This April, Counterpoint Press released Black Swans (1993), a wistful collection of nine autobiographical tales from the 1980s and ’90s. If you are struggling for inspiration try developing a story combining a character from one of your story ideas with a predicament or setting from another.

EVE BABITZ WAS born in 1943, the eldest daughter of bohemian intellectuals before that label was considered positive social currency.They provide expert and detailed descriptions, disclose all significant defects and/or restorations, provide clear and accurate pricing, and operate with fairness and honesty during the purchase experience. They examine the real life behind the facade of the Hollywood sign and of the joy and heartbreak the sequins and lights can hide. Once this happened the term’s meaning transformed: the black swan became a symbol of the improbable. Black Swans, originally out in 1993 and reissued this year, is the best example of what makes her writing so essential. Yet in the titular “Black Swans,” Babitz tackles the messy attraction-repulsion tug-of-war women face with insecure men.

and her wisecracking, ain't-it-the-truth-honey voice is just about perfect in illuminating the fact. and Esquire , and in the late 1960s, she designed album covers for the Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, and Linda Ronstadt.

Often, the mark of a successful story is how, when looking back over the series of actions and choices the character has undergone, the outcome feels inevitable. What at first seems like an unfiltered array of impressions--about aging, or tango, ambition, or jealousy--comes together as a considered meditation on a theme. Her wholesale embrace of what is lovely and dangerous and absurd about Los Angeles appeals to contemporary readers. EVE BABITZ is the author of several books of fiction, including Sex and Rage, Eve’s Hollywood, and Slow Days, Fast Company.

One of the strengths of this collection lies in her willingness to catalog her own flaws, even when exposing unflattering facets of her personality . and Esquire, and in the late 1960s, she designed album covers for the Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, and Linda Ronstadt. wherein the clashes of reality and desire can lead to spectacular and terrifying confrontations with the chasm that divides them.

It is our intent and purpose to foster and encourage in-depth discussion about all things related to books, authors, genres, or publishing in a safe, supportive environment. If you’re still fine with reading a woman berate other women for their appearances, their makeup and perfume, or pit women against each other — overall be evil to women… the casual racism is truly sickening. This collection is the last anthology of Babitz's stories to be published, (1993), and is my favorite. By then, Babitz's tidal pull--sumptuous prose organized into vignettes of hedonism without the weight of moral consequence--had lassoed the attention of bookish women, and, seemingly, everyone else too .