New York Writes After September 11

Thursday, August 4, 2011

New York Writes After September 11

Collection of NY writers' reaction pieces to 9/11.

From Publishers Weekly
Edited by Ulrich Baer, and drawing on the enormous resources of New York's literary community, 110 Stories: New York Writes After September 11 is a surprisingly supple commemoration of disaster. Short-short stories and poems by New York writers are the collection's raison d'Etre, but personal testimony creeps in as well. The best entries approach the subject most obliquely or humorously-Jonathan Ames's Nabokovian "Womb Shelter," David Hollander's moving "The Price of Light and Air," Nathalie Handal's lovely "The Lives of Rain," Lev Grossman's hilarious "Pitching September 11," among many others. More predictable are the "where-I-was-and-what-I-thought" pieces (often by the better-known writers). Overall, this collection proves the transformative power of art.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
9/11 The barbaric attack on the World Trade Center last September 11 not only altered the New York City skyline but also left a gaping hole in the city's collective consciousness. Edited by NYU literature professor Baer (Remnants of Song; Spectral Evidence), this unique collection of 110 short stories, poems, and brief prose pieces is intended to explore the healing possibilities of language and to document the attempts of some of the most celebrated writers and poets, both American and from abroad, to fill the void. Paul Auster, Amitav Ghosh, Vivian Gornick, Carey Harrison, Richard Kostelanetz, Lynne Sharon Schwartz, and David Trinidad are among the authors featured. Some stories, like Phillip Lopate's "Altering the World We Thought Would Outlast Us" and Peter Carey's "Union Square," deal directly with September 11 and its aftermath; others record more personal encounters with grief and loss, like Lydia Davis's "Grammar Questions," a moving meditation on her dying father. The wide range of writing styles and viewpoints, as well as Art Spiegelman's striking cover art, should make this anthology a popular read this fall. Recommended for all libraries.
William Gargan, Brooklyn Coll. Lib., CUNY
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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About My Collection

I've been collecting objects ever since the events of September 11, 2001. My collection can be classified as everyday items that reflect the events of 9/11 in their appearance. Some of these items are defined as collectible items, but the majority were available to consumers as household goods. I have hundreds of objects, and I use this blog to help document and "catalogue" them. A number of themes also emerge and are reflected by my collection. I felt that these objects needed to be preserved and their story told.

Themes:
1) September 11th influenced/impacted all material culture (consumer goods, collectibles, etc) in way that has never occurred (in terms of the extent, types of goods, etc)

2) Connection of remembrance and memorializing to material culture (basically the idea that buying something will make someone feel better and connect them to that event).

3) The story of each object and its purpose

4) The possibility that corporations used 9/11 as an opportunity and motivation to increase sales (it wasn't just about donating a portion of the proceeds)

5) Companies carried out corporate curating. This "process" involves the production of a material good/object tied directly to 9/11, where a corporation implements their own interpretation and ties themselves forever to the events of September 11th. For example, American Express created a book about the impact of 9/11 of their company and employees. This book is their corporate curated object.

6) My collection as the ideal symbol of American consumerism, and my effort in assembling it as being an American consumer

Collecting September 11th - Collecting 9/11 - Collecting 911 - Twin Towers - World Trade Center

Thursday, August 4, 2011