Jim Naremore's new novel, American Still Life is about trauma and memorializing our loses - a perfect read for the many thousands of people going through those experiences as a result of the recent Los Angeles fires. Hopefully all affected will have time to read this important book, once they are on the road to recovery.  Jim has also written a guest post for us about the importance of being a member of a writing group. I'm in two, so I know how helpful they are. Here's Jim: Why I Like Writing Groups by Jim Naremore I’m a writer’s group junkie. I have been formally writing for close to (over?) twenty years now and I’m sure I’ve been involved in over a dozen such groups. I’m currently in one now and wouldn’t trade it for the world. It’s a harsh generalization that maybe strays into cliché that most writers are introverts or are maybe socially maladroit. I fall on some point of that spectrum for sure, and my writer’s groups were a big part of my ability to have and maintain … [Read more...]