Making Tracks
Making Tracks: Our usual selection of literary goings on in Zürich and beyond this Autumn, September to December.
Poetry: T.A.K. Erzinger
“flowers oblige / extending their opening hours / and still leaves fall like stars / a colouring of comets …” —Zürich based poet T.A.K. Erzinger.
Put a mask on it!
“Whether you’re a hard-partying 20-something, a new (or not so new) parent, a perimenopausal mess, or you’re legitimately old, try the Wrinkle-reducing Sheet Mask. While we cannot guarantee that this product will turn your wrinkle-riddled forehead into a smooth, ageless canvas of expressionlessness—or have any effect at all—never underestimate the power of suggestion.” Writer Lindsey Grant attempts to sell us a mask (or seven).
Unmask! Unmask! Stephen King’s The Shining
“If you’ve read The Shining, you will see glimpses of King’s struggles in his protagonist. Jack was once an alcoholic. Jack also flew into violent rages when drunk, once so badly that he cracked his son’s arm in two. The Overlook is supposed to be where Jack will prove that he’s a changed man—a place of redemption. The hotel, however, has other plans.” Tess Mangiardi unmasks a cult classic: Stephen King’s ‘The Shining’.
A Mark on the Wall: Wall of Masks
Barbara Nigg’s graphic take on our theme. The quote that inspired this piece: “Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell the truth.” —Oscar Wilde
Writers’ Toolbox: Using POV as a Mask
“Why would a writer want to keep information masked or hidden? Some answers include mystery, tension, pacing, and above all, to make the reader want to keep reading. Choosing the right POV can help us do all these things.” Jim Rushing adds his thoughts on POV to the Writers’ Toolbox.
Gallery: Masks
Russell Dean has been a writer, director, designer/maker, performer, project manager and facilitator on nine productions and hundreds of workshops for Strangeface since 2001. Take a look at a gallery of his works, along with some shots of Russell in action.
Making Tracks
A selection of writerly goings on in Zürich and beyond this Summer. Compiled by Jim Rushing.
In Conversation: Mariana Villas-Boas
“Most importantly, we believe fiction and non-fiction are not contrary forces. Rather, fiction helps us better understand the outside world, so we use the stories as a bridge to explore beyond ourselves.” Mariana Villas-Boas on the thinking behind her project: StoryLabs.
Slouching Towards Switzerland
“It’s common for New Yorkers to have a kind of cultish love for their city. As if the city’s trash, dirty sidewalks, and crumbling transportation system are a Mecca for everyone who wants to be someone. New York is the best and worst of everything. This is its Baudelairean beauty.” Tess Mangiardi on Joan Didion, grief, and the city that never sleeps.
Current Theme
To hear about upcoming issues, workshops and events
2018 Poetry Prize winners
Short Story Competition Winners 2017
