(let’s) burn this motherfucking system to the ground

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it’s been a week. i’m not fond of November because it’s dark. the news is fucking unrelenting. and then there’s this year-long realization of conditions in the misogynistic literary landscape. i had hopes. i did. the evidence isn’t supporting my hopes. then this article came along ‘on pandering’ and it’s got me thinking: where am … Read more

ambiguity in fiction

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i’ve just read an interview of Lorin Stein, editor of The Paris Review, in which he discusses three qualities of exciting short stories, or the stories he’ll publish in the magazine: a voice, a narrator with urgency a narrator who tries to persuade you he/she is telling the truth wisdom, a kind of moral authority, or an … Read more

betty

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if you could read my mind, I’d tell you a thing or two about pink turtlenecks and regrets. listen up, you little shits wearing black-and-blue. life’s too short for a bruised beat. besides, that’s what you get from loving. listen up, will you? I’m so tired from writing it all down. listen up, don’t make … Read more

offline

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dear imaginary readers of this blog, i’m away for a while, working. and blogging is last on my list.

bullshit

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“I’ve been accused of vulgarity. I say that’s bullshit.” Mel Brooks

Face Down

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Face Down by Mary Karr   What are you doing on this side of the dark? You chose that side, and those you left feel your image across their sleeping lids as a blinding atomic blast. Last we knew, you were suspended midair like an angel for a pageant off the room where your wife … Read more

the trouble with writing

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you never where to start. or end. the interruptions of daily life are difficult to manage, even when you need them. telling a story is one thing; finding the meaning in it is another. reading good books is extremely important because you need good sentences that linger inside your head. jealousy is problematic, both yours … Read more

dolly

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“tempo, girls, tempo!” the lizard called. “count it out!” he skittered across the floor, skidded to a halt and stared indignantly up at them. “this is ridiculous!  i shouldn’t have to remind you there’s a great deal riding on this!” the girls coughed and looked down at their hooves, embarrassed by both his sharp tongue … Read more