I grew up in the Chicagoland area but chose to live somewhere else. My reasons were simple, but it doesn't mean that I don't miss the area. So, I come up occasionally to see my family and friends. Sadly, I get nothing done when I'm here because there is always somewhere to go, someone to see, and something to buy. Add in the traffic, and the painting that should appear explains why I haven't returned. This area is not conducive to writing. If I don't write; I get disgruntled.
Why am I here and posting about Chicago and books when I am supposed to be working on Tesla's Travels? It's Printers Row Lit Fest (June 8th, June 9th), and I will be going with my editor and a few amazing friends to buy books. Yes, I love books and will be searching for: French authors, Japanese authors, and the Redwall Series (a friend and I are collecting then rereading the series for nostalgic purposes). If you have any author suggestions, shoot me an email! We will all be there on Sunday.
So, I will explain why I am looking for French and Japanese authors. Part of my writer training is to read entire traditions of literature. This was a growth exercise handed down from Dr. Niculescu during one of our lunches. It is simple, how can you write in a tradition of literature without experiencing that tradition. So, I began reading the classic authors in American literature (because I write in that tradition). However, he ended his exercise with a suggestion: read other traditions and you will be able to write in multiple forms.
That is the exercise, and I decided to absorb the Japanese and French traditions into my Being. French is simple, I can read anything (as in enjoy it) French, digest it and love it. For me, the story never matters in French writing, it's their underlying philosophical currents that pull me down like a undertow. It may come as a surprise (not really if you read any of my manuscripts), but I study French philosophy more than German.
Then there is the Japanese tradition I will read. I am currently reading The Sailor who Fell from Grace with the Sea by Yukio Mishima. My reasons for reading this tradition are slightly different from the others. I want to get a world view, and books allow me to be transported to a different culture and different time period (Light in August just took me to Mississippi during the early 1930's). Japanese authors, like any author, are writing about what they know and what is important to them. These differences are clear in the first chapter of The Sailor who Fell from Grace with the Sea. Which means, I will soon be in Japan post WWII, and I am excited and scared!
If I am lucky, and my ideas about this festival are correct, then I am going to get some great books at amazing prices.
While I am home, I decided to print out the entirety of Journey to God single spaced:
