Content Tagged ‘God Bless America’

Before the economic crisis of 2008, Dubai purred gold. For his fantastically anchored story “Hagar’s Sons,” Astoria to Zion contributor Steve Almond draws upon the intersection of an unbridled moment and a richly interesting place. Take a look at these facts about pre-crisis Dubai, paired with excerpts from Almond’s “Hagar’s Sons.”

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A pair of young women served him shirred eggs and dispatched him to a couchette, where he fell into a profound sleep.

For $19,130 a ticket, Emirates Airlines cradled passengers from New York City to Dubai in a private suite with a sliding door and a seat that reclined to form a bed. The thirteen-hour and twenty-five-minute flight was punctuated with seven-course meals served on Royal Doulton china.

[source: New York Times, photo: Emirates.com]

baitandswitch:

Something is funny because it is able to suggest gently that even the worst of our circumstances and sins is subject to eventual mercy.

— Steve Almond

Another step on our quest to find all the Steve Almonds that aren’t Steve Almond.

I don’t want readers to approve of my characters. I want them to feel implicated by them. It’s the weakness that makes these characters human, and makes me love them.

Edith Pearlman

• In case you haven’t heard, Edith’s Binocular Vision won the National Book Critics Circle Award last week.
• She is also nominated for The Story Prize. The winners will be announced tomorrow, March 21!
• Her next reading tour begins April 15 at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, with stops in Charlotte, Durham, and other cities to be announced.

Steve Almond

• This guy writes like it’s his job. Well…you know what we mean. The Newer York
• Steve also continues his “The Week in Greed” articles in The Rumpus.
• His collection of short stories, God Bless America, received an honorable mention from The Story Prize.
• (www.theneweryork.com) just published a flash fiction piece by Steve, as well as a featured quote we’re particularly fond of: “Stay horny for art.”

John Rybicki

• First, you need to know that John’s astounding poetry collection, When All the World Is Old, will be available April 10. Pre-orders get it early, so be sure to visit www.lookout.org.
• He will join Edith at the April 15 reading to celebrate the first year of our little press doing big things.