Design

I've been a hobbyist designer for a while now. I've designed a lot of low-key stuff (posters for readings when I worked for the English Dept. as an undergrad, posters for friends' bands, posters for my bands, etc.) I'm eager to do more. THUS. Sure, there are a lot of designers out there, so I'm hoping I can appeal to the indie/small publishing crowd with the fact that I'll work on the cheap, even in some cases for copies of books from your press. Even for those who aren't looking for someone to design anything, you might be intrigued to check it out. I'll be posting fake cover comps, as well as some design stuff I've done in the past (unfortunately a lot of the old stuff is gone).

In the same vein, THIS IS MY FAVORITE BOOK COVER OF ALL TIME.


Elsewhere: Matthew Simmons' fantastic book, A Jello Horse is back in print (a second helping!). GO GET YOU SOME.

MAYBE THE BEST SPORTS STORY EVER









GO DUCKS!

Just A Bit

On the heels of THIS POST, and Rose's fantastic suggestion in the comments, I emailed the publisher of Long After Hannibal. I also started a blog devoted to the quest, read it HERE. (The initial post is a re-hash of the earlier post here, though it contains an update at the end).

Also, I forgot to mention last week that I had received my contributor's copy of the latest issue of Third Wednesday. I feel very fortunate to have been in three of their issues in a row, twice with poetry, this time with a piece of micro fiction.

Can't think of anything else.

Yesterday was crazy, a fire started up on the south side of town near where my mom and stepdad live and they were temporarily evacuated. Just when the Governor deployed state resources to that fire another started up about 20 miles north of the first, and incidentally closer to where my family and I live. Everything is contained, though between the two over seven hundred acres were burned, and at least one home lost. The world smelled like a campfire.

A Fix

Man, I love me some Pearl Jam, and the new album is great. There's an optimism to the songs that I'm not sure I've heard from them before. It's got a few tracks that I can already tell will be of that rare breed that can put me in a good mood, jazz me up, no matter what (including "The Fixer," heard above). Can't wait until they do a video for "Got Some."

Long After Hannibal

You know how some people say sometimes a book chooses you rather than the other way around? In the case of Long After Hannibal Had Passed With Elephants by Alan Jones there's no other way to describe it. I don't remember where the book came from or even when it showed up in my life. I've had it for a while now, and I probably go back to it every few months, if not more often. It's a small book, populated by truly unique small poems filled with worlds of their own. (It's also one of my favorite book titles of all time).

Each time I return to this book I end up spending tons of time scouring the internet for more information on Jones, more books, something. I've found very little. Certainly no more collections of poems. He apparently has written some books on art.

It's probably safe to say I'm obsessed with this book. It was published by Edgewise Press in 1995, though it looks like it could have been 1955, even Jones' author photo reminds me of a picture of Dylan Thomas.

I want more poems by this guy. I want more collections of poems from him. I want to talk to him and be like "dude, where are you?"

Until then, or maybe until never, I'll keep reading this dinged up mystery copy of his book that somehow fell into my lap one day. Here are some poems from it, maybe you'll get obsessed, too:

"Terminalia"

All summer
kneeling on the sand of the roadbed
they have moved south
the workman laying cobblestones.

Now,
the last bright hammer rings bravely
on the autumn morning air.


"Magister"

Who weathered shame
slung out from the tower
in a bolted birdcage
sits, ink to scroll,
his effigy set close
by market gateway's
shadow. Boatmen give
their sons his name.

"Long After Hannibal Had Passed With Elephants"

Caught in my arms
among blind reeds
she cried out once
by dark Metauro

Very Short Post

The wonderful Lauren Ellen Scott has curated a blog/resource for her students of writers writing about writing very short fiction. She was kind enough to let me have a crack at it. Read my essay HERE, READ THE REST & STAY TUNED for more!

Super

My story, "Rose City #1: Long Lost" is in the new issue of A Thousand Faces, which is available ONLINE and in PRINT. This is the first in a planned series of stories taking place in a city/world where superheros exist, and each one follows a "regular" person and how the existence of superheros effects their lives. Unfortunately the unfinished #'s 2 & 3 died with my old hard drive... I'll get back to this series eventually, but right now there are more pressing stories.

That said, I finished my new experimental novel sooner than expected.... these things happen sometimes when you get overexcited and blaze along. I'm really digging it. Now I'm at work on even more challenging ideas. Each thing I start lately seems to be pushing further and further. Toward what? I'm not entirely sure, but I like the adventure.

Guesting

Last week PANK's fantastic blog had a guest post from mothers discussing the balance of motherhood and writing. Today David Erlewine and I discuss fatherhood and writing. If nothing else read for David's piece, it's great. GO READ

Ah, Memories

Hey, it's Labor Day! Which means, like, what? When you're no longer in school, it doesn't feel like some sort of benchmark, although with one school age child it does have a lingering sense of that, but probably more so for my wife, since she was the one at home during summer break. Labor Day last year was when we really saw the first signs of the coming recession, at least here at the store I run. I remember going to work last year on Labor Day and thinking it was going to be slammed with people, being a holiday and all. The day turned out to be dead. I was shocked all day long. If we had known then what we were in for...


I'm maybe a week or two from finishing another manuscript. This one is called In the Hands of all these Threads, the Promise of Sirens. I had written some separate pieces and then realized "whoa these could fit together" so I've been working at tying them together. As a whole it's kind of a deconstruction of ancient Greek/Roman mythology, including some complete wrecking ball translations of a few of Ovid's Amores. My old Latin teacher would probably smack me upside the head if he saw what I've done.

In other news, my story "Soft Drugs" will appear in the November issue of Emprise Review! I'll post a link when that goes up, but until then go check out their fantastic current issue.

Lame Ass Giveaway

Yesterday I got my contributor copies of Space Squid, the Austin cult favorite that includes my aforementioned story, "Every Time a Fairy gets Laid." I have many many copies and would love to send them to people. Email me at northpunkpress@gmail.com with your address and I will send you one.

Now to Ruin Greek Mythology and Yetis for Fans Everywhere

Since finishing Who Killed Owen Wilson? I've started two new projects, one that relates to yetis and the other relates to Greek and Roman mythology. The latter has its root in my story "Saturn Face" that I mentioned a while back as soon to appear in the first print issue of Tulip. The issue is coming soon, so I hear!

Over the weekend I got an acceptance from Word Riot, and am very excited, not just because it's Word Riot, but also because it's one of my favorite stories that I've written. I'll say more about that later when it appears in WR, which is likely to be in October.

I don't have much to say lately, I'm working on an awesome and huge project that I can't talk about yet, but am extremely excited about. (Ah, vagueness). Things should be happening this month, though, at which point I will be able to very enthusiastically post about here.