I grew up in upstate New York. Way upstate. Just a few miles from the border and on the other side of a rather large mountain from the maximum security Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, NY. That was just one of the nearby prisons (granted the scariest one, but no one has ever escaped from within its 30 foot walls. Prisonsers have, however, escaped … Read More

I’m wondering if maybe Russel Crowe did it on purpose?

Wooden Bowl (an excerpt) by Myfanwy Collins She handed me a carved wooden bowl and said, “This is where we put your sister’s eyes.” “Her eyes?” “After she took them from her face; we put them in here.” She indicated the center of the bowl. My sister’s eyes had been there. Brown eyes, pupils dilated in a wooden bowl. So what she was telling … Read More

American Heritage has an absolutely wonderful, funny, and poignant piece by Gerard Meister in their latest issue, My V-J Day–It was nothing like Eisenstaedt’s (scroll down on the page to read the story).

Is it only me, or does anyone else think Dancing with the Stars is a really weird idea for a show?

My pal Randall Brown was kind enough to interview me recently about reading and critiquing. So much thanks to him and the generous folks at Smokelong Quarterly for this article: Ten Essentials of Reading for Writers.

Kevin McIlvoy’s collection The Complete History of New Mexico is wonderful*–especially so is the three part novella, which holds the same title of the book. The Complete History of New Mexico tells the story of Charlemagne J. Belter (or Chum as he was poignantly called by his best friend), his father, his stepmother Bet, his teacher Mrs. Betterson and his beloved friend Daniel and … Read More

Today, my life resembles a play by Tennessee Williams. Setting: A bog, where screeching birds teem. The sky is overcast and humidity near 90%. Hot, wet, steamy, low-light cutting through blinds. Dramatis Personae: A woman in her 30s, feeling misunderstood and desperate. Her dog, hot, shedding, panting. Mood: Angst ridden tempered with ennui. Action: She is ready to clench her fists and storm from … Read More

My friend Kat is a lovely person. She is smart, funny, kind and she is an amazing reader. She reads quickly and deeply. I admire that. She is also very generous and it is thanks to her that I have been turned from one who approached the reading of short story collections with disinterest to one who loves them almost as much (and sometimes … Read More

Got The Missouri Review yesterday. It is titled “Confessional” and has a new layout. It’s quite attractive and features such work as an excerpt from Saskia Hamilton’s forthcoming book, The Letters of Robert Lowell. I started to read these letters and was completely sucked in. I should very much like to read the book. The only other thing I’ve read so far is the … Read More

Just finished reading Quick Fiction issues #6 & #7–both issues of this beautiful little journal were utterly fantastic. I was especially taken with the stories by Chanel Dubofsky, Emily Fridlund, and John Parras in Issue #6 and the beautiful story, “Flying,” by my pal Jeff Landon in Issue #7. If you don’t already have a subscription to Quick Fiction, you should consider it as … Read More

Carpe Gravy Boat

I started reading Sam Lipsyte’s Home Land and immediately put it back down. Was this going to be yet another ironic-er than thou book about a young white male who is obsessed with masturbation? Could I stand it? Well, turns out I could, because once I picked it back up, I couldn’t stop reading it. This book is funny and ribald and, at times, … Read More Carpe Gravy Boat