Hi Aaron. You remind me of my journey from the west coast to NYC in 1990. Did it seem to you, as it did later to me, that New York is one of those places that can teach us a lot about ourselves? So many things are possible there in one place that a person of imagination can test many versions of the self, maybe crossing a lot of options off the list.
thanks, this is electric! Your self-analytical striving for real things in an unreal world is beautifully described. What's more, I have read two very much recommended books recently - David Seabrook's All the Devils are Here, and Benjamin Labatut's When We Cease to Understand the World. And I much prefer your - shorter - narrative of angst and blind seeking and what is the truth or reality anyway, especially in an over-hyped land like NYC. Please write some more!
What you say here resonates deeply with me--to echo Josh's opening two words. What you say here is the reason, deeply explored by you, for the title of my Substack, and it's the reason I am one of the three owners of this site: "Only connect ...", as E.M. Forster so wisely advises in his epigraph to _Howards End_. Thank you, Aaron Lake for writing for us.
This made me think of Zibby Owens and her hobby podcast about books. When you spoke of "the wall of certain families", I instantly thought of her and her billionaire father. It's a pity so many good writers never stood a chance in that priviledged world...
This made me think of Zibby Owens and her hobby podcast about books. When you spoke of "the wall of certain families", I instantly thought of her and her billionaire father. It's a pity so many good writers never stood a chance in that priviledged world...
This made me think of Zibby Owens and her hobby podcast about books. When you spoke of "the wall of certain families", I instantly thought of her and her billionaire father. It's a pity so many good writers never stood a chance in that priviledged world...
This resonates with a lot of my experiences. Also a reminder of how naive I was to think that leaving academe for an independent writing life would be simple. Both institutions are beset by the same problems. It seems that there's more than a grain of truth in "American Fiction." And at some point I realized that it was really quite foolish to think that my novel set in Iowa and Idaho (two places often confused for one another) would appeal to any of the bourgie agents I was pitching. The only story from the hinterland that matters is the one that ends in or passes through the Ivy League (see JD Vance, Tara Westover). Julianne Werlin made this point a few weeks ago.
So I wonder what the forward-looking vision is for writers who find themselves outside this bubble? Substack is a fine place for us, but this platform is also an ecosystem with many insiders and outsiders. I suppose one does one's work well and learns to watch for opportunities and those genuine connections you describe, without wasting too much energy on dead ends...
This was making the rounds on Notes yesterday and I thoroughly enjoyed it (nodding along at my own younger expectations — not moving to NYC, but while pursuing an MFA when I happened to be living in Boston) — and shared it with many.
Also reminded me that it’s been a while since I read Martha Grimes’s “Foul Matter.” It’s getting dated in some ways (technology), but still feels spot-on in its skewering of the NYC publishing world. And still makes me laugh enough that my ribs ache.
This is a very very good essay, as I’ve said somewhere else, maybe its original appearance.
Hi Aaron. You remind me of my journey from the west coast to NYC in 1990. Did it seem to you, as it did later to me, that New York is one of those places that can teach us a lot about ourselves? So many things are possible there in one place that a person of imagination can test many versions of the self, maybe crossing a lot of options off the list.
Hi Aaron
thanks, this is electric! Your self-analytical striving for real things in an unreal world is beautifully described. What's more, I have read two very much recommended books recently - David Seabrook's All the Devils are Here, and Benjamin Labatut's When We Cease to Understand the World. And I much prefer your - shorter - narrative of angst and blind seeking and what is the truth or reality anyway, especially in an over-hyped land like NYC. Please write some more!
Thanks for the encouragement, Ian!
What you say here resonates deeply with me--to echo Josh's opening two words. What you say here is the reason, deeply explored by you, for the title of my Substack, and it's the reason I am one of the three owners of this site: "Only connect ...", as E.M. Forster so wisely advises in his epigraph to _Howards End_. Thank you, Aaron Lake for writing for us.
thank you for having me, Mary! And for starting Inner Life, very cool.
This made me think of Zibby Owens and her hobby podcast about books. When you spoke of "the wall of certain families", I instantly thought of her and her billionaire father. It's a pity so many good writers never stood a chance in that priviledged world...
This made me think of Zibby Owens and her hobby podcast about books. When you spoke of "the wall of certain families", I instantly thought of her and her billionaire father. It's a pity so many good writers never stood a chance in that priviledged world...
This made me think of Zibby Owens and her hobby podcast about books. When you spoke of "the wall of certain families", I instantly thought of her and her billionaire father. It's a pity so many good writers never stood a chance in that priviledged world...
This resonates with a lot of my experiences. Also a reminder of how naive I was to think that leaving academe for an independent writing life would be simple. Both institutions are beset by the same problems. It seems that there's more than a grain of truth in "American Fiction." And at some point I realized that it was really quite foolish to think that my novel set in Iowa and Idaho (two places often confused for one another) would appeal to any of the bourgie agents I was pitching. The only story from the hinterland that matters is the one that ends in or passes through the Ivy League (see JD Vance, Tara Westover). Julianne Werlin made this point a few weeks ago.
So I wonder what the forward-looking vision is for writers who find themselves outside this bubble? Substack is a fine place for us, but this platform is also an ecosystem with many insiders and outsiders. I suppose one does one's work well and learns to watch for opportunities and those genuine connections you describe, without wasting too much energy on dead ends...
This was making the rounds on Notes yesterday and I thoroughly enjoyed it (nodding along at my own younger expectations — not moving to NYC, but while pursuing an MFA when I happened to be living in Boston) — and shared it with many.
Also reminded me that it’s been a while since I read Martha Grimes’s “Foul Matter.” It’s getting dated in some ways (technology), but still feels spot-on in its skewering of the NYC publishing world. And still makes me laugh enough that my ribs ache.