tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-251687482009-11-25T10:48:59.507-05:00The pronouncements of C.M. Mayo on books, creative writing, lit-blogging and blogging, literary translation, Mexico, Washington DC, the world, human potential, soundwork, and pugsC.M. Mayohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01652658684711290919noreply@blogger.comBlogger1021125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25168748.post-84896995705712878272009-11-25T04:18:00.001-05:002009-11-25T04:59:22.434-05:00

Where to write at home but not at home? Herewith 5 possibilities:PodEpuShedHutYurtMore anon.

C.M. Mayohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01652658684711290919noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25168748.post-46768074223551782422009-11-24T18:02:00.004-05:002009-11-24T18:30:33.437-05:00

Athleta ChiCartwheels o' chi.Maira KalmanDrawings combined with story and the wry sense of humor.Google Earth BlogFor cybertravelers.The Long NowAnd it's reeeeeally long!Jennifer HowardExcellent writer's blog.Shenandoah BreakdownBy poets Heather Davis and Jose Padua.More anon.P.S. Please note Madam Mayo Blog's new schedule:Monday: BooksEvery other Tuesday: Blogs NotedWednesday: guest-blogger or 5

C.M. Mayohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01652658684711290919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25168748.post-64541014021914826802009-11-24T00:54:00.002-05:002009-11-24T00:57:04.086-05:00

...activates the chakras... watch and listen. A book review anon.

C.M. Mayohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01652658684711290919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25168748.post-71717990883862791552009-11-20T12:16:00.004-05:002009-11-20T14:23:03.484-05:00

Read the article here. Visit the page of Unbridled Books (my publisher) here.

C.M. Mayohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01652658684711290919noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25168748.post-59534184069435324302009-11-20T08:04:00.001-05:002009-11-20T08:04:00.126-05:00

December 10, 2009 San Miguel de Allende, MexicoAuthor's Sala Reading and Booksigning5:00pm - 7:00pm Cost: 50 pesos, includes wine receptionI'll be reading, discussing & signing The Last Prince of the Mexican Empire, together with Jan Baross, author of the novel, Jose Builds a Woman. More anon.

C.M. Mayohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01652658684711290919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25168748.post-29277234122085108032009-11-18T07:28:00.000-05:002009-11-18T07:28:01.052-05:00

Herewith the annual list of top 5 favorite videos I happened to view this year:#1. "House" by The Electric CompanyAn animated video by Carmen D'Avino. A visual fiesta.#2. Design and Elasticity of MindA TED talk by MOMA Design curator Paola Antonelli.#3. Manatee Makes the BedJust so, um, charmingly wierd.#4. Novel trailer for The Last Prince of the Mexican EmpireVideo by Julia Sussner. #5. Cirque

C.M. Mayohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01652658684711290919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25168748.post-66732768698736168902009-11-16T14:28:00.011-05:002009-11-17T12:37:29.556-05:00

One of the perhaps surprising things about a book tour is that it's not all about the book; it's about meeting other writers, learning about their books, and, in this uber-connected age, learning about their websites and blogs. So I'm back (as of a couple weeks ago) from Austin's fabulous annual Texas Book Festival, where I participated on a panel --- "Imagination sin Fronteras: Wrestling with

C.M. Mayohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01652658684711290919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25168748.post-29639982464754594872009-11-13T13:47:00.008-05:002009-11-17T12:34:02.750-05:00

Monday: BooksEvery other Tuesday: Blogs NotedWednesday: Guest-Bloggers or my own 5 links Friday: News & Misc.New features: you can now follow "Madam Mayo" blog via Networked blogs on facebook (see the widget over to the right) as well as Google (ditto). And the comments have been turned back on.

C.M. Mayohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01652658684711290919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25168748.post-23870121936215927052009-11-11T18:12:00.019-05:002009-11-11T19:48:37.219-05:00

What fun it was to run into my fellow VCCA resident, novelist Christina Baker Kline, at the recent Women's National Book Association Reading Group panel in New York City. Writer-in-Residence at Fordham University and the author of several novels, she has just published the intriguing Bird in Hand, which opens with a horrifying accident and then delves into the intricacies of betrayal. Read on!

C.M. Mayohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01652658684711290919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25168748.post-22638842906094640262009-11-10T16:42:00.000-05:002009-11-10T21:27:09.832-05:00

Ya think so? That bit of gobbledygook is thanks to this nifty toy: Make Your Own Academic Sentence. More anon.

C.M. Mayohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01652658684711290919noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25168748.post-7507926014920790222009-11-10T01:55:00.001-05:002009-11-10T03:05:44.853-05:00

The guest-bloggers are back here at Madam Mayo. It's been a long while since the last guest-blog post (short story writer Dylan Landis on 5 Magnetic Spaces, back in August), and an even longer while back to July when poet and childrens book writer J.D. Smith offered his top 5 mariachi links. If you've been following this blog for more than two days at a stretch, you know the reason is I've been

C.M. Mayohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01652658684711290919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25168748.post-54649946373850720482009-11-09T21:25:00.000-05:002009-11-09T22:32:32.011-05:00

Mexico TodayNews summary in English (mostly).Rachel LaudanFood witer extraordinaire based in Mexico.Zocalo de Mexican Folk ArtLike the title says...Mexico Cooks!A culinary travelogue and gorgeous photos.Cowgirl YogaInspiring (but yoga in cowboy boots?)Art PredatorI don't need to go to Burning Man, thanks, I'll just read all about it here.Christina Baker Kline's A Writing LifeA novelist's take--

C.M. Mayohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01652658684711290919noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25168748.post-78682036785744359652009-11-07T14:06:00.000-05:002009-11-07T14:22:00.374-05:00

If you're anywhere in the neighborhood of San Miguel de Allende this Thursday November 12, don't miss this! As part of the San Miguel Literary Sala series, Sandra Gulland will be talking about her latest and splendid novel, Mistress of the Sun, and Barbara Levine will also be talking about her book, Finding Frida Kahlo. This takes place at 5 pm in the Hotel Posada San Francisco (across from the

C.M. Mayohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01652658684711290919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25168748.post-70782684564603692582009-11-05T18:41:00.000-05:002009-11-05T19:17:18.399-05:00

Today I'm guest-blogging at novelist Christina Baker Kline's "A Writing Life" with this piece on how to break a writing block. Christina Baker Kline's "A Writing Life" is an excellent and wide-ranging blog on writing--- one of the best I've seen in my nearly 4 years of reading blogs. Here are just a few of the recent guest blog posts:Thirteen Tips for Actually Getting Some Writing Done by

C.M. Mayohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01652658684711290919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25168748.post-14501305421846068132009-11-05T14:21:00.000-05:002009-11-05T15:39:12.580-05:00

New on my list of recommended books on the creative life: Annie Dillard's Living by Fiction, a book about... the world. I've had it on my shelf for years; finally re-read it last week. What a splendid book. She's also a master of the intended diction drop-- which is sometimes hilarious. More anon.Update: Very fun: novelist Alexander Chee's personal essay, "Annie Dillard and the Writing Life".

C.M. Mayohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01652658684711290919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25168748.post-18453723875646532362009-11-04T19:54:00.000-05:002009-11-04T21:04:41.041-05:00

Photo: Yours Truly doing a reading and booksigning at the Bookworks in Albuquerque NM. Today over at the Red Room Authors Blog: "C.M. Mayo Celebrates a Batch of Bookstores": Vroman's, Kelper's, the Book Works, Bookworks (yes, they are two different bookstores), Blue Willow, Seminary Coop, Riverby Books, La Sombra del Sabino, and more.

C.M. Mayohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01652658684711290919noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25168748.post-53485327351385776032009-11-03T14:49:00.000-05:002009-11-03T15:38:01.294-05:00

A fascinating new website now listed on my Maximilian page's links: Maximilian I Emperor of Mexico. It's about the American surgeon Dr. Julius Augustus Skilton and the upcoming auction of two items that have been handed down in his family: Maximilian's portrait and a Mexican saddle first given to Maximilian, then to Father Fischer (one of Maximilian's closest advisors) and then to Dr Skilton. You

C.M. Mayohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01652658684711290919noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25168748.post-15555616293719338532009-11-02T21:40:00.000-05:002009-11-02T22:42:52.753-05:00

Marginal Revolution (Tyler Cowan and Alex Tabarrok)Nieman Story BoardLauren B. Davis: View from the Library WindowA Reader's Place (Rosalind Reisner)The Happiness Project (Gretchen Rubin)More anon.

C.M. Mayohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01652658684711290919noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25168748.post-16652441042563069322009-10-31T02:34:00.001-04:002009-10-31T03:02:29.515-04:00

For anyone interested in journalism and creative nonfiction: a fascinating interview. (P.S. What he says about the zuccini piece is true.) More anon.

C.M. Mayohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01652658684711290919noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25168748.post-14613854887565145922009-10-30T20:16:00.000-04:002009-10-30T20:32:15.604-04:00

November 1, 2009 Austin, TexasTexas Book Festival2:00 - 3:00 pmImagination Sin Fronteras: Four Novelists Wrestle with Mexicowith Jimmy Santiago Baca, Barbara Renaud Gonzalez, C.M. Mayo, and Luis Alberto UrreaModerator: Katherine Durham Oldmixon .I'll be talking about my latest book, a novel, The Last Prince of the Mexican Empire, which is set in 19th century Mexico during Mexico's transnational

C.M. Mayohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01652658684711290919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25168748.post-20531199169859000792009-10-30T20:15:00.001-04:002009-10-30T20:15:34.579-04:00

After 3 years, I'm back to allowing comments. Comments?

C.M. Mayohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01652658684711290919noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25168748.post-57901043420478868572009-10-29T22:49:00.000-04:002009-10-29T23:23:08.653-04:00

From left to right: Rosalind Reisner (co-moderator), C.M. Mayo, Julie Metz, Eva Hoffman, Christina Baker Kline, Roxana Robinson, and Miriam Tuliao (co-moderator).Over at her excellent blog, "A Reader's Place," Rosalind Reisner gives the full report on the recent Womens National Book Association panel in celebration of National Reading Group Month. She includes a note about my novel, The Last

C.M. Mayohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01652658684711290919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25168748.post-56114364319598340362009-10-29T14:20:00.000-04:002009-10-29T14:41:53.167-04:00

"Twitter Is," my essay on twitter which was published in the summer 2009 issue of Literal, is now (with blessings of the editor, Rose Mary Salum), on-line here. (Will tweet now!)Thanks to:@trhummer Twitter is an aphorism machine.@HollyridgePress Twitter is a glittering sunrise with our books in the clouds.@mdemuth Twitter is a confined space I can hang one hat of words upon.@Sandra_Gulland

C.M. Mayohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01652658684711290919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25168748.post-76147722595172399552009-10-28T14:33:00.000-04:002009-10-28T14:37:57.369-04:00

This February 22-23, 2010, I'll be giving a two day only workshop, Techniques of Fiction, for the San Miguel Workshops in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. This is a workshop intended for both beginning and advanced fiction writers. For a full description and registration information, visit: http://www.sanmiguelworkshops.com/Fiction.html More anon.

C.M. Mayohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01652658684711290919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25168748.post-82400752694695810162009-10-27T21:43:00.000-04:002009-10-27T21:56:13.252-04:00

The venerable literary journal Ascent (edited by W. Scott Olsen) is publishing it's first on-line edition. Check it out-- and Dawn Marano's crackerjack essay of creative nonfiction, "How to Be a Good Neighbor." More anon.

C.M. Mayohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01652658684711290919noreply@blogger.com0