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Scott Lax Blog

A Question from a Bass Player, and Larry Brown, Again

Last night Lydia and I went for burgers and to listen to The Backup Band, a blues band comprised of some old friends of mine. I sat in on drums, and my cousin Mike sat in on guitar, and all that was fun, but what happened between sets blew me away.

My old pal Craig, the base player, came up to me and said, seemingly out of nowhere, “Have you ever read BIG BAD LOVE by Larry Brown?” I asked him if he had been reading my blog. He said no, and he didn’t know I had a Web site. I asked him if he knew I had been a friends with Larry at Bread Loaf. He said no, he just thought I’d like his work, particularly this book.

The coincidence was pretty astounding. Why is Larry Brown’s BIG BAD LOVE in the air, at least in my life?

Maybe because as writers, we delve deeper into our stories and narratives when we’re ready. I feel ready to go deeper, and confident that the book I’ve just finished accomplished that. At least, I hope so. I’ve had tragedy in my life this year; Larry’s stories are often about those who continue writing through adversity. Larry was never afraid to face the darkness in life, as well as the tenderness. And, too, it’s said that the teacher will arrive when the student is ready. So I ask myself, are Larry’s stories teaching me something?

The answer, I think, is yes. I’ll be writing about what that in days to come.  Read More