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Andrew Beahrs

Goodreads Author

Website

http://www.andrewbeahrs.com

Genre

Literature & Fiction, Cooking, Food & Wine

Member Since

May 2008

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Andrew Beahrs’s writing takes deep dives into unexpected historical pools. In Twain’s Feast: Searching for America’s Lost Foods in the Footsteps of Samuel Clemens, he explored the links between flavor and place that defined Mark Twain’s favorite wild dishes–and have since caused them to disappear from American tables. He has written about food and history for Smithsonian, the New York Times, the Atlantic, Gastronomica, Virginia Quarterly Review, and many more. His pair of historical novels, Strange Saint and The Sin Eaters, drew on his graduate work in archaeology to offer a unique vision of early America. Andrew lives in Berkeley with his family.

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Popular Answered Questions

How do you deal with writer’s block?

Andrew Beahrs Attack, attack, attack.

I'm a big proponent of putting a piece away for a stretch (months, even) to get a fresh perspective. But I never--NEVER--do th…moreAttack, attack, attack.

I'm a big proponent of putting a piece away for a stretch (months, even) to get a fresh perspective. But I never--NEVER--do that when I'm feeling blocked, only when I have a long, at least semi-complete draft in hand. The only thing that works for me when I'm truly stuck is to keep writing, filling page after page in longhand even if what comes out is nearly (or genuinely) nonsensical. Working with 10 terrible longhand pages is far preferable to an empty lined sheet; I might only find one or two sentences worth keeping amid all the dross, but more often than not those lines will be enough to shake the block loose and get me back into my normal flow.

I have no idea who to credit for the phrase, but "Don't get it right, get it written!" should be on a signboard over every writer's desk. (less)

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What’s the best thing about being a writer?

Andrew Beahrs Being able to choose what I'm going to dream about for a period of weeks, months, or years.

When writing is going well, it can become a kind of lucid …moreBeing able to choose what I'm going to dream about for a period of weeks, months, or years.

When writing is going well, it can become a kind of lucid dreaming that allows you to experience settings and personalities far outside your normal life. It's very much like reading, in that way, but with the great difference that writing takes much, much longer, so that starting a new book is plunging into a kind of secondary dreamworld that you'll be living in for months (at a minimum). I used to see that time commitment as daunting; now I see it as an opportunity to explore times, places, and characters that fascinate me. (less)

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Andrew Beahrs’s books

Average rating: 3.81 · 1,389 ratings · 208 reviews · 6 distinct works • Similar authors

	Twain's Feast: Searching for America's Lost Foods in the Footsteps of Samuel Clemens 3.83 avg rating — 1,193 ratings — published 2010 — 9 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Twain's Feast by Nick Offerman, Andrew Beahrs (Goodreads Author) 3.79 avg rating — 136 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Sin Eaters 3.54 avg rating — 28 ratings — published 2008 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Windcatcher 2.84 avg rating — 19 ratings — published 2005	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Strange Saint 3.77 avg rating — 13 ratings — published 2005 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Big South Country 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings — published 2015	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Andrew Beahrs's Blog

Bobotie!

After I shared this recipe with my sister in North Carolina, she wrote back that “The bobotie was so damn good. And like nothing I have ever cooked before! Thank you. If you ever think ‘hey this recipe is unusual and a novice could do it without getting stressed out and people should know about it’ please send it along.” Here’s the recipe that got her so excited.

Bobotie (a lightly curried lamb o