Suffering Optional
I have the habit of holding opposing views.My new collection, ALMOST FAMOUS WOMEN, deals with risk-taking women, women who lived passionately and chased dreams, sometimes at great expense to their...
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Joe Carstairs Racing Footage
The "Siege at Whale Cay" is one of my favorite stories in the collection, and I love that you can actually see footage of a young Joe Carstairs prior to a boat race - she's got swagger.Watch the video...
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Anjelica
After being a writer for a few years now, I know one thing: You must celebrate your victories and bottle up the good feelings. So, please excuse my obscene joy and delight over the fact that...
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A Gift from the Southland
I happened to publish my first book right when I moved to Vermont - but I had been a southerner for 30 years. I worried that even though I grew up on Flannery O'Connor, Welty, and contemporary...
View ArticleJaw-dropping
Jen Percy wrote a flat-out, mind-blowing piece in TNR: My Night With Afghanistan's Only Female Warlord.Three things I love about this piece:1) The quality of the writing - I felt entirely transported,...
View ArticleViolet and Daisy
My collection ALMOST FAMOUS WOMEN kicks off with a story on these two women - Violet and Daisy Hilton - showing them at the end of their lives, when they were essentially abandoned in North Carolina....
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In Praise of Rumphius
Portrait of Miss Rumphius, by Kirin Schmit A good friend gave me a copy of Barbara Cooney's Miss Rumphius earlier this year, and it felt like a revelation -...
View ArticleNothing But Time
Cat Power NOTHIN' BUT TIME (Teaser) by Aaron Rose from Aaron Rose on Vimeo. Yeah. I know. I post this video all the time on social media, but there's something about the song and the video that...
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Banksy
Girl with Pierced Eardrum, Banksy, from BuzzFeed When I was researching my essay at Salon on using makeup as a feminist and environmentalist, I came across a moving anecdote about a mysterious...
View ArticleTiny and Ruby
I love an unusual love story.I think we need to see more unusual love stories. I've been writing about the International Sweethearts of Rhythm for years now, and thanks to Jezebel Productions, I...
View ArticleYour Moments
Because I've been thinking (e.g. stressing) about my upcoming book launch, I've been thinking about owning moments. Maximizing these little windows where you have a chance to grab your dreams - I...
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Delicious Humble Pie
I love this essay by the fabulous Kenyon Review editor David Lynn, about why he chose my story, The Siege at Whale Cay, for their most recent issue. He writes (and my heart was in my throat when I...
View ArticleStars
God knows I love a star. Thank you, Kirkus, for my first pre-pub review for ALMOST FAMOUS WOMEN. A snippet:In her second story collection, Bergman tells the forgotten tales of women hovering on the...
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Love Your Indie
Here is Connie Brooks, the proprietrix extraordinaire at the independent bookstore that handles my pre-orders, Battenkill Books. I want to show you her store, and how great she is, and let her speak...
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The Muse
This is what my muse looks like. As for where she lives - it's on top of a grave in Pisa. I've seen her twice, and that also means I've had two tries to remember the sculptor's name or whatever...
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Agitation
Alex Katz, Vincent with Open Mouth, 1970When I was younger and had no taste - I only have a little now - I used to find myself...
View ArticleLucia - A Conversation
Let me speak honestly: I think this is the most beautiful thing I've ever been a part of artistically.I knew, when I started talking about my book Almost Famous Women, that I wanted to be in...
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Food + Narrative
This is a pie Amelia Morris made for me, but I can't eat it, because she lives far away.Because I'm particular about food and there are so few restaurants nearby, I cook...
View ArticleA Preview
I've always been interested in women who live passionately - women who take risks or devote themselves to a career, or art. That interest often dictates my reading life, and ALMOST FAMOUS WOMEN...
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