the stories we tell

i woke early this morning and got to thinking about the stories we tell ourselves. one of the benefits of getting older is understanding that we tell ourselves stories to soften our lives. it’s true. but there comes a time when you have to look at the evidence. what’s strange to me is the amount … Read more

best of 2023

dear imaginary readers, it’ll be good to see the end of 2023. it’s been a challenging year, good and not so good challenges, but here i am, writing a few words to sum up my year. it’s life. i definitely read good books, listened to good music, and watched good TV, you know? WRITING i’ve … Read more

stop making sense

it was a long time ago that the talking heads hit it big. man, their music was EVERYWHERE. in the summer of 1983, i ran a lakeside campground in my small town with my brother, and it was hard hard hard work, but it was fun. i remember a group from a nearby town rented … Read more

2022 (a review)

dear imaginary readers of this blog, another year. i moved into my own house this year and it’s been busy getting settled, but it feels good, you know? it’s peaceful. anyway, my office is cosy and i’ve got a serious shelving shortage to attend to in the new year, but that’s definitely fixable. and i’m … Read more

2022 is a fucking mess

this year, for a variety of reasons, i’ve limped along rewriting my MS, and i’ve taken to writing out prompts. recently, i wrote a good one and i share it with you here, my imaginary readers of this blog, because it was fun. i’m currently writing it out into a short story, also fun. god … Read more

forgotten girls

i’m 55 years old, and a writer, and my teenage years have been over for a long time. it’s hard to remember. i sit in front of my computer and stare through my words, and watch Val sink into the mud of a shotgun wedding, and Brenda step into a locked stairwell in a psychiatric … Read more

kirby vacuum

1. my MIL bought the Kirby at a yard sale for $50. it was in its original case, mint condition. 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 into the Kirby when she offered it to me. i think my … Read more

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

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