UFR Weekly Newsletter #4: If You Need Me

[David Cotrone]

I’ve drifted back home to Massachusetts after being in New York for the past few days. Hope you’ve had warm holidays and that you’re ready to start something new. We’re working on giving the UFR site a facelift, hopefully in the near future. All suggestions are welcome.

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I picked up Raymond Carver’s Call If You Need Me the other day, his book of uncollected fiction and prose. Even though I’ve read all he’s put out, I’m always a little hesitant to pick up Cathedral or Will You Please Be Quiet, Please? — all of his stuff, really. I’m afraid of authors you know all about before you even read their work. I’m afraid that if I don’t like a Carver story then that means something’s wrong with me, that I’m an amateur. I’m afraid of falling too far in love.

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Some picks from the week:

Mad Libs by Randall Brown

The first installment of Lacey Dunham’s column, Bookseller I’d Like to F***

Advice on Beds and Love by Susan Tepper

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From Call If You Need Me:

“I went to the bedroom and woke Nancy. Her eyes were red and the skin around the eyes was swollen. She had her hair up in curlers, and a suitcase lay open on the floor near the foot of the bed.

‘Nancy,’ I said. ‘Honey, come see what’s in the front yard. Come and see this. You must see this. You won’t believe it. Hurry up.’

‘What is it?’ she said. ‘Don’t hurt me. What is it?’

‘Honey, you must see this. I’m not going to hurt you. I’m sorry if I scared you. But you must come out here and see something.’

I went back into the other room and stood in front of the window, and in a few minutes Nancy came in tying her robe. She looked out the window and said, ‘My God, they’re beautiful. Where’d they come from, Dan? They’re just beautiful.’”

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Thank you for reading each other’s stories, for contributing, for submitting, for your support. If you have time, please invite some of your friends to this e-mail group. Follow this link and press the button that says, “Invite members.” We believe in a grassroots approach to building a community. We believe in each other. We believe in you.

Be well,

David