Friends, last night I spoke with a cancer survivor about the primal scream that is poetic utterance, that poetry -- however you define it -- can face the extreme. here's a modest contribution. unfinished poem today I started a poem about 3 boys who were murdered in a far away desert but I … Continue reading a tuesday poem
Tag: Magically Real
Sunday Special — 2 books worth reading, June 29th 2014
Dear Friends -- I've been busy helping a family member with a medical situation. It's funny how the medical and its attendant woes -- pain, waiting, garages, doctors, logistics, pharmacies, -- silences a person, makes a person quiet in the face of something that words can't solve or change. So, I've been feeling quiet lately. … Continue reading Sunday Special — 2 books worth reading, June 29th 2014
midweek magically marvelous interview: June 18th 2014
Dear Friends -- Apeiron Review was not only nice enough to publish my lyric essay on converting to Judaism last spring (Issue 3), they were also nice enough to invite me to be the illuminated object of their Author Spotlight for this June. Here is a link to the interview! Please take a look. And … Continue reading midweek magically marvelous interview: June 18th 2014
story time sunday, june 15, 2014 — speaking of fathers of invention…
dear friends -- a little flash fiction for you while you're waiting for your dad, taking care of your or someone else's dad, are busy being a dad, used to be a dad, are currently dadless, or whatever your relation to dadness as a category is: once upon a time there was a guy with … Continue reading story time sunday, june 15, 2014 — speaking of fathers of invention…
teachin’ tuesday, june 10, 2014 — 5 questions for guest faculty from Yi Shun Lai
Dear Friends -- Yi Shun Lai asks guest faculty at this years August NILA residency to answer 5 questions. To find out more about our residency up on beautiful Whidbey Island, click on http://www.nila.edu/mfa/ To find out more about my fantastically gifted and athletic teaching partner Janet Buttenwieser, click here. Here they are along with … Continue reading teachin’ tuesday, june 10, 2014 — 5 questions for guest faculty from Yi Shun Lai
story time sunday, june 8th 2014: two girls and (possibly) god
Once upon a time there was a girl who believed in god. Not her mother’s god and for sure not her father’s god who was a grim strict guy who insisted that you walk to church instead of bike or drive or god forbid (haha) stay home, and she stopped going to that god place, … Continue reading story time sunday, june 8th 2014: two girls and (possibly) god
Story Time Sunday on Monday, June 2, 2014 — a tiny true story
I want to tell you a story about my friend J’s quilt. She showed it to me yesterday and told me how her mother made a quilt for each of the children that was like an illuminated manuscript telling the stories of their lives. But J’s was the most ornate and detailed – it even … Continue reading Story Time Sunday on Monday, June 2, 2014 — a tiny true story
Special edition Sunday May 25th 2014 — cannibal connections: 10 confessions
warning: not for the faint of heart Confession 1: Being a literary critic is a bit like being a cannibal: you don’t write anything creative yourself but you shred up whatever poor author you’re working on, season the dead author/auteur with lit theory and serve ‘em up to your 3-4 colleagues who are interested … Continue reading Special edition Sunday May 25th 2014 — cannibal connections: 10 confessions
Story Time Sunday, May 18th, 2014 — a diversion for mature audiences and an interview
Dear Friends -- I recently spoke with Kristy Lin Billuni who runs a fantastic website called Sexy Grammar. There you can find tips on writing as well as workshops and private consults that connect the sensual, the sexual, and sometimes the downright dirty with the process of creating beautiful writing. The fact is: writing and … Continue reading Story Time Sunday, May 18th, 2014 — a diversion for mature audiences and an interview
For Magical Realism fans and friends — an Aimee Bender story with some craft exercises
Dear friends -- some of you have participated or are about to participate in the "Magical Realism for Beginners" workshop that I've been developing lately. Here, for your delectation, is a great story by Aimee Bender along with some materials for developing your own story: http://www.missourireview.com/anthology/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/theremembererwithmaterials.pdf Enjoy and see you in class sometime! … Continue reading For Magical Realism fans and friends — an Aimee Bender story with some craft exercises
Stephanie Barbé Hammer Writing (Un) Real 