Recommendations | Christian David Loeffler

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Welcome to Recommendation Central!

Below are recommendations I have for readings, poems, authors, and books! I will try to add to this when I find new works that interest me old ones that I need to add. Included are brief descriptions of why I like the work/person and what can be pulled in terms of technique, whether for classroom instruction or working on your own creative writing craft.

I cannot guarantee that links will be included for the authors/works, but you should be able to find them online.

If you are a student of mine, I do not recommend that you go through these, as we very well may cover these readings in one of my courses or at an event!

Fiction

"A Souvenir of Brighton Pavilion" by Mary Francis

I enjoy this story, as it gets 10x creepier after reading to the end and going back. I am still not 100% sure I know exactly what happens and what these ice cream eating metaphors represent, and I am glad that I do not have a 100% clear answer.

"I Will Use This Story to Tell Another Story" by Ashley Hutson

This story is short, sweet, and funny. Some techniques you can pull from this are satire, with "types of people" clearly represented and comparable to those in our society when it comes to certain sitautaions, such as emergencies, etc. Deadpan is also present here and plays a large role in the text; I am not sure I have seen deadpan play a role like this in a text in such a way.

"Mountain" by Sean Lambert

This is one of my absolute favorite fiction short stories to read in class with students. This seamlessly draws together a basic concept of running up a mountain with a more symbolic meaning; there are so many little details that build up the connection between the literal and symbolic that it is a fun read to analyze each time. There is also more to be covered when it comes to content vs. container and how the story is written.

Nonfiction

"Slapstick" by Thaddeus Gunn

Talk about a short CNF piece. It starts of rather humorous before evolving into a greater story of generational family discipline.

"Politics and the English Language" by George Orwell

Orwell, even 80+ years ago, documented the effect language has on society. What happens when new sources and conversation carelessly throw around words like "fascist"? What are the dangers of not using a word by its exact definition? How can you identify those who throw around big words but hardly manage to say a thing? How can we make our writing clearer and stronger? Orwell has it all here.

"Ars Poetica" by Horace

I have read a lot of essays about staying true to yourself in your writing, but none of those texts rivaled this one. Horace explains how our experiences and emotions need to come across genuinely with us being interpreters of those complexities. It has made me think about the difference between writing formulaic writings that are efficient vs. just writing to explore and express.

"Letter to a Just-Starting-Out Indian Writer—and Maybe to Myself:" by Stephen Graham Jones

What a great text. This should be a manifesto. Jones covers a modern issue that could easily come off as contrived, but he approaches the topic rationally and makes great points. Criticisms about how books are marketed, how race is sensationalized, and that cultural representation is not something that should be manufactured but that should be a product of folks in that culture working hard to make a name.

"Art as Technique" by Viktor Shklovsky

Have you ever struggled to define poetry or understand what makes art important? This essay covers it all and is a great basis to understanding what poetry tries to do. Shklovsky described how art defamiliarizes that which has become too familiar. He notes that humans start to reduce objects to means of basic functional use, leading to a monotonous life and way of thinking, but that art brings sensation and wonder to the forefront by highlighting qualities of objects we gloss over and making them new to us again.

Poetry

"Becoming a Horse" by Ross Gay

If you want to feel genuine connection, this poem will make you feel that. If you want a lesson in enjambment, this poem will also do that. Several lines in this poem can be read differently based solely on which words were included on which lines, which makes this one stand out.

Novels & Collections

"Animal Crackers" by Hannah Tinti

This collection is a doozy, and by a doozy, I mean a collection of strange and dark stories related to animals. While not every story is an absolute favorite here, there are a few that stand out such as "Reasonable Terms" and "Slim's Last Ride," the one where a young boy throws a rabbit out the window repeatedly (it gets disturbing). The images stick, and some of these have some greater meaning, such as the aforementioned "Reasonable Terms," which uses zoo animals to parallel immigration and race. Tinti is also really cool, granted I only spoke to her once via Zoom.

"Reality Boy" by A.S. King

Now, listen. This book is YA fiction. This book is a bit over-the-top and filled with teenage dramatics. The symbolism or attempts at converying the main character's mindset may be a bit all over the place or just too in your face. But, man, the book can be funny. And, man, you can feel the main character's wants. And watching the sister of the main character is a spectacle. Maybe this whole book is just a spectacle. But I like it. And it was one of the first books that I bonded with a girl over, so leave me alone!

"The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" by Mark Twain

I do not know where or when it happened, but the fact that his book is overlooked for "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" is a most heinous crime that would even leave the Law & Order Special Victims Unit in shock. The story of Tom Sawyer is one of adventure, small town America, humor, and real-life talk. I cannot imagine what it feels like to read "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" and then see Tom Sawyer show up without knowing much of who he is; it must be the emptiest and most unfulfilling cameo of all time. Anyway, read this book, and then you can go read more about Huck Finn after reading about Tom Sawyer.

"The Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger

This is my absolute favorite book. When I first read it in high school, I found myself reading it 2-3 more times in the span of a year. The story is character-based, is humorous, still has dramatic elements, and manages to capture the sort of randomness of events that something like "Harold and Kumar" can. This is one of the few books that can genuinely make me emotional. While being straightforward, there is still a charm to the simple symbolism and repeated images throughout the book. The book does not try too hard or feel like is trying to win you over; that low pressure and openess to audiences is what makes it great. You can be young or old and still pull from this on any level you want to, even if it is just to catch up with an old friend (not Stradlater though). Folks will get into the whole part about Holden being in an instiution and all, but honestly, if that is what you are focused on in this book, then you probably need to go read some contemporary New York Times bestseller that lacks any more soul than a slice of bologna to get your rocks off.

"Einstein's Dreams" by Alan Lightman

This book explores how time could flow in multiple alternate realities. For example, what if time moved significantly more quickly if you approached a certain object or space? What happens if time moves significantly slower at lower elevations? While playing out this different complex ways of thinking and how these other worlds could function, the book also manages to subtly make commentary on the complex ways that we experience time. The icing on the cake is that we also see the characterization of a fictionalized Einstein weaved between these realities. The closest work I can compare this to is the manga/anime "Kino's Journey." You can enjoy reading small bits at a time and be immersed in varying societies.

Authors

A. S. King

A. S. King is a bit out there as a person and in her books, but I really appreciate the surrealist fiction she creates. Even if I do not like a character much, and even if I am not a big fan of the plot, there is at least a good scene or interesting premise in an A. S. King book that sticks with me over the years.

August Wilson

Astounding two-act plays. I have read the entire Pittsburgh Cycle. If you do not know, Wilson wrote plays that almost all take place in Pittsburgh, with each play occurring in a different decade. Each play in the Pittsburgh Cycle plays into the era and the African American experience. I really like that the plays are just enjoyable, and it is fun to interpret characters based on their dialogue and actions. I can always appreciate a story that just tells lives, experiences, and struggles without being preachy. His work has inspired me to look closer at the two-act narrative and its significance in storytelling.

George Orwell

You know, folks referencing Orwell really turned me off from the guy. And then, I had to read "1984," but I just lost interest in it. Eventually, I finished the book, and it was choppy, confusing, edgy, and just an all around unimpressive experience. That being said, Orwell has some great nonfiction work, and elements of this nonfiction writing do appear in "1984," but you are better off just reading his essays like "Politics and the English Language." Admittedly, I have much more to read of his nonfiction before I can say he is a nonfiction pro, but what I have read has been pleasing.

Ray Bradbury

The master. This man is the master of writing. End of story. Some of his short stories are just so packed full of detail and intent, that it is astounding. His work can be enjoyable on a surface level, but if you look closely, you will find that the imagery is a metaphorical, the names have meaning, the numbers have meaning—everything has meaning. While doing all of the above, his work often personfies machines, draws out what it means to be human, addresses concerns of the time, and makes connections between the natural and unnatural. Go read a Bradbury collection. Go!