Did my regular routine of stopping over for coffee, right before heading to Hopleaf prior to Tuesday Funk. I was running a little late, but had just enough time to settle down for a cup, while looking over the things I was planning on reading.
I used to participate in readings all the time, while in grad school during my MFA. Since my move to Chicago, it’s not something I really do that much of anymore. So I’m incredibly excited at the chance to read my own work again, in front of a crowd.
Since I planned on attending Tuesday Funk tonight, I got over to the area a little early. Coming over right after work, I got a cup of coffee and settled down at La Colombe for a bit of writing time. Not a lot of new stuff, but mostly editing. A little noodling around.
Being asked “Hey, will you read some of your poems?” is a bit like someone asking “Hey, can I see your travel photos?” There’s an initial few seconds of disbelief, and then you scream out “YES” before that person can change their mind. Totally excited about tomorrow – it’s gonna be great.
Being more of an introvert – it’s interesting and challenging to go somewhere alone. Doubly so when the place ends up getting packed pretty quickly.
I’ve been meaning to attend Tuesday Funk for some time now, and finally got myself to a show this evening. I headed to the area right after work, and spent some time sitting at a cafe, sipping coffee and writing a little bit. Which was nice. When it got closer to 7PM, I headed a few doors down to Hopleaf,…
They’re currently running a Kickstarter campaign, where they hope to raise funds to add a million new words to the site. I think the project is a worthy one, and if you’re a writer or lover of words… I think you should consider being a backer, if you can.
“In 1981 Weaver finished a draft version of [Umberto] Eco’s 500-page novel The Name of the Rose, then prepared a long list of queries. In the course of wine-fueled restaurant lunches, he and Eco spread pages of draft manuscripts over the table and worked on translations until dusk. Eventually Weaver was able to render the polyglot braggadocio of Eco’s prose into impeccable and nuanced English.”
I like the quiet of the early hours. The dark of the sky before dawn makes it hard to leave the bed, but there’s definitely a good feeling attached to how the sky begins to lighten as you’re sitting at a desk. Perhaps this is what people like about meditating – a feeling that the world slowly arrives to meet you. Or perhaps it’s the other way around.
Last year, I launched a site called Dead Advice – a side project of mine that I loved, and still love a great deal to this day. While there was a decent amount of momentum when the site first launched… over time, submissions slowed and eventually stopped. I’d like to see if I can get a few more folks to participate, and to ask folks to help pass along the URL.
Finding Time to Write is a great bit of advice from Bill Roorbach. While it applies most directly to writers, it’s fitting for any art who keeps looking for that magical big block of time. I had the pleasure of having Bill as an instructor, while I was getting my creative writing MFA at Ohio State University. I was focusing…
Last week, as I was emailing out press releases about my Dead Advice project, I began targetting literary journals – specifically ones that publish creative nonfiction, in addition to poetry and fiction. One of the publications I came across again was Hayden’s Ferry Review – a journal that accepted a poem of mine, way back in 1999. I remembered this,…
Noun/Verb is the latest project by my coworker and friend Brian Leli. A site devoted to artists and their actions, it features a mixture of interviews, profile pieces, essays and photography. Brian is one of those rare folks who’s good at multiple things (writer, coder, photographer), and I’m a fan of his work. While the current features are his (some…
I’m excited to announce that I’ve got a new project online. It’s called Dead Advice, and the premise is… well, it’s kind of weird one. Here’s how it works. Imagine you’ve just died, and now you’re writing a letter to the rest of the world. What would you say? What would you share? Perhaps you’d write a letter to the…
There’s a nice mention of the Cassette From My Ex book over at Amoeba Music – complete with an interview with Jason Bitner. To top it off, my story from the book got a little mention! And the songlist/note from my mixtape appears in the article, too. How awesome is that? Related:I’m in a Book! Cassette From My Ex: Stories…