i'm obsessed with shorts. short. stories.
mavis gallant lies in a marked grave. when i was last in Paris (2015) mavis was (temporarily) in an unmarked grave, tucked inside the crypt of a friend’s family, and this troubled me greatly. today i emailed her agent and asked about her status and he informed me that she rests quietly in her own … Read moremavis gallant (an update)
1. my MIL bought the Kirby at a yard sale for $50. it was in its original case, mint condition. 2. it was old but i don’t know how old. 3. i was wary of the Kirby at first glance; I didn’t think something so old would be useful. 4. my MIL had to talk me … Read morekirby vacuum
dear imaginary readers of this blog, please read/listen to this interview of denis johnson. Lying Down in the Dirt: An Interview with Denis Johnson
i find a bottle of unopened vodka in my 18 y.o.’s closet and enquire. i don’t know where that vodka came from, she says. is it yours? uh, no. oh. I just found it in my closet. it came from somewhere, i say and wait. nothing. when I find the $15.67 charge for uptown liquor* … Read moreuptown liquor
dear imaginary readers of this blog, i’m pleased that my book of shorts HOW TO PICK UP A MAID IN STATUE SQUARE has placed on the long short list for the ReLit Awards! for more info on the award and all the nominees, check here. and read a short story, any short story, will you? … Read moreReLit
my father’s work gloves rest on the handles of the wheel barrel; they hold the shape of a man’s hands, worn from splitting wood and stacking it in the shed, raking and burning leaves. my father’s work gloves are marked with blood, earned when he lost his footing on the wood pile; the chainsaw bucked. my … Read moremy father’s work gloves
this year i’m giving short stories their own list because they fucking deserve it.** and besides, there’s too much of an emphasis on novels. but keep in mind that i don’t always read collections in their publication year. i mix it up. some of the collections i read this year are older (like 20 years … Read moretop 5 short story collections of 2017
i read a lotta books in 2017 but i lost track, didn’t properly record them. the year was too much, too much. i’m working from memory here; please forgive me, please forgive my omissions. i am too little and too much. 2017 was an absolute shit show from a reading perspective because, as a news … Read moretop 10 books of 2017
ciphers obscured by clouds shooting, failing at shining, losers wearing ripped euro-trash jeans and scuffed biker boots streaking across a velvet curtain smoking hand-rolled cigarettes in the lounge at the airport in Rome impervious to the fake gods that named them typical teenagers planets are the real deal, solid