My 2008 List, in No Particular Order

I love year-end lists. I hate year-end lists. It’s helpful to take time to reflect, and I invariably learn about music, books, etc. that I would have otherwise missed. But there’s also something lazy about this list-making.
There’s an assumption that artistic achievement is obvious and measurable, even though most critics’ arguments for the greatness of [...]

Straight Acting

I’m already tired of the self-congratulating heterosexuals involved with the film Milk. Last night I watched a promo on Logo. One of the actors seemed particularly reluctant to celebrate his accomplishment, admitting that he had to have a few drinks before performing a kiss with another guy.
Oh, please, mary. Queer actors have been convincingly acting [...]

What the Story Needs

I saw the film Doubt and liked it. Some critics have complained that the filmmaker attempts to get away with something by not revealing the truth about whether or not wrongdoing occurred. They apparently miss the point and, more important, don’t understand what story is being told.
The characters know what they know, but there is [...]

Believable Fiction

Fact can be stranger than fiction, but readers tend to have a low threshold for the unconventional in fiction. Writing believable stories requires writers to play into what’s expected. How far you can veer from that depends on who you’re writing for and how willing readers are to play along.
In grad school, my fellow students [...]

Must Be the First Night of Hanukkah

The candle we lit hours ago is still burning.
My sweater is saturated with the scent of fried oil. In fact, the whole house smells that way.
I’m so full, it’s affecting my breathing.
But there’s one more latke, and I’d hate for it to go to waste.