To All My Substack Subscribers:

An Announcement

Hey folks — I wanted to let everyone know that the serial chapters I post here are built as stand-alones so that you can read one chapter at a time in any sequence you choose. While it’s true the chapters unfold in a loose chronological order, that ostensible continuity is not a main concern of mine. Part of the pleasure of writing a memoir this way (and I hope it’s something we share) is the discovery inherent in the storytelling. I just dawned on me that this approach is akin to posting a series of short stories.

It’s also just occured to me that a favorite novel of mine is Sherwood Anderson’s “Winesburg, Ohio.” It’s a largely forgotten work “structured around the life of protagonist George Willard, from the time he was a child to his growing independence . . .” according to the Perlego website.

I read “Winesburg” decades ago in just the way I’m suggesting you can read “Re-Writes.” You can just ramble through the site and pick whatever chapter / story that suits your mood or catches your fancy.

I wonder if my longstanding love of this novel hasn’t had an almost subconscious effect on me. I’m speaking structure here, not authorial comparison, though I’ll admit, the thought of sharing any literary effort with Anderson ,no matter how technical seeming, is as thrilling to me as it is humbling to even imagine.

So — I hope you enjoy reading these stories as much as I enjoy writing them. Cheers!