Aimee Bender, one of my favorite writers in the world, is coming to Elon. She will be reading at 7:00 on March 17th. Details on the location soon. I imagine the reading wil be in either Whitley or McCrary.
5 Reasons why you should come see Aimee Bender in action
1. She writes fairytales for grown ups - Her stories all have this amazing fantastical element to them that makes them unrealistic but they are written so well, they become realistic. I am sure she is going to read a story that is both bizzare and heartbreaking.
2. She is really cool. Check out this interview.
3.She has named Oscar Wilde, Hans Christian Andersen, the Brothers Grimm and Anne Sexton as influences on her writing. Who is influenced by The Brothers Grimm? Aimee Bender.
4. If your mind was blown by visiting writer Kevin Wilson, watch out. He says that she is HIS hero. She is mine too.
5. She does all the things were are told not to do in our writing. You know the warnings we get? She writes what she wants to write and she is kicking butt at it.
7 comments:
Ok, I am looking everywhere for this. Do you know where Aimee is reading at Elon? I'm coming from a little out of town after a busy day, and I am so, so worried I'm gonna miss her.
Isabella Cannon Room, in the performing arts building!
Shenee,
Hey I just wanted to thank you so much for this because I couldn't find it anywhere, and I don't know what I would have done if I had missed Aimee.
You were the one who did the introduction, yeah? I hope so, because I didn't tell you tonight, but I've been to so many readings and seriously your introduction is like the best I've ever heard, sincere, heart-felt, true, from a breathless fan. And really, you remind me of me when I was a little bit younger, writing weird things and feeling maybe like an outcast, even one of my grad school lit teachers thought fiction should be purely realistic, it can be tough and then somehow you stumble upon Aimee and her work is so great, so funny, so full of imagination, and possibility, and it's all the permission you'll ever need. And then, she's like the nicest person on Earth, I think.
THANK YOU. That is probably one of the nicest things anyone has said. It made my night! Are you a writer in this area? I wish we could have met that night!
Hey, you know I wanted to say something to you that night, but it was seriously one of my longest days ever,I was so tired, my vision was a little fuzzy around the edges, so yeah, I didn't...
But, I live in Kernersville actually, just happened to be going to Burlington that day, which was perfect.
If it helps, probably won't, but I was the girl in the blue shirt who knew Aimee. I was actually in her class last summer at the Tin House Summer Writer's Workshop. That whole week is just amazing, and I had gone once before that, but the way Aimee thinks and speaks about story and writing is really similair to the way I do. Other teachers are great or amazing and maybe push you to think in ways that you wouldn't before, but sometimes it's just nice to learn from someone who understands your language.
I know what you mean. My teachers try to help me but I always feel like we are speaking different languages. I approach fiction as a opportunity to explore different worlds, they don't even after to be kids with keys for hands or potato babies, just fiction that pushes the walls of real life. I loved the things she said during the Q&A. I think she would be a wonderful teacher. Have you read Kevin Wilson? He i also awesome! I think you would enjoy him.
And gosh, that night was such a blur. I don't remember seeing anyone.
The name Kevin Wilson sounds familar, like maybe he was mentioned in a workshop, or something, but I'll have to check him out. The last book I read, well I guess I'm techinally still reading it since I have like two stories to go, is Karen Russell's "St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves."
But it doesn't all have to be tiny men in cages for me either. I prefer fairy tales or things that cast a strange almost surreal light on reality, that take me to a part of life I haven't been to, a place where the rules are different, but if the language is good enough, or even intense enough I can handle some more or less straight realism. I can't stand reading in black and white, if that makes sense, I want bright writing that tells the truth or that lets me in on a truth that I never would have suspected. I love the people who write odd and weird little stories, but also the opening of Lolita kills me every time.
As far as my writing, I think I started just interested in writing contemporary fairy tales, these weird little gems and exploring the form. These days...I don't know what I do, I just follow what comes to me, seems that there are less guys who throw their hearts into towers of tires and more mothers who make puppets to re-enact their terribly abusive childhoods, more I guess of the strange-ness inside of people than that of the world.
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