Maine Archives - E.B. Bartels

Just Being in Litro Magazine!

E.B. Bartels — Sat, 02 Oct 2021 19:32:06 +0000

It’s spring again, and I’m still here, still sitting, still inside. At my desk, I gaze out the window at sparks of green, glimmers of yellow and purple, as daffodils, crocuses, new grass make their way into the warming world. Spring makes me want to get out and move – to go for long walks, to travel to new places, to see old friends, to roll around in a meadow. But instead, I’m sitting still, because I know that is what I need to do to help myself and help others. Being still sometimes feels like giving up. Being still feels like acting helpless. Being still doesn’t feel like enough. I usually think of helping as an active gesture; the words “action” and “active” have the same root, the Latin verb for “do.” But sometimes, I’ve learned, you can take action by doing nothing. Sometimes you can help by simply being still.

I started writing this essay three years ago. it has gone through many iterations and it took me a long time to figure out what it really was all about, but finally now it is now up on Litro Magazine and I am so happy to have it out in the world. Click here to read it.

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June 14th, 2011 on Past Ten Magazine!

E.B. Bartels — Mon, 14 Jun 2021 22:26:36 +0000

Past Ten publishes stories by artists and writers who reflect on where they were ten years ago. This spring, I wrote about June 14th, 2011 — the last day I saw my Auntie Christine before she died. Click here to read. the short essay.

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Non-Fiction by Non-Men: Alex Marzano-Lesnevich

E.B. Bartels — Tue, 14 Jan 2020 21:02:29 +0000

For the full interview, see it on Fiction Advocate.
Published on January 14, 2020.

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Alex Marzano-Lesnevich is the author of The Fact of a Body: A Murder and a Memoir, recipient of the 2018 Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Memoir, the 2018 Chautauqua Prize, the Grand Prix des lectrices ELLE for Nonfiction, and the Prix France Inter-JDD, an award for one book of any genre in the world. Named one of the best books of the year by Entertainment Weekly, Audible.com, Bustle, Book Riot, The Times of London, The Guardian, and The Sydney Press Herald, it was an Indie Next Pick and a Junior Library Guild selection, long-listed for the Gordon Burn Prize, short-listed for the CWA Gold Dagger, and a finalist for a New England Book Award and a Goodreads Choice Award, and, and has been translated into eight languages. The recipient of fellowships from The National Endowment for the Arts, MacDowell, Yaddo, and the Bread Loaf Writers Conference, as well as a Rona Jaffe Award, Marzano-Lesnevich has published essays and criticism in The New York Times Sunday Magazine, Oxford American, the Boston Globe, and Harpers. They now live in Portland, Maine and are an Assistant Professor of English at Bowdoin College.

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Shop small this holiday season!

E.B. Bartels — Sun, 08 Dec 2019 12:48:49 +0000

This past month I’ve been reading a lot about the small businesses closing in and around Harvard Square, such as Black Ink, as outside developers drive up rent to unsustainable rates. Therefore, this month, I’d like to take a moment to remind you all to support small and local businesses as you do your gift shopping this holiday season (F*CK AM*ZON). Some of my favorite places, in addition to Black Ink, for unique and whimsical gifts are Ward Maps, Nomad, Joie de Vivre, Magpie, and Loyal Supply Co. Rebekah Brooks is magnificent for vintage jewelry, and I love Raspberry Beret and The Garment District for vintage clothing. For delicious edible gifts, check out Honeycomb Creamery and Curio Spice Co., for all your toy and game needs go to Henry Bear’s Park, Comicazi, and Pandemonium, and if you want to paint your own gifts, go to Made By Me.

And, obviously, I am obsessed with independent bookstores. This past month I went to so many fantastic author events, all courtesy of your favorite local bookstores. So please, please, PLEASE consider ordering your book presents (because books make the best presents, right?) this holiday season from your local independent bookstores as opposed to the evil empire (F*CK AM*ZON). Some of my favorite bookstores include:

Newtonville Books in Newton, MA
Porter Square Books in Cambridge, MA
Harvard Book Store in Cambridge, MA
Brookline Booksmith in Brookline, MA
Papercuts J.P. in Boston, MA
Book Ends in Winchester, MA
Trident Booksellers in Boston, MA
More Than Words in Boston, MA
Blue Bunny Books in Dedham, MA
The Silver Unicorn Bookstore in Acton, MA
Wellesley Books in Wellesley, MA
The Concord Bookshop in Concord, MA
Belmont Books in Belmont, MA
I AM Books in Boston, MA
McNally Jackson in Manhattan & Brooklyn, NY
Astoria Bookshop in Queens, NY
Greenlight Bookstore in Brooklyn, NY
The Strand in Manhattan, NY
Barrett Bookstore in Darien, CT
Elliott Bay Books in Seattle, WA
Powell’s in Portland, OR
Book & Bar in Portsmouth, NH
Green Hand Bookshop in Portland, ME
Hello Hello Books in Rockland, ME

Please tell me some of your favorite independent bookstores and/or other favorite small businesses in the comments below. And happy holiday shopping!

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