A great series of conversations targeted at aspiring and current writers, Kurt and Lee don't give direction but rather inspiration. Funny, cunning, and insightful, these two authors present a candid approach to their writing. A rather quick read, you must pick this up if you write any sort of genre.

I read this book chilling at Borders a long time ago. I went out and bought it recently just because a specific line stuck out to me and I wanted to find it again:

"...the wisdom every two-bit con knows instinctively, that real justice is always poetic." -Lee Stringer

I guess I should read one of Stringer's books next.

A quick read but I like the two authors and I like the interactions and some of the quotes on writing. Only bad thing is the short length of the book.

Really interesting and often funny conversation between two writers who thought highly of each other with readings from both of their books. I love getting a look behind the curtain and both Vonnegut and Stringer are candid about their stories and processes.

Great insight on society and the purpose of artistic pursuits. Highly recommended for a short plane trip or an hour of desperation.

Worth every penny of the twenty-five cents I paid for it. But how this ever became a book for which one pays ten bucks, I will never understand. It's tiny and contains about three interesting paragraphs total, which are couched between pages and pages of rambling, commonplace observations from two uncomfortable guys who are never not aware that the tape is rolling.

Vonnegut and Lee Stringer are incredible writers. Enter into their respective oeuvres for the big payoffs. This little book adds nothing significant, and may even turn one off to the good stuff.

A quick little read about two different conversations between Kurt and Lee Stringer. It's mainly about their writing and inspiration. It's fairly interesting, though not all that necessary to read. I've never read anything from Stringer, so I'm not familiar with his work.

I think what I most took away from Lee and Kurts conversations is that in order to be a writer you have to be passionate about something and you have to have experiences worthy of sharing in a poignant way. I also liked the comment Lee made about how Greg Ruggiero asked if he was an activist. "and it occurred to me afterward that before you had the guys marching, you had the people who reported poverty and war....before the action, there has to be the question....I just like asking the questions." I think I'll read Lee's Grand Central Winter now. I was on the fence, but now I'm convinced. I'm really happy that this book was recommended to me.

You'll only get as much out of this as you're looking for, but even that has its limits. If you're looking for some secret, surefire trick to writing something good, you're out of luck. But you may just find some tidbits you're probably able to take with you on your trip to forever. If you enjoy works like Stringer's and Vonnegut's, this is a great inside to topics like: why write? to what audience? what's the greatest accomplishment? It also has some other interesting, rambly questions like: if you could go back to Earth or sleep eternally, which would you choose?

I think I took a lot from this. I went into this only having read Vonnegut's work, but I'm glad I got to meet Stringer and I'm intrigued by Grand Central Winter. I'll pick it up in the future, especially because Vonnegut praised it. I'll read anything and everything he ever praised.

“KURT: Well, could you tell the story, Lee? Where were you when you discovered that you could really write?

LEE: I was just sitting there with a pencil ... And I started writing.”

A written down conversation between Kurt Vonnegut and Lee Stringer provided insight into what it might have been like to witness the greatness that is Kurt Vonnegut. Completely nonchalant, in a chill setting and with another writer he admired, Kurt Vonnegut imbues charisma and humor.

Not the first book I would recommend to those who want an introduction into his work, but definitely one for those loyal devotees out there like myself.

the vonnegut collection
1. player piano
2. the sirens of titan
3. mother night
4. 2BR02B
5. cat's cradle
6. canary in the cat house or welcome to the monkey house  (i owed the latter and it had majority of the short stories featured in the former)
7. god bless you, mr. rosewater
8. slaughterhouse-five
9. happy birthday, wanda june
10. between time and timbuktu
11. breakfast of champions
12. wampeters, foma and granfalloons
13. slapstick, or lonesome no more!
14. jailbird
15. sun, moon, star
16. palm sunday
17. deadeye dick
18. fates worse then death
19. galapagos
20. bluebeard
21. hocus pocus
22. timequake
23. god bless you, dr. kevorkian
24. bogombo snuff box
25. like shaking hands with god
26. kurt vonnegut on mark twain, lincoln, imperialist wars and the weather
27. a man without a country
28. armageddon in retrospect
29. look at the birdie
30. while mortals sleep
31. sucker's portfolio
32. letters
33. we are what we pretend to be
34. if this isn't nice, what is?
35. complete stories
36. love, kurt: the vonnegut love letters, 1941-1975

A quick, inspiring little read. Nothing that won't despirit away in half a week, though.