Author: tiphane

The Compassion Test

Published by

Today I went to the vigil preceding the execution of Troy Davis. This was the first time I attended such a vigil, and this one in San Francisco was across the continent from Georgia. I must say it was very sad. A few came to speak into the megaphone, two sang beautifully. Ten minutes before four o’clock, we moved from a loose pack to a huge circle there on Justin Herman Plaza, held hands, in silence. Even the zip line above us was silent for that time, as they had eerily sent a few tourists down before, shouting their joy above somber statements. It was city silence, the sirens and the street noises in the background. The Ferry Building’s clock rang at four, waking me from meditation. Actually, it startled me, knocked me out of meditation. Many people checked their smart phones for several minutes. Then someone announced there had been no execution. There were cheers and tears, but the Amnesty person then announced it hadn’t been a stay, just the Supreme Court asking for …

on Nelly Arcan’s La Honte and Tout le Monde en Parle

Published by

This is a comment about this post on lindaleith.com I’ve never been a fan of Tout le Monde en Parle, the talk show designed to squeeze its guests in a corner and confess their sins, for the few times I saw it on my friends or family’s TV set. They think it’s a good show, my friends and family. To me, it’s like being at a party where someone drunk insists on telling “the truth” about your uncle’s sex life. As it would certainly become the center of Quebecers’ attention for a few days, drawing comments from everyone, I initially refrained from adding my point of view. It would be among the minority, easily squashed by the brash voices that would be quick to blame the victim. Many people would resent the implied reproach that they need to be politically correct, or at the very least polite. I read La Honte, initially in admiration of her ability to write down her feelings. I learned that she had discussed with her agent why she should take …

A Public Transportation Tour of the Northwest

Published by

Ever wondered if you could travel in America without a car? Most people wouldn’t think it were possible, but we traveled from Seattle to Victoria BC via Port Townsend and Port Angeles with nothing more than our feet, buses, and regular ferries. Initially we thought of taking our tandem bicycle along, which would have added a few complications we weren’t ready to encounter. If you’re going solo with a bicycle, most buses and all ferries could take you when you need a push. We started from San Jose, taking Amtrak’s Coast Starlight to Seattle, a 24-hour journey through Northern California, Oregon, and Washington State. The purpose of going on a trip is to slow down, and avoiding the hustle and bustle of airports was just refreshing. We took a roomette, which in Amtrak’s world is the equivalent of Business Class, providing us with a small compartment where the seats transform into bunk beds, complete with sheets and pillows, made by our attendant when we asked. Right before departure time, I ran to a grocery store …

The Flight of the Lost One

Published by

An almond fell off the spoon, bounced on his right shoe, and landed on the dusty pavement near his customer’s foot. Diego plunged the spoon in his bucket again, hoping to remain steady if another explosion startled him. Every year, the firecrackers of December penetrated Diego’s mind to haunt him. Signs of celebration for those who lit them, preparing for Christmas and New Year, they awoke in Diego the feelings he had tried to put to rest for many years already. The peddler of nuts – cashews, almonds, macadamia, etc. – not normally affected by the noises of everyday life in Guatemala, the passing of trucks, tuk-tuks, and buses, could not blend the explosions into his soundscape. So many years had passed since the end of the war and his daily nightmare, that he had managed to forget most of it. He could now make a modest living from the sales of nuts to passersby, mostly tourists with little else to do than considering the flow of good deals coming to their eyes. Over time …

Let the Jaw Drop, a one-page story

Published by

Click Here to Download the PDF BEFORE THE THEATRE PLUNGED into complete darkness, a serious voice asked the members of the audience to turn their cell phones off, and to unwrap their candy now, rather than later, when the urge to cough would warrant it. To Dorothy, these were somewhat contradictory life instructions, for what should one do with the unwrapped candy? It probably mattered less than the annoyance she felt at her husband consequently unwrapping a piece of gum, because of how he chewed it – with such an extreme jaw drop that one could hear the clicking of his overused masseter muscle, and observe his ears as they moved, as if directly attached to the jaw. Years ago, they had laughed together at his ability to move his ears, and even parts of his ears, independently… Click Here to Download the PDF

Enclosed, a Short Story

Published by

Download the PDF (4 pages, printable on two-sided letter-size paper, or display on your computer) I GOT STUCK IN THE ELEVATOR, somewhere below the fortieth floor of my attorney’s building. I did not panic, of course, but strangely enough I had a sense that the incident could have been related to something I did. I am not superstitious, and not even religious, so I rarely attribute an event like a power failure in an elevator to a higher authority. Yet, when you are inside an elevator, you can’t resist the thought that you are at the mercy of an invisible force… Download the PDF

Writing the First Draft

Published by

For the past two weeks, I’ve been writing assiduously on a new Clairefontaine notebook with a fountain pen.  I do get hand cramps after a couple of hours, but the process is exciting.  Every morning, I seem to look forward to learning what my characters are going to do next, how they’ll proceed with what life throws at them.  Here’s a transcription of a paragraph, just to prove it exists.  It really is a first draft, which plows through the story and defines the characters, the scenes, what happen to them, their history, and where they’re going to end up.  A second draft will probably be entirely new. “… That’s him on the photos there,” he said, designating the photos on the wall behind the computer. “You guys were cute,” said Marc. “Yeah,” Peter said, thinking of the past tense in “were cute.”  He paused in his work, his hands supporting him on the table, looking at the back of the frame, having one of his moments, as he called it.  At the beginning, those …