Shirley Jackson sent The Lottery, along with several other stories, to The New Yorker, and it was immediately accepted.  She said she didn’t give it another thought, because it just seemed like another story to her (and to the magazine).  But the day after it was published, The New Yorker received bags and bags of mail about the story.  At one point people from the magazine said it remained both the most read and most controversial story they’d ever published.  Keep painting and messing around with that glass stuff, Josie.  It’s beautiful.

That was my first favorite, Josie, when I was in high school, I remember, and then it was Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery.

Candice, the Diamond is one of my all-time favorites as well.  Such an important piece.

I actually grew up in the Glass family, so when I found the Salinger, I was delighted to know there were other people like we were then.  So I didn’t love the stories, so much as I was those stories.  For years many of my letters were signed, "with love, Esme," and in fact many people wrote me as such.  I’d forgotten this.  Thanks for the reminder.

Jane, me too.  I think the short story is the quintessential American form, much like jazz.  It suits us especially somehow.  It is, however, no great surprise to anyone who knows me that I particularly love the short fiction of Virginia Woolf.  The story "The Symbol" for whatever reason has always reminded me of your work, Ms. Jane.  Flannery O’Connor, well, what can one say in the presence of such greatness?  Grace Paley seems well-suited to our times.  Shirley Jackson always takes us on a good ride.  Work of utter, show-stopping brilliance, of course is Ella Leffland’s Last Courtesies and Other Stories. But the list is endless because we have been given so many wonderful short-story writers in the English language, particularly women.

Kay Boyle, who lived her last years in my neighborhood, told me on one of our walks that she had the unfortunate fate of having outlived everyone who ever knew she was famous.  "Not quite," I reminded her.  Then I recounted a story to her, which I think might have been "The Visitor," and said it had lingered in my memory long long after I had read it.  "Oh, yes, that story," she said. "One time I was reading one of those endless collections of American short stories, and I came across that one, which I read with enthusiasm.  ‘Yes, yes, this is how a story ought to be written,’ I said.  So I looked back to see who had written it and I had, 30 years ago!"

"Just think what we could be if we had the drive to attain power, not for selfish reasons, but for all the good we could do with it." Jane, I think many people start out to be public servants and end up being "politicians" because of the structure of our system being so dependent on vast quantities of money to even get "hired."  I think one thing that could be done is to ban all political advertising and reclaim the public airwaves (and they do belong to the public) to use for legitimate public debates, not this Madison Avenue slogan/mislead crap we’re forcefed now.

Deni, as usual, spot on!

Yes, Jane, indeed.  My dad was southern Gothic, and, as Kathryn has so kindly pointed out, hadn’t a clue of it.  In fact, he grew up with his family in a victorian house in a cemetery in Kentucky, rent for which was paid by their maintaining the grounds.  I suspect, since you are aware of your proclivities in the tradition, you have transcended it.  I might be mistaken.  It wouldn’t be the first time.  xo, mp

Greetings from the North, Ms. Jane.  Just FYI, what you’re talking about is so prevalent, in fact there are websites and posts dedicated to it.  E.g., http://www.ehow.com/how_2193516_relieve-jaw-neck-tension.html

I’m thinking of you and hope you’re doing well.  xo, MP

Well, except the 20%, and they say it’s just about that, of the people still obfuscating, trying to destroy the Obama Presidency rather than supporting our country’s efforts to get back on its feet (rather treasonous, wouldn’t you think), aren’t listening to anything, and aren’t answering anything.  They’re sticking to their narrow little agenda in spite of sense, reason, and emergency.  They’ve born false witness for nearly a decade now, James, and they aren’t about to change.  Take comfort in the fact that they are a very very small minority.  Best, Mugs

Well spake.

Well said, well said.  (And good luck with that.)

BTW, anyone who isn’t enraged by Cheney’s self-serving BS probably doesn’t love this country at all.

The problem is, of course that you wouldn’t know me if you fell over me on Main Street, yet you have all these opinions about me.  Which probably is about as reliable as your other opinions, I should think.

Mahulda, I’m neither interested in your being curious nor in your attempts at "analyzing" me.  The foolish nonsense Americans believe about our "god-given" right to ride roughshod over the whole world, use an obsene percentage of its resources, and show no remorse for the mayhem we cause is a position that I no longer tolerate.  It is unacceptable in the 21st century.  If people want to say absurd things, I will say they are absurd.  It’s called saying a spade is a spade.