[ z ē ' n ĭ t h ]   -noun   1. an arch wherethrough gleams that untraveled world...

Author Archive
Looking into the Dark

Looking into the Dark

The unconventional narrative of Andrzej Stasiuk's 'Dukla' invites us into the dark to explore the nature of memory and imagination.
An Impractical Solution for an Impractical Era

An Impractical Solution for an Impractical Era

Given that we’re already well into the second decade of the twenty-first century, I’m willing to bet that your writing machine is also an e-mail machine, a blog machine, a magazine and newspaper machine, a Facebook machine, a Twitter machine, and in some cases a pinball machine.
Yes, You Can Trust Him

Yes, You Can Trust Him

Stephen King is one of those writers self-proclaimed literary authors avoid reading. He must be doing something right, however, because as of this moment, King has written 49 novels and sold more than 350 million copies.
Impermanent Things

Impermanent Things

The amateur novelist comes to understand a key aspect of novel writing: no change—minor or catastrophic—is off the table. Today’s episode: the delirious fever of rewriting.
The Limits of Motherhood

The Limits of Motherhood

In Emma Donoghue's "Room" we get the sweet side of hell, the joy of having a mother all to ourselves with no chance of separation—a motherhood that seems infinite in its reach in the compressed world they share.
Call for Submissions: Beloved Books

Call for Submissions: Beloved Books

As readers we all have our favorites, the books that grabbed hold of us and made us reach out to steady ourselves. There are books that have changed us, that still influence us to this day. There are books, it goes without saying, that we love.
Subtle Adventures in Nihilism

Subtle Adventures in Nihilism

Because the most adept of readers loves nothing more than to turn the pages; because we don’t let things like prose style or plausibility creep into our consciousness... because one prefers caricatures to characters, The Help is the most remarkable novel we’ve come across in years.
Literary News for the Literarily Inclined

Literary News for the Literarily Inclined

In books: National Short Story Month; three writers battle over MFA programs; judge resigns as Philip Roth wins prize; the novel still alive and well; Charles Simic on libraries; ten disturbing novels; literary tattoos; and a ban on the word "verdant."
The Myth of Morality

The Myth of Morality

Where The Pale King is concerned, everyone agrees that David Foster Wallace enshrines boredom. What has been glossed over, however, is how fiercely and unrepentantly American these pages are.
The Pleasure and Pain of Lovers and Readers

The Pleasure and Pain of Lovers and Readers

Love is something beyond us—something just within our fingertips but always taking that one extra step to elude us. In the end we begin to realize that this is perhaps for the best—that it is maybe more fortunate than we realize.
The 8th "R" of Positivity for the Unpublished Novelist

The 8th “R” of Positivity for the Unpublished Novelist

The amateur novelist has an enlightening experience where all enlightening experiences seem to happen: out in the woods. Today's episode: The importance of relaxation (without having to waste time relaxing).
The Psychology of Waiting

The Psychology of Waiting

The amateur novelist resists the urge to make a tally mark in his skin for each day that goes by without good news. Today’s episode: managing neuroses.