Writing
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Writers Laughing: Gabriel García Márquez
Another big smiler – like Alice Munro, there are a million pictures of him smiling. And smiling broadly, with his eyes crinkly and his mouth slightly open. But laughing? You just know he had to laugh all the time – but whether those were captured in the pre-cell phone era is another question. I found… Continue reading
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A History of Jacke in 100 Objects #25: The Equation
My mother appeared in the doorway and my stomach fell. What was she doing at my algebra class? In my high school, in the middle of the day? This was exciting—it was my mother, she was here to see me—but it also felt dangerous. Years earlier, my best friend’s mother had shown up one day… Continue reading
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Writers Laughing: Carson McCullers
Not all cafes are sad, apparently! Continue reading
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Writers Laughing: Philip Roth
Not my favorite author, but it’s still nice to see him young and full of pep: Continue reading
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100 Objects Special: Back to School Week!
Summer’s almost over! Back to school time! This year I thought I’d celebrate the week with a tribute to all hardworking teachers and their achingly confused students… Jacke Wilson’s Top 5 Stories Celebrating Teachers Object #7 – The Keyboard* I started on “Three Blind Mice.” I stopped halfway through. For some reason it sounded terrible. “There must be something… Continue reading
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Writers Laughing: Seamus Heaney
Still working up the next Object. In the meantime, let’s enjoy a bit of mirth with the great Seamus Heaney, caught here in the act of extreme laughing: That’s the kind of raw exuberance that makes his translation of Beowulf so good! Here’s a more natural one: And here’s one with a special guest star… Continue reading
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Writers Laughing: Alice Munro
Okay, sometimes these are a little hard to find. But there’s no shortage of photos of the amazing Alice Munro laughing (and a million of her smiling). I like this one for its spontaneity and joy… Author Elizabeth Hay is on the left. And here’s a bonus! Alice with a special guest… Continue reading
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A History of Jacke in 100 Objects #24 – The Rope
I didn’t like my new boss much. On my first day he had me scraping tar off the inside walls of his truck, ten hours in a hot, enclosed space breathing in noxious odors. The second day he blasted “beer farts” all the way to Skokie and back, and I had to sit next to… Continue reading
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Writers Laughing: Kurt Vonnegut and John Irving
Here’s a reminder that life has moments of joy as well as sorrow. What a great picture. Why do I think that Vonnegut must have said something funny (unexpected and acerbic and witty), and Irving started laughing uncontrollably, and finally Vonnegut joined in because Irving’s laughter was infectious… Have a great day, everyone! Onward… Continue reading
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Sneak Preview: The Promotion
In honor of on-campus interviewing everywhere… an excerpt of The Promotion (on sale now at Amazon.com): When Big Law Meets Big Trouble… “Humor, depression, and hope all together in one short book… The Promotion was my first book by Jacke Wilson, and now I am wondering if I have been sleeping under a rock not to have noticed… Continue reading
Jacke Wilson 