Author Archives: danielshankcruz

Clinching Safety

I took the above photograph at the end of Sunderland’s 0-0 draw at Arsenal yesterday afternoon, which ensured that the Black Cats are safe from relegation this season. The caption, “Clinch safety,” is a simple statement within the context of the match, but it also struck me as a profound statement about life. Isn’t thatContinue reading “Clinching Safety”

Books Acquired Recently

Adler, Renata. Speedboat. 1976. New York: New York Review, 2013. Fox, Paula. Desperate Characters. 1970. New York: Norton, 1999. I was recently reading The David Foster Wallace Reader, which includes a few syllabi from Wallace’s creative writing and literature courses. The syllabi are the best written, most thought-provoking ones I have ever encountered, and itContinue reading “Books Acquired Recently”

Book Acquired Recently: Jill Bialosky’s The Players

Bialosky, Jill. The Players. New York: Knopf, 2015. I recently read a review of this poetry collection and decided to buy it because it includes a section about baseball. Baseball and poetry are a perfect match for each other because they both invite contemplation. The empty spaces between pitches (which really only seem to beContinue reading “Book Acquired Recently: Jill Bialosky’s The Players”

Books Acquired Recently

Coverley, Merlin. The Art of Wandering: The Writer as Walker. Harpenden: Oldcastle, 2012. Dorsey, Candas Jane. Black Wine. New York: Tor, 1997. —. Machine Sex and Other Stories. London: Women’s, 1990. I bought these three books (all from amazon.com’s network of independent sellers) as a result of reading Greg Bechtel’s collection of short stories BoundaryContinue reading “Books Acquired Recently”

Books Acquired Recently: Desk Copy Edition

Over the past few weeks I’ve received desk copies of several novels that I’ll be teaching in the fall. They are all books that I already own which have been reprinted with different pagination than previous editions, hence the need for new copies. Angelou, Maya. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. 1969. New York:Continue reading “Books Acquired Recently: Desk Copy Edition”

Books Acquired Recently: Nostalgia Edition

My parents have recently been completing some house renovations, and in the process of moving furniture around to accommodate these changes my mother has been de-accessioning some books. She asked whether I wanted any of them and I took a few, some because I have fond memories of them from childhood and some because IContinue reading “Books Acquired Recently: Nostalgia Edition”

Books Acquired Recently

Cecconi, Mike. This is My Inside Voice. Utica: VBLP, 2015. Cecconi is a regular reader at the Tramontane Cafe’s poetry nights here in Utica, which I frequent occasionally. His chapbook came out a few months ago, and I finally got around to purchasing it (only $5.00!). I read it last night and it is fantastic.Continue reading “Books Acquired Recently”

Books Acquired Recently: Mennonite Literature Edition

As I mentioned in a recent entry, I attended Mennonite/s Writing VII at Fresno Pacific University two weeks ago. Aside from the books that I bought at the conference, I also came away with a number of recommendations of books, and these texts have been arriving in the mail all week. I was able toContinue reading “Books Acquired Recently: Mennonite Literature Edition”

Books Acquired Recently

Hertz, Sue. Write Choices: Elements of Nonfiction Storytelling. Los Angeles: Sage, 2015. I have been wanting to write more creative nonfiction, and while I’ve had a bit of success getting published in the genre in the past I still don’t feel like I have a good sense of how to write compelling pieces of itContinue reading “Books Acquired Recently”