Researching the story “Undark” (winner of the Sewanee Review 2017 Walter Sullivan Prize), I discovered that New Jersey, site of the Radium Girls tragedy, experienced two atypical weather events in 1928. It was unseasonably warm during the week of January 7 to 15, with many days in the 50s. Conversely, there was a freak snowstorm on April 12, when temperatures dropped from a daytime high of 59 to a nighttime low of 30 degrees, when 1.2 inches of snow fell. The next day, temperatures went back up to 62 degrees. BTW: “Unusual weather we’re having” is said by the Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz movie when the good witch creates a snowfall to awaken Dorothy and friends, put to sleep in a field of poppies by the wicked witch. If you’re a fan of Oz, see my forthcoming book A Brain. A Heart. The Nerve. in NOVELS. To learn more interesting facts that don’t always make it into my fiction, peek BEHIND THE STORY.
It’s the Story, Stupid
When I write historical fiction, I keep the focus on the characters. The settings and events around them frame the narrative, but readers must care about the people experiencing them. This is equally true of engaging contemporary or futuristic fiction. Good fiction writers relegate their research, however fascinating it may be to us, to the background of the tale. Whenever something I learn about history motivates me to write about it, I first ask myself “What is the story I want to tell? Who is it about? How do the players act and how are they acted upon?” Answering these questions is how I bring history to life in my fiction. Read more of my thoughts about the art and craft of writing in REFLECTIONS.
The Virtue of Fiction: An Interview with Ann S. Epstein
Read the interview about my novel On the Shore and my writing in general by Danielle Lavaque-Manty in Fiction Writers Review. Learn about how and why I began to write fiction, researching the history behind my stories, and the why a book about immigrants who came to America one hundred years ago applies today. http://fictionwritersreview.com/interview/the-virtue-of-fiction-an-interview-with-ann-s-epstein/
Learn History Through Fiction: The Evolution of Ice Cream
Ice cream began as a royal dessert. In China, a frozen mixture of milk, rice, and syrup was made around 200 BCE. In the Yuan Dynasty, Kublai Khan kept ice cream a royal secret until Marco Polo visited China (1274) and took the technique to Italy. In 400 BCE, Persians invented a chilled food made of rose water and vermicelli mixed with saffron, fruits, and other flavors, served to royalty in the summer. Roman Emperor Nero (37–68 AD) had ice brought from the mountains and combined with fruit toppings. Italian duchess Catherine de’ Medici is credited with introducing ice cream to the rest of Europe when she married the Duke of Orléans (Henry II of France) in 1533. One hundred years later, eager to keep “frozen snow” a royal prerogative, Charles I of England offered his ice cream maker a lifetime pension to keep the formula secret. French recipes for flavored ices and sorbet appear in the last quarter of the 17th century. Ice cream was introduced to the United States by Quaker colonists. The first ice cream parlor opened in New York City in 1776. Read more about ice cream’s popularity during Colonial days in “Newfangled” (see STORIES).
What I’m Reading: Bellevue by David Oshinsky
My Amazon review of Bellevue by David Oshinsky (Rated 5): A fascinating review of medical and social history – David Oshinsky offers a fascinating view of medical and social history through the lens of an institution that continues to reinvent itself with each era. As he did in his Pulitzer-prize winning masterpiece, Polio, the author introduces readers to the events, and most especially the people, that were the driving force beyond the sometimes tortuous path of progress.
Learn history through fiction: The Kosher Meat Boycott of 1902
Here’s another gem from the era of my historical novel On the Shore. By 1900, the Lower East Side had over 130 kosher butcher shops catering to Eastern European Jewish immigrants. In 1902, the National Beef Trust of America (a monopoly) was created and raised the price of beef from 12 cents to 18 cents per pound, a 50% increase. Thousands of angry Jewish women stormed neighborhood butcher shops, smashing windows and destroying meat (tossing it in the street, soaking it in kerosene and setting it on fire). The women disrupted Sabbath services in synagogues to encourage a boycott of butchers. After a month of protests, the Beef Trust lowered its price to 14 cents per pound. The Lower East Side remained a hotbed of social activism for decades, with women playing a significant role. Read more in BEHIND THE STORY.
What I’m Reading: Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders
My Amazon review of Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders (Rated 5): George Saunders has hit upon a unique format for turning his gifts as a short story writer into a unified novel. I was immediately propelled by the staccato pace, although I admit that in the middle, I wished for less Sesame Street and more Fred Rogers. By the end, however, Saunders built to a sustained prose that penetrated my earthly being. A book that earns its “Bravo” reviews.
Learn History Through Fiction: Al Capone Goes from Hitting to Hits
Discovered while researching the short story “Blood and Sand” — Al Capone showed promise as a student, but his parochial school education ended at the age of 14, in 1913, after he was expelled for hitting a female teacher (presumably a nun) in the face. He then worked odd jobs in Brooklyn, including at a candy store and a bowling alley, until he met gangster Johnny Torrio, who became his mentor. Capone later moved his family to Chicago and the rest is history. [Note: The title “Blood and Sand” comes from a popular cocktail of the Capone era, made by mixing scotch, kirshwasser, sweet vermouth, and orange juice.]
Learn History Through Fiction: German Anti-Nazi Philosophy & U.S. Racism
Working on a story about Jewish professors who fled Nazi Germany and found work at historically black colleges and universities in the U.S. (often the only places that would hire them), I came across the work of Theodor Adorno of the Frankfurt School of philosophy. His critiques of Nazism apply equally well to racism and slavery in America. One example: Only a humanity to whom death has become as indifferent as its members, that has itself died, can inflict it administratively on innumerable people. As a writer and visual artist, I was also struck by his statement in favor of creativity over violence: Every work of art is an uncommitted crime.
On the Shore Submitted for Award
On the Shore (Vine Leaves Press, 2017), a novel about an immigrant Jewish family thrown into turmoil when a son lies about his name and age to fight in World War One, was submitted to the Association of Jewish Libraries (AJL) for its new adult fiction award. Judges are looking for work that grapples with Jewish thematic content including religion, history, culture, and identity. Books published in 2017 are eligible for the 2018 award. Winners will be announced in late February or early March 2018 (a long time to keep my digits crossed). To read more about On the Shore, watch the trailer, and order copies, see NOVELS.
