Here's a link to my friends Erin and Mark's journal, SpringGun. In addition to putting out a fabulous e-journal, the site also publishes lots of really cool digital lit. I'm really stoked to be a part of issue four, along with a number of other really great writers, some of whom I know ; )
Enjoy!
Monday, April 25, 2011
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Publication: "Dissection" in Eclectic Flash
Here's a link to the website where you can view the April issue as an e-book, or you can order a copy for $5, which would be a cool thing to do since all the money they make, they say, goes into turning the publication into a paying market for writers. Plus, if you buy a copy, and it's ever convenient, I'll totally sign it and in two or three years probably it'll be worth millions. Something to think about.
p.s. I'm on page 90 ; )
p.s. I'm on page 90 ; )
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Publication: "Missing" in decomP magazinE
This is a piece I wrote after second guessing what I told my students about never writing in the passive voice. Rules are meant to be broken, I suppose. Check it here: decomP magazinE
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Publication: "Pulse" in Fogged Clarity
Wew. Been a bit of a hiatus, but rest assured it's not for lack of labor. April's a big month for me publication-wise; I've got two coming out for sure and some others possibly later in the month.
My short story "Pulse" is up now at Fogged Clarity, and if you subscribe to the podcast you can even hear me read it (awkwardly)! I'll post links to the others as they become available. Enjoy!
p.s. Check out the rest of the issue too. It's great.
My short story "Pulse" is up now at Fogged Clarity, and if you subscribe to the podcast you can even hear me read it (awkwardly)! I'll post links to the others as they become available. Enjoy!
p.s. Check out the rest of the issue too. It's great.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
AWP Reflection + Diatribe
I'm back! It was my first AWP and I did not leave empty-handed. I bought about 12 different books from various small presses, attended countless readings, but probably the biggest thing I've taken away from the experience is a greater awareness of The Book. I was really impressed by all the small presses I found--I'm talking about the really small ones, the ones who put out, like, a title or two per year just to do it, just to be the ones who gave the world this thing that it otherwise would not have. I could be wrong, but my sense is that their reasons for doing it don't even have that much to do with literature, so much as with the book itself. The book as event. The book as collaborative artistic effort. But most importantly, the book as subversion.
One thing I am learning--and this part is influenced both by my AWP experience, as well as my recent reading of Ronald Sukenick's "In Form: Digressions on the Act of Fiction"--but the literary market is NOT a bottleneck for quality. Say what you want about the free market as a general economic system, but the fact remains that, in the arts, its role is more complicated. The market does not favor the individual experience. After all, how is one to advertise to the individual? How is one to mass-produce for the individual? The one thing Capitalism and the free market cannot anticipate is the depth of individual experience, and for that reason it is its enemy. Because particularity is not in the market's interest, it seeks to destroy particularity via 'buzz'; via advertising campaigns that celebrate the collective, the 'new thing', the idea of belonging to this or to that 'class' of people who appreciate this or that 'type' of thing. Then, when someone tries to say something different, tries to create something that does not look like what we are used to, something the forces us to question what we are used to and to examine the reasons why, we dismiss it as pretentious, arrogant, or, horror of horrors, as academic.
A lot of times, I will admit, a work may be all of these things. And when it is, people are right to dismiss it. But one thing the market has conditioned us to do is dismiss anything that is strange, or that makes us feel uncomfortable, because when we are uncomfortable it means we are on the verge of change, and when we change, the market must then play catch up.
It's easy to take this kind of idea to political extremes and to start drawing up manifestos and declarations about what art should do. That's what Sukenick does. But I'm not interested in that--at least, not now. I only mention it as a way of congratulating all those small presses I ran into in Washington. Whether or not they are publishing the 'best' literature available today, they are wrenching some of that power away from the market, away from the big presses. They are providing the individual a platform from which to speak, and the public a way of accessing voices that promote more than just what is familiar, what fits into mathematical market strategies. As an artist myself, I find that hugely liberating: that there is more than just the market and the tastes of corporate executives behind what gets published. We should all find that liberating.
One thing I am learning--and this part is influenced both by my AWP experience, as well as my recent reading of Ronald Sukenick's "In Form: Digressions on the Act of Fiction"--but the literary market is NOT a bottleneck for quality. Say what you want about the free market as a general economic system, but the fact remains that, in the arts, its role is more complicated. The market does not favor the individual experience. After all, how is one to advertise to the individual? How is one to mass-produce for the individual? The one thing Capitalism and the free market cannot anticipate is the depth of individual experience, and for that reason it is its enemy. Because particularity is not in the market's interest, it seeks to destroy particularity via 'buzz'; via advertising campaigns that celebrate the collective, the 'new thing', the idea of belonging to this or to that 'class' of people who appreciate this or that 'type' of thing. Then, when someone tries to say something different, tries to create something that does not look like what we are used to, something the forces us to question what we are used to and to examine the reasons why, we dismiss it as pretentious, arrogant, or, horror of horrors, as academic.
A lot of times, I will admit, a work may be all of these things. And when it is, people are right to dismiss it. But one thing the market has conditioned us to do is dismiss anything that is strange, or that makes us feel uncomfortable, because when we are uncomfortable it means we are on the verge of change, and when we change, the market must then play catch up.
It's easy to take this kind of idea to political extremes and to start drawing up manifestos and declarations about what art should do. That's what Sukenick does. But I'm not interested in that--at least, not now. I only mention it as a way of congratulating all those small presses I ran into in Washington. Whether or not they are publishing the 'best' literature available today, they are wrenching some of that power away from the market, away from the big presses. They are providing the individual a platform from which to speak, and the public a way of accessing voices that promote more than just what is familiar, what fits into mathematical market strategies. As an artist myself, I find that hugely liberating: that there is more than just the market and the tastes of corporate executives behind what gets published. We should all find that liberating.
Monday, January 31, 2011
AWP Schedule
Here's a tentative list of some of the stuff I might be attending, both onsite and off. For those who are also attending, lemme know if you'd like to tag along or if there's something better going on at any point.
Thursday (I arrive late Wednesday night, so this will be my first opportunity to do stuff):
9:00 am- Presses with a Mission
10:30 am- Things that go bump when you write: Monsters, Myths, and the Supernatural in Literary Fiction
12:00 pm- Narrative Structure: The episodic and the epiphanic
4:30 pm- Creative Writing and the University: A Conversation with Mark McGurl
7:00 pm- Off-site- A Pair of Teeth/Apertif--Articles Press, SpringGun and Flying Guillitine: A Readings + Afterparty @ IOTA Club and Cafe
Friday:
7:00 am: Gotta volunteer for four hours... That's the price of free registration.
11-3:00 pm: Bookfair, lunch, etc.
3:00 pm: Either 'Does the writing workshop still work?' or 'Bodies Politic'
4:30 pm: Building the Literary Robot: The Literary Journal as New Media
Dunno what's going on Friday night, but I'd be down for something off-site if anybody has a suggestion. I also thought it might be cool to attend some of the open receptions different schools are hosting, and I definitely would like to check out an art museum while I'm in town, maybe Saturday morning or something. Everybody who is going, please keep me in mind and let me know what's up. I'll see you in Washington!
Thursday (I arrive late Wednesday night, so this will be my first opportunity to do stuff):
9:00 am- Presses with a Mission
10:30 am- Things that go bump when you write: Monsters, Myths, and the Supernatural in Literary Fiction
12:00 pm- Narrative Structure: The episodic and the epiphanic
4:30 pm- Creative Writing and the University: A Conversation with Mark McGurl
7:00 pm- Off-site- A Pair of Teeth/Apertif--Articles Press, SpringGun and Flying Guillitine: A Readings + Afterparty @ IOTA Club and Cafe
Friday:
7:00 am: Gotta volunteer for four hours... That's the price of free registration.
11-3:00 pm: Bookfair, lunch, etc.
3:00 pm: Either 'Does the writing workshop still work?' or 'Bodies Politic'
4:30 pm: Building the Literary Robot: The Literary Journal as New Media
Dunno what's going on Friday night, but I'd be down for something off-site if anybody has a suggestion. I also thought it might be cool to attend some of the open receptions different schools are hosting, and I definitely would like to check out an art museum while I'm in town, maybe Saturday morning or something. Everybody who is going, please keep me in mind and let me know what's up. I'll see you in Washington!
Friday, January 7, 2011
Publication News
Pleasant surprise:
Last night I received a newsletter from Danse Macabre listing me as one of their contributors for the holiday issue. Turns out they accepted my short story 'Hunger' without me knowing it! Thanks guys!
Please show your support by checking it out here.
Last night I received a newsletter from Danse Macabre listing me as one of their contributors for the holiday issue. Turns out they accepted my short story 'Hunger' without me knowing it! Thanks guys!
Please show your support by checking it out here.
Friday, December 31, 2010
Yule-Tide Laziness
Well, this winter break has not been nearly as productive as I'd hoped. In my naivete I foolishly believed that I would be able to get some writing done while I'm at home in Georgia. Not so. Perhaps its the absence of routine and familiarity that's got me all constipated creatively, but I've grown pretty good at reassuring myself that it's alright. I'm just pulling a Hemmingway and letting things build in my unconscious for a little while before I get back to Colorado and let them explode on paper!
I've tried to compensate for my flagging creative output by doing a lot of reading and thinking, so to speak, about fiction. I'm very interested in manifestos at present, and in my spare time I've been compiling a list of what I deem to be fiction's 'responsibilities'. I'm not sure my attitude toward art and literature is really conducive to a manifesto--I've always been more interested in process than with form--but I'm trying. One thing I've discovered is that writing intelligent non-fiction is INFINITELY more difficult than writing fiction. Maybe it's because I haven't done it in so long; the process is all hazy and less intuitive. But once I finish my little manifesto I will be sure to post it here. Happy Holidays until then!
I've tried to compensate for my flagging creative output by doing a lot of reading and thinking, so to speak, about fiction. I'm very interested in manifestos at present, and in my spare time I've been compiling a list of what I deem to be fiction's 'responsibilities'. I'm not sure my attitude toward art and literature is really conducive to a manifesto--I've always been more interested in process than with form--but I'm trying. One thing I've discovered is that writing intelligent non-fiction is INFINITELY more difficult than writing fiction. Maybe it's because I haven't done it in so long; the process is all hazy and less intuitive. But once I finish my little manifesto I will be sure to post it here. Happy Holidays until then!
Monday, December 27, 2010
Biggish News
It's only obliquely related to my literary life, but as of 8:30 am on Dec. 23 I am engaged to be married. I'm really excited about it. Shannon and I are both at home right now in Newnan spending time with our families and trying to get used to this new way of looking at each other.
Fiancee. Fi-anc-ee. Crazy...
Just to establish a literary connection here (which, in this case, is admittedly a superficial one) in his book on writing--BookLife--Jeff Vandermeer has a section on relationships in which he talks a little bit about spouses and the kinds of interactions that are healthy between creative people. Now I'm paraphrasing from memory, but he says:
"It's good to have a partner who values writers, and who thinks that trying to be one is a good thing."
Check.
"Because of the focused and solitary nature of writing, writers tend to have a lot of extra energy and can be quite silly at times; it's good to have a partner capable of dealing with that."
Double check. If only artistic greatness was measured in silliness. It's one thing Shannon and I both have in spades...
No details on the wedding yet, but they're coming. Thanks to those who have expressed congratulations.
Fiancee. Fi-anc-ee. Crazy...
Just to establish a literary connection here (which, in this case, is admittedly a superficial one) in his book on writing--BookLife--Jeff Vandermeer has a section on relationships in which he talks a little bit about spouses and the kinds of interactions that are healthy between creative people. Now I'm paraphrasing from memory, but he says:
"It's good to have a partner who values writers, and who thinks that trying to be one is a good thing."
Check.
"Because of the focused and solitary nature of writing, writers tend to have a lot of extra energy and can be quite silly at times; it's good to have a partner capable of dealing with that."
Double check. If only artistic greatness was measured in silliness. It's one thing Shannon and I both have in spades...
No details on the wedding yet, but they're coming. Thanks to those who have expressed congratulations.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
What is Story?
Story is an engine that combusts our sacred objects. Memories, beliefs, fears… Everything we hold and cherish in darkness, burns brightest there.
Story is a physical event. There are some things you cannot recognize from a distance. Some things you only know by touch, and, if you could see them clearly, would never pick up to begin with.
Zen Buddhists tell a Story of a caterpillar who suddenly becomes conscious of his many legs. What happens? He stumbles all over himself. The human mind is a fragile thing; it is a language machine that works best when you’re not looking.
Story is transparent. The best meta-fictions are still fictions: environments we enter into. And the best poetry is that which is still carried by the breath.
I am being contentious.
Story is contentious.
Story is greater than literature, it is greater than language, in the same way that a human is greater than flesh and bone. It is these things, but it is also something more that can only be grasped in darkness.
Storytelling is a carefully-constructed accident.
It is the Zen monk who wakes after thirteen hours of meditation and cannot say where he has been. It is the werewolf who rises in the morning in tattered clothes, his mouth all smeared with blood. How many hours did the monk spend staring at the wall, waiting? How many nights did the werewolf spend watching half-moons drift across the sky, until finally a full one arrived?
Story is alive. Story is life.
Story is a physical event. There are some things you cannot recognize from a distance. Some things you only know by touch, and, if you could see them clearly, would never pick up to begin with.
Zen Buddhists tell a Story of a caterpillar who suddenly becomes conscious of his many legs. What happens? He stumbles all over himself. The human mind is a fragile thing; it is a language machine that works best when you’re not looking.
Story is transparent. The best meta-fictions are still fictions: environments we enter into. And the best poetry is that which is still carried by the breath.
I am being contentious.
Story is contentious.
Story is greater than literature, it is greater than language, in the same way that a human is greater than flesh and bone. It is these things, but it is also something more that can only be grasped in darkness.
Storytelling is a carefully-constructed accident.
It is the Zen monk who wakes after thirteen hours of meditation and cannot say where he has been. It is the werewolf who rises in the morning in tattered clothes, his mouth all smeared with blood. How many hours did the monk spend staring at the wall, waiting? How many nights did the werewolf spend watching half-moons drift across the sky, until finally a full one arrived?
Story is alive. Story is life.
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