Monday, July 29, 2013
Good Writing, Bad Week
Last week wasn't fun. My mother was in the hospital, and my car needed a new starter motor.
But at least it was good for my writing. I had two short stories accepted for MAIN LINE VOICES, an anthology set in the Philadelphia area. And a story of mine, "Bustles Went Out of Fashion in 1905," was accepted by LINGUISTIC EROSION.
Finally, my flash fiction story called "Potemkin" just went online today on THE RUSTY NAIL site. I've read that story to audiences at several bookstore and library events, and it's always gotten laughs in the right places. So I'm glad to finally get it published.
But I'm not sure the victories balance out the defeats. Or maybe that's just my anhedonia talking.
Friday, July 26, 2013
Dead Flight
I knew about what is called "white flight." And "black flight."
But "dead flight" was a new one on me.
Today in The New York Times, on the op-ed page, there is a piece by former New York Times correspondent Charlie LeDuff. The piece, Come See Detroit, America's Future, is about Detroit's dire financial straits, and how other American cities may face the same problems.
In the article, he notes that Detroit suffers not only from white flight and black flight, but dead flight as well. He defines dead flight as when "people routinely disinter their deceased and relocate them in the suburbs."
Amazing. Of course, I'm not the kind of dutiful son who visits the graves of his ancestors. I do enjoy visiting a graveyard occasionally, but - as long as it's pretty - I feel that one graveyard is as good as another for a visit. So I never would have imagined that Americans would do this. (At least, I didn't imagine that non-Chinese Americans would do this. I know that people whose traditions include what we blithely call "ancestor worship" will move the graves of the departed.)
But it's an interesting phenomenon, and I'd like to write a nonfiction article about it.
And, though I'm generally not interested in writing vampire or zombie fiction...if someone's willing to PAY me for it, I'll happily write a story titled Dead Flight.
But "dead flight" was a new one on me.
Today in The New York Times, on the op-ed page, there is a piece by former New York Times correspondent Charlie LeDuff. The piece, Come See Detroit, America's Future, is about Detroit's dire financial straits, and how other American cities may face the same problems.
In the article, he notes that Detroit suffers not only from white flight and black flight, but dead flight as well. He defines dead flight as when "people routinely disinter their deceased and relocate them in the suburbs."
Amazing. Of course, I'm not the kind of dutiful son who visits the graves of his ancestors. I do enjoy visiting a graveyard occasionally, but - as long as it's pretty - I feel that one graveyard is as good as another for a visit. So I never would have imagined that Americans would do this. (At least, I didn't imagine that non-Chinese Americans would do this. I know that people whose traditions include what we blithely call "ancestor worship" will move the graves of the departed.)
But it's an interesting phenomenon, and I'd like to write a nonfiction article about it.
And, though I'm generally not interested in writing vampire or zombie fiction...if someone's willing to PAY me for it, I'll happily write a story titled Dead Flight.
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