Wednesday night at Mrs. Dalloway’s Bookstore, Dani Shapiro had a reading from her book: Still Writing: the Perils and Pleasures of a Creative Life during which she conversed with Oscar Villalon, Zyzzyva editor. Dalloway’s described the book, “Through a blend of deeply personal stories about what formed her as a writer, tales from other authors, and a searching look at her own creative process, Shapiro offers her gift to writers everywhere: an elegant guide of hard-won wisdom and encouragement for staying the course.”
I wondered why Villalon appeared with her and I found out that her short story was accepted in an issue of Zyzzyva which was for sale at the bookstore. The magazine advertises acceptance of stories only from California writers, yet Shapiro lives in Connecticut. He admitted they extended their requirements to include her story.
I plan to buy that issue of Zyzzyva and Shapiro’s book as well. More about it in future posts.