Welcome to Litsy!

^^ P275 bringing of self & cumulative experience to writing/reading. Writing as a meeting place for the built self of author & reader, “something new is made from my memories and yours as you read this.”

P92, on the AIDS crisis “had to overcome the false impression that no one like us had ever existed before, because the ones who might have greeted us when we arrived were already dead. We lacked models for bravery and were trying to invent them”

Like any collection, a mixed bag. Transparent style proves his point on the value of learning craft. Tender moments in essays on writing, becoming, family, loss, activism, identity, but somehow still seems withheld. Innocence & openness that sometimes feels too precious? Wanted more of the fierce drag queen. Proving teacher D Eisenberg correct: p111 “what we borrow from life tends to be the most problematic […] we‘ve already invented so much” 2018

Wow. I am just exploring essays and I was blown away by this collection from Alexander Chee. I was challenged as a writer to think more deeply. I was moved as a human on rights issues. It was also a very fitting book to read at the twentieth anniversary of 9/11. This was quite by accident. But I was in tears at the last essay i was so touched. Highly recommended.

Wow. Just blown away by this essay collection so far. Every one is sharp, meaningful and to the point but full of detail. #fangirling

I‘m doing research for a magazine article I‘m writing a submitting soon and this was a great book to start with.

This is a good book, but I‘m not sure I‘m the right audience for it. He goes (a little too extensively) through his writing process, which I think would interest others more. But this essay collection shined for me when he discussed his mixed Korean/white family, his rose garden, and his AIDS activism work. It‘s a book I don‘t want to turn people off to, but a mild pick for me. #audiobook #audibleplus

Very much enjoying this book of essays so far.

Two couch companions and Alexander Chee. Great start to #caturday!! #lennox #huey #catsoflitsy

This came to me just right on time.

🌹 New Episode 🌹 This week on the podcast we discuss Alexander Chee‘s book of essays HOW TO WRITE AN AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL NOVEL. Find it wherever your get your podcasts.

“A small act/decision will make the character/protagonist immediately interesting. The act itself should be interesting. Doesn‘t have to be related to story but the act of making a choice that might seem off is key.”

Also: lazy gerunds—“Did he run quickly or did he sprint?” #quotes #bookstagram #whatimreading

I found this collection of essays rather enlightening. Chee covers many different topics, including tarot-reading, living in San Francisco during the AIDS crisis, his identity as a gay man, growing roses and, of course, how to write.

Chee was born in #rhodeisland so that‘s another state ticked off the list!

#readingUSA2019

I haven't read a book in a long time that swept me away in quite the way that Alexander Chee's How to Write an Autobiographical Novel. This essay collection (and while I love essay collections, I can't say they often sweep me away!) is absolutely gorgeous. And sad. And thoughtful. Chee can write--I mean, REALLY write--and the topics he's chosen balance perfectly big ideas with a narrow focus. (continued in comments)

This is an amazing, diverse collection of personal essays. Topics range from a teenage summer spent in Mexico, to getting really into tarot, becoming a writer, the HIV / AIDS epidemic, identities of being Korean American and gay, being a student and a teacher, and lots more. I loved his voice and how he got to the heart of big issues while sometimes writing ostensibly about smaller, everyday things. Excellently read with precision and feeling.

Only two essays in but I am loving this book! Topics touched on so far include being biracial, spending a summer in Mexico, his father's death, and tarot cards. I really like how he weaves together the lighter and heavier subjects together in one essay while still feeling cohesive. #AwesomeAudiobooks #audiobook #QueerBooks

“Being real means being at home in this face, just as it is when I wake up.”

Happy Valentine‘s Day, you glorious humans. 📚❤️📚

Good stuff to think about (which is applicable to more than just writing) from Alexander Chee.

A memoir of a writer‘s life, the best kind of memoir because it blends in some really great advice on writing.

A phenomenal read that has me stoked to check out his other writings. Serves as a guide for pursuing writing yourself, and offers one of the best insights into the life of a writer I've ever come across.

Unexpected hour or so to myself. Thankfully, I had the foresight to throw a book into my bag before leaving the house!

#Recommendsday

One of my favorite books of 2018. It also prompted me to pick up more books of essays.

https://wellreadneck.wordpress.com/2018/12/21/how-to-write-an-autobiographical-n...

This right here is easily one of the best books of the year. You would be hard-pressed to find a smarter, more insightful writer working today. (I loved it so much, I had to have the teal UK edition too.)😝❤️📚

Y‘all, this book is beautiful. I have so much respect for his life and what he‘s chosen to share

That said, I‘m 84% in and reading his final few essays. I am getting extremely triggered by his childhood sexual abuse. I‘m just getting past a long bout of depression that was the worst of my life, so I‘m going to bail.

If this is not a TW for you, read this awesome book!!!

I am, quite surprisingly, enjoying this essay collection immensely. I‘ve never read his fiction, but I‘ve got to check it out.

PS @Cinfhen see what‘s hanging out to be up next in my #nonfictionNovember lineup 😉😘 Thanks for reminding me I owned that!

#nonfiction #striveforten

Up next on my mountain-high TBR list! Also included in the photo is the cherry blossom printed journal that DH got me at B&N a couple weekends ago. ❤️

@REPollock Thank you, Rachel! Deckled edges and French flaps! 😍

Chee‘s marvelous book of essays is deeply felt and exposes his vulnerability in the best way. He has so much trust, releasing these experiences into the world. This one took me a while to get through, as I needed time to process. Marvelous.

#dogsofLitsy #Bindi

The second winner of the tagged book in my #3Kgiveaway is @Brooke_H - congratulations! Shoot me an email with your name/postal addy at ladybee-at-gmail so I can ship your book!

One more coming later this evening, for the final book.

Sometimes you read a book and sometimes you live a book. I lived this collection of essays. Chee touches on something special when he is writing about himself and literature. I couldn‘t figure it out until I finished the book. Chee allows the reader their humanity. In a world where worth is tied so closely to capitalism—Chee celebrates humanity and all the ways we lie, love, anguish, & heal. @mauveandrosysky , please read so we can discuss 😁

Gorgeous essays on writing, money, queer community, and reckoning with one‘s past. I love the way Chee writes and I savored these.

Loving all of Alexander Chee‘s essays, even the ones I have read before.

I feel like Alexander Chee pours his guts into his writing. I wish I could be his friend.

To celebrate my Litfluence of 3000, I‘m giving away 3 great books! Which one do you want?

THE BLIND ASSASSIN by Margaret Atwood, HOW TO WRITE AN AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL NOVEL by Alexander Chee, or THE ASSOCIATION OF SMALL BOMBS by Karan Mahajan?

Tag me @REPollock & #3Kgiveaway between now and midnight EST on August 19, 2018! Open internationally!

#giveaway @LitsyHappenings #LitsyHappenings #giveawayalert #bookgiveaway @LitsySwaps

Just 30 pages into this one, but I am enjoying it. Final #24in48 stats: 15 hours 24 minutes. Hope everyone had fun. I sure did! What‘s better than having an excuse to read for a whole weekend?! 😀

I have been so busy that I‘m just now getting to my #24in48 stack and I‘m starting in 1 hr 15 min! The top three are a shout-out to Diversity. I also have a few on Kindle and audio which are not pictured. I‘ll just see what I can get through and finish the others over the next few (or several) weeks. Good luck, fellow 24in48ers!

Re: Alexander Chee How to write an autobiographical novel

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/27/books/review/alexander-chee-how-to-write-an-a...

I‘ve spent most of my day in this chair reading and napping. Also, Alexander Chee is wrecking me.

“As children we thought Superman was brave to stand in front of a train. That‘s not brave, though. Superman never stood before anything that could destroy him. Peter did”

Don‘t worry about being original.... Yes, everything‘s been written, but also, the thing you want to write, before you wrote it, was impossible to write.

Last week was a true honor and amazing experience to have Alexander Chee come and discuss his newest book with us! If you haven‘t looked into these beautiful essays yet, you‘re missing out on something big and important

Current reading - really enjoying - a recommended book

Something old, something new. All are borrowed, the last one‘s blue. #libraryhaul

Hey hey, #readers! We‘re hitting your feeds with our first #recommended read for July‘s #24in48 #readathon! This memoir by Alexander Chee will (according to one online review) “leave you breathless, as much for its vulnerability as for its exquisite sentences.” It‘s on our 24in48📚, for sure! ➡️ Are you joining us?! Have you signed up yet? Head over to 24in48.com if not! [Photo description: A left hand holding a red book in front of a brick wall]

And I was happy to see that this hold had come in.

This felt like such an important read. As a human, as a writer this meant a lot. Alexander Chee is amazing at being practical but also optimistic.

What an excellent book of essays! Alexander Chee is generous and specific in sharing his development as a writer, his influences, the best advice of his teachers, his own inner work, how he conceived and crafted his first novel, and why writing is important. He writes poignantly about significant times in his life. #writers #writersoflitsy #writersonwriting

So many good essays in this book, but “Becoming an American Writer” is 🔥🔥🔥

Loved it. And I‘m not a big reader of essay collections, more of an online essay reader, but this? [chef kiss]

On writing a novel. ❤️

Been looking forward to this one.

Started this one on my metro commute this morning. Even though I love fiction, I think I‘m discovering that I enjoy essay collections more than most short story collections. It may be because I don‘t enjoy magical realism as much as most and many modern short story collections have these elements. I‘m REALLY enjoying Mr. Chee‘s essays! Do you have a favorite essay collection? Or can you recommend a short story writer that I may like?