As noted in my February reading recap, I enjoyed Nathan Elias’ debut collection, The Reincarnations, quite a lot. So much so that I reached out to Southern Review of Books to host an interview, and they kindly agreed. My interview with Nathan is live today. In it, we talk about, among other things, transformation, reappearing characters, and magic.
Read MoreI was planning to watch WandaVision because it looks extremely strange, but my wife informed me that the series is a part of the larger Marvel Universe, which I knew very little about. I’d seen a few of the movies early on, but action movies aren’t really my thing, generally speaking.
Read MoreWinter in Alabama is usually pretty uneventful. There might come a dusting of snow. There might be a week where temperatures are in the twenties. You get the point, I’m sure. Anyhow, this week’s been interesting. Where I live received almost an inch of ice, and just last night, we received almost six inches of snow.
Read MoreReading an apocalyptic novel during a worldwide pandemic might seem sort of nuts, but I was all for it when approached by the good folks at Chapter 16 to review David Arnold’s latest YA novel, The Electric Kingdom. Arnold’s latest certainly has its fair share of darkness, but this is a book that reminds us of goodness and decency—and how we need it in moments of peril most of all.
Read MoreI placed the last story of my forthcoming collection this past week. “What They Left Behind” will be featured in June at Crow & Cross Keys. It’s the perfect home for this story, and I can’t wait until it’s out in the world.
Read MoreNow that was an inauguration. It was full of optimism and kindness and decency, and I was all for it.
Read MoreThe excitement regarding my debut collection, Those Fantastic Lives, is starting to build. I’ve worked on the included stories for almost eight years. To see them coming together so well in bound form is something really special.
Read MoreIt’s a bittersweet feeling to close out another residency at Queens University of Charlotte. I’m exhausted (I couldn’t even guess the number of pages I’ve read and papers I’ve typed in the past seven days), but I’m going to miss my community of writers and artists for the next few months.
Read MoreI think it’s probably safe to say that a lot of us spent more time enjoying art in 2020 than we have in a long time. Those long days of quarantine and isolation were much, much easier with the comfort of possible escape surrounding us.
Read MoreAs always, Humanities Tennessee put together an excellent festival. Ann Patchett and Yaa Gyasi kicked off the Southern Festival of Books with what would be one of my favorite sessions of the entire Festival. The quality never went down, though. There were some really awesome panels throughout these past ten days.
Read MoreI found out a few days ago that one of my stories from Ghost Parachute is going to be in the journal’s printed anthology, which is scheduled to arrive next year. The story the editors are including is called “Lost Going Home” and is about an ignorant man who can’t do much of anything without his wife. Even death.
Read MoreBefore sending out “Biscuit Reflections,” I’d never sent out (or written) a personal essay. I was stoked to hear back from The Dead Mule when they said they wanted it. I look forward to having a piece out in the world about my grandparents, coronavirus, and biscuits. Lots and lots of biscuits…
Read MoreIt’s difficult to imagine that I’ll be back to teaching in exactly one month from today. At this point, I don’t think any of us teachers really know what our classrooms might look like. Online? In person? A mix of both? While this whole experience of quarantining and digital learning has undoubtedly been difficult for many, I’ve mostly loved it. I feel strange (and selfish) admitting that, but it’s true. Yes, I had some difficult days, but by and large it’s been a pleasant time.
Read MoreWales is probably my favorite place that I’ve been. I threaten moving there weekly, and I hope one day that it’ll happen. Until I’m able to return (hopefully for good), here are some pics of the best place on the planet:
Read MoreMy friend Jane tagged me on a post on social media in which a reader selects seven books that’ve impacted/inspired that respective reader’s life. I’m not really on social media, but I saw the notification email and thought it sounded like a fun enough challenge.
Read MoreI wish I was back in Paris, but I’m sure I won’t be there anytime soon. Oh well, to remember the good time that was, here are some pics of my last trip to France:
Read MoreI was reading over at F(r)iction like I do on occasion, and I noticed that my story “The Paper Son” is recommended in the May Literary Horoscopes. It’s prescribed for all of the Cancers. I haven’t had a lot of stories published this year, so to see this one being recommended at such a great journal is a cool feeling.
Read MoreI teach at a rural high school in southern Tennessee. It’s a good school with lots of young people who want to learn and grow. Being one of the most progressive teachers there, I’m often asked about social and cultural situations.
Read MoreI’m traveling this summer, but not physically. COVID-19 has my family stuck at home. I’m reflecting on some recent trips that were. One place we enjoyed was Disney Paris.
Read MoreWith COVID-19 basically causing us to cancel all of our upcoming trips, I’m traveling this summer through my memories of favorite trips. Up first, here are a few photos from our short stay in London and Brighton:
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