if i look back, i am lost
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he wasn't even looking at me and he found me
cherry valley forever
Sweet Seals For You, Always
Kaledo Art
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trying on a metaphor
Aqua Utopia｜海の底で記憶を紡ぐ
Show & Tell
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Jules of Nature
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@writeitlikedisaster-blog1
A guy in my screenwriting seminar today said that he thought the ending to Carol wasn’t believable because they had no chemistry and he thought Therese would go off with a dude at the end and I can now confirm that if all the gay women in a room roll their eyes at the same time it is indeed audible
the loser of the war: has the best memory. the winner: gets to forget
Melissa Lozada-Oliva, “Self-Portrait With Historical Moments” (via buttonpoetry)
DeLisle native and author Jesmyn Ward is among 24 recipients of this year’s MacArthur Foundation’s “genius grants.” The Chicago-based John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation on Wednesday announced the 24 fellows, who each receive $625,000 over five years to spend any way they choose. The recipients work in a variety of fields, from computer science to theater, immunology and photography. The foundation has awarded the fellowships annually since 1981 to people who show “exceptional creativity in their work and the prospect for still more in the future.” Previous winners include “Hamilton” playwright Lin-Manuel Miranda and author-journalist Ta-Nehisi Coates.
Denis Johnson…told us that we should keep two notebooks. In the first, he said, we were to write in the usual way—fretting, second-guessing, brooding. The second one, he said, was different because it was governed by a single rule—this notebook had to be a space where the pen never left the page, where we wrote everything down, no matter how bizarre or reckless it felt. The first notebook is your enemy, he told us, and the second is the only thing worth committing your lives to. I think of all the rough edges, impulsive leaps, obsessive engines, and quirky spillways of intellection that give my life its deepest meanings and pleasures. And what it all shares, of course, is born of that ‘second notebook.’
Michael McGriff, in this week’s Writers Recommend (Poets & Writers, 2017)
I’m very honored and excited to have received an invitation to Sundress Academy For The Arts’ residency. Even more thrilled they chose me based on my submission of the first chapter of my thesis. I just have to pay the fee.
People who are most afraid of their dreams convince themselves they don’t dream at all.
John Steinbeck, The Winter of Our Discontent (1961)
LOVE, SIMON
Becky’s FAQ
Q: What is LOVE, SIMON?
A: It’s a major motion picture based on the book SIMON VS THE HOMO SAPIENS AGENDA. The film is directed by Greg Berlanti, and is produced by Temple Hill Entertainment, New Leaf Literary & Media, Inc., and Fox2000. It will release in the USA on March 16th, 2018.
Q: What is SIMON VS THE HOMO SAPIENS AGENDA?
A: It’s a young adult novel written by Becky Albertalli (me!), published in the US in 2015 by HarperCollins, and available in over 20 languages. It’s about a gay teen boy named Simon Spier, and his experiences navigating high school, coming out, and falling in love with his anonymous email penpal.
Q: What actors star in LOVE, SIMON?
A: Nick Robinson (Simon Spier), Keiynan Lonsdale (Bram Greenfeld), Alexandra Shipp (Abby Suso), Logan Miller (Martin Addison), Katherine Langford (Leah Burke), Jorge Lendeborg Jr. (Nick Eisner), Jennifer Garner (Emily Spier/Simon’s mom), Josh Duhamel (Jack Spier/Simon’s dad), Talitha Bateman (Nora Spier), Natasha Rothwell (Ms. Albright), Tony Hale (Mr. Worth), Miles Heizer (Cal Price), Mackenzie Lintz (Taylor Metternich), Drew Starkey (Garrett Laughlin), Bryson Pitts (10-year-old Simon), and more!
Q: When will the film release in the USA?
A: March 16, 2018
Q: How do I know if/when the film will release in my country?
A: I don’t have information about international releases, but it might be helpful to keep an eye on this page of IMDB.
Q: The summary on IMDB describes the film as: “A young gay teen takes a novel approach to coming out to his classmates.” Does this description (which seems different from the book) accurately reflect the film?
A: This description on IMDB does not accurately reflect the content of the film. The plot of the film is the same as the plot of the book.
Q: Is LOVE, SIMON a faithful adaptation of SIMON VS THE HOMO SAPIENS AGENDA?
A: It really is. I had the opportunity to see an early version of the film, and it blew me away. It’s not a scene-by-scene adaptation of the book (nor would we want it to be), but it’s very similar, and it perfectly captures the heart of Simon’s story. I’m completely in love with this adaptation, and I know my readers will be thrilled with it.
Q: Will the movie include <insert specific scene or line from the book>?
A: When watching the film, try to let go of the expectation that this will be a scene-by-scene adaptation. Movies and novels are very different forms of media, so you may find that specific details are changed in the adaptation. Angie Thomas (THE HATE U GIVE) brilliantly refers to her movie adaptation as the fraternal twin of her book, and I think that’s the perfect way to look at it. Big picture: I consider LOVE, SIMON to be a very faithful adaptation of my book.
Q: Why did you change the title?
A: The title, like most aspects of the film, is chosen by the studio and production team, not the author. The studio spent months researching the best possible title for this film, and they landed on LOVE, SIMON for many reasons. It captures the heart of the story, it’s easy to say and remember, it has mainstream appeal, and early test audiences responded really well to it. Basically, the studio is REALLY excited about this film, and they want to give it the best chance they can to reach a broad audience. Personally, I’m thrilled with this new title. My book title will remain the same, but this one suits the movie so well.
TL;DR: I didn’t pick it (the studio did), but I’m happy with it!
Q: What are some of the differences between the book and the film that I should prepare for?
A: Alice (Simon’s older sister) isn’t present in the film; Simon wears glasses only in the flashbacks; Bieber is a little pupper instead of a Golden Retriever; a few characters who are white in the book are played by actors of color (this is a really wonderful improvement, IMO); there are a handful of original characters (and you’ll LOVE them).
Q: When should I expect the trailer/movie poster/soundtrack/movie stills to release?
A: I don’t have that information, nor would I be allowed to leak it if I did. Sorry!
Q: Will there be a movie tie-in edition of SIMON VS THE HOMO SAPIENS AGENDA?
A: Yup! It releases January 30th, 2018, and you can preorder it here.
Q: How am I going to make the time pass until March, 2018?
A: Here are some ideas!
-Read my other published book, THE UPSIDE OF UNREQUITED. It’s set in the same universe as SIMON, and it stars Abby Suso’s cousin from Maryland. A few Simon characters make cameos!
-Preorder my next book, LEAH ON THE OFFBEAT. It’s a sequel from Leah’s point-of-view, and it follows Leah, Simon, and the gang as they grapple with senior year, messy crushes, and impending goodbyes. It releases on April 24, 2018.
-Preorder my fourth book, WHAT IF IT’S US. It’s a co-written project with Adam Silvera about two boys falling in love in New York City. It releases on October 2nd, 2018. (And if you haven’t yet read Adam’s gorgeous previous books, you can order them here.)
-Keep an eye on my social media accounts - I post updates when I can! I’m @beckyalbertalli on Twitter and Instagram.
-Preorder the SHORES SIMON VS/UPSIDE fanzine! This zine was created by and for Simon and Upside readers, and it features 56 pages of original fanfiction and fanart. The cost of the zine goes toward production costs, and all profits will be donated to GLSEN and The Hispanic Federation. Check out their Tumblr page here for some amazing sneak previews, and follow the organizers (Dee and Mariana) on Twitter!
-Head over to Ao3 for some absolutely incredible SIMON VS THE HOMO SAPIENS AGENDA fanfiction.
-Follow @lovesimonfilm on Twitter, @lovesimonupdates on Instagram, and Creeksecrets on Tumblr - they’re all run by readers, and they do an awesome job staying on top of updates.
-Follow the Simon and Upside characters on Twitter (bonus: several characters from THE HATE U GIVE and THEY BOTH DIE AT THE END have accounts, too)! These are unofficial, reader-created accounts, but they’re scarily spot on. An awesome reader/writer, Catherine Tinker, created this list to help you find them: https://twitter.com/catherinetinker/lists/fictional-chaos-fun
Why we need queer-inclusive children’s libraries. Adults have an instinctive need to protect children. It is a worthy goal, but when adults begin to sanitise the world children are expo…
“The question: Is there something odd about me? may happily disappear in the shelves of a queer-inclusive library.”
Five Short Stories by Trans Women of Color
“The Girls and the Apple.” Jasmine Kabale Moore. The Coalition
“Waiting Room,” Jamie Berrout
Love and Comets, Gillian Ybabez
Coconut, Gabrielle Bellot. Small Axe Journal
Bonus: Watch Ryka Aoki read her story “To the New World”
As adamant as a jayhawk, I often feel as though I’ve entered a standoff between what happens around me & what’s going on inside—& this life that goes on & on inside my head goes on & on it seems almost without me, as it has since childhood, and I continue to be caught up in all of its head trips, on the lookout for something I can’t put a name to, never mind find.
David Rivard, from “Standoff,” The American Poetry Review (vol. 45, no. 6, November/December 2016)
Quality Iliad-posting
In honor of finally submitting my MFA thesis
I’m sharing one of my absolute favorite moments from the novel-in-progress:
“ I felt like returning to the floor and waiting to die. So I did.”
The British author’s best sellers include “The Remains of the Day” and “Never Let Me Go.”
In an interview with The Times two years ago, Mr. Ishiguro said that he had discovered literature as a young boy when he came upon Sherlock Holmes stories in the local library. “I was around 9 or 10, and I not only read obsessively about Holmes and Watson, I started to behave like them. I’d go to school and say things like: ‘Pray, be seated’ or ‘That is most singular.’
What is your favorite Ishiguro novel?
Looking for some new poetry to read? Check out our 2017 longlist authors
Frank Bidart, Half-light: Collected Poems 1965-2016 (Farrar, Straus and Giroux / Macmillan Publishers) Chen Chen, When I Grow Up I Want to Be a List of Further Possibilities (BOA Editions, Ltd.) Leslie Harrison, The Book of Endings (University of Akron Press) Marie Howe, Magdalene: Poems (W. W. Norton & Company) Laura Kasischke, Where Now: New and Selected Poems (Copper Canyon Press) Layli Long Soldier, WHEREAS (Graywolf Press) Shane McCrae, In the Language of My Captor (Wesleyan University Press) Sherod Santos, Square Inch Hours (W. W. Norton & Company) Danez Smith, Don’t Call Us Dead: Poems (Graywolf Press)
All Bad Soil Now: Loose Reflections on Word Choice and Voice
I’m currently working on the second draft of my MFA thesis, which is to say: I’m currently revising the first half of my novel.
My number one obstacle with writing this story has been the voice, and my ability to hear myself in it. It goes without saying that I’m trying to avoid hearing myself too much. Some trademarks are unavoidable, but if everybody sounds like you, it suggests you aren’t really listening to people. If you’re not listening to people, how do you create compelling characters?
The voice I’m trying to emulate is closer to Dashiell Hammett, or Dennis Lehane: those voices in literature that resist resonating and create a distinctive music of punch and grit, their rhythms closer to Buddy Rich than to Chet Baker.
I’ve done some revising and am not too far from sending off my draft to my thesis committee’s second and third readers. I’ve spent this whole day looking over some of the sentences, and have found a couple places where the language was easy to manipulate into something tighter, fiercer. As far as I’ve re-read this time around, the number one thing I’ve been doing subconsciously is succumbing to a lack of confidence. Here are two sentences that I’ve fixed for their confidence. I put the new sentences in bold.
It was mostly bad soil now. It was all bad soil now.
Through the tinted windows, I could glimpse two figures. Through the tinted windows, I glimpsed two figures.
In short, if you put the verb and subject closer, it feels faster, more imminent. These small moments can matter greatly, and affect the reading experience. I’ve told students to focus on sentence-making before, and they looked at me as though I’ve uttered something in Russian. Sound possesses its own weight. It’s a weight separate from meaning, but carries its own value. Almost daily, I think of this sentence from Grace Paley’s “Wants,” because it’s so masterful and intense:
“He had had a habit throughout the twenty-seven years of making a narrow remark which, like a plumber’s snake, could work its way through the ear down the throat, half-way to my heart. He would then disappear, leaving me choking with equipment.”
Choking with equipment! Not only does equipment feel tonally distant with the relationship between the narrator and their ex, but the muscles it requires of your mouth is palpable. As a poetry professor used to say: what an incredible mouthfeel!
Learning brevity and practicing brevity are two different things. I’ve read Don Barthelme’s “The School” more than any other short story. That could be part of my curse. The voice meanders, trails off, avoids certain trains of thought to create tension. I identify with that voice in a lot of ways. I grew up avoiding confrontation, not speaking my mind, so it seems self-evident that I’d write in a lot of non-confrontational ways. In my final year of my undergraduate degree, a professor suggested I peruse my final paper and remove things like “it seems as though” or “It’s as if the filmmaker…” and replace it with something more authoritative. He said something along the lines of: “Make the assertion, believe in it. “This is what this shot represents, this is what the filmmaker is saying.” Of course people will disagree with you. That’s film studies! It doesn’t invalidate your interpretation. But if you’re not confident in what you’re saying, why will the reader sympathetic to your view feel compelled to take you seriously?”
I sense him looking over my shoulder and shaking his head. He’s probably joined by Lehane, Hammett, Chandler, who all agree: “You want punchy? Don’t be such a crybaby! Make those figurative statements a truth! Simplify those sentences!”
Now, that’s not to suggest that all elements of my story benefit from this. Other characters speak much more loosely. Some digress. Some use formal language. But with a character who’s modeled after those heavy-hitters, what I’ve learned from Lehane and Hammett, and what I’ve learned from academia, has been some of my best advice.
But of course, it has taken an entire 150 pages of material, and returning to revise it, to catch myself slipping back into my usual ways.
