I am Hobart-ing it up this month with stories in both the web and print versions of the magazine. The story in Hobart Web, “The Nine Innings of Morrie Rath,” is part of their annual baseball issue to kick off the start of the season. Morrie Rath was the Reds’ player that was hit withContinue reading “New Story: “The Nine Innings of Morrie Rath””
Category Archives: fiction
New Story: “Winter in Al Shuwaikh”
Today I have a new story, “Winter in Al Shuwaikh,” up at Used Furniture Review. My micro fiction is high on the list of things I’m working hard to improve. At just over 300 words, this is far and away the shortest story I’ve ever published. Next, I’m challenging myself to write something that feelsContinue reading “New Story: “Winter in Al Shuwaikh””
New Story: “The Borovsky Circus Goes to Littlefield”
I have a short story in Issue 12 of Hobart, which is available for pre-order now. I’m delighted to be in the same table of contents as some of my favorite writers (and people) like Roxane Gay and Brian Oliu. My piece, “The Borovsky Circus Goes to Littlefield,” is about a traveling Russian circus whoseContinue reading “New Story: “The Borovsky Circus Goes to Littlefield””
New Story: “Pinocchio”
Today I have a new story up at Bluestem Magazine. This one’s called “Pinocchio” and (you guessed it) it’s about Pinocchio. I’m currently working a series of flash fictions I’m calling “unauthorized fictional biographies” or maybe “counter-factual biographies.” This piece is part of that series. I’m hoping it will make an interesting chapbook somewhere downContinue reading “New Story: “Pinocchio””
Making Metaphor
First of all, very glad to even be able to type the word “metaphor” today. On Saturday, I poured a very full glass of water directly into the keyboard of my shiny new laptop. It was mostly fine, but not all of the keys recovered. I had to spend the next 24 hours using theContinue reading “Making Metaphor”
George Saunders Makes Me Brave
I read Saunders’ new story, “Escape from Spiderhead,” in The New Yorker over holiday break. I don’t subscribe to TNY, not because of the allegations of misogyny, but because I don’t always enjoy the fiction they choose. I also never get the cartoons. I don’t care what anyone says, they just aren’t funny. Luckily, youContinue reading “George Saunders Makes Me Brave”
How to Avoid Avoiding Plot
I wrote the brief craft essay below, about common traps that keep writers from writing well-plotted flash fiction, for Flash Fiction Chronicles. I’m currently teaching a flash fiction course and my students and I have spent a fair amount of class time discussing the borderlands between flash fiction and prose poetry. While I agree that there’sContinue reading “How to Avoid Avoiding Plot”
New Story: “Amelia”
I’ve got a new story, “Amelia,” up at SmokeLong Quarterly. You can also read a thoughtful review of “Amelia” over at Vouched. UPDATE: Turns out my theory behind Amelia Earhart’s disappearance may not be fiction after all.
Never Again & Word Choice
Doug Nufer’s book Never Again has only just come to my attention, despite being published in 2002 (apparently). As the title hints, Nufer uses any given word only once—never again. I only read enough of the book to see how this constraint would work, and I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised. Most ofContinue reading “Never Again & Word Choice”
Aubrey Hirsch 