i'm obsessed with shorts. short. stories.
sheesh. i’m losing track. but that means i need to say something important about short stories. i love shorts, i really do. but they’re hard to write and few people read them anymore. i have a couple of literary magazine subscriptions (TNQ and Grain), and i also try to read the five commonwealth prize stories … Read more
they flew out of the sauna, naked and pale, boy-demons on assignment. to find a girl heaving her drunk guts out in the field, kick her until she’s ragged and bloody, kick her when she’s down.
this winter i’ve audited a course at U of A on hamlet. 3 solid months of hamlet, hamlet, hamlet–re-reading the original text + academic articles + assorted theories + assorted films of hamlet and hamlet-adjacent storylines. it’s been a great experience–i’m thankful the prof accepted me as an auditing student. the pleasure of auditing is … Read more
i moved and it’s the best decision, a new start. i live in a northern town with potholes and snow drifts and friendly people who’ve welcomed me. my house is warm in winter and cool in summer, and the vegetable garden grows well. i walk the ravine and i’m writing. it’s a simple life, you … Read more
dear imaginary readers: i’m away on a writing retreat, writing fast, and it’s good, but i’m tired. bursts of writing definitely work, but they come at an emotional cost. i’ve got the day 4 slump BAD. i managed to finish a clean copy of a new story and will send it off shortly, and i’ve … Read more
it’s may so that means it’s short story month, the BEST month of all. right now i’m packing up my house to move, and that means culling my books in an effort at downsizing. it’s a difficult job because i view my books as friends, and it’s hard to give your friends away. today i … Read more
david lynch shares a memory in the documentary THE ART LIFE: one night, i kinda have the feeling it was in the fall. and it was pretty late. usually my father would go outside and yell, “john! david!” and that would bring us home. but this night, it must have been, i don’t know, close … Read more
i woke early this morning and got to thinking about the stories we tell ourselves. you know, one of the benefits of getting older is understanding that we tell ourselves stories to soften the reality of our lives. it’s true. but there comes a time when you have to look at the evidence. what’s strange … Read more
dear alice, this news, it’s too much to bear. love, rea a heartbroken writer