A Day at the Prefecture

Was re-reading our friend Robin Hemley's blog post A Day at the Prefecture this morning from last January. It's not only funny but also epitomizes the French bureaucratic nightmare.

Here's the beginning:

"Last week, I was told by Madame Loretz in Personnel at The University of Montpellier where I’m teaching for several months that I had been given the wrong visa by the Chicago Consulate. It’s actually NOT the wrong visa, but it was impossible to convince Madame Loretz of that..."

And thus started what Robin goes on to call the Monty Python-esque French "Go Away" merryground.

DO-OVER! - Robin Hemley

Our friend Robin Hemley just came out with another book this month, DO-OVER!

Robin has published seven books altogether, and his stories and essays have appeared in the New York Times, New York Magazine, Chicago Tribune, and many literary magazines and anthologies. Robin got his MFA from the Iowa Writers Workshop and he's the current director of the Nonfiction Writing Program at the University of Iowa. He lives in Iowa City.


Here's what Publisher's Weekly had to say about the book:

"When Hemley ... decides that he wants to do over some of the experiences he flubbed as a child, he isn't just dreaming. The 48-year-old father of three makes a list of times and places he'd like to revisit, including kindergarten, the prom and summer camp, doggedly pursuing all the contacts and background checks necessary to 'storm the walls of childhood' as an adult. Surprisingly, the kids and teachers he meets along the way accept him in his overgrown state; some even express envy . . . Hemley is endearing, funny and more than a bit courageous . . . A big kid at heart, the author draws readers in with just the right mix of humor and tenderness."