Review of EC Hanlon & Caroline Leavitt at the Salem State Writers Series
(photo credit: Caroline Leavitt)
That was a truly special Writers Series event last night, with chairs arranged on the diagonal for intimate readings by SSU Creative Writing alum EC Hanlon and NYT bestseller Caroline Leavitt. Hanlon read a brief section of literary fiction that left me wanting more as the plot twisted with the revelation of a character's agoraphobia in the workplace and at home. Leavitt was dazzling as she recalled the rigid 50s-- McCarthy's ideological war on Communism, neighbors watching each other. "Do they read books? Communist!" The classifieds separated jobs for men and women, and there were no good jobs for women. Leavitt took us on a magical ride through the 60s and 70s, when heroin showed up and everything got bad--performing this memoir without notes, and told us about her persistent efforts to publish her work, despite those who would dismiss it and discourage her. In short, she said, "Never, ever, ever, ever, ever give up!"
Review by Laura Smith (our Nonfiction Editor!)
Be sure to also check out Joe McGurn’s review of Leavitt’s reading, published on Red Skies, SSU’s online magazine!
Submissions for Issue 38 and the Claire Keyes Poetry Prize are open until March 1st!