“Twenty Questions” Published in Hippocampus Magazine

James Brega: What I Write Instead of Nothing

Have you ever driven up the California coast from San Luis Obispo to Monterey, knuckles white on the steering wheel as you fight for control of the car through hairpin curves? Have you ever dreamed that you had murdered someone and, upon waking, been unable to shake the conviction that it was true? Have you ever sung onstage to a packed audience, been robbed at gunpoint by a ten-year-old, laughed when it seemed— for a moment—that a famous author had stolen your mojo, wondered why we don’t drive steam-powered automobiles, or confronted your guardian angel at high tide on a gay beach once claimed by Pilgrims ? In What I Say Instead of Nothing, James Brega invites you to explore his real, imagined, and re-imagined experiences through his collected essays and short stories—a journey that will feed your nostalgia for life at the end of the twentieth century and remind you how desperately you wish that a great deal of it had never happened.

“Twenty Questions” Published in Hippocampus Magazine

June 2, 2014

I wrote this lament for my sister, Rebecca, shortly after she died in 2012.It’s taken two years of revision and submission to find a place for it in Hippocampus Magazine, for which I’m very grateful.

Rebecca with her 3 siblings, 1978

I can’t say I hope you’ll enjoy this piece, but I hope it will trigger memories of someone you’ve loved and lost. And, for those of you who knew Rebecca, I hope it will help you remember her persistence, her spirit, and all the other things that were wonderful about her!

Read “Twenty Questions” in Hippocampus Magazine here.

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One Response to ““Twenty Questions” Published in Hippocampus Magazine”

Donna Talarico Says:

June 2, 2014 at 5:46 pm
We’re happy it found a home. You’re so right about not exactly wanting people to enjoy, but rather take something from it. These stories are tricky to tell. You did a fine job!

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James Brega: What I Write Instead of Nothing