Provocative Silence

 J.D. Salinger

 Born: January 1, 1919, New York, N.Y.

 Died: January 27, 2010, Cornish, New Hampshire

Ron Rosenbaum, of Esquire magazine when describing the solitary nature of J.D. Salinger wrote: 

"It is not a passive silence, it is a palpable, provocative silence."

My Salinger Year, by Joanna Rakoff spoke to a great fantasy of mine. While I do not read romances with shirtless men on the cover, I am not without special nooks and crannies in my imagination where the topic thrills me, and sends me off into delicious flights of fancy. What do I lust after in my heart, to quote President Carter? I want to gobble up all I can about the New York literary scene.

Joanna Rakoff, at the age of twenty-three, spent a year working at an esteemed literary agency in the heart of the best of all literary worlds. What drew me to the story right from the beginning was my abiding desire to step inside one of these establishments. My filing cabinets have folders holding rejection letters, letters expressing interest, letters asking for the full manuscript, and why I keep them all is a mystery to me. Writer's conferences invite agents who are looking for new talent. Since they are the gate-keepers to the publishing contracts, it behooves any writer to learn something about the people who hold the keys to our kingdom. Over the years, I have learned a few things about these agencies. For one, they seem to stay in business. Two, they maintain the same address, and three, they grow in the numbers of employees. Four, they have graduate students and new-hires reading our query letters. Books on how to approach literary agents and how to seek representation are plentiful. Yet, as a voyeuristic and curious reader, I want to be right inside and sitting at the desk. Joanna Rakoff did an excellent job of putting me there. She writes about her year as an assistant, in the nineties, at the old and venerable establishment working for a woman holding the coveted post of agent for J.D. Salinger.

The period of time in my life where I gobbled every word written by Salinger, is still fresh in my mind. Rakoff, well into her time in at the agency, still had yet to pick up Catcher in the Rye. We know that Salinger is reclusive and must be protected at all costs. His agent must shield him from those who would make a pilgrimage to his front door. Rakoff has the job of answering fan letters. It has always been an accepted arrangement where a reader can write to a publisher if they want to contact the author directly. The publisher would be duty-bound to see that the mail reaches its intended recipient. Rakoff, given the standard form letter, began to veer from that, and answer letters addressed to Salinger personally. Intrigued by the emotional impact his writing has on the public, she finally reads Salinger's work and like so many others, becomes a devoted fan.

There is such clarity to Salinger's work that it seems he can write without effort. Of course, that is not the case. His desire to keep distractions at bay has always been admirable to me. Understandably, there are those who would disagree. It is my contention that he deserved to be able to do what he did best. Never, not for one day, did I imagine that he was not continuing to write out there in Cornish, New Hampshire.

Perhaps the last sentence from Catcher in the Rye says it all:

 "Don't ever tell anybody anything. If you do, you start missing everybody."

http://www.amazon.com/My-Salinger-Year-Joanna-Rakoff/dp/0307958000/ref=sr_1_sc_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1403880094&sr=1-1-spell&keywords=my+salonger+year

Know When to Use A Hyphen in Compound Words

by JENNIFER ROVA

There are  several types of compound words:

1    1. Single word, no hyphens

           hindsight, babysit, baseball, kindercare, background, antebellum, carpetbagger

2. Do not use a hyphen unless it serves a purpose. If a compound adjective cannot be misread  
    and its meaning is recognized, do not use a hyphen:

            high school curriculum

            health care reform

            day treatment program

            play date

            grade point average

     

3. Hyphenated words acting as adjectives before a noun they modify if the term can be 
    misunderstood or if the term expresses a single thought:

            well-baby exam

            able-bodied man

            three-legged race

            well-intended plan

            triangle-shaped house

                 

4.  Compounds in which the base word is a proper noun or is                             

           a number: post-2001

           an abbreviation: pre-NALP trial

           capitalized: pro-British, German-speaking Austrians

           more than one word: non-qualifying-senior students

5. All "self-" compounds whether they are adjectives or nouns:

            self-report

            self-esteem

            the test was self-paced

            self-centered actor

6. Words that could be misunderstood:

            re-pair [pair again]

            re-form [form again]

            re-construction plans

            re-enact the murder

            re-carpet

7. Words in which the prefix ends and the base word begins with the same vowel:

           meta-analysis

           anti-intellectual

           co-occur

        

8. Use a hyphen to join a word to a past participle to create single objective preceding the noun 
     it modifies. If a compound adjective follows the term, do not use a hyphen, because 
     relationships are sufficiently clear without one:

well-intended plan; the plan was well intended

            hand-iron-shaped mark; the mark was in the shape of an hand iron

            same-sex children; children of the same sex

9. Write most words formed with prefixes as one word:

            aftereffect

            extracurricular

            multiphase

            socioeconomic

10. When two or more compound modifiers act together, the hyphens are retained in all    
       except the last modifier:

            long- and short-term memory

            2-, 3-, and 10-min trials

            pre- and post-war crimes
            red-, yellow- and green-tinged hues appear

11. Do not hyphenate compound words that end in “-ly” even if they precede a noun:

          fully developed plan

          heavily fortified troops

          stringently enforced rules

          accurately reported data word

12. When splitting a multiple syllable word at the end of a sentence. Split the word after a 
       syllable:

         I wrote the illustrated, minia-

         ture book in six months.

         He fished until his sun-     

         burned head hurt too much.

         Mary hurried through her college appli-

         cations.

(adapted from the sixth edition of the APA Publication Manual, 2010)

(english.com/grammar/00000048.htm)

Common Words from Native American Language

by JENNIFER ROVA

  Many of the words and phrases we use today came from Native American languages. Of the Native American words borrowed, most come from the Algonquian languages, those first encountered by English settlers in the 1600’s. Examples are: chipmunk, hickory, moose, opossum, persimmon, raccoon, skunk, squash, toboggan, and tomahawk. 
  These language families are spoken by many individual tribes from the Northeastern part of the United States to the Rockies. Mississippi comes from the words for big (mitsi) and river (sitpi) probably Ojibwa or Cree sublanguages. Minnesota is from the Sioux words for water (mni) and  clear (sota). 
  A large number of Athabascan and Nahuatl (Middle America) languages stretching from Alaska (great big land) and western Canada (from Laurentian Iroquois kanata [village, wigwams, settlement]) down to the American Southwest and Mexico gave us words like wapiti, igloo, avocado, kayak, cocoa and chocolate. Numerous place names have come from the American Indian languages. They are interesting because the names describe the geography of the area or something about the tribes living there.

Apache -- elk horn fiddlers                                         Appomattox – tobacco country

Arizona -- little spring place                                       Chattanooga—eagle nest

Cherokee – cave people                                              Chesapeake – salty pond

Chicago – place of wild onions, bad smell                  Comanche – snakes

Dakota – friends, allies                                                Delaware – true men

Erie – at the place of the panther                                 Flat Head – sailfish

Haiti – mountainous country                                       Huron– hair style

Idaho – it is morning                                                    Illinois – warriors

Kenosha – long fish                                                      Kokomo – the driver

Kiowa – principle people                                            Macinac - turtle island                                    

Massachusetts – large hill place                                    Manhattan – island

Menominee – wild rice eaters                                       Miami – all beavers, all friends

Michigan – big sea waters                                             Milwaukee – rich land

Monongahela – falling bank                                          Nantucket – far away light

Nebraska – flat water                                                     Ohio – beautiful river

Ojibwa – those who drew pictures                                Oshkosh – claw scratches

Ottawa – traders                                                             Pensacola – hairy people   

Peoria – place of fat beasts                                             Pocahontas – shield

Potomac – burning pines river                                       Pueblo – village dwellers

Roanoke – shell money                                                  Sandusky - large pools of water 

Schenectady – end of trail                                              Seminole – run away people

Shenandoah – hillside stream                                         Sioux – cut throats

Texas – friendly allies                                                     Topeka – potato country

Toronto – meeting place                                                 Tuscaloosa – black warrior

Utah – higher up                                                             Ute – dark skinned 

Walla Walla – many waters                                            Willamette—running water

Wenatchee – rivers coming out of canyon                     Wyoming – large prairie place

Yakima – run away                                                          Yosemite – grizzly bear

Many names for products come from Native American languages. Conestoga means “beautiful magic land” and we walk on Mohawk carpeting, Mohawk meaning “people of the flint”. The auto industry has taken names for some of their vehicles: Jeep “Comanche”, GMC “Denali”, Toyota “Tundra” truck, and Dodge “Dakota”. We use Igloo brand coolers but why would anybody name an RV “Winnebago” which means people of the stinking water”?

                                                                                                                                                    

Visit Before You Write

JENNIFER ROVA

After reading Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter and two weeks touring the Tuscany region of Italy, it is my recommendation that you visit the foreign country about which you are writing. Your five senses are educated to a degree you could not possibly resurrect from where you are writing be it at home, on the beach, or at the library. Your settings are enhanced by traveling to the location of you writing.

Tuscany sits in the middle western part of Italy. The Mediterranean Sea is on one side, the Apennine Mountains down the middle and the once magnificent city of Florence on the eastern boundary. This does not include Venice and is about 175 miles north of Rome. Beautiful Ruins is set in Cinque Terre (chink qw terr' a) area which is a stone's throw northwest of Tuscany.

 At the beginning of Beautiful Ruins, we are introduced to Pasquale and his dreams which include making his tiny village in the Cinque Terre region on the Mediterranean Sea into a world class resort. The author gives little to developing your ability to feel the area. There are minor descriptions of the flowers, soil, or the ocean and a lot about rocks. I am "not in the zone." Pasquale, one of the too many characters in the book, never blooms in my eye as the studly, handsome, black haired young Italian man you want him to be. The author talks about Pasquales' mama's cooking but you can never smell the Italian herbs, cheeses, bread and red wine that would enhance the feeling Walter was trying to project. He leaves us feeling the area and characters are dull.

Italians possess a different set of values describing who they are. What events we think  that would impact the region did not leave an obvious stamp. The people will mention that Florence was drastically bombed during WWII. But, the city contains ten centuries old duomos (cathedrals), and thousands of precious paintings (The Birth of Venus by Botticelli) and sculptures (Michelangelo’s David) worth untold billions of dollars. Those are what they are proud of and want you to see and appreciate.

The people of Tuscany center on what their ancestors had brought to the world stage. In the late 1300’s and early 1,400’s, the subjects of paintings changed from religious themes to paintings of actual people. Botticelli, Michelangelo (Mick-el-angelo, not My-cull-angelo), Galileo, and Leonardo da Vinci all lived during this time and competed with each other for commissions from wealthy patrons. The renaissance was promoted by the vast wealth and interest in the arts and learning by Lorenzo de’ Medici, or Lorenzo el Magnifico (1449-1492). Many advances in the sciences were developed then as well as democracy and ended by greed. Florence fought Siena, Pisa and Lucca for control of the water ports for trade. Italy was not unified until much later. Many of these cities practice today some of the festivals and pastimes developed then. The Palio in Siena is one horse race that has been enjoyed for since the 1,400’s. That is 600 years! (The race takes 90 seconds and the horse that crosses the finish line, with or without its rider, wins.) Pisa has its leaning tower, Lucca preserved fortress walls 35 feet wide, and Carrera its marble mining.

San Gimignano and vineyards

What Italian offer now are diverse things: their centuries of history in the arts that influenced who they are today; their food, wines and olive oil; the marble quarries; and their unique topography of mountains and rolling picturesque, farmland surrounded by salt water on three sides. They produce a lot of the world’s best wines from centuries old vineyards. The region of Tuscany is noted for acres of olives trees and grape vines carefully tended and harvested. Tuscan wines are enjoyed all over the world. They are proud of these things and live lives within them.

The Italians talk: fast, all at once, and loudly. They talk when someone else is talking. They are pleased when you make an effort if you are a foreigner who says “Bongiorno”, or “Bonasera”, or “Gratzie”. “Due biccheriere di vino rossa, per favore” doesn’t hurt to know either.*

The weather in Tuscany in the summer is HOT. I do not see how they stand it. These old cities and villages are made of centuries old black rock. The houses and businesses are bumped right to the edge of the road on either side with no spaces between buildings while the black rock or brick of the buildings makes the heat bounce off raising the temperature even more.

The food is Tuscany is renown. It is different than other regions of Italy. They use no salt in their many breads, pastries, or pasta. Sliced bread was served with the meals and it was to be used to sop up the left over sauce from the pasta…except they serve about a tablespoon of sauce with a medium sized bowl of rigatoni so no leftover sauce. Dinner is later when it is cooler and one can sit for hours sipping wine and talking with friends. Pastas are thicker and they do not cook them as long as we do. I thought they tasted like wallpaper paste. Pizza is served but not as much as in America. Theirs is very thin crust with little red or white sauce. Beautiful Ruins described none of these things.

I have tried to show the differences I noticed. In my writing, I would not have known that the Palio is such a long-standing tradition in Siena and would need to be part of any story set there. It is often the topic of conversation because the race is run twice a year and seriously competitive. I would not have been able to work in how absolutely marvelous the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence made of Carrera white, pink and green marble is, nor wonder at how the men could have constructed such an edifice with only rudimentary tools they had in 1296.

The countryside has its own scent, as do the little villages and bigger cities, all different. All these traits need to be in your understanding in order to make your story ring true. If you cannot visit a foreign country, fill notebooks full of research and “listen” to what that research is saying to you. Try to experience what you are reading. Cook or bake recipes from the country in your book. I experienced heat exhaustion six times while on this journey. Nobody could have explained how hot Siena is with its black stone. No air circulates so smells and sounds are louder than other places.

Jess Walter in Beautiful Ruins had none of this convincing background. The book wandered from sort of present back to the 1960's and Italy, Hollywood and Scotland. I never liked any of the characters so I did not care what happened to them. I put down the book about half way through and will donate it to the used book sale at my library. I realized how important first hand knowledge is to authentic writing.

*Two glasses of red wine, please.

A Glorious Field for Sawmills: Humbird Lumber Company, 1900-1948

by Jennifer Lamont Leo

"Oh! beautiful grove of large cedar - then Hemlock . . . Pine . . . then Tamarack again - tice for ties. What a glorious field here for saw mills."--H. Milnor Roberts, Northern Pacific Railroad Survey, Lake Pend Oreille, July 1869

A Glorious Field for Sawmills: Humbird Lumber Company, 1900-1948, a new book by historian Nancy Foster Renk, tells the story not only of one lumber company, but of the people who worked there and the community that burgeoned around it. 

Today the forested mountains and beautiful lakes of northern Idaho attract visitors--and locals--in search of recreation and adventure. More than a century ago, lumbermen were drawn to these same resources for opportunity and profit. By the early 1900s, sawmills dotted the northern shores of Lake Pend Oreille and continued down the Pend Oreille River, from Clark Fork in the east to Newport in the west.

The most prominent of these local mills was the Humbird Lumber Company. Operating for more than three decades, the company encompassed large sawmills in Sandpoint, Kootenai, and Newport (now known as Oldtown); 200,000 acres of timberland; close to one hundred houses in three towns; two company stores; and a bank. The company even built an athletic field and sponsored a winning baseball team.

A Glorious Field for Sawmills chronicles the fascinating history of Humbird Lumber Company and its logging operations. The company existed in a context of rapidly developing towns, changing rural landscape, and sometimes tumultuous social times. Historical photographs from the collections of the Bonner County Historical Society and Museum in Sandpoint, Idaho, richly illustrate its story. The book was published as a cooperative project involving the Bonner County Historical Society and Museum, the Idaho Transportation Department, the Sand Creek Byway Project, and SWCA Environmental Consultants.

In a career spanning more than forty years, historian Nancy Foster Renk has worked throughout Idaho, Montana, and Washington. In addition to published articles and many contracted reports, she wrote Driving Past: Tours of Historical Sites in Bonner County, Idaho (2014). She received the Esto Perpetua award from the Idaho State Historical Society in 2010 in recognition of her contributions to the preservation of Idaho history. She lives in Sandpoint, Idaho.

A Glorious Field for Sawmills is available for purchase directly from the Bonner County Historical Society and Museum, bchs@frontier.com, 208-263-2344. It can also be purchased locally at Vanderford's Books, the Corner Bookstore, and Common Knowledge in Sandpoint; Bonners Books in Bonners Ferry; Hastings Entertainment in Coeur d'Alene; and other outlets.

Six-Word Story Tips & Tricks

by Jennifer Lamont Leo

Entries to Writing North Idaho's Six-Word Story Contest have been pouring in. You still have until July 15 to enter, so set your pens to scratchin' or your keyboard a-tappin'.

Here's an inspiring video I stumbled across that will help you write the best six-word story ever. Although the video specifically deals with six-word memoir, and we're letting you write any kind of story (memoirs are certainly welcome), it will give you some inspiration and useful tips, such as:

* Make it personal
* See the six-word limit as a challenge to your creativity instead of an obstacle
* Find inspiration in reading other writers' six-word stories
* Revise, revise, revise
* Submit it!

Get all the goodness here.

Summertime, and the writin' is easy

by Jennifer Lamont Leo

Summer is the hot season for writers conferences! Sure, you may already have your summer vacation plans sewn up--two weeks at the lake cottage with the in-laws, an Alaskan cruise, a cross-country road trip. Still, if you're looking for a getaway AND a chance to dive deeply into your writing and network with other writers, editors, and agents, a writers conference might be just the ticket. Whether you're a beginner, intermediate, or advanced writer, there's a place for you. 

Here's a round-up of writers conferences and workshops happening around the greater Northwest this summer. If you know of others, please let us know in the comments.

JUNE

Chuckanut Writers Conference
June 27-28, 2014
Whatcom Community College, Bellingham, WA

Fiction, nonfiction, poetry, publishing & marketing
Three years ago, the conference launched with the theme Inspiration into Action. They're returning on Friday and Saturday, June 27 and 28, 2014 to continue their mission—to profoundly inspire your writing life with a renowned faculty and dynamic program.

JULY

Summer Fishtrap Gathering of Writers
July 7-13, 2014
Wallowa Lake, OR

Poetry, fiction, nonfiction
A week of writing and conversation filled with generative workshops, afternoon breakout sessions, open mic events, evening readings and panel discussions all in the beautiful setting of Wallowa Lake. This year's theme is What the River Says: The Art of Listening in a Turbulent World as they will celebrate the themes and ideals of poet William Stafford on the centennial of his birth. Featured keynote speaker is Palestinian-American poet and Stafford  protégé, Naomi Shihab Nye. Other faculty include Luis Alberto Urrea, Kim Barnes, John Daniel, and Brenda Miller. 

The Port Townsend Writers Conference
July 10-14, 2014
Fort Worden State Park, Port Townsend, WA
Poetry, fiction, nonfiction

The Port Townsend Writers’ Conference has been since 1974 at the wild heart of the thriving Pacific Northwest literary scene. With a focus on community and rigorous attention to craft, the Conference offers morning workshops, afternoon workshops, residencies, guided freewrites, and a vibrant readings and lectures series presented by vital, contemporary writers. Whether you’re new to writing, and seeking an inspirational environment to create new work; looking for advanced post-MFA revision workshops; or simply desire to renew and recharge yourself in a writing retreat, the Port Townsend Writers’ Conference gives you the craft and connections to make breakthroughs in your work.

Oregon Coast Children’s Book Writers Workshop
July 14-18, 2014
Oceanside, OR  

Children's

This is an intensive workshop for those who are not only passionate about children's book writing, but who dream of publishing their own children's books. The course is designed for beginner, intermediate, and advanced writers. It consists of presentations by eight full-time instructors, gobs of writing, group manuscript sharing, and intensive consults with instructors. The instructors are five professional children's book authors, two children's book editors from major publishing houses, and a full-time children's book agent.

Pacific Northwest Writers Conference
July 17-20, 2014
Seattle Airport Hilton, Seattle, WA

Fiction, nonfiction, children’s

The summer conference is an opportunity for you to meet other writers, attend classes focused on different aspects of the craft, and pitch your ideas to agents and editors if you're ready. The conference is for writers of all levels. Whether you are seeking inspiration or ready to pitch your perfect novel, you will find yourself surrounded by people who all love the same thing. There's something for everyone at conference. Sessions are led by industry experts and are crafted to address many different aspects of the publishing industry. From keeping track of your expenses to crafting the perfect pitch, sessions give you a chance to interact with experts and ask questions in a friendly and open environment. 

AUGUST

Willamette Writers Conference
August 1-3, 2014
Doubletree Convention Center/Lloyd Center, Portland, OR

Fiction, nonfiction, film, YA, children’s

Writers come to the Willamette Writers Conference to learn more about writing, to get inspired, to come together as a community and to pitch their ideas, scripts and manuscripts to the professionals who can help bring success.

Oregon Christian Writers Summer Conference
August 4-7, 2014
Red Lion Hotel at Jantzen Beach, Portland, OR

Christian inspirational fiction, nonfiction, memoir, devotionals, magazine, children's, poetry

The OCW summer conference is becoming known as one of the country’s best Christian writing conferences, with top editors, agents, and award-winning authors dedicated to helping you reach your writing goals. We are planning 12 coaching classes and 30 workshops for both advanced and beginning instruction in fiction, nonfiction, memoir, devotionals, magazine articles, writing for children, poetry, marketing, and intensive critique.