Friday, July 11, 2014

Ann Garvin

Ann Garvin is a professor of health and nutrition at the University of Wisconsin Whitewater; she also teaches creative writing in the Masters of Fine Arts program at Southern New Hampshire University in Manchester, New Hampshire.

Garvin is the author of the novels On Maggie’s Watch and the newly released The Dog Year.

Recently I asked the author about what she was reading. Garvin's reply:
I’m in the middle of two books and they are competing for my attentions lately. The two are so different from each other that it’s not much of a competition in either direction. I’m re-reading A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving because it is such a favorite of mine. What could I ever say about a book published by John Irving, except that reading it will only enhance your writing, your life and the way you view the world. In an Introduction to 3 by Irving (Random House) Terrence Des Pres wrote, “I think Irving tells the hardest kind of truth, but in the telling insists upon the freedom to have fun.” This to me is what makes a book great.

Jami Attenberg’s book The Middlesteins is my second read and I am taking my own sweet time with it. I had the remarkable experience of spending a week with Jami while teaching in an MFA together. Meeting Jami, hearing her read, and now reading her books is the richest of experiences. Jami (both in her writing and in person is approachable, grounded, kind, and funny and The Middlesteins is that largely buzzed book that deserves all the amplification. I just love it when the good guys get what they deserve.
Visit Ann Garvin's website.

--Marshal Zeringue