Hey — the most recent issue of TOAD is now up. They have graciously accepted three of my body part flash fiction: “Eyes,” “Mouth,” and “Neck.” They also have some excellent other content, including an interview with acclaimed musician Dan Bern. You can read my stories HERE.
Horizon Books Invasion!
Recently returned from a reading at Horizon Books in Traverse City. I was fortunate to read with my good friends and outstanding poets Robert Fanning and Jeffrey Bean, and we had the added pleasure of the company of a large group of Central Michigan University students, who made the 2-hour trip to hear us read. Wow! That was a really nice surprise, and very touching that these folks came all this way. Just shows how lucky we are to have such great students. And Horizon Books was a fantastic place, too — such an active, thriving independent bookstore is great to see! Thanks to Jill and the rest of the staff, who made us feel welcome and provided a terrific venue.
What a fantastic turnout for the Cherry Bomb 4.4 CRUELTY reading — thanks to everyone who came out! It was a large and lively and good-natured crowd. There was a wonderful reading by poet Todd Kaneko, followed by a raucous and funny performance of Randy Wyatt’s short play, “Depart Mental.”
You can see some nice photos of the event HERE.
Thanks to Elena and Christina for being such welcoming and cool hosts, and thanks to the folks at Bar Divani for providing such a great space. This really is a special reading series, and I look forward to their June offering (which I hope won’t be their last!).
West Liberty University = Cool
I just returned from a great experience at West Liberty U (in West Virginia), where I was fortunate enough to be the Hughes Lecturer. At an informal luncheon, I ate hot dogs (with sauerkraut, naturally) and did a reading for students and faculty. Then I visited a prose workshop and chatted with students about the current state of publishing and assorted topics. Lastly, I gave an evening reading and talked about “likable” characters and, more specifically, my affection for “unlikable” characters.
At every event, students asked excellent questions and really made me feel welcome. Thanks to everyone who came out to the events. I was impressed by the hospitality and level of engagement by students like Kenny, Roy, Tiffany, Megan, and Anna, and the faculty members Peter, Kristy, Jeremy, and of course my former grad-school pal Steve Criniti. Good company all!
Upcoming Readings!
I’ve got three readings coming up in the next few weeks. Here’s the low-down:
–WEST LIBERTY UNIVERSITY, MARCH 30th: I’ll be doing a reading, visiting a fiction class, and then doing another reading/lecture. It sounds like a busy schedule, but an excellent one. Click on the link for all the details!
–CHERRY BOMB READING SERIES, APRIL 4th: This is a great new reading series in Grand Rapids, MI, and I’m excited to be a part of it. They even came up with a crazy, eye-poppingly awesome poster for the event, which you can click on to enlarge:
–HORIZON BOOKS, April 9th: This is a wonderful bookstore in Traverse City, MI. I’ll be reading with the amazing poets Robert Fanning and Jeffrey Bean. Can’t wait. For all the details, CLICK HERE.
Great review for Girl Who Ate Kalamazoo
I’m grateful to the folks at Literary Laundry for posting a really perceptive and generous review of Girl Who Ate Kalamazoo. This was quite a pleasant surprise to stumble across; it’s very in-depth, and I think they do a terrific job of conveying the essence of the book. Please read it HERE.
Thanks, Literary Laundry!
