Reading by Lorrie Moore

The Program in Creative Writing, Princeton University

I was lucky enough to be able to attend a small reading given by the great short story writer Lorrie Moore on Wednesday. In honor of Valentines’ Day, she read a brilliant, devastating story about divorce, and, as she said, it was closely connected to her own experience of divorce, but lacking in the kind of twisted bitterness that can ruin a story. As my professor said in my creative writing class the next day, a story is not supposed to be a “horrible glop of emotion, not someone vomiting out themselves on the floor”…this story was an excellent example of the fineness of craft and the painstaking work that goes into turning a real life experience into a beautiful story with warmth and artistry. I’m definitely picking up Ms. Moore’s next volume of short stories.

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