I'm the author of "Fevers of the Mind", a memoir about bipolar disorder. "Nola" is truly an excellent account of the author's sister's struggle with schizophrenia. Nola, the woman, is a complex, almost mystical person who is both extremely talented and unique. The reader is also offered an intimate description of Nola's family and their complex interactions. The writing is first rate- highly detailed, fluid, and pleasing to read. Overall, an excellent book. Probably would be enjoyed by anyone who likes quality nonfiction.

I interviewed Robin Hemley five years ago for a start-up literary magazine. Unfortunately, financial woes prevented the magazine from ever actually starting up. It's too bad the interview was never published b/c his thoughtful responses offer tremendous advice and insights for aspiring writers.

Be sure to check out Nola -- it's an excellent read.

Here's Part I of the interview:

Q: What have you found to be some common weaknesses in the work of young, aspiring writers?

Hemley: All of the weaknesses I'm about to mention are syndromes I suffered from (and sometimes still do), so I have plenty of first-hand knowledge. When I first started writing, I wanted to dress like a writer and hang-out at coffee shops, and make profound statements, but I didn't care for writing that much. I also tended to wait for inspiration to strike. Now I think that inspiration is much over-rated. I'd prefer to work through the natural frustrations of writing and work towards inspiration rather than waiting for it to knock me over ' a rare occurrence. Young writers also tend to be wary of revision, in my experience, but the more I write, the more I value revision. I like to quote Auden's adage about poetry ' 'A poem is never finished, merely abandoned.' And of course, sometimes writers want to write but not read. And I think that's a mistake. No one writes in a vacuum. The techniques of other writers can sometimes be our best teachers. Along those same lines, sometimes writers (young and old) want to publish their work in literary magazines, but don't want to read them. And it think that's a mistake, both professionally and culturally. We have a lot of wonderful literary magazines in this country with very low subscription bases.

Q: Conversely, what are some of the strengths shared in the work of today's young writers?

Hemley: I've been noticing a kind of open-mindedness in young writers in terms of form and content that I didn't notice when I was in grad school fifteen years ago. What was valued when I was in grad school was a kind of hyper-realism, brand name fiction people called it, or K-mart fiction. This seemed to be the province of North American writers, and while Magical Realism was valued, that was something that South American writers wrote. I think those false boundaries have been eroded, and that many young writers are exploring the magical and mysterious. I think we've always had North American writers who've written as magically as any South American writer, but I think that in our writing classes at least, a certain kind of bland and bloodless psychologically real story was held up as a kind of model ' we were taught to be almost ironically detached from our characters. Bobbie Ann Mason comes to mind as the model for this kind of writing, as opposed to someone like Toni Morrison. This might all be in my imagination, but I think there's a tendency in the better young writers now to acknowledge mystery in fiction.

There's also been this boom in short short stories over the last ten years. Robert Shapard and James Thomas' collections of short shorts (Sudden Fiction, Sudden Fiction Continued, and Sudden Fiction International) have sort of blazed a trail, as well as the late Jerome Stern's 'World's Best Short Short Story Contest.' This form sometimes lends itself to absurdity and whimsy, and the young writers I've taught have done some of their best work in this form. It teaches them a lot about revision, and the importance of finding the right words. And it allows them to experiment. If a short short doesn't work, that seems less of a tragedy than a novel not working.

Q: What advice, then, would you give to a group of twentysomethings who all yearned to be successful writers of fiction and poetry?

Hemley: I think my advice is more or less embedded in my previous answers. I feel a little sheepish giving advice, but I can add that the writing life is generally a bit of a struggle. It's important to try not to give in to self-doubts, which are natural. Even the most successful writers suffer from numbing self-doubt, and one must work past that. On the other hand, one must constantly see oneself as a student, a kind of supplicant to the form, rather than its master. For me at least, I'm learning to write all over again with each new project I undertake. I also try not to give in to petty jealousies or career frustrations ' someone else's success does not undermine your own.

Q: If you had to write a biography, whom would you choose to write about?

Hemley: Actually, in a sense I've just completed a biography of my sister Nola, who was 11 years older than me and who died in 1973 of a prescription drug overdose. She was a spiritually-obsessed person, and in my book I tried to rediscover who she was, with the help, in part, of an autobiography she wrote during the last year of her life.

But, if by biography, you mean someone famous, I love reading biographies, but I don't think I'd be the right person to write a biography. One of my favorite biographies is Ernst Pawell's biography of Kafka, The Nightmare of Reason. But if I had to write a biography, I suppose I'd choose either More of The 3 Stooges or Houdini (both of whom I'm related to, though Moe only through the marriage of a cousin). But Houdini has had plenty written about him already . . . so I guess I'd have to settle for Moe.

Q: Other than the books you've read, who or what have been some of the significant influences on your own writing?

Hemley: My parents were both writers, and they influenced me a great deal. My mother was always having me dictate little poems to her, and I was constantly making little books to sell to my relatives.

This is a continuation of my interview with Robin Hemley.

Q: Among the famous authors of the past few centuries, whom do you consider to be the most boring to read?

Hemley: For me, the hands-down winner is the French author Robbe-Grillet who could write a three-page description of a slice of tomato.

And many literary theorists are quite adept at boring readers in the name of edification. But the list of those would be far too long.

And even the most celebrated authors have written wonderful works as well as boring works. What we find boring changes over time. Shakespeare's epic poem, "Lucretia" comes to mind. In his own day, this was a famous work of his - I had to read it in college, and though I adore many of his plays, this poem was incredibly dry to me.

Q: If you were asked to compile a three-book required reading list for the college students of America, which three books would you select?

Hemley: Ack! I'd probably start with that biography you're forcing me to write.

For me, that's one of those impossible questions. How could one possibly choose? Three books would be much too narrow for me. For that reason, I'd probably choose The Tao of Lao-Tze, The Illiad, and maybe the Old Testament. I'd want them taught in the original language, so the students would have to learn Chinese, Greek, and Aramaic. I might remove one of the latter two in favor of The Larousse Encyclopedia of Mythology, which I used to read as a kid. It has an introduction by Robert Graves and is pretty comprehensive, thought the version I have does not include Judaeo-Christian mythology, and should before I'd want to use it. I know the term "mythology" is out of vogue, but I'd use it as long as all belief systems fell under that category. That might be a substantial education: culturally, historically, spiritually, and in terms of language.

Q: What is the function of your work? Entertainment? Social message? Something else altogether?

Hemley: I'd like my work to be both entertaining as well as working towards discoveries. I'm not a writer who has a message in mind when he writes. Personally, I'm after discoveries, not messages. The highest kind of discoveries, and the most elusive, are spiritual discoveries. And to me, this is what many literatures have their roots in, the Eleusinian mysteries of ancient Greece, or the ontological tales that most cultures share.

Q: What is your greatest work?

Hemley: We end with a trick question. I'd love to have a greatest work, but right now I only have a "goodest work." And right now, my goodest work is, of course, the last book I wrote, which is something I think most writers want to believe. The last work they completed is the best, and the next one will be even better.

Robin Hemley's gift is in the detail, the nuance and the subtlety. In ten pages, he can develop characters more rich and layered than many authors do in a whole novel. These stories are warm, inviting and quietly moving.

This is a continuation of my interview with Robin Hemley.

Q: Among the famous authors of the past few centuries, whom do you consider to be the most boring to read?

Hemley: For me, the hands-down winner is the French author Robbe-Grillet who could write a three-page description of a slice of tomato.

And many literary theorists are quite adept at boring readers in the name of edification. But the list of those would be far too long.

And even the most celebrated authors have written wonderful works as well as boring works. What we find boring changes over time. Shakespeare's epic poem, "Lucretia" comes to mind. In his own day, this was a famous work of his - I had to read it in college, and though I adore many of his plays, this poem was incredibly dry to me.

Q: If you were asked to compile a three-book required reading list for the college students of America, which three books would you select?

Hemley: Ack! I'd probably start with that biography you're forcing me to write.

For me, that's one of those impossible questions. How could one possibly choose? Three books would be much too narrow for me. For that reason, I'd probably choose The Tao of Lao-Tze, The Illiad, and maybe the Old Testament. I'd want them taught in the original language, so the students would have to learn Chinese, Greek, and Aramaic. I might remove one of the latter two in favor of The Larousse Encyclopedia of Mythology, which I used to read as a kid. It has an introduction by Robert Graves and is pretty comprehensive, thought the version I have does not include Judaeo-Christian mythology, and should before I'd want to use it. I know the term "mythology" is out of vogue, but I'd use it as long as all belief systems fell under that category. That might be a substantial education: culturally, historically, spiritually, and in terms of language.

Q: What is the function of your work? Entertainment? Social message? Something else altogether?

Hemley: I'd like my work to be both entertaining as well as working towards discoveries. I'm not a writer who has a message in mind when he writes. Personally, I'm after discoveries, not messages. The highest kind of discoveries, and the most elusive, are spiritual discoveries. And to me, this is what many literatures have their roots in, the Eleusinian mysteries of ancient Greece, or the ontological tales that most cultures share.

Q: What is your greatest work?

Hemley: We end with a trick question. I'd love to have a greatest work, but right now I only have a "goodest work." And right now, my goodest work is, of course, the last book I wrote, which is something I think most writers want to believe. The last work they completed is the best, and the next one will be even better.

This book offers tricks and tips to teach you how to use real life situations to develop characters, plot, setting and other elements of story. The author will have you eavesdropping in restuarants and spying on the neighbors in an effort to see how easy it is to come up with believable story.

Robin Hemley covers it all. He immediately engages the reader and his love, as well as his expertise in the craft, is evident in each page. The technical points are covered in a way that leaves you feeling as if you have just read a really good novel. The ethical questions are covered without getting too bogged down. A very inspiring and illuminating book on how to get started writing. B. Bruce, New Caney Tx.