Novelist Celeste Ng: ‘There was a period when I thought I’d never write again’

The award-winning author on how Trump, Covid and anti-Asian rhetoric inspired her latest novel, digging her way out of ‘post-book fatigue’, and learning to touch type using UlyssesCeleste Ng, 42, is the award-winning author of three novels, including Little Fires Everywhere, which was made into a miniseries starring and executive-produced by Reese Witherspoon. Her latest, Our Missing Hearts, dramatises the power of art and literature in dark times, unfolding in a nationalistic America riven by anti-Asian violence, where the authorities think nothing of snatching children from dissident parents. At its centre is Bird, a 12-year-old boy searching for his mother, an Asian-American poet who vanished years earlier. Ng lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with her husband and their son.How did Our Missing Hearts begin for you?It came from a very personal place, with me thinking about being a creative parent and that constant fear of just not being present enough if I’m daydreaming about a plot or going on a book tour. I’d had a creative mother in my last novel, Little Fires Everywhere, and her daughter is quite accepting of the art that she makes and of the sacrifices that that requires, but I started thinking: what if that were not the case? Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2023-04-22 17:00:15 UTC ]
News tagged with: #reese witherspoon #missing hearts #dark times #anti-asian violence #book tour #award-winning author

Other Publishing stories related to: 'Novelist Celeste Ng: ‘There was a period when I thought I’d never write again’'


The Rest is History: Andrew Ridker on Writing About the Recent Past

For years I refused to read historical fiction. It seemed to me that there was something artificial—dishonest, even—in summoning a time and place that hadn’t been experienced firsthand. I couldn’t see past the affected dialogue, the funny hats, and my suspicion that the author was making it all... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-07-12 08:51:46 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #recent past #science fiction


Milan Kundera, Acclaimed Czech Novelist, Dies at 94

The Czech-born writer, who spent his most creatively productive years in exile in France, was known for his light, philosophical touch and acerbic views of men and women, most notably depicted in 'The Unbearable Lightness of Being.' Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-07-12 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Yomi Adegoke: ‘There’s something inherently cringe about writing fiction’

The influencer and Slay in Your Lane co-author talks about her journey via Twitter to become a writer, and channelling her experience of social media into debut novel The List“Honestly, I’m a better painter than I am a writer,” says Yomi Adegoke, cackling, as she takes a sip of prosecco.... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-07-01 08:00:07 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #yomi adegoke #writing fiction #began writing #debut novel


Writing a Book is an Act of Prayer

Lamya H’s powerful memoir Hijab Butch Blues is an honest grappling with what it means to be queer, to be a devout hijabi Muslim person who resists gender normativity, to love faith and community. Seeking other queer women in Islam as a young person, H wonders if Maryam, whom no man has touched,... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2023-06-29 11:12:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #queer women #post writing #young person #electric literature #memoir


Adventures in Memory: On Searching for Truth by Writing Fiction

As a fiction writer, I’ve always felt compelled, memoir style, to pore over my life’s timeline. But in a novel, I can erase, revise, smash, crash, reconstruct, and transfigure that squiggly narrative. A novel has no obligation to mirror or represent anything familiar, recognizable, or real. And... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-06-28 08:52:54 UTC ]
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Female novelists don’t need their own prizes. Let’s abolish them | Martha Gill

Barbara Kingsolver and others are no longer oppressed – they dominate book salesThere is a point at which all special treatment becomes patronising. And we have reached that point, I think, when it comes to giving women a leg-up in the business of writing fiction.Genghis Khan sacked and... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-06-18 06:31:35 UTC ]
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Cormac McCarthy's fearless approach to writing

The Pulitzer Prize-winning author was always willing to experiment with his prose, pacing and narration, crafting an oeuvre that varied wildly in style and structure. Continue reading at The Conversation

[ The Conversation | 2023-06-16 17:42:27 UTC ]
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The Young Heroes of the Writing World

Ohio State University professor emeritus Harvey J. Graff praises a new wave of very young authors all trying to change the world. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-06-16 04:00:00 UTC ]
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The Study of Reality: On Trauma, Quantum Mechanics, and Writing Science Fiction

Before I dedicated my life to taking pot-shots at the nature of the universe—I mean, before I became a science fiction writer—I was a frightened child. Death scared me, but living was the constant terror. My father told me I had chosen this. I had come to him in a dream before I was born […] Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-06-14 08:53:04 UTC ]
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It’s Okay to Have a Love/Hate Relationship With Your Writing

One of my moments of greatest relief as a writer—equal, perhaps, to the swell and crest of learning that my first novel would be published—was when, decades ago, my Intro to Creative Writing professor assigned Anne Lamott’s “Shitty First Drafts” and I arrived at this passage: “Very few... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-06-06 08:53:36 UTC ]
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With ‘And Then He Sang a Lullaby,’ a Young Nigerian Novelist Commits to ‘Queer Resistance’

With a first novel that chronicles a love affair between two young men, 23-year-old Ani Kayode Somtochukwu asserts a commitment to “queer resistance.” Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-06-05 16:02:45 UTC ]
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Brandon Taylor: ‘Writing is the most fun I’m capable of having’

The American author talks about growing up queer in a family of ‘wolves’, poverty and class in the US, and the 19th-century writers who inspired his latest novelBrandon Taylor writes quickly. “I can type almost as fast as I can think,” he says. The first draft of his debut novel, the... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-06-03 10:00:28 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #brandon taylor #standing start #good sense #beautiful land #london offices #american author


Book Review: ‘Code Red’ and ‘Calling the Moon: 16 Period Stories From BIPOC Authors’

Decades after “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret,” an anthology and a novel let readers see periods through the eyes of diverse protagonists. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-06-02 09:00:39 UTC ]
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Salman Rushdie to write a book about being stabbed on stage

Author tells Hay literary festival he needs to ‘get past’ the knife attack he suffered before writing anything elseSalman Rushdie is writing a book about being stabbed on stage in New York last year, an attack which left him without sight in one eye, the author told the Hay literary... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-06-01 20:20:47 UTC ]
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Luis Alberto Urrea Writes Like He’s a Mexican Faulkner

For 17 books, Luis Alberto Urrea has highlighted the joys and sorrows of life along the U.S.-Mexican border, a territory which moves with its peoples, no matter the walls we build on the land and in our hearts. Through his memoir Nobody’s Son, novels like The House of Broken Angels, his essay... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2023-05-31 11:00:00 UTC ]
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Turkish Publishers’ ‘Freedom of Thought and Expression’ Award

The Turkish Publishers Association honors a house fighting seven cases of effective bans on books considered 'harmful to minors.' The post Turkish Publishers’ ‘Freedom of Thought and Expression’ Award appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2023-05-27 03:41:29 UTC ]
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The 'Donut Dollies' of WWII: Novelist pays tribute his mother and other unsung heroes

Author Luis Alberto Urrea joins the L.A. Times Book club July 19 to discuss his new novel, "Good Night, Irene." Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-05-24 14:00:39 UTC ]
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Amazon's Kindle Scribe updates include support for direct on-page writing

We were enamored with the Kindle Scribe when we reviewed it, but we weren't blind to its shortcomings, including its limited editing capabilities. Now, Amazon has rolled out an update for the device, which solves some of the issues we had with it and makes it a much better option for... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2023-05-23 05:17:53 UTC ]
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Haymarket Establishes Writing Fellowships for Individuals Impacted by Incarceration

Haymarket Books is establishing a writing fellowship program that emphasizes mentorship and professional development to support the work of incarcerated individuals and others impacted by the criminal legal system. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-05-23 04:00:00 UTC ]
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‘Damn, that fool can write’: how Martin Amis made everyone up their game

He exploded into the tweedy world of literature, a young, pouting and outrageously brash crusader for prose. Our writer remembers her encounters with the novelist, whose smarts and chutzpah confounded his peers‘You’ll be reading me every now and then at least until about 2080, weather... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-05-22 05:00:48 UTC ]
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