Marc Acito’s book How I Paid For College was the winner of the 2006 Ken Kesey Award for the Novel. The sequel, Attack of the Theater People,
was published last spring. Armisted Maupin called it, ” as sweet and nutty and irresistible as a bag of M & M’s ” , which some of us think is an apt description of Marc himself. Marc is a frequent contributor to NPR https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=100829188, and maintains a lively blog, The Gospel According to Marc (https://marcacito.blogspot.com/).
What is Marc currently working on?
Typically I write with the door open, blabbing to everyone about my
work as I go. But lately I’ve seen the value of keeping my energy
more focused and only talking about it when I need help. So all I
will say is that I’m stirring the pot on a lot of different ideas.
And am actively seeking to stimulate my thinking. I’m intrigued by
the notion that Buckminster Fuller took two whole years just to
think. I don’t have that luxury, but I find myself clearing excess
from my life so that I can concentrate on improving my brain.
How would Marc describe a good writing day?
A Good Writing Day is a productive one, a day where the words come
easily and plentifully. So often my prose is swiss cheese–hard,
stiff, full of holes–which I labor over until it’s alpine lace and
finally a creamy camembert. I relish those days when I don’t
struggle, when my thoughts come like dictation. But only if the
result has substance. An original metaphor, an unexpected plot twist,
a joke that makes someone laugh out loud–these make my effort
worthwhile.
