Thanks to Beth Kephart, Books On the Night Stand, BettyConfidential.com

It's a special privilege when a writer whose work I admire reads my books and raves about them. Such was the case when author extraordinaire, Beth Kephart, recently read my story collection, Women In Bed. Beth is the author of seventeen books. She's up for several awards this year, and has been a National Book Award finalist in the past. Her newest novel--Small Damages--slayed me with its gorgeous language and story set in southern Spain. Next for me is her book, Handling The Truth, which is about writing memoirs as well as the relevance and beauty of memoirs and what they offer us as readers. Here's what Beth said about Women In Bed.  http://beth-kephart.blogspot.com/2013/11/women-in-bedjessica-keener-reflections.html

More thanks are due to the wonderful Books on the Nightstand and Ann Kingman's expressed love for the stories in Women In Bed.  (She "devoured them.") She invited me to write a guest essay, so I wrote about fairy tales because they sparked my passion for short stories. You can read what  Ann says (and my essay) here.http://booksonthenightstand.com/2013/11/once-upon-a-time.html

Finally, special thanks to BettyConfidential.com editors for naming Women In Bed one of 12 must-reads this fall. I was in good company. (Others chosen include Jhumpa Lahiri, Elizabeth Gilbert.) Here's the link: http://bettyconfidential.com/2013-11-6-design-home-fall-back-into-bed-with-these-fall-reads-12-new-books-you-wont-be-able-to-put-down/4/

Salman Rushdie, Boston Book Fest, Cranberry Bogs

Quite a week.

First up: Salman Rushdie talking to 800 or so people who filled the lower and upper pews in Boston's Old South Church. He was introduced by Homi Bhabha and a discussion between the two old friends followed. Salman said a few things that stuck with me. Paraphrasing, he said: books have no boundaries. That truth exploded inside me. It's still exploding inside me. He also cautioned against buying into a "security" point of view (my quotes for emphasis). This is basically a view that anticipates any and all disasters and catastrophes at all times. He said if you buy into that viewpoint you will give up your language of freedom. Again, this sung the truth to me. Basically, a security point of view is one of fear. If we live in fear, we imprison ourselves. Naturally, we have to be cautious and wise, but excessive fear leads to all kinds of shut downs: spiritual and emotional, physical, social. Finally, he read  a gorgeous passage from his memoir, Joseph Anton, and finished by answering a few audience questions.

Salman Rushdie

Next up: all day Saturday in Copley Square celebrating books, readers, the power of story. Lots of book vendors, publishers, writer organizations, food, music & 200 authors, including too many author buddies to name here. Boston is a literary gold mine.I wonder if we have the highest author per square block concentration in the country? Someone needs to do a survey.

Day Crowds

John Hancock building, sky and clouds mingling

Weather was perfecto

Late afternoon, closing time

I shared a panel with novelists Amity Gaige and Miriam Karmel, moderated by Ann Kingman (far r) of Books On the Nightstand.

This describes our panel

Our panel took place inside the Boston Public Library, a truly gorgeous architectural creation.

Copley Sq. entrance to Library

Library's inner courtyard. 

My week wrapped up with a day visit to Cape Cod and the Dennis Memorial Library where I read from Women In Bed and talked with a wonderful group of local folks. Special thanks to my host, Jane McGinnis, Gordon McGinnis, and also Titcomb Bookshop (Sandwich, MA).

Cape Cod Bay at high tide

Cranberry au natural. Cranberries grow low to the ground.

Here, with my lovely host: Jane McGinnis

We talked about the difference between short stories & novels, the writing process, publishing, and more.

Newtonville Books, reading Oct. 9, 2013

Reading at Newtonville Books is a special thrill and one I had the pleasure of sharing with novelist Amy Grace Loyd who may be one of the most energetic, upbeat writers I’ve met in a while. She has a head-turning resume, too, that includes former literary editor at Playboy magazine and current executive editor for Byliner. 

This bookstore is beautifully designed with warm woods and a delightful front desk made of real, stacked books (see pic below). The store recently celebrated its fifteen-year anniversary.

Our books: Women In Bed, Night Swim & The Affairs of Others

See the desk made of books (left corner)

Women In Bed, release party, Oct. 1 Brookline Booksmith

Thanks to all who came out to celebrate my new story collection.

Post by Jessica Keener.

Thanks to everyone who came out on a week night!

reading from the opening story "Secrets"

Yakking with my sister

Finally met my publisher, Lou Aronica, head honcho at The Story Plant

Lovely bouquet sent from my mom and sister who live in California

Night Swim, new edition

Sept. 

I put this copy of my book in my father's plant that he gave my husband and I for a house warming more than 15 years ago. The plant didn't bloom for years but when my dad died in 2010, a month later it started blooming. You can see why this plant feels special to me. I wrote about that here. 

The new edition of Night Swim recently found its way to the top ten spot on B&N's Nook bestseller list.

Thich Nhat Hanh in Boston, September 15, 2013

Post by Jessica Keener.

Yom Kippur, a child's thoughts

Yom Kippur begins this evening and it brings back memories when I used to fast as a child. I began fasting when I was about seven and stopped the year I turned seventeen and went off to college.

As a child, fasting heightened my awareness of everything—time, smells, sights, sounds, thoughts. By the end of the day, without the usual prompts of meals and snacks to mark my routine, the day took on a quality of air where space and time became one, my feet barely on the ground where I stood. I spent those days fasting with other Jewish kids on the quiet streets and sidewalks of my suburban neighborhood. As usual, we rode bikes, played hide and seek, rode bikes again, or found things to do with stones, dirt and sticks.

Plus this: on this day of Yom Kippur, we picked our super special--sacred--apples from our neighbor's small orchard. Those gnarly trees, weighted with fruit, lowered their limbs for our easy reach. Each of us—maybe we were half a dozen kids—walked among the leafy trees in search of our own, flawless apple, unbruised, red and shiny.

Once I made my selection, I kept my apple close, in my hands, for the rest of the day until that precise minute on the clock when I returned to earth, could break the apple skin with my front teeth--and eat!

The apple represented my reward. But it also represented life, beauty, survival, temptation, and the power of nature and G-d, a power that created this aromatic and sweet tasting fruit. My apple overflowed with its roundness, its redness, its greenness, its "is-ness" and became my companion, my cheerleader urging me stay the course, to last the whole long day of fasting. Nestled in the curve of my fingers,I felt my apple's solid nature, its promise of future nourishment. "I’m not going anywhere," it said. "Treat me right, don't drop me. Polish me, honor me, and I’ll be here for you when your fasting is done." 

And it was. Every time.

It’s been years since I've fasted on this holiday, but my body remembers with fondness and gratitude the help I received from my neighbor's red apples. 

For all those fasting on Yom Kippur this year, I wish you a good one that allows you to focus on the day’s meaning of atonement and forgiveness and to find some cleansing in the process.