~post by Julie W.
Today I drove down to Texas State University’s Wittliff Collections where Amy Hempel (AMY. HEMPEL.) gave a reading.
First of all.
Amy Hempel is my patron saint of short fiction. The Collected Stories of Amy Hempel was one of the first books I purchased from the very first indie bookstore that employed me. I sought out her work, as many have, on the recommendation of Chuck Pahlahniuk, who has championed her stories for years. Her sentences changed my life. I could wax poetic about it for a while, but really, just grab a copy of the collection and read it for yourself, because I have bigger fish to fry in this blog post. I have to tell you:
Amy Hempel co-wrote a novel with a friend and it’s coming out in July.
The book is called The Hand That Feeds You and is inspired by the experience of one of their good friends who met a man; a charming, handsome man who came on strong and who turned out to be….one of those guys who is charming and “in love” with many, many women. The friend talked of writing a novel, but passed away before she could tell this story of seduction, lies and psychological manipulation in her own words. And so Hempel and her friend and fellow writer, Jill Ciment, decided to write it for her, together.
They collaborated via the magic of Google Drive. As a devout follower not only of Hempel, but also of Google docs, I cannot wait to read the result of two writers who crafted a story right on top of one another, not trading chapters, but writing together in real time from separate rooms in their separate homes. Technology, y’all, it’s a fascinating beast. When they first started working, Hempel, who was new to the alchemy of Google docs at the time, said she was surprised to open the file and see words appear there. “It’s writing itself!” she exclaimed. And we all laughed along with her. And then my heart exploded.
Here’s a photo of me trying to keep my exploding heart in my chest while I meet Amy Hempel:
So tell your friends: the summer read of the century will soon be upon us, and it was co-written by Amy Hempel, and 2015 just may be the best year of our lives.
BookPeople 
Oooh I think I need this Author in my life. Short Stories aye? Hmmmm…
Reblogged this on rennydioknodotcom.
Reblogged this on Jin Okubo and commented:
I will have to take a peek at this later after work.
Your excitement is truly inspiring. I love it. I might just have to pick up this book.
To Julie on Amy hempel- I read this late, but yes, I absolutely agree on AH, although sometimes I can’t get her stories out of my head. I just have to read the first sentence of “in the cemetery where al Jolson is buried” and I’m a mess.