|
8824 NE Russell St. |
Black Lamb |
|
| Published Monthly | Writing for Readers |
blacklamb.org |
ABOUTBlack Lamb was created to offer the discerning reader a stimulating selection of excellent original writing. Published monthly. (more) FREE SAMPLE COPYEmail us. There is absolutely no obligation. SUBSCRIBESupport this independently published
journal of fine essays.
Annual subscriptions are $15 in the USA, $30 in Canada, or $35 elsewhere (all prices in US $).
Click to subscribe
online via PayPal or,
QUESTIONSIf you have questions or comments regarding Black Lamb, please email us. |
This Week in Literary HistoryMay 1st, 2013 American short story writer Raymond Carver (Will You Please Be Quiet, Please?, 1975) is born in Clatskanie, Ore., in 1938.
Before his death at fifty of lung cancer, Carver had become the most famous and talked about writer of short stories in America. His earliest stories, florid and full of people talking about “feelings,” were distilled by editor Gordon Lish, and the style that Carver eventually developed — laconic, flat, and menacing — was all the rage in the Seventies and Eighties. But a little Carver goes a long way. The admirable simplicity of the writing can’t make up for the emptiness of the characters, a collection of deadbeats, minor criminals, alcoholics, and losers whose lives are not really worth thinking about. The Carver imitators made American writing a pretty sad affair for twenty years, and his baleful influence is with us still. Suggested Reading Short stories Put Yourself in My Shoes, 1974. Will You Please Be Quiet, Please?, 1976. What We Talk About When We Talk About Love, 1981.
Posted by: The Editors This Month in Black LambVolume 11, Number 5 — May 2013May 1st, 2013 The All Children Issue In our May All-Children Issue, Terry Ross argues that protecting children’s rights should be our chief concern. Elizabeth Fournier finds that her daughter sees and hears things that she can’t in In touch. In The catcher in the night, John M. Daniel remembers an incident when his son was a baby. Toby Tompkins exults in his childless state in Precious darlings. In Youthful appetites, Owen Alexander examines school lunchrooms to see what kids eat. Ed Goldberg explains his lack of progeny in Kid stuff. In Still kids, J.Z. Ribby watches himself and his sisters when their mother dies. Brad Bigelow reviews Helen Bevington’s memoir Charley Smith’s Girl in Only one thing missing. And Lee Polevoi reviews James Kelman’s latest novel Mo said she was quirky. Two more distinguished figures from the world of literature — both of them English this month — are ushered into our pantheon of Honorary Black Lambs and The Ultimate Literary Calendar: novelist Graham Swift and travel writer Bruce Chatwin. Our latest Literary Sampler offers extracts from five authors mentioned in this issue. Bridge writer Trixie Barkis treats a matter of technique in Ace & low. This month’s delicious recipe is for Mediterranean Lamb Shanks. Advice columnist Millicent Marshall answers readers’ questions about kids. And Professor Avram Khan gives us his another challenging Black Lamb Word Puzzle. •
Posted by: The Editors In touchKids can see & hear things that we can't.May 1st, 2013 BY ELIZABETH FOURNIER
We moved into a house in the hills that had sat vacant for years. Vacant of taxpayers but not really vacant of ghouls, the former couple who died in the house. We were aware of this when we signed on the line for the place but we just weren’t phased. We figured we were generous enough to share the space with them — so long as they didn’t do things that would scare the hell out of us. Sofia sees them, we do not. But that doesn’t stop me from constantly talking aloud to them, explaining cheerfully that we acknowledge we are in their house, and while we are honored to be living in their house (and please notice we didn’t remodel anything in the house we heard they really liked) we would be very, very happy if they played nicely with our child.
Posted by: The Editors Last Week in Literary HistoryMay 1st, 2013 In 1912, American writer, columnist, and radio personality Studs (Louis) Terkel (Working, 1974) is born in New York City.
Terkel made his reputation initially with his daily radio program The Studs Terkel Program, which aired on Chicago’s WFMT for more than forty-five years. His books started appearing in 1957, and they didn't stop for fifty years. Working is his most famous, but all are classics in their way. One of our favorites is The Spectator, in which Terkel looks back on a long life watching movies and attending the theater. An American treasure. Suggested Reading Books Giants of Jazz, 1957. Hard Times, 1970. Working: What People Do All Day and How They Feel about What They Do, 1974. The Good War, 1984. Chicago, 1986. The Great Divide: Second Thoughts on the American Dream, 1988. Coming of Age: The Story of Our Century by Those Who’ve Lived It, 1995. Talking to Myself: A Memoir of My Times, 1995. The Spectator: Talk about Movies and Plays with Those Who Make Them, 1999. American Dreams: Lost and Found, 1999. Hope Dies Last: Keeping the Faith in Difficult Times, 2003. And They All Sang: Adventures of an Eclectic Disc Jockey, 2005.
Posted by: The Editors Last Month in Black LambVolume 11, Number 4 — April 2013April 1st, 2013 In our April issue, John M. Daniel chooses music above books in Sound Track for a desert isle. In Not so prime minister, Jeanne-Marie Jackson reviews Anthony Cartwright’s How I Killed Margaret Thatcher. Ed Goldberg allows as how technical innovations are passing him by in Obsolete. In Death in the air, Elizabeth Fournier describes a Philippine practice of hanging coffins. Toby Tompkins fires off another salvo against gun fanatics in Firearm Follies. In Other women, Dan Peterson discusses the Italian phenomenon of keeping a mistress. Owen Alexander lets visitors do the talking about Christ the King National Park. In Stay indoors! Terry Ross elaborates four ways to get exercise without going outside. Two more figures from the world of literature — both of them Danish this month — are ushered into our pantheon of Honorary Black Lambs and The Ultimate Literary Calendar: fairy tale author Hans Christian Andersen and short story writer and memoirist Isak Dinesen. An elaborate and irresistible lamb recipe is for Five-Spice Crispy Lamb London-Style. Advice columnist Millicent Marshall once again answers readers’ questions. And Professor Avram Khan gives us his 64th challenging Black Lamb Word Puzzle.
Posted by: The Editors Christ the King National ParkApril 1st, 2013 BY OWEN ALEXANDER It’s no surprise, the way things are these days, that the legislation got through Congress. The choice of site — Russell City, California — was highly controversial at the time, with court challenges already threatened. The atheists swarmed out of the woodwork to be counted. The Jews put up a big stink. It’s all history now. The monument, the park, exists, just like any other, under the jurisdiction of the Interior Department. There were attacks in the vestigial liberal press, pros and cons, guarded elation in other quarters. This is all chaff in the wind, irrelevant. What do people really think? First, the visitors’ book.
Posted by: The Editors Two months ago in Black LambVolume 11, Number 3 — March 2013March 1st, 2013 The All-Sports Issue In our March All-Sports Issue, Rod Ferrandino remembers his early baseball days in Among the elite. In Academic farm teams, Terry Ross attacks the use of colleges and universities as youth leagues for professional sports. Jim Patton, a lifelong sports fan, says he now has the subject In perspective. In Indian gift, Toby Tompkins salutes the sport of lacrosse. Dan Peterson, for years a professional basketball coach and now a TV pundit, examines doping and game-fixing in Dirty tricks. In Sink or swim, Elizabeth Fournier describes the value of surrendering yourself to jiu jitsu. Ed Goldberg's interest in sports has cooled now that he recognizes it’s Only a game. In The playing fields of Eton, John M. Daniel makes an argument for the non-competitive life. Two more personages from the world of literature are ushered into our pantheon of Honorary Black Lambs and The Ultimate Literary Calendar: Colombian novelist Gabria García Márquez and English novelist and travel writer Sybille Bedford. Bridge columnist Trixie Barkis gives an example of when it is correct to Ace your partner’s trump. Our delicious monthly lamb recipe is for Lamb Shepher’s Pie. Advice columnist Millicent Marshall answers readers’ questions about sports. And Professor Avram Khan gives us yet another challenging Black Lamb Word Puzzle.
Posted by: The Editors In perspectiveMarch 1st, 2013 BY JIM PATTON Sports? Where do I even start? Me and sports have been an item since I was six years old, maybe earlier; I know for sure that my birthday presents when I turned seven were a blue batting helmet and a new mitt, so that’s well over fifty years. Like most relationships, we’ve had ups and downs, fits and starts, more and less passion. The nature of the thing changes, but we’re still on, and I figure there’s a good chance that as I lie on my deathbed, half-deranged, I’ll be muttering stuff like “Mickey Mantle came from a speck on the map called Commerce, Okla., and he always deadpanned that it was just before Resume Speed. His dad was called Mutt.” I’ll babble useless facts that have been etched in my brain forever: Babe Ruth 714 (home runs), Ty Cobb .367 (lifetime batting average), Bill Russell 11 (NBA championships). Heck, I usually can’t remember what I had for dinner last night, but I can give you stats on guys most people have never heard of. And the visual images in my head: I see not just the incandescent Russell, Koufax, Sayers, Jim Brown, Ali, Bird, Magic, Mays, but also most of the guys they played with.
Posted by: The Editors February 2013 in Black LambVolume 11, Number 2 — February 2013February 1st, 2013 In our February issue, Toby Tompkins satirizes the gun culture with Get ’em while you can. Dan Peterson contributes a fourth piece on life in Italy, Le ragazze. In Hair today… Patsy Tompkins realizes how important hair is to a cancer patient. Elizabeth Fournier describes the business of finding a house to buy. In Valley of Love, Lorentz Lossius continues his 2007 travel diary from Turkey. John M. Daniel takes a walk around the town he lives in in Oklahoma by the sea. In Working class heroes, Ed Goldberg weighs the sins of the Left and the Right. Two more personages from the world of literature enter our pantheon of Honorary Black Lambs and The Ultimate Literary Calendar: French immortal Victor Hugo and English novelist Lawrence Durrell. Bridge columnist Trixie Barkis comes up with moe tricky hands. Our monthly recipe is for Curried Lamb Stew with Okra. Advice columnist Millicent Marshall answers more readers’ questions. And Professor Avram Khan gives us another challenging Black Lamb Word Puzzle. •
Posted by: The Editors Get ’em while you canBefore the government takes our guns awayFebruary 1st, 2013 BY TOBY TOMPKINS Let me get one thing straight here. I don’t like crazy people using guns to shoot little kids any more than anyone else who isn’t crazy, all right? Everybody in town knows I’ve been running Guns Unlimited out here on John Stark Road ever since my father passed back in ’92 — and by the way, that was an accident which can happen even to someone who knows guns backwards and forwards, so forget what you read in the town’s liberal rag. He was not drunk. My dad knew better than to mix firearms and firewater. He only took a drink on Saturday night, and the accident happened on a Wednesday. Have a little respect for the truth, all right? The obit in American Rifleman Magazine got the story right. But the point is, I will guaran-goddamn-tee you that not a single one of his customers or mine ever shot a little kid with any weapon from this store. That Sig Sauer P220 Parabellum, the one they say was mixed up in the murder-suicide over to Wayne Bridge two years ago? I sold that pistol a year before then, to the Walmart over there at the Keene mall, when I was clearing inventory to make room for the P226 .22 Long Rifle, which is a better all-around weapon for your civilian shooter, and that’s where the woman bought it. You want to look it up, be my guest; I got the sales record for that year right in the shelf over there. You can’t trust computers, because the Feds can hack into ’em, so I keep my accounts on paper and put the pages in a good old-fashioned ring-binder, so when the computers all shit the bed when the goverment does their cyber-attack, kind of thing Glen Beck talks about… well, you catch my drift, right? It’s just common sense.
Posted by: The Editors |
LINKSBlogroll
|
