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Yoo, Paula. 2008. Good Enough.

Paula Yoo's debut novel Good Enough is more than good enough by my standards. Patti Yoon, our narrator, is always being told--directly or indirectly--that she's not good enough. Why be happy with being assistant concertmaster? If you're not in first place, you're a loser, right? Why be happy with anything other than the perfect 2400 for SAT's, right? 2010? Not good enough. Pressured to focus on the Ivy League colleges, Patti Yoon spends her life always always working towards her parents goals. That is until she meets "Cute Trumpet Guy" Ben Wheeler who shows her that there are other important things in life--friendship, fun, doing what you want to do, etc. Now, Patti is torn between striving to be THE best and trying to do her best.

The novel is about life and love (in this case unrequited) and friendship. It's a novel about being. It's a novel about being torn, not knowing exactly what you want. Patti's parents want her to go to HarvardYalePrinceton. It doesn't matter which school--as long as it's Ivy League. They don't necessarily care what profession she pursues either--so long as its practical. Music? Impractical! But Patti loves playing her violin, and quite a few people have told her she's gifted, talented. That she should be focusing on music. Her parents see her violin, her talent, as a hook to her getting into college. What does Patti want? That is the question at the heart of this book.

The novel focuses on a Korean-American family. (And on their Korean church, especially the youth group.) Patti and her family definitely experience some prejudice and discrimination. Patti just can't understand why though she suspects its the fact that she's the only Asian-American at her high school. The "mean" people, the bullies, will name call all the geeks, (Patti is among 'the geeks') but she's singled out by her race.

Oh my God. I'm not Japanese! Why is he even calling me a Jap? What does my ethnicity have to do with any of this? Why does Susan get to be called Queen of the Hobbits or dork or geek but I always get called Jap or Chink or gook? What does being Asian have to do with me being a nerd/geek/dork/physically uncoordinated loser? Why can't he just call me a geek, too? It would still hurt, but I'd take geek over gook any day. Because we all know geeks can change--just look at all those Hollywood romantic comedies where the girl geek takes off her glasses, unpins her ponytail, and turns into a princess. But I can't stop being Korean. I can't change my skin color. Even though I know he's wrong, Eric still makes me feel embarrassed for being Korean sometimes. (80)

Ever wondered what C. Michael Curtis, Sr. Fiction Editor at The Atlantic, might think of your work?  Thanks to David Ploskanka, you can find out:

"Reserve your spot today for the 2008 C. Michael Curtis Fiction Workshop, scheduled for June 14th and 15th in the greater Columbus, Ohio area. This two-day workshop is a golden opportunity for writers of short fiction to broaden their understanding of craft and form; evaluate their best work against the standards of today's ultra-competitive publishing market; and gain access to an insider's view of the literary magazine submissions process. Spots are limited--please respond ASAP!

The Who

Workshop facilitator C. Michael Curtis joined the staff of the Atlantic
Monthly in 1963. Today, he serves as the magazine's Fiction Editor, charged with sifting through some 12,000 unsolicited manuscripts per year to compile the annual Atlantic Fiction Issue. He also supervises the magazine's annual Student Writing Competition. In addition, Mr. Curtis holds the John C. Cobb Endowed Chair in the Humanities at Wofford College in South Carolina, a position he shares with his wife, novelist Elizabeth Cox. He has also served as editor for numerous anthologies, including God: Stories, Faith: Stories, American Stories: Fiction From The Atlantic Monthly (vols. I and II), Contemporary New England Stories and Contemporary West Coast Stories.

The What

While most workshops focus on the creative writing process, this gathering
is uniquely product-oriented, with the ultimate intent of assessing your
submission's success as a stand-alone work of short fiction. Though the
general discussion - usually 25-40 minutes per story - will also cover
matters of craft and provide inspiration on how to revise and improve your
work, this is not the ideal environment for a draft fresh off the
typewriter. Please submit your single most polished and self-contained work, up to 20 double-spaced pages. You will also be expected to read and thoughtfully critique the work of your 14 fellow workshoppers, meaning you will come away with extensive written feedback on your story as well.

The Why

Ever submit a story to a literary magazine, chew your nails waiting for
several months, then receive a blank rejection slip offering only the
vaguest sense of why your work has been returned? Here's your chance to hear from the man behind the editor's desk and get a sense of the standard by which literary submissions are measured.

The workshop has lead to several publications including the following: In 2004, a story first seen in this very workshop made it all the way to the pages of the Atlantic - "Bullheads" by Michael Lohre, this happened again this past year, 2007, to Mark Fabiano’s “We Are All Businessmen.”

The Where

The workshop will be held in the library room of the Granville Inn
(http://www.granvilleinn.com <http://www.granvilleinn.com/> ), an English
manor located in Granville, Ohio, 30 minutes east of Columbus. Granville
itself is a quaint, New England-style village, founded in 1805 by settlers
from Granville, Massachusetts and home to Dennison University. Out-of-town attendees have their choice of staying at the Granville Inn at a rate of
$125 per night, or at the Buxton Inn (http://www.buxtoninn.com
<http://www.buxtoninn.com/>), located across the street, at a rate of
$85-$100 per night. We have a room block at Granville and there will be other nearby lodgings.

The When

Copies of your story should be mailed directly to Mr. Curtis and your fellow workshoppers during the week of May 5th. The workshop itself will take place Saturday, June 14th  (9AM-6PM) & Sunday, June 15th (9AM-4PM).

The How

To register for the workshop, please email me at this address
([email protected])

The cost will be $295, payable by check or money order to:

David Ploskonka,
994 Blenheim Rd
Columbus OH 43224

Once I receive your payment, your spot will be officially reserved. I must receive your check to reserve your spot. A 50% refund will be available until March 31st. Thereafter no refunds will be issued. Again spots are limited please contact me ASAP.

If you have any questions whatsoever, feel free to contact me via email.
I look forward to seeing you in person in June!"

The Sixth Annual Spring Writers Festival at UWM School of Continuing Education will be next Friday through Sunday on the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee campus.  I am aware of this as they have asked me to be a part of the process.

Aaron Burch, editor extraordinaire of Hobart, and I, will be heading to Milwaukee Thursday to first take part in a panel being run by the creative writing department there, along with Cris Mazza (whose waterbaby sits high upon my TBR pile right now) having to do with editors and what they're looking for, and that sort of thing.

Then Friday morning, the Festival officially kicks off with, drumroll please, a Pre-Conference Offering:

Accessing the Changing World of Publishing with Aaron Burch and Dan Wickett

There are sessions on craft, on pitching your work, on the business of writing, and many others over thenext two days, plus readings and author panels and a party.  Many reasons to head on over to Milwaukee next Thursday and hang for a few days.

If you have an upcoming writers’ event to announce to everyone join host, Suzanne Lieurance, for Book Bites for Kids, LIVE on blogtalkradio.com today at 2:00 central time.

Listeners are invited to call in and announce any upcoming writers’ conferences, workshops, or other events. The number to call is 1-646-716-9239.

Listen to the show at www.blogtalkradio.com/bookbitesforkids

Send your announcements ahead of time and Lieurance will present them on air for you. Send to [email protected]

Today’s topic on Book Bites for Kids is Great Workshops, Courses, and Conferences for Children’s Writers: Let’s Spread the Word!

If you will be presenting at an upcoming conference for children’s writers, or you teach an online workshop or course in writing for kids, or you even just KNOW about a super writers’ conference that children’s writers need to know about, join us at 2:00 central time today, LIVE on blogtalkradio.com and help spread the word.

Call this number 1-646-716-9239 at 2:00 to join the live chat. Listen to the show at www.blogtalkradio.com/bookbitesforkids

Incredibly poor pun, my apologies, but you can read much more about this Writing Retreat in Ruffe, France set for mid-March 2008 here.

A detail or two:

"Writing classes morning and afternoon, and group readings in the evening (reading is voluntary). We will not be workshopping existing material, but generating new pieces/fragments (for future work) in whatever form you wish.

Excursions to local farmer’s market and vineyards, the pilgrimage road to Santiago, and nearby 12th/13th century towns and villages such as St. Emilion: beautifully preserved medieval town in a spectacular setting; Bergerac: well-restored old town center, good street market; nearby is Monbazillac, with great views from its chateau.

This is a fantastic opportunity to expand, explore, and experiment as a writer."

Every so often, I wish I were a writer.  Doesn't last long though.