her imagination were a real person; a real relationship. Normally, this would come across as pathetic or delusional, but in light of the previous ten stories (divorce, adultery, addiction, abuse) I think McCorkle is making a point about the true value in all relationships: Other people are only who you make them. Every day, we have to look at the piles of shoes by our front doors and decide how we’re going to love the people who wear them. We have to look at the shoes on our own feet and decide that we’re worth loving.

That may be a whole lot of meaning to assign to a silly pair of shoes, but from where I sit, snug in some black Converse, it seems like as good a way as any to examine life—and justify shoe shopping.

-Susannah

0 comments

December 8, 2009

Our Fruitcake-Free Holiday Gift Guide

Don’t want to give Dad a pair of GoldToe socks again this year? We don’t blame you. That’s why no matter who’s on your list, Algonquin has the perfect gift…

For Her

Going Away Shoes

Dinner DiariesLast BiteGoing Away Shoes
By Jill McCorkle

Eleven short stories, full of longing and laughter, from the “guardian angel of short fiction.”

The Dinner Diaries: Raising Whole Wheat Kids in a White Bread World
By Betsy Block

A humorous, life-changing book on mom’s mission to achieve the ultimate of all makeovers: improving the family meal. Complete with helpful charts, food lists, recipes, tips, and suggested culinary and farm programs for kids.

Last Bite: A Novel of Culinary Romance
By Nancy Verde Barr

Casey Costello, an executive chef at morning television show, is too busy for men…that is until she’s unexpectedly whisked off her feet by the adorable Danny O’Shea, a rising chef from Ireland who seems like he may be more trouble than he’s worth.

For Him

Hard Work Boone

Far Bright StarHard Work: A Life On and Off the Court
By Roy Williams with Tim Crothers

An inspiring memoir from the head coach of the UNC Tar Heels Men’s Basketball team.

Boone: A Biography
By Robert Morgan

This rich, authoritative biography offers a wholly new perspective on a man who has been an American icon for more than two hundred years.

Far Bright Star: A Novel
By Robert Olmstead

Napoleon Childs, an aging cavalryman,  leads an expedition of inexperienced soldiers into the mountains of Mexico to hunt down Pancho Villa and bring him to justice.

For the Gardener

Wicked PlantsA Rose by Any NameThe $64 TomatoWicked Plants: The Weed That Killed Lincoln’s Mother and Other Botanical Atrocities
By Amy Stewart

An A to Z of plants that kill, maim, intoxicate, and otherwise offend.

A Rose by Any Name: The Little-Known Lore and Deep-Rooted History of Rose Names
By Douglas Brenner and Stephen Scanniello

With full-color art throughout, this eclectic little volume is a marvelous miscellany starring what is arguably the world’s most popular flower.

The $64 Tomato: How One Man Nearly Lost His Sanity, Spent a Fortune, and Endured an Existential Crisis in the Quest for the Perfect Garden
By William Alexander

Part humor tale and part garden memoir, The $64 Tomato follows Bill Alexander on his journey from organic idealist to pragmatic food producer, and from eager backyard gardener to tired gentleman farmer–taking time along the way to reflect on ecology, nature, and the meaning of it all.

For the Foodie

The Feasting SeasonSouthern BellySeasoned in the SouthThe Feasting Season
By Nancy Coons

Meg Parker is a harried mom in a lackluster marriage until she lands a dream assignment: to write a guidebook about French history. Follow her adventures as lamb daube, paella and rosé, bull steak and anchioade, Brebis and strawberries awaken her senses.

Southern Belly: The Ultimate Food Lover’s Companion to the South
By John T. Edge

Spark a delicious road-trip with this guide to savory, Southern restaurants!

Seasoned in the South: Recipes from Crook’s Corner and from Home
By Bill Smith

Structured around the seasons and the freshest seasonal foods, this cookbook offers up marvelously uncomplicated recipes— Tomato and Watermelon Salad, Fried Green Tomatoes with Sweet Corn and Lemon Beurre Blanc, Pork Roast with Artichoke Stuffing, and his signature dish, Honeysuckle Sorbet—the new bistro food of the South.

For the 20-Something

Our NoiseHemingway & Bailey's Bartending GuideRock OnOur Noise: The Story of Merge Records, the Indie Label That Got Big and Stayed Small
By John Cook with Mac McCaughan and Laura Ballance

The exuberant story–in words and pictures–of a much-loved indie record label that, despite the odds, has become a major success story.

Hemingway & Bailey’s Bartending Guide to Great American Writers
Illustrated by Edward Hemingway; Text by Mark Bailey

The perfect blend of classic cocktail recipes, literary history, and tales of the good old days of extravagant Martini lunches and delicious excess.

Rock On: An Office Power Ballad
By Dan Kennedy

Kennedy chronicles his misadventures at a major record label. Whether he’s directing a gangsta rapper’s commercial or battling his punk roots to create an ad campaign celebrating the love songs of Phil Collins, Kennedy’s in way over his head in this power-ballad to office life and rock and roll.

For the Travel Enthusiast

A Thousand Days in TuscanyVery Washington DCNew Orleans, Mon AmourA  Thousand Days in Tuscany: A Bittersweet Adventure
By Marlena de Blasi

In search of the rhythms of country living, Marlena and her husband move to a barely renovated former stable in Tuscany with no phone, no central heating, and something resembling a playhouse kitchen. They dwell among two hundred villagers, ancient olive groves, and hot Etruscan springs. Together, they discover the soul of Tuscany and explore all the land has to offer.

Very Washington DC: A Celebration of the History and Culture of  America’s Capital City
By Diana Hollingsworth Gessler

A travel guide with character, this fact-filled keepsake offers all the history, beauty, charm, and culture of our nation’s capital city. Also included are an index of sites and a useful appendix of addresses, Web sites, Metro stops, and phone numbers.

New Orleans, Mon Amour: Twenty Years of Writings from the City
By Andrei Codrescu

New Orleans has been author Andrei Codrescu’s hometown for over twenty years. This collection of essays is an epic love song , a clear-eyed elegy, a cultural celebration, and a thank-you note to New Orleans in its Golden Age.

For the Pet Lover

My Therapist's DogFirst DogsEnslaved by DucksMy Therapist’s Dog: Lessons in Unconditional Love
By Diana Wells

An intriguing exploration into the rewards of relationships–both the canine and human varieties–begins when the author agrees to dog-sit for her therapist. What follows is an exploration of our canine connection: what we name our dogs, how we breed them, how we’ve explored the wilderness with them, the kinds of literature we write about them, why we love them, and, most important, what we can learn from them.

First Dogs: American Presidents and Their Best Friends
By Roy Rowan and Brooke Janis

A lighthearted romp through American history, packed with drawings and paintings from early America, plus photographs, starting with Abraham Lincoln’s Fido all the way to Obama’s Bo.

Enslaved by Ducks
By Bob Tarte

Bob gets more than he bargains for when he marries Linda and moves to rural Michigan: there’s Binky, a belligerent rabbit who craves high voltage wires; Ollie, a tyrannical parakeet who brutally attacks the Tartes; and Stanely Sue, the gender-bending parrot; and more. This hilarious account gives us the other side of animal ownership: the complicated logistics of blending species under one roof, the intricate routines that evolve before you realize it, and ultimately, the distinct and insistent personalities of every animal inside—and outside—the house.

-christina

0 comments

December 1, 2009

Jill McCorkle on “A Christmas Memory”

Truman Capote’s heartbreaking short story, “A Christmas Memory,” is a perennial favorite around this time of year, and Jill McCorkle — author of GOING AWAY SHOES — explains why she’s given countless copies as holiday presents over the years.

The most memorable book I have ever given for a Christmas present is the wonderful edition of Capote’s story, “A Christmas Memory,” which Random House printed. The book came in a sleeve with a photograph of a very young Capote and his elderly cousin “Sook” — a photograph that is referenced in the story as one taken by someone traveling through, someone on the list of all those who receive a fruitcake from the narrator, “Buddy,” and his elderly friend. It is a beautiful Christmas story, one I read each and every year — sometimes alone, sometimes aloud to my classes, oftentimes both. I have given it so many times by now I can’t even remember when and to whom.

I have also given the VHS and then DVD of the film version starring Geraldine Page. I remembered seeing it on television one Christmas Eve when I was a child, but all I could recall was the wonderful narrative voice describing first the way the two made money for ingredients, and then the detail of the cakes they baked and where they sent them. I remembered that I cried and cried over the sad ending — one of those good cleansing cries, where you feel both uplifted and changed. For many years, I tried to figure out what I had seen and how I could see it again. It was in high school when I came across the short story and recognized from that first line: “Imagine a morning in late November….” and I knew I had found what I had been looking for. It’s a classic treasure, a great short story and one that I plan to keep giving.
– Jill McCorkle

From Bookreporter.com

Jill McCorkleJill McCorkle is the author of eight previous books—three story collections and five novels—five of which have been selected as New York Times Notable Books. She is the winner of the New England Book Award, the John Dos Passos Prize for Excellence in Literature, and the North Carolina Award for Literature. She teaches writing at North Carolina State University and lives with her husband in Hillsborough, North Carolina.

Her latest book, Going Away Shoes is a collection of eleven stellar new stories about women in transition. Click through to the video on Forum Network to see Jill read an excerpt:

Jill reads from Going Away Shoes

1 comments

October 19, 2009

McCorkle Wows at McIntyre’s

Last Saturday our beloved author, Jill McCorkle, read at McIntyre’s Fine Books, just one of nearly 40 stops on her current book tour. McIntyre’s is located in Fearrington Village — a cool little community built on farmland dating back to the 1700s. It was the perfect fall morning for a cup of joe from The Belted Goat and some top-rate story-telling. Apparently I wasn’t the only one with that notion! The store turned out a full house and the audience listened and laughed as Jill read “Midnight Clear” — a story about a newly divorced mother who gets a new outlook on life while spending Christmas Eve with a cheerful septic system repairman — from her latest book, Going Away Shoes.

Going Away Shoes has been getting a ton of national buzz including, a 4-star review in People and rave reviews in the New York Times Book Review, Entertainment Weekly, and Elle, among others. Scroll down for event photos and an Algonquin Q&A with Jill!

Jill at McIntyre's

This rapt reader couldn't wait to dig into her copy of Going Away Shoes!

This rapt reader couldn't wait to dig into her copy of Going Away Shoes!

You simultaneously published your first two novels at age 26 (wow!); what’s changed about the way you approach writing now?

The only real difference in the way I approach writing is that as a student and young single person, I had a lot more time on my hands and therefore had very definite ideas about the conditions I needed for writing.  I don’t think I actually realized how MUCH time I had in fact.  The years of work and raising children quickly snapped me out of all those beliefs that the world had to be just so in order to sit down and write.  In an ideal world I would wake early and work until early afternoon and then take a long walk.  BUT life is such that I write when and wherever I can and save up for nice big blocks of time when I can spread it all out and dive in to stay for awhile.  I do have to make the bed in the morning and know that there is a certain amount of domestic order, everyone is fed and okay, but beyond that I am as likely to be writing on a paper towel in a parking lot as anywhere else.

If you had to pick a favorite story from this new collection, which would it be?

My favorite story would probably be “Intervention,” just because it signaled to me a shift in my writing that was really necessary in order to get where I needed to be to write many of the others, and particularly to write the novel I am currently writing.

Are these characters based on people you know, or who you have met?

My characters are almost always composites of people I have witnessed or I begin with a “type” of person in mind, knowing that if I allow them enough time and respect, they will grow beyond the mold.  I look for a part I can identify with because then it’s not so easy to cast judgment or easily dismiss them.  Even if it turns out that I don’t love or admire a  character, I want to understand them.

What did you want to be when you grew up?  Did you always know you wanted to be a writer?

I always knew I loved to write and that it was something I would always do.  I had no idea that you could grow up and do something you love.  My dream job while growing up was to have a little dance school and teach ballet.  I imagined conducting the spring recitals and living in leotards and sweats.  In fact, I was a PE major at UNC and still taking dance classes when I stumbled into my first creative writing class and totally switched gears.

You teach Creative Writing at NC State; what’s been your favorite assignment to give?

I often ask students to write what comes to mind with the word “home” –  I love how so often it comes down to a childhood bed or a kitchen table.  It is important and significant to locate that early sense of home and therefore, that early sense of yourself.  We have great discussions around these settings and what they mean.

Do you keep a journal or diary?

I take tons of notes — everywhere — scraps and pieces of paper that at the end of the day I stuff in a bag or box. There’s a novel bag and a future stories box and a place where I keep ideas for essays and poems and things I have no idea what they might be.  And I go through notebooks often and periodically have to go in and separate the parts accordingly.

What have you been reading lately?

I have been rereading Grace Paley’s wonderful stories and those of Andres Dubus and Richard Yates because they are writers I have recently assigned to my students. Most of my reading during the actual semester is limited to short stories since so much time goes to reading student work.  I did however just buy Pete Dexter’s latest novel, Spooner. I heard him speak at a recent luncheon and he was wonderful.  I also am reading a biography of Edgar Allan Poe by Kenneth Silverman. It is often easier for me to enter and exit non-fiction and poetry while teaching and trying to write myself.

What are you working on next?

I am working on a novel that I have been working on for some time.  It’s in a really good place right now and so out of superstition (knocking wood) that’s all I want to say.

-christina

0 comments

October 6, 2009

The SIBA Tradeshow

The other weekend I had the opportunity to drive down to Greenville, SC to attend the SIBA (Southern Independent Booksellers Association) trade show.  Held across the country, these regional trade shows are a chance for booksellers, publishers, and authors to get together to network, share ideas, and learn about new and upcoming books. There are panels for booksellers, signing events with authors, and awards ceremonies throughout the three-day trade show.  This year SIBA launched a new “Author Auction.” Bookstore owners were able to bid on the opportunity to have dinner with an author. The brave authors who were auctioned off were those whose books were nominated for 2009 SIBA Book of the Year Award. The event was a hit, and they raised tons of money for the local Greenville charity Loaves & Fishes.

Our own Jill McCorkle was honored at the Southern Writer’s Lunch, alongside Pete Dexter. Jill read from her new book Going Away Shoes and talked a bit about where her characters came from and how she came to write some of the stories in her book, like Intervention, Surrender, and my personal favorite from the collection, Me and Big Foot. Pete Dexter spoke about his new book Spooner. (I’m half way through, and highly recommend it!) A special thanks to Ted Lee (co-author of the upcoming cookbook Simple Fresh Southern) for emceeing the event!

-Katie

Lise Bryant of the "Ding" Darling Wildlife Society Bookstore brought a copy of a very old galley of Jill McCorkle's third novel, Tending to Virginia, which was published by Algonquin in 1987!

Lise Bryant of the "Ding" Darling Wildlife Society Bookstore brought a copy of a very old galley of Jill McCorkle's third novel, Tending to Virginia, which was published by Algonquin in 1987!

The Algonquin table at the tradeshow

The Algonquin table at the tradeshow