Celebrate the Spring Equinox and news from the AWP

Susan Barr-TomanLeave a comment

Sunny and 80 and now in the 40s and snowy in Philadelphia. I really don’t talk about the weather this much, but it has been an extraordinary week!

But Spring is coming. Don’t forget to sign up to Celebrate the Spring Equinox with me on Saturday, March 21. 

This past weekend my friend Susan and I dropped in on the last day of the AWP (Association of Writers and Writing Programs) conference in Baltimore. We had just enough time to walk up and down the aisles of the Bookfair seeing old friends and making new ones.

Here’s a picture of some of the sway I picked up. 

I also got to meet one of my idols. Jill Christman, who was the editor for my piece “Pedestrian Acts“ in River Teeth’s Beautiful Things. If you have taken a flash essay class with me, you may remember Jill’s essay “The Sloth” in Brevity.  She and I  talked about how that essay came to her as she stood in the shower and looked up to see that sloth. She has a new memoir out called The Heart Folds Early. And I have a signed copy!   

Meeting Joe Biden

Susan Barr-Toman8 Comments

Monday morning I was on my way to meet friends for breakfast at Parc in Center City Philadelphia. 18th Street was blocked off because they were shooting the series Reacher and I had to navigate my way through Rittenhouse Square to the other end of the street. A crew member asked me to wait to enter the restaurant; they were about to shoot a scene. Two police cars took off in front of me, turned and raced down Locust Street. That was some excitement for a Monday morning.

Once seated the waiter greeted us and said, “This is a crazy morning.”

My friend Em and I agreed. “They’re shooting right outside the restaurant!”

He said, “That, and Joe Biden and Jill are here.” He looked up and I followed his gaze to discover Joe Biden standing by the bar. I decided I had to meet him. 

I walked over and watched as he spoke with the star of Reacher and took pictures with him and other crew members. A security man stood to his left and Hunter Biden to his right. Hunter looked at me curiously, making sure I was safe for his dad. Once the star left, I walked up to Biden and extended my hand. He held it with a firm grip.

I said, “Mr. President, thank you for getting us out of Covid and making us strong again.”

“Can I hug you?” he asked. I put out my arms. As he let go of me, he said, “It’s going to be okay. We’re going to get her back.”

I said, “We’re America, right? We can do anything.” He smiled.

I walked away with tears in my eyes. It was such a fatherly gesture to comfort me and tell me it was going to be alright. Despite his recent diagnosis of prostate cancer, Biden looked healthy and strong: he was clear-eyed and engaged with me. I was overwhelmed by his kindness. He is a man of service who operates from a place of love and empathy. I’m so glad I took the opportunity to meet him. And grateful to Em for taking pictures.

And the winner is . . .

Susan Barr-Toman3 Comments

The Book of Form and Emptiness

by Ruth Ozeki

Thanks to everyone who responded. I adore A Tale for the Time Being and am looking forward to reading Ozeki again. This is a long one at 560 pages!

The runners up were:

#2 Crying in H Mart

#3 Klara and the Sun

#4 The Lying Life of Adults

#5 The Dead Romantics

#6 House of Names

#7 100-Year-Old Man

Looks like my red(ish) reading list will keep me busy for quite some time! I’ll keep you posted on my progress.

Would you like to join me in reading The Book of Form and Emptiness?

Tackling my TBR piles one pile at a time

Susan Barr-Toman7 Comments

Help!

For the new year, I decided not to buy new books and instead to read books I already own. This is very difficult as I enjoy buying books. A lot. I love supporting living writers. Writers have to eat too! But I think this is a worthy endeavor.

I am focusing on what I already have. Which is a lot apparently. When I looked at the piles of books in my bedroom alone, I was overwhelmed by the stacks of literature waiting to be discovered. So, I decided to start with a pile of red (ish) books.

Would you help me decide where to begin? Have you read and loved any of these? If so, tell me why. Inspire me to pick a first book.

  • 100-Year-Old Man, Jonas Jonasson
  • The Dead Romantics, Ashley Poston
  • Crying in H Mart, Michelle Zauner
  • House of Names, Colm Tóbín
  • The Lying Life of Adults, Elena Ferrante
  • The Book of Form and Emptiness, Ruth Ozeki
  • Klara and the Sun, Kazuo Ishiguro

I’m excited to start my new year in reading with your insights and advice.

Thank you.

Happy New Year!!