Story Archives of 'Rebecca Rule'

Nineteen tales of New Hampshire small town life make up Rebecca Rule’s 1995 book “Best Revenge: Short Stories”. Some make you laugh, others leave a tear in your eye; some explore the comical uniqueness and subtleties of Granite State life, others everyday hardships. There’s a fine line between humor and tragedy, and in “Best Revenge”, Rebecca Rule walks it well. We’ll explore the lighter and darker sides of New Hampshire with Rebecca Rule and her book “Best Revenge” as we conclude this year's Granite State Stories.

Guest

• Rebecca Rule, author of "Best Revenge: Short Stories"

This program was originally broadcast June 29, 2007.

Writers from New Hampshire put out an impressive assortment of new works in 2006. Tonight on the Front Porch we're going to revisit some of them with book reviewer Rebecca Rule. From the true story of one pig's life to one of the most notable match-ups in boxing history, we'll discuss the caliber of writing and the wide range of subjects that make up this year's Granite Staters' published works.

It's the end of the year, and it's time to take stock. We'll look back at some of the year's biggest New England sports stories with Vin Sylvia, Deputy Managing Editor for Sports at the New Hampshire Union Leader. We'll also talk with Jeff Feingold at the New Hampshire Business Review to recap some of New Hampshire's biggest economic stories of 2005.

We'll close out the year with a chat with humorist Rebecca Rule. She'll tell us what the end of 2005 means to her and let us in on some Yankee New Year traditions.

We'll hear tales of people who left the rat race of the big city and moved to Northern New England. From raccoons in your backyard to outhouse racing and other surprises of small town life, we'll get an outsiders' view of our quirky little area of the world. Laura's guests are Barrie Woodruff, a contributer of humorous essays to NHPR on small town life. She moved from California to New Hampshire a few years ago. Also joining Laura is Chris Bohjalian, author of Idyll Banter: Weekly Excursions to a Very Small Town. Chris moved from New York to Vermont back in 1986 and has lived there ever since. And for the insider looking out viewpoint, Laura is joined by Rebecca Rule, a New Hampshire-based writer and self proclaimed wordsmith. She is also book review editor for the Concord Monitor and has published several books.

Ray Gamache was a journalism professor at the Manchester school. He was about to publish a history of the last 25 years at Notre Dame, when college officials announced they were closing down this spring. Ray's book, "The Water is Wide," is out. He looks back at Notre Dame's past and refelects on its passing.

Also, we hear an essay from our favorite storysmith, Rebecca Rule. It's called "Rocks Rising."