Comments on: I will not be a curmudgeon. I will not be a curmudgeon.

By: William B. Jones

William B. Jones — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 01:14:46 +0000

Hi Sara! Glad you are taking Advent preparation (or “emptying out in order to make ready,” as John Baptist does theologically in John 1:19ff) to heart.

On your eventual return to blogosphere, I wanted to comment on your note regarding what an editor should be about…I myself wondered as Raymond Carver was published at the wide range of tone in his work, from indifferent and often disdainful toward his characters (and so readers) to something verging on a Flannery O’Conner-like compassion.

The revelation in recent years of his editor’s ham-handed alterations explains a lot, though in his poetry, at least, there seemed an ongoing conversation with hope. So yes, joining you in (now post-)thanks-giving for those who help us write more honestly in our own voices, and not in theirs!

By: L. Williams

L. Williams — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 22:58:47 +0000

I’ve had this same conversation with myself and you’ve strung good words to describe it all… my own IC wins too much.
I’m thankful for having seen you (and all the others!) at ALAN. And I’m thankful for lots of the things you mention (or somewhere in the neighborhood) and sad for the people who can’t find happiness in the little things. (At T-Day dinner I had to bite my tongue real hard when my mother felt she needed to argue that it was a known fact that ROCK AND ROLL is NOT music… Alas…!)

By: MaryWitzl

MaryWitzl — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 18:12:35 +0000

I feel about Thanksgiving the way I do about Mother’s Day — it’s a shame we have to have a special day just for this, but there it is. Sometimes I think we’d all be a whole lot more grateful if we actually replicated the original Thanksgiving meal: stringy turkey, succotash, and steamed pumpkin. (I’d definitely be skinnier.)

By: Sara

Sara — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 22:45:45 +0000

@Emily Wing Smith, Yes, you are one of the nuttiest of them all! And I'm not sure I phrased that right...I mean consuming stuff with religious zealotry, not consuming religion.

By: Sara

Sara — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 22:44:38 +0000

@Miss_Tammy, Thank you, Miss Tammy. Have a great Thanksgiving.

By: Emily Wing Smith

Emily Wing Smith — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 22:07:07 +0000

I hope I count as one of your nutcase friends! I am thankful that you are my sometimes-but-not-always-a-nutcase-friend, and that you teach me new terms like “religious consumerism.”

By: Miss_Tammy

Miss_Tammy — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 18:19:50 +0000

I am thankful for writers like you, who create wonderful books young people can identify with and enjoy. It makes my job of coaxing teenagers to actually read something much easier.

By: Paul Greci

Paul Greci — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 16:34:57 +0000

Sara, thanks for this list.
I hope you enjoy your spaghetti and meatballs! One of my most memorable Thanksgivings was on the Big Sur coast. After attending NCTE/ALAN in San Franciso, my wife and I headed to Big Sur and did a backpacking trip!

This year it’s turkey at home with close friends, lots to be thankful for.

By: Abbi Glines

Abbi Glines — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 16:21:59 +0000

This made me laugh and reminded me of the things I so often overlook when counting my blessings. Happy Thanksgiving