Swoff Coughs Gut Custard After Coming Across the Burnt Flesh Expressway That is the Road to Basra...

Recently I had the pleasure of attending a reading by Mr. Anthony Swofford the author of the critically acclaimed book Jarhead (which was made into a movie starring Jake Gyllenhaal). At any rate...I must say that this was one of the better reading I've ever attended and there have been quite a few because I am a bit of a nerd about that kind of stuff.....I know the idea of going to a reading on your on that wasn't assigned by a teacher is a crazy idea to some of you but believe me they are worth it! You should not opt to write a blog about why you couldn't go to a literary reading because there really are no good excuses....i mean just go to your local barnes & noble on poetry night...it's an experience in itself.

Anyway back to Swofford....I have to tell you that I love him...i mean, loved it! lol He is pretty much your average mid-thirties kind of guy (he looks nothing like Jake...sorry ladies lol). He's a little chubby but not fat, he wears reading glasses that remind me of my grandpa's, he has a very demur presence about him and he is so dry that I find him to be hilarious! I like a very dry, sarcastic kind of humor so to me he's great.

Since Swofford was working on his new book (life after the marines....but shhh don't tell anyone cause it's a secret lol) he read us a couple of pages of it and it was fabulous! He is so descriptive in his writing, all the way down to the barking dog, that you have to appreciate his attention to detail. As an aspiring writer myself, detail is always something that new writers tend to leave out because we assume for the reader too much. Back to him....I must say the new book seems like it is definitely going to be worth reading and I can't wait until it hits the shelves. =)