This past week, I was lucky enough to attend the 2016 Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP) conference in Los Angeles. This writerly shindig included three full days of seminars, and a floor full of exhibitors. Oh, and there were lots of goodies: books, novelties, magazines, t-shirts, stickers, and posters. Conferences can be a bit overwhelming, […]
Writer, Get Thee to a Conference Read More »
It’s been a good run. Let’s face it, for four hundred years, we ‘owned’ the canon. Most ‘best twenty’ lists include nineteen of us, with Mary Shelley being the only interloper. This has come at great cost. A not uncommon experience was the 1895 reaction to the publication of Thomas Hardy’s Jude the Obscure, which
The Last White Male Novelist Hangs up His Quill Read More »
Week 1: Chapters 1, and 2 (pages 2-19—18 pages) See Chapters 1 and 2 –Exiting a plane, Diana Buchanan asks Wade Middleton’s help with a heavy saddle. He throws his back out. Guilt overcomes her conservatism; she drives him home. The next morning his friend Jorge Calderon comes seeking help at work. –When Diana
The Sureness of Horses — Summary of Chapters 1-9 Read More »
Brace yourself for some bad news, folks. This week, famous bad guy Charles Manson endorsed Donald Trump for president. Also, it’s been revealed that Ted Cruz was once best friends with Fidel Castro. On top of that, Bernie Sanders has announced a plan to ban all trucks in the U.S. Yes, trucks. He might as well
Don’t Be Part of the Problem: Just Let that Rumor Pass on By Read More »
Not long ago, I wrote a piece on how I thought the brilliant desert-noir show Better Call Saul could turn out to be even better than its parent series Breaking Bad. When I made that argument, the second season hadn’t yet released. Now, we’re almost halfway through Season Two, and things are still looking good for
The Four Best Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul Spinoffs You’ll Never See Read More »
Promised a friend I’d help him move last week, Showed up early thinking to beat the heat. Stepped through the door and wedged myself inside, Saw two cats; the little black ran to hide. Staring from the hiding place, green eyes just say no But the big gray puffball rubs my leg hello Never been
Have I passed the test? Read More »