The Napkin Project (Thanksgiving Edition)

In 2007, Esquire mailed 250 cocktail napkins to writers across the country with this request: Fill the blank space with fiction. We received nearly 100 napkin stories and published them all as part of the Napkin Project.

The project had been on the shelf—in our archive, to be exact—for the past 16 years, until July 2023, when we revived it. We published additional rounds in December of that year (Holiday Edition), April 2024 (Love Stories), and July 2024 (Summer Vacation).

This is now our fifth installment, and it’s a Thanksgiving Edition.

Thanksgiving is an unusual holiday. There are no gifts or carols; its origin story is colored by tragedy; the season lasts only a few days; it’s based around a meal comprising dishes most people eat but once a year; the president pardons a turkey. It’s also freighted with memories and family drama. Hey, at least there’s a parade!

With so much material to mine, we asked five of the most electric writers around to contribute to this round of Napkin Fiction: Chuck Palahniuk, Meg Wolitzer, Daniel Lavery, Weike Wang, and Jacqueline Woodson. Each approached the assignment in their own signature style, and the results are a casserole of emotions. Their stories will break your heart, make you laugh, disturb you—you know, like most holidays.

Five writers. Five napkins. Five stories about Thanksgiving. Enjoy. —Adrienne Westenfeld, books and fiction editor


JACQUELINE WOODSON


WEIKE WANG


CHUCK PALAHNIUK


DANIEL LAVERY


MEG WOLITZER

Note: This article have been indexed to our site. We do not claim legitimacy, ownership or copyright of any of the content above. To see the article at original source Click Here

Related Posts
Xbox Game Pass Starts 2022 With a Bang – Unlocked 525 thumbnail

Xbox Game Pass Starts 2022 With a Bang – Unlocked 525

Happy New Year! Xbox Game Pass gets 2022 started in a big way - by dropping the entirety of Mass Effect: Legendary Edition onto Game Pass. We discuss the legendary RPG series, the importance of its presence on Game Pass, and more. Plus: what we played over the holiday break (hint: Halo Infinite multiplayer), Tencent's…
Read More
Huang Qiusheng answered questions from reporters thumbnail

Huang Qiusheng answered questions from reporters

文中提及講座片段截圖( ettoday youtube 頻道截圖)立場博客馮睎乾十三維度英雄退步即神仙,火氣消除道德編。 Facebook:https://www.fb.com/epinoia2020 Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/sefirot按月贊助一杯咖啡為了「國家安全」,今時今日做藝人,確實需要急才和智慧。 10月1日,台劇《四樓的天堂》在台北電影節舉辦首映會,主演的黃秋生也有出席,並接受記者訪問。有人問黃秋生,對於香港改變的感想為何? 黃秋生沉吟着答:「不敢想啊,還要想什麼?還可以有什麼想法呢?因為已經變得非常陌生了,所以你對⋯⋯」但話未說完,主持人已打斷他:「不好意思,那我們下一題好了。」 黃秋生一聽,隔着口罩也看得出臉色大變,大概以為主持人插話,是擔心他會講些政治敏感的話,於是慍道:「尊重一下可以嗎?」最後主持人輕聲道歉,黃秋生終於把話說完。 他的答案是:「就好像你每天看到親人的樣子,有一天你回家,是看到另外一個人,就是這種感覺,不可能有什麼感想了。」 這一支小插曲,最後上了各大媒體新聞,焦點都落在「黃秋生談香港現況被打斷變臉」,引發台、港兩地網民討論。事後黃秋生解釋,一切「只是誤會」。 我看了記者會的影片,也覺得是一場誤會而已。主持人看到黃秋生最初有點猶疑,以為他不想作答,才插嘴打圓場;黃秋生則冷不防被問及香港時局,覺得必須思量片刻才能回答,是以顯得猶疑。其實黃秋生能在「電光火石之間」想到這個答法,已算很有急才了。 「對於香港改變的感想為何?」眾所週知,官方答案當然是:「中央政府堅定不移貫徹落實『一國兩制』,完善選舉制度,今天香港由亂入治,我覺得非常高興。」就連搞不清「人禽之辨」的鸚鵡,相信都可以流利講出以上答案。 除此之外的一切答案,會否觸犯「港區國安法」呢?只有鄧炳強知道。黃秋生似乎打算返港,當然得想清想楚才答。台灣記者或主持人活在言論自由受保障的民主社會,也許就體恤不到黃秋生的難處。 黃的答案其實很妙。有天回家,發現親人變了另一人,那到底是什麼感覺呢? 幾年前日本某個綜藝節目,一名已婚男人接受假催眠,預期效果是「我把老婆看成石原聰美」。結果真正的石原聰美竟偷偷登場,跟他的老婆掉換身分,而現場觀眾更配合說「看不到老婆變成了石原聰美」,令男人以為催眠奏效,興奮得眉開眼笑,喊道「繼續這樣就好了!」 在很多小粉紅或藍絲的眼中,今日香港或許真的變了石原聰美,使他們超興奮,所以黃秋生的答案對他們也完全適用,你說,是不是答得很妙? 後記: 想起與黃先生有過一面之緣,還興致勃勃談起命理。黃先生在記者會慨歎工作不多,我推測他後年開始在外地發展,將有更理想的成績,時候未到,就要忍耐一下了。祝願平安! 作者 patreon l 作者 facebook 台灣黃秋生四樓的天堂
Read More
Final Trailer: “Jackass Forever” thumbnail

Final Trailer: “Jackass Forever”

Paramount Pictures A final trailer has premiered for “Jackass Forever,” the fourth and final feature in the wacky stunt franchise. Much of the old gang returns for another round of dangerous stunts and gross humor over twenty years after their series premiered on MTV and over ten years since the last film. Johnny Knoxville, Steve-O,…
Read More
Index Of News
Total
0
Share