Category Archives: writing

A new milestone for a new website!

Ladies and gentleman, as of about 6:45 pm Pacific Time, I have topped 20,000 hits on this website. This is fantastic! And well-timed, because this coming week, I will be unveiling a wholly revamped website. Most of the main pages will remain, so the menues will function as usual, but I’ll be adding a fewContinue reading “A new milestone for a new website!”

A Writer’s Notebook: observations from an old notebook (Retro #2)

I’ve been busy this week. I just began my winter term teaching college writing, I’ve started finalizing the layout and the cover design for the February issue of Jersey Devil Press, and I’m working on a major redesign of this website. (Stay tuned for more news on that front!) So, I’m breaking out the oldContinue reading “A Writer’s Notebook: observations from an old notebook (Retro #2)”

A Writer’s Notebook: a slew of writing prompts

This week I’m working on several things at once, and all the writing I’m doing is destined (I hope) for other publications. But true to the Notebook, all the work also is written from prompts. So I thought I’d share links to the places whose prompts I’m working with. In Between Altered States: Open-ended prompts for veryContinue reading “A Writer’s Notebook: a slew of writing prompts”

I had a love child with the Jersey Devil

January’s issue of Jersey Devil Press marks my first public outing as their production editor, in charge of the layout and design of the pdf “print” issue and the web version of the issue. And while I’m mostly just adding personal touches to the excellent work Eirik Gumeny did setting this whole thing up, I’mContinue reading “I had a love child with the Jersey Devil”

A Writer’s Notebook: newspaper/object story

This is the beginning of something, but where it goes, I don’t yet know: When I was in college I bought pot from a guy who kept turtles in a kiddie pool on his sun porch. I forget how many altogether, but he had at least a dozen in there. All kinds, too — aContinue reading “A Writer’s Notebook: newspaper/object story”

11-11: Poetry (modern French)

I opted to pick up some French poetry mostly to brush up on my French. Turns out, I’m not quite as rusty as I thought I was, at least in terms of my reading skills, because I still retain enough of my French to not only get some of the subtle in-jokes and layered allusionsContinue reading “11-11: Poetry (modern French)”

11-11: Russian fiction review (Vladimir Nabokov)

I suppose that if one is going to read Nabokov for the first time — as I have with this book — one ought to start with Lolita. Because, well, why wouldn’t you? But Lolita — the character, at least — has become such a part of our cultural consciousness that I fear any readingContinue reading “11-11: Russian fiction review (Vladimir Nabokov)”

11-11: World fiction review (Orhan Pamuk)

Part murder mystery, part historical novel, part spiritual meditation, part political intrigue, part love story, part philosophical treatise, part artistic rumination, part narrative experiment. . . . Orhan Pakmuk‘s My Name is Red, the English translation of which helped him secure a nomination for the Nobel Prize in Literature (he won in 2006), is many, manyContinue reading “11-11: World fiction review (Orhan Pamuk)”

A Writer’s Notebook: a blank page

I’m regifting. Last year, the Writer’s Notebook fell on Christmas Eve, so I put on my sweatpants, poured a cup of hot cocoa, and begged off writing for the day. And I offered you, my readers, a blank page for a Notebook entry. This year, it’s the day before Christmas Eve, and I’m wearing jeans,Continue reading “A Writer’s Notebook: a blank page”