The very first time I heard Jasen Sousa read, I knew he was something special. Something different. His energy and rhythm were those of a young rapper, and his topic that day was a woman lost, a story from the…
The blog is back — and so is the writing
As I mentioned in a quick post the other day, my blog was out of commission for a couple of weeks — sorry about that, readers! One day I logged in to write a new post and got a strange…
"And so it goes…"
Someone once told me that every step in the literary ladder has similar stresses, hopes, and disappointments — just at different levels. Before you’ve been published, it feels as if the world will be a better place and your life…
The book manuscript is just about done – here's the "pitch"
For the past few months the focus of my writing has subtly changed; instead of feverishly writing, revising and submitting individual pieces (which I had been doing for the previous four years) I began thinking about finishing a collection. I’ve…
On the Quest for My First Book
It’s hard to believe that June is more than half over. Time passes that way, flying so fast you can’t catch it. For the past few weeks I’ve been adjusting back into the schedule of writing and working at home.…
Help save the University of Missouri Press!
On May 24th University of Missouri President Tom Wolfe announced that funding for the 54-year-old university press would be ended almost immediately. This was a devastating decision for the staff of the press, the writers who have been published by…