Ask the Author: Lee Irby
Answered Questions (9)
Lee Irby
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Lee Irby
Without question, Mr and Mrs Bridge created for us by one of the greatest American authors never to teach in an MFA program, Evan S Connell. In two elegant, poignant novels, Connell captured the intimacy and paradox of a marriage that seemed at once loving and at the same time incredibly distant. Even today the insights in these vignettes continue to astound. It's too bad not more people know of and admire Connell's work. He has had the greatest influence on my own aesthetic and he towers over the literary landscape.
Lee Irby
Edgar Allan Poe is from Richmond and so am I, and when my career seemed to be at an abyss, I started thinking about his own struggles. I was fascinated by his last trip to Richmond, when he met an old high school sweetheart who was now a wealthy heiress. Her brothers hated Poe, however. Sounded like the outline to a novel...
Lee Irby
I'm writing a novel that's a mystery and involves the answers to trivia questions.
Lee Irby
The poet Rilke has an entire book on this topic, and so my advice is to read Rilke--his advice book and his Duino Elegies and every poem he ever wrote. Write in long-hand. Read Proust. Be prepared for rejection.
Lee Irby
I've never not been a writer, since I sold my first piece at the age of 17. It's like asking, "What's the best part about breathing?" I mean, it's life. There's nothing between writing and living. They are the same to me.
Lee Irby
The few times I've ever had it, it didn't last long. If I get stuck, sometimes I get blisteringly drunk, wake up hungover and full of self-loathing, and then I might clean my office, sweat and vow to get my act together. If that doesn't work, I read Shakespeare or John Berryman--poetry does wonders for releasing the verbal dam waters.
Lee Irby
He will, because he has great stuff, solid mechanics, and a good head on his shoulders. The team will score runs and he pitches well with a lead. He'll settle in this year and become a fan fave.
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