First, we learn Amber Sparks, one of the best, will be writer in residence for September at Necessary Fiction. I have been following the Necessary Fiction 'writer in residence' progam since it was instituted a few months back and, I'm sure, this will lead to yet another momentous series of events.

Second, I think my next project will involve clowns somehow and I would like to find some decent books about the history of humor and the history of clowning. I have looked around, over the years, and have never found anything terribly interesting. Suggestions of texts would be appreciated... I will say I have no interest in anything post-1920s, give or take.

Yes, in my mind, we have images of clowns and alligators, churches and towers, radio broadcasts and circus tents. We will see what we see.

Latest Moans

After some long days of only writing and only reading my writing. Time to do something new and see something other. The next writing will be playful and light with edges. The next writing will be poems and prose poems. Just overbooked myself for the upcoming semester so I will only a little time for little works anyhow.

Saw Haneke's The Piano Teacher last night. Some surprising dramatic moments, I thought, some very nice fluctuations in mood and emotion. Of the three or so I've seen, Haneke's films don't interest me so much visually, although there are some nice shots, but there are always nice touches in the acting and the writing. The acting in this movie was very nice especially the paino teacher herself.

Reading Thomas Bernhard's Woodcutters. As always it was nice to find a nice copy of a Bernhard I have not read. He always seems to know what's on my mind.

How the Days of Love and Diphtheria--

The new book is finished. How the Days of Love and Diphtheria-- is surely not for every reader in America, but it is for readers in my America. The book is roughly a story of an orphaned child who travels in search of his parents' murderers, but it is mostly the collage of Hiroshima, diphtheria epidemics, various fires and pyromanics, kittens, eagles, and several families in the midst of disintegration.

As per my policy of open sharing of unpublished work feel free to request an electronic file of this book for personal amusement.

where are you going, where have you been

Spent the last month getting in touch with some issues. Spent the last month writing this short book about diphtheria, love, pyros, family, kittens living inside of walls, houses burning and always burning. To me it seems a very hurt and damaged book, but who knows.

Right now the lack of a title is nagging me. Suggestions are welcome.

Mostly for the last month I've been reading about atom bombs, Hiroshima, and various diseases and epidemics, but here are a few books I recently enjoyed: Ben Spivey's Flowing in the Gossamer Fold, Christopher Higgs' The Complete Works of Marvin K. Mooney, The Drop Edge of Yonder by Rudolph Wurlitzer, and Scary, No Scary by Zachary Schomburg.

The Loam

I have returned to the scene of my first publication with my story "The Loam". Much thanks as always to the fine folks at Thieves for letting me ride along. The site is looking good.

On a side note: The bio under the story is actually from that first publication. A little sad to see now-- we lost a member of our little family a year back. Miss him now.