Author: amozina

If this “How It Works (I Think)” blog is going to be of any use to The New Yorker reading public, it must not shy away from the most difficult cases. So far we’ve taken on more or less classically constructed stories by George Saunders and Jhumpa Lahiri. Today we look at a more experimental… Continue reading “The Autopsy” by Lyudmila Ulitskaya

For this installment of the “How It Works (I Think)” short story analysis blog, let’s look at Jhumpa Lahiri’s “P’s Parties” from the July 10 – July 17th issue of The New Yorker. The New Yorker does allow non-subscribers some free articles every month, so I encourage you to follow the link above and first… Continue reading “P’s Parties” by Jhumpa Lahiri

For the inaugural “How It Works (I Think),” I’ve chosen “Thursday,” a short story by George Saunders, which appeared in The New Yorker on June 12, 2023. (Please read the story first. “Thursday” by George Saunders. There are spoilers in what follows. Go ahead and click even if you’re not a subscriber; I understand The… Continue reading “Thursday” by George Saunders

As short story lovers know, reading an excellent short story is more profound than sex, more satisfying than a hot fudge sundae, more likely to stick to your emotional ribs than even the hottest prestige TV episode. In A Swim in a Pond in the Rain, George Saunders argues that reading short stories enhances the… Continue reading About the “How It Works (I Think) Story Blog”

Photo: Christopher Magson BY Rudy Mars (CMP) Kalamazoo, MI —  As part of his ever-mystifying journey as a writer, Andy Mozina cleaned out his home office in preparation for new work. Since returning galleys a year ago for his first novel, Contrary Motion, Mozina has injured himself in an ill-fated ATV celebration, promoted his novel… Continue reading Author Cleans Office, Considers New Projects

BY Rudy Mars (CMP) (Kalamazoo, MI) — In an act of self-promotion that has raised eye-brows even among fellow writers and drawn concern from the counseling community, Andy Mozina declared his debut novel Contrary Motion a “Must Read” for Father’s Day. The novel is about a divorced harpist in Chicago preparing for a symphony audition.… Continue reading Author Names Own Novel “Must Read” for Father’s Day

It was a lot of fun to talk with Audrey Nowakowski on Milwaukee Public Radio’s “Lake Effect” program. Here’s the interview.

BY Rudy Mars (CMP) Milwaukee, WI–On Wednesday morning, author Andy Mozina appeared on a local TV talk show posing as an authority on the “modern male psyche.” The overly excited Mozina repeatedly interrupted his interviewers by exclaiming “yes” or “exactly!” to whatever they said. Offering one of his insights into the human condition, he asserted,… Continue reading Author Poses as Authority on Modern Male Pysche

I don’t know if they have any enforcement powers, but I like the idea that the New York Post is claiming that apparently everyone “must read” Contrary Motion. They don’t mention a deadline, so I’m assuming the sooner the better.

Very grateful to Dan Kaplan at BOOKLIST for this friendly (starred!) review of CONTRARY MOTION!: http://www.booklistonline.com/Contrary-Motion-Andy-Mozina/pid=7883760