@2 Raymond Carver is a renowned short story writer. He's from around here. In creative writing workshops across American, half of all straight male writers are trying to emulate him. (The other half are trying to emulate Hemingway.) The joke is that his terse style, what he's famous for, was heavily influenced by his editor Gordon Lish. The end.
Maybe if I read some Raymond Carver it would make some kind of sense?
I've lost all interest.