NewPages.com Review of Slice Magazine

Posted on May 31, 2009 by Andrew Roe

Every month NewPages.com faithfully reviews a batch of literary magazines (is anyone else doing this valuable service? I don’t think so).

Anyway, this month they reviewed the current issue of Slice Magazine. And my story “My Status” got a nice call out.

Here’s what reviewer Mary Baken had to say:

“In fiction, I was totally astonished by Andrew Roe’s ‘My Status,’ a beautifully rendered divorce story that managed to evoke a crushing sense of sympathy for all sides of the triangle.”

Like I said, nice.

There was also mention of Alexi Zentner’s story, which I really enjoyed.

You can read the entire review here.

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Susan Bell’s “Revisioning The Great Gatsby”

Posted on May 30, 2009 by Andrew Roe

A few years ago (four? five?) I attended the very first Tin House Writer’s Conference. Overall, it was an amazing experience, and one of the highlights was attending Susan Bell’s lecture called “The Artful Edit.”

She talked a lot about the editing and revision process for The Great Gatsby. It shows how a book can be transformed during this process, by both writer (F. Scott Fitzgerald) and editor (Maxwell Perkins). It was eye-opening and a real treat.

Bell has since published a book (The Artful Edit), and her essay on Gatsby, called “Revisioning The Great Gatsby,” is also included in The Writer’s Notebook: Craft Essays from Tin House.

Mark Sarvas over at The Elegant Variation recently posted the essay in four delicious installments.

Highly, highly recommended. Reading it also makes me want to check out the Maxwell Perkins bio.

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Tom Waits Rules Too

Posted on May 30, 2009 by Andrew Roe


“I’m the closest thing to myself that I know.”

I came across this Tom Waits quote while reading a New York Times review of a new biography of him. I wasn’t aware there was a biography of Tom Waits. I am now. I’d like to read it.

Brief Tom Waits story: My wife and I were camping in Yosemite a few years ago. We saw a guy who reminded us of Tom Waits: the pork pie hat, the professional slouch, the baggy clothes, hands thrust into pockets, soul patch, etc.

“Hey,” said Maria. “Check out the Tom Waits wannabe over there.”

The guy was now walking toward us. Getting closer and closer. Staring down at the ground. Turns out: it was no wannabe. It was the man himself. Camping. Alone. We wanted to talk to him but chickened out. (“Uh, hi Tom Waits. I think you’re, like, really really cool.” What do you say in these situations?)

Then, just a few months later, we were driving through Sebastopol (I don’t remember why). We noticed an old beater car parked on the side of the road. Somebody was getting into the car… that somebody was… Tom Waits.

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Neko Case Rules

Posted on May 29, 2009 by Andrew Roe


One of my favorite music blogs, Aquarium Drunkard (named after a Wilco song), recently posted some songs that Neko Case recorded for Canada’s CBC Radio3 Sessions.

Man, it’s good stuff. Bare bones. Acoustic. Powerful. And that voice.

By the way, the cover for Middle Cyclone (see above) has to be one of the greatest album covers of all time. Right up there with Sticky Fingers.

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AwkwardFamilyPhotos.com

Posted on May 29, 2009 by Andrew Roe

I must, must share this website.

Once you get there, keep scrolling and you might recognize someone…

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