Alice Munro: “Princess Ida”
Trevor and Betsy discuss Alice Munro’s “Princess Ida,” from Lives of Girls and Women.
Betsy Pelz
Alice Munro: “Heirs of the Living Body”
Trevor and Betsy look at Alice Munro’s “Heirs of the Living Body,” from Lives of Girls and Women.
A.E. Stallings: “Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda”
A.E. Stallings’ sonnet “Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda” was first published in the September 23, 2013 issue of The New Yorker and is available here for subscribers. “Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda,” by A.E. Stallings, is a witty, amusing, and ultimately satisfying 14-line poem, and it matters for its use of rhyme. What I really liked about the poem was that … Read more
Alice Munro: “The Flats Road”
Trevor and Betsy begin Alice Munro’s Lives of Girls and Women with “The Flats Road.”
Elizabeth Danson: “At the Bungalow”
“At the Bungalow” was originally published in the September 2, 2013 issue of The New Yorker (here). “At the Bungalow,” by Elizabeth Danson is terrific. Proceed no further! Read it first! The poem is a snapshot of a woman’s interior erotic life, one whose freedom sustains her, one she keeps private, one that derives part … Read more
Seamus Heaney: “The Guttural Muse”
“The Guttural Muse” was originally published in the June 25, 1979 issue of The New Yorker. It was reprinted in the September 9, 2013 issue just after Heaney’s death on August 30. Seamus Heaney is said to have texted his wife right before his death: “Noli timere.” Have no fear. Don’t be afraid. This week … Read more
Dorthe Nors: “The Heron”
This week’s New Yorker story is Dorthe Nors’ “The Heron,” translated from the Danish by Martin Aitken.
Robert Coover: “The Colonel’s Daughter”
This week’s New Yorker fiction is Robert Coover’s “The Colonel’s Daughter.” Trevor and Betsy share their thoughts. Read the full post.
John Ashbery: “Gravy for the Prisoners”
This poem is available only for subscribers. Click here for the abstract. Famed, acclaimed, 86-year-old poet John Ashbery has a new poem in this week’s issue of The New Yorker: “Gravy for the Prisoners.” Ashbery doesn’t mess around: the reader knows from the strange title that there will be cross currents in the poem. Why would prisoners … Read more
Alice Munro: “Dance of the Happy Shades”
Trevor and Betsy explore the titular final story in Alice Munro’s first collection, Dance of the Happy Shades.