Ben East Books

Tag: writers

  • Water Damage

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    Ben East
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    Apparently the grout in our shower has stopped doing the thing it was put there to do

  • When I’m Not Writing

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    Ben East
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    This is what I write about when I’m not writing: Stuff I read The ice in my drink vs the bell around my cat’s neck Titles of books I’d like to write The news Rage at the universe when the universe applies its whims inexorably against my wishes Politics Things I think are funny but…

  • Writers’ Resources

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    Ben East
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    Featuring two new resources for writers: Dactyl Review and Marylee MacDonald’s coaching blog. I came upon the first after engaging with the second by following the primary law of social media: be social. A quick exchange on Marylee’s blog pointed me the way to Dactyl Review, opening up a whole new platform for publishing book…

  • The Story Belongs to All

    The Story Belongs to All

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    Ben East
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    In search of distraction from my low mood, and the month of foul headlines that created it, I turn to the library of familiar books recently arrived to the shelves of our Mumbai flat. Narratives on writing by V.S. Naipaul catch my eye. The author’s self-indulgence aside, he shares my way of thinking when it comes to…

  • What We Talk About When We Talk About Writing

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    Ben East
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    Writers write. This simple premise covers everything I need to know about our craft. The axiom provides all the cover I need to shut out the world and pretend I fulfill my purpose merely by sitting down with a few trusty instruments. A Parker Jotter. A Moleskine Cahier. A keyboard, perhaps. But the platitude, it…

  • Tom Wolfe,1930–2018

    Tom Wolfe,1930–2018

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    Ben East
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    Tom Wolfe’s passing takes me back to undergrad years and The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test. I loved Bonfire of the Vanities and The Right Stuff, but it was Acid Test—published 50 years ago—that made Tom Wolfe electric. We were studying Ken Kesey under Barry Leeds and there was never enough to go around. Cuckoo’s Nest…

  • Moleskine in Paris

    Moleskine in Paris

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    Ben East
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    In preparation for travel to Paris this week I found myself cracking open the last of my black Moleskin Cahier 5×8.25″ notebooks. Normally this brings satisfaction as I add yet another 80 bound pages of journaling to what has become 40+ such notebooks over the last dozen years. With departure impending, however, I felt more…

  • Oh My God, Look at Her Butt

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    Ben East
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    Will Sing win a Golden Globe or other award this season? I hope so. The soundtrack brought out memories of David Bowie (Under Pressure), Leonard Cohen (Hallelujah), and George Michael. That, and its an inspiring story about overcoming obstacles to realize artistic passions. So even if on the surface the only thing your kids get…

  • Zapped!

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    Ben East
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    As described at Medium, Amazon’s brick-and-mortar bookstore in Seattle sounds like the kind of place where books themselves are mere wallpaper. “The Seattle store features a perimeter lined with packed bookshelves. However, the center (and heart) of the store has been given over completely to digital products… John Mutter — editor of the bookstore-industry newsletter Shelf-Awareness — recently spent 45 minutes observing…

  • Short Fiction–Swimming

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    Ben East
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    Peace Corps Worldwide carried the following review of Karl Luntta’s Swimming from SUNY press. One thing is certain for foreigners at work in much of Africa: the proverbs can be as colorful as they are vague, utilitarian as they are vexing. The truth can emerge—or remain obscured—with a single phrase. Truth, in these proverbs, lies in the…