PAULA WHYMAN

I am a good baker, but for some reason I have a mental block involving pie crust. I wrote about my pie crust trials last Thanksgiving. This year, the apple pie went in the oven looking like it was patched together by Dr. Frankenstein. Luckily, it came out looking a bit better. I will call it "rustic." The bakeries charge more for that, because it looks like you did it yourself. Well, I did do it myself, so, dammit, it's rustic. I know there's a metaphor for fiction writing in there somewhere. I'll call my first drafts "rustic" from now on. And since adapting recipes usually means you've improved them in some material way that you may refuse to reveal, a revision will be a version that's adapted from...the rustic...first draft. Ugh.

Okay, never mind. Let's say we just eat the pie.

Spiced Pumpkin Pie
adapted from Bon Appetit,
made with dark molasses and other top secret adjustments...





Rustic (!) Five-Spice Apple Pie
adapted from Saveur




Happy Thanksgiving!

Friday night, Stephen Elliott read from his new memoir, The Adderall Diaries, at Teaism in Washington, DC, for an appreciative audience that included a number of other writers and artists. He talked at length about the process of writing memoir, and one point that really struck me was when he warned that if you're going to write about something real, you can't go halfway. It doesn't work. The reader will always know when you're faking it or pulling back from a tough subject.

So here's a note to all my relatives: It's too late! I know everything.

Below, some pics from the event. Unfortunately, the weird light on the wall threw off my flash, which may explain the demon eyes...

This was a great way for readers to get quality time with an author, minus the barrier of the bookstore gatekeepers. (No offense intended to the bookstore gatekeepers, of course.) Someone suggested we do a series of these events. I'd be up for that.

Here, also, is a link to Leslie Pietrzyk's Work in Progress blog, in which she describes Stephen Elliott's talk at Teaism, specifically his advice to writers about how to do the delicate work of letting people know they're characters in your book, among other pertinent issues.

And, here's a link to MoCoScene, a blog by journalist Karen Watkins who was newly exposed to Stephen Elliott's work through this event and had an intense response to it. I love the idea of bringing a talented writer's work to the attention of new people; it's very gratifying when that happens.

TEAISM has ginger margaritas and mighty fine Bento boxes. Check it out, tonight.

AN EVENING WITH STEPHEN ELLIOTT & THE ADDERALL DIARIES

Friday, November 20, 2009
6:30pm - 9:30pm
Teaism-Penn Quarter, 400 8th St., NW, Washington, DC

Stephen Elliott will read/discuss his acclaimed new memoir, The Adderall Diaries: A Memoir of Moods, Masochism, and Murder

Books will be available for purchase.

RSVP to rsvp@aiwriters.org or mail at paulawhyman dot com or through my Contact page.

This event is cosponsored by American Independent Writers.

See you there.

Thanks to CuriousSpouse for pointing out this event, announced in the Washington Post Weekend section:

Figure skaters Dorothy Hamill and Scott Hamilton will ice skate to the music of Olivia Newton-John at Verizon Center on
Monday, November 16.

Love that 'tard, Scott.


Come on, admit it; we were all guilty of this hair style once.


Even a little bit of love can't make this right.


Don't wait! Get those tickets now.

Of course, you could just stick needles in your eyes for fun. But then you'd still hear the music.

I wish I were able to take better photos. (I also wish I could get some of the photos to appear in a position other than flush left...)

I haven't done justice to the work of these artists, but at least I can give an idea of what their projects are like. One of the great things about being at VCCA is the opportunity to be inspired by the work of such diverse talents.

Tanja Softic




Becky Slemmons




Miriam Morsel Nathan




Julia Bloom




Sara Klar

From an artist's studio at VCCA:



"Move your a**. Your mind will follow."

Words to live by.