Last week I blogged about my DIY (Do It Yourself) MFA program, a self-propelled effort to ramp up by writing with a commitment to excellence in reading and craft. A few of you kindly asked about my reading list and suggested you might like to read along, which would be an awesome arrangement, like an informal DIYMFA cohort.
There’s nothing magical about my reading list, of course. It’s a quirky reflection of my eclectic tastes, except for those books that Jayne Anne Phillips and David Vann use in their workshops. And my annotations last year were less than stellar – I mostly scribbled notes in the pages of the books. But this is a new year, and I’d love to be more resolute in the recordkeeping for this part of my life.
To keep it simple, I’ve add a sidebar link (scroll WAY to the bottom of the blog) to Deb’s DIYMFA reading group, which I set up on Goodreads. This isn’t an official 49 Writers venture, but for initial identification I had Corvex McCarthy stand watch – that logo’s set up to change to the book stack at the top of this post. Clicking through, you’ll can surf the bookshelves to see what I read last year, what I’m currently reading, and what’s on my to-read list.
There’s only one member in my little discussion group so far, and that’s me, but if you’d like to join, you’re most welcome, and of course there’s no obligation to read or take part if you do join. If others want to read along with me, I’ll open discussions as I finish each book. (No worries and no spoilers if you’re not done with the book yet.) I’d love for you to add titles from your current reading list to the mix; maybe I’ll swap some of my choices for yours. “Real” MFAers, I’d love to see your favorites, too, either posted at Goodreads or in the comments below.
If I stay a one-person group (hmmm…not grammatically possible, but online we can be whatever we want, right?), I still plan to annotate as I work through my list. If nothing else, you all have made me more accountable to myself, and I can always use more of that.
That Nabokov story collection looks great. I remember reading that short, metafictional story of his — "Signs and Symbols" (or was it Symbols and Signs?) — at the Tutka Bay Retreat and wanting to read more of his short work. Good luck on your great reading list!