Airstream Dispatches Reads Rick Bailey

Airstream Dispatches (now registering!), we are going to study 6 books, gather for 6 webinars & write our way through 6 prompts. This community, made up of writers and book lovers across the globe, is fast-growing, low-pressure, and highly supportive. One book we’re reading is American English, Italian Chocolate by Rick Bailey (published by University of Nebraska Press).

As a lifelong lover of creative nonfiction (most people don’t realize my MFA is actually in creative nonfiction…not fiction!), I always keep my eyes on what I consider to be America’s top-notch sources for innovative, highly crafted nonfiction. That includes publications like River Teeth and Brevity, as well as trustworthy presses like University of Nebraska Press. This press, like a good record company (back in the day, before digital music), has a noticeable and respected aesthetic. Wayne State University Press is another such press. All of which is to say–when new nonfiction is published by these folks, I pay attention.

I’m looking forward to reading Rick’s work for Airstream Dispatches and interviewing him (you can ask him questions, too, by enrolling in the program!). I suspect we will hone our flash form nonfiction skills (many of Rick’s chapters are very short) and also consider the use of humor in nonfiction.

During the process of choosing books and authors for Airstream Dispatches, I was curious about which independent bookstore the author loved and why. Here’s what Rick Bailey had to say: “Traverse City’s  Brilliant Books is a wonderful place. The staff is congenial and informed; the books are beautifully presented. I want a bookstore like this in my hometown, a place to hang out, to browse, to enjoy a special ambiance. In the age of online shopping, Brilliant Books is a reminder of what a bricks-and-mortar store can be. And, of course, if you can’t get there in person, you can present your virtual self and be satisfied.”