Two weeks ago I reported to jury duty. Before leaving my house that morning to catch bus and BART, I went to my bookcases to look for volumes of Greek Tragedies (I’ve had those books since college days).

Why did I want to reread translations of Greek Tragedies? To study literary works that engaged me decades ago and have been in my memory since. In Greek Tragedies, oftentimes the villains are the parents, with help from the gods and goddesses. My studying these classics helps me gain  examples of plotline structuring and archetypes for my clients whose manuscripts carry similar themes–what if a family member is the wicked antagonist?

So, I re-read Aeschylus: The Libation Bearers (translated by Richmond Lattimore) and Sophocles: Electra (translated by David Greene), and, I’m re-reading Euripides: Iphigenia in Tauris (translated by Witter Bynner).

Did I get selected as a juror?  That is another story which I will tell later.

Liz Bittner just finished reading Barbara Kingsolver’s novel The Poisonwood Bible and she lent me her copy.  I am enjoying it immensely.

Writers, I’ve updated my post “Coach Teresa, what should I do before hiring an editor?”

Happy writing and rewriting!

Sincerely,

Teresa LeYung Ryan

Writing Career Coach; Manuscript Consultant; Author

of Love Made of  Heart; Author of Build Your Writer’s Platform & Fanbase In 22 Days

When:  Sunday April 10, 2011, 1:00pm

Where:  Koret Auditorium, San Francisco Main Library, lower level, 100 Larkin Street (at Grove), San Francisco, CA 415-557-4277

http://sfpl.org/index.php?pg=1002986601

Categories:

Fiction

General Nonfiction

Creative Nonfiction

Poetry

Children’s Literature

Translations

My best wishes to all the nominees.

SPECIAL RECOGNITION AWARD

Indivisible: An Anthology of Contemporary South Asian American Poetry, edited by Neelanjana Banerjee, Summi Kaipa, and Pireeni Sundaralingam, University of Arkansas Press

Congratulations to Tamim Ansary–Afghan American writer, lecturer, editor and teacher who is the recipient of the FRED CODY AWARD FOR LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT—COMMUNITY & LITERATURE.

Readers Bookstore will be selling books after the awards ceremony.

Author Elisa Southard tells me that Readers Cafe & Bookstore is located at Fort Mason Center, Building C, San Francisco.  I’ll visit them the next time I’m in the area.

Cheers!

Sincerely,

Teresa LeYung Ryan,

author of Love Made of Heart;

author of Build Your Writer’s Platform & Fanbase In 22 Days: Attract Agents, Editors, Publishers, Readers, and Media Attention NOW