Speaking of Bernard Cooper
Updated: Bernard Cooper was doing personal essays so long, long ago... back in the day when english teachers and editors all said stay away from "I". I remember reading "Maps to Anywhere" and feeling that I had found my personal compass rose. I lost my way somewhere on my writing journey and when a friend suggested she'd prefer to see my pieces, based on my life, as short stories, to see my life 'fictionalized', and I set to writing short stories that all grew out of my reality. They didn't just lack imagination, they lacked r ealism. I'm back to struggling with memoir, even if it does feel like a whole lot of me, the me feels authentic and true. That's the goal anyway. The link takes you to Vimeo and a reading by Cooper from The Bill from my Father: A Memoir For some of my personal essays start here