The brave view is that talking it out helps work it out. Maybe the realistic view is that talking it out inflames the issues further. But that is America, especially these days. Jane Smiley americabraveday Change image and share on social
Novelists of a conservative or more purely aesthetic bent hold up better on the surface, but their novels go in and out of fashion according to relevance or irrelevance. Jane Smiley aestheticbendconservative Change image and share on social
Gossip. The more you talk about why people do things, the more ideas you have about how the world works. Jane Smiley gossipideapeople Change image and share on social
Ignorance and bloodlust have a long tradition in the United States, especially in the red states. Jane Smiley bloodlustignorancelong Change image and share on social
There are hundreds of Frank Lloyd Wright buildings around the United States and in other countries, too. Wright lived into his 90s, and one of his most famous buildings, the Guggenheim Museum in New York, was completed just before his death. Wright buildings look like Wright buildings - that is their paradox. Jane Smiley 90sbuildingcomplete share on social
There are several methods for introducing your children to driving, and all of them are bad. Probably the worst is to put it off. Jane Smiley badchilddrive Change image and share on social
One of the profound effects of economics in our day is that the people with the money and the power have embraced the guilt-free, external-less, everything-will-turn-out-okay-in-the-end philosophy of economics in order to justify their own evil works. And the economists, for the most part, have sucked up to that money. Jane Smiley dayeconomicseconomist share on social
Trollope wrote so many novels and other works that they tend to crowd each other out. Jane Smiley crowdnoveltend Change image and share on social
With any novel that you begin, you can't foresee how difficult or easy it's going to be, and you can't really prepare yourself. You just have a take it one step at a time and know that it's all right to keep going - you can always fix it. Jane Smiley begindifficulteasy share on social
I loved the house the way you would any new house, because it is populated by your future, the family of children who will fill it with noise or chaos and satisfying busy pleasures. Jane Smiley busychaoschild Change image and share on social