Rereading Moby-Dick: Day 1

So I'm rereading (or should it be rererereading?) Moby-Dick: Or, The Whale. I read it--though I suspect abridged--in some honors English course in high school, once in undergrad, and once in grad school. Since then it's just been grazing on my favorite bites like the first page where Ishmael talks about the violent itch that sends him to sea and, of course, The Whiteness of the Whale chapter. And recommending it obnoxiously to people and equally obnoxiously defending it.

Here's a picture of the copy I'm reading, though Lord knows I have a ridiculous amount of editions(more later). That's a real whale on the cover, which kind of bugs me. The way seeing a young girl on the cover of Lolita bugs me. Literal-mindedness. I put the ISBN into Goodreads to do the currently reading deal and the new edition has an artistic rendering, so that's something.

To the whale.

Me in Puerto del Sol

So my short story "Curse of the Mummy" is in the current issue of Puerto del Sol (47:2). The story is not about a mummy. It is about a girl who is into mummification. So sort of a mummy. And Amway.

This Puerto del Sol also has a great section on utopias.

I'm thrilled to be in an issue with writers I admire, like Michael Kimball and Peter Trachtenberg. And even Kim Stanley Robinson!

Me in PANK

So I’m excited to be in the special Pulp Issue of PANK magazine. The issue is edited by the amazing Court Merrigan. My contribution “Parricide” is the longest story I’ve ever published online—so there’s that. Plus it has a broken plastic Adirondack chair in it.

 

The issue also includes:

When I Make Love to the Bug Man by Laura Benedict

The Sea of Intranquility by Stephen Graham Jones

Ghost Pianos & Idle Hands by David James Keaton

Ollie by Tyler Sage

my wife & william by David Romanda

The Hunt by Dominica Phetteplace

The Big Nap by Alex Mattingly

Seven Poems by Norman Savage

The Son of Dajjal by Ali Eteraz

The Little Death by Keisha Lynne Ellis

Scrapped by Patti Abbott

 

Enjoy them all.

Me Interviewed at The Bacon Review

The folks at The Bacon Review, who previously published my story "On Bondage," were kind enough to interview me. Read it to see just how tedious I can be.

Me in The Bacon Review

So my story "On Bondage" is in the May issue of The Bacon Review. Story's about neckties and sadness and Cthulhu. The issue is a great one with poems by Andrei Codrescu. Also an interview with Osmond Arnesto and a prose poem by Parmalee Paula Cover.

Me Reading at the AWP 2012 Chicago Kick-Off Party

So a week from now I'll be reading at the AWP 2012 Chicago Kick-Off Party:

FREE with rsvp! Email rsvp@emptybottle.com with "AWP Party" in subject line & full name of attendee in body of email. One attendee per emaill.

I hope to see you there.


More fine print:

Pre-party at 7pm presented by Canarium Books featuring readings by Srikanth Reddy, Dan Beachy-Quick, Anthony Madrid, and Darcie Dennigan.

Hosted by:

Harold Ray, a ruinous West Virginian janitor who secretly longs to become a famous country singer but has no discernible talents other than an ability to drunkenly croon.

Music by:

James Greer (of Guided by Voices) and friends
Mutts
Nick Myers of Vee Dee and John Dugan of CSLB's new band

Readings by:

Michael Czyzniejewski
Sarah Rose Etter
Jesus Angel Garcia
James Greer
Lindsay Hunter
Jamie Iredell
Lara Konesky
Cris Mazza
Mary Miller
Lauryn Allison Lewis
Jeff Parker
Sam Pink
Craig Renfroe
Rebecca Roberts
Peter Schwartz
Amber Sparks
Sarah Sweeney
Ben Tanzer
xTx
Mike Young

AWP Over-the-Top Double Elimination Arm Wrestling Tournament:
http://www.facebook.com/events/262518370474596/
Presented by:

Artistically Declined
Curbside Splendor
Featherproof Books
Orange Alert
Other Voices Books
TZWCYL
Empty Bottle

Me in Plots with Guns

So my story "The Wellum" is in the Winter 2012 issue of Plots with Guns. It's the story of a deranged Nancy Drew or Harriet the Spy type who accidentally discovers something terrible. Also, I get to slip in a Charles Fort reference.

The issue includes lots of other great stories (with guns) by:

Eric J. Bandel
Taylor Brown
Terry Butler
Andy Henion
Erik Lundy
Dan Ray
Nick Ripatrazone (novel excerpt)
Tim L. Williams

May all your plots have guns.