Agonies of a Young Author

I'm currently working on a presentation on Sherman Alexie due today (and this blog absolutely and assuredly does count as working, or research, or some such similar activity) and I admit... I rival the pitch and tone of all self-proclaimed fangirls out there. My poor, poor roommate-- shall we dub her the Long Suffering One? She certainly had her trials the other day, when I was whispering and hissing unintelligible sibilant phrases for Study of Language homework.

Anyways, I think you should definitely check out his website, and this interview, and an audio interview from Barnes and Nobles (scroll down for a small-ish box on the right, just above the reader reviews where Alexie gets criticized for using curse words in a teenage novel, which is absolutely not representative of the normative teen experience, oh no.)

I was first introduced to Sherman Alexie through the assigned reading list of my Literature Topics course: Native American Literature. Alexie was my favorite author, and I have caught up and kept up with his work since finishing the course. We read Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven, his first published collection of short stories. My favorite story was "The Approxiate Size of My Favorite Tumor," which told the story of a man who dealt with terminal cancer through humor. It's especially my favorite story now.

What amazes me is that Alexie recieved two fellowships and published two collections of poetry, both back to back, a mere 2 years after he graduated from college. I can't really imagine accomplishing something like that. He was 23 when his first book was published, and I am scarily close to that age now. The realization of the hard work that Alexie had to put in, while still in college, boggles my mind. And then I tell my Inner Critic to shut up, because there IS precident.

AND HE'S COMING TO WASHINGTON D.C. AT THE END OF THIS MONTH ON HIS BOOK TOUR! I am sooo going. Don't even care. I will walk. I am going.

The point of writting about Alexie (see, I get carried away when speaking about him) is that he mentioned a website (salon.com) that I got really excited about, thinking that the concept was based on the French literary salons of the 18th and 19th century. Unfortunately, I was sadly let down by the realization that it was another news provider (not that anything was wrong with the site; indeed I found several interesting articles to read after mid-terms, but the -imagined- expectations were more enticing.)

My secret burning ambition is to set up and/or participate in the modern salon, and be considered a "man of letters." I was so exicted to see my concept actually implemented... except then it wasn't. But the good news that it's still left for me! I would love to design my little publishing empire around that concept of a salon, and probably only need the freedom of time to allow me to do so. Although it might be said (probably by the Voice of Reason) that I am crazy for taking on any more than my currently alloted 3 slash 4 blogs (depending on how you count it.) Although I should warn you, for, as the ever estimable Rick Castle says, "There are two types of people who think of ways to kill someone: socio-paths, and writers" and someday I will undertake the argument of any megliable differences.

Right Now:
What I'm listening to: "Dance, Dance" by Beach Boys
What I want most: the stratching in my throat to go away