Category Archives: stories

volt

Posted on January 26, 2012 by

I want to slow things down. I was planning on writing a post on several stories in Alan Heathcock‘s debut collection, Volt, but I think I’ll just look at the first story. “The Staying Freight”–I love the title–was first published … Continue reading →

Posted in catching moments, character, Contrary, craft of writing, details, first sentences, stories | Tagged | 5 Comments

watching the sea

Posted on December 17, 2011 by

My writing group just finished reading Colm Toibin’s collection, The Empty Family. Although some people in the group loved it, I didn’t. I’ve started giving away the books I know I won’t read again, and this one will be sent … Continue reading →

Posted in novels, obsession, reading, stories, writing group | Tagged | 9 Comments

gargoyle 57

Posted on October 18, 2011 by

Gargoyle 57 is now out with lots of new work, including a flash fiction story of mine. Here’s the opening of “Mackenzie”: “I waited ‘til you got home,” Rim said, as I came into the den. He was standing by … Continue reading →

Posted in journals, my writing, stories | Tagged | 8 Comments

await your reply 2: nods

Posted on August 16, 2011 by

In the surprisingly interesting Reader’s Guide at the back of Dan Chaon’s Await Your Reply, Chaon writes: As a writer, I feel like I’m always in conversation with the books that I’ve read. Yiyun Li, the author of The Vagrants, feels … Continue reading →

Posted in accumulation, Contrary, craft of writing, novels, stories, time | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

summer reading

Posted on July 21, 2011 by

Summer Contrary is online with new fiction, essays, and poetry, as well as reviews of these books : Poetry: Northerners by Seth Abramson Essays: Otherwise Known as the Human Condition by Geoff Dyer and A Journey with Two Maps by Eaven Boland … Continue reading →

Posted in Contrary, essays, my writing, novels, poetry, reading lists, reviews, stories | Tagged , , , , , | 7 Comments

the writing life

Posted on June 17, 2011 by

For the last couple of months at Hunger Mountain, Claire Guyton, former Art +Life editor, and I have been working together to expand that section of the journal into The Writing Life. Here’s what’s up and coming at THE WRITING LIFE: 1) … Continue reading →

Posted in art, awards and prizes, craft of writing, essays, life, mfa, poetry, reviews, stories, writing day | Tagged | 6 Comments

this won’t take but a minute, honey

Posted on May 24, 2011 by

If you haven’t visited the Harvard Book Store, take a minute and pop over there. Watch the shutters open and the store come to life. See what books fill their front windows. Click for a close-up; double click to look … Continue reading →

Posted in Contrary, essays, stories | Tagged | 9 Comments

inch

Posted on May 18, 2011 by

Inch. Do you know this tiny journal? I discovered it at AWP. Small. Gray. Thin. Tiny poems. Tiny fiction. A single issue costs $1. Bull City Press publishes 4 issues a year. Ross White is the Editor, and guess what? Robin Black … Continue reading →

Posted in journals, poetry, shapes, stories | Tagged | 3 Comments

rock & sling, poetry, arroyo, ecotone

Posted on February 24, 2011 by

One I’d heard of before. Three I hadn’t. Some were free at AWP; some were not. In each one, I found something that made me glad I’d lugged it home–either connecting with the words of writers I didn’t know or … Continue reading →

Posted in art, craft of writing, essays, journals, memory, poetry, stories | Tagged | 11 Comments

I spent the day with Chekhov

Posted on September 24, 2010 by

Last Saturday I spent the day with Chekhov. I don’t know how many of you notice what I’m reading on the sidebar, but it seemed to me that I’d been reading this small old-fashioned-looking book–A Doctor’s Visit: Short Stories–for quite … Continue reading →

Posted in craft of writing, essays, mfa, stories | Tagged | 9 Comments