Great reads:

The last few days have been miserably cold and rainy, perfect for folding the loads of laundry waiting for me. But, instead, I've been reading. Here are some stories I found, read, and thoroughly enjoyed:

From the April 2010 issue, #10, of Knee-Jerk: "The Meaning of The Hat" by Anne Leigh Parrish. Its subtlety is what makes it so sublime.

From the April 2010 issue, #5.04, of Pank: "Seven Items In Jason Reynolds' Pocket, Two Days After His Suicide, As Found By His Eight-Year-Old Brother, Grady" by Robert Startwood. This is complex, full of rich layers and beautifully rendered.

From Issue 10.1 of Night Train: "Fresh Eggs" by Jeffrey N. Johnson. This is charming and full of meaning.

Go ahead and set your own waiting laundry aside and enjoy these.

Somewhere Warm, Like Florida

I'm thrilled to share the news that my story Somewhere Warm, Like Florida is live at Night Train. I'm in great company!

Go on... take a look.

Great reads:

Keeping up with online journals can be tricky.

With printed journals the latest issue appears in my mailbox, signaling Hey! Read Me! I eagerly rip the packaging off and am left holding evidence: a shiny cover with, more likely than not, a cool graphic of some sort; pages that are sometimes creamy colored, sometimes stark white. And the smell! Paper, ink. Glorious! I guess I'm a bit old fashioned in that regard.

I need to find a better system to keep up with online journals. What they lack in real, hold-in-your-hands evidence, they make up for in instant gratification. I can navigate to their site and wham! just like that I can read a story. Or two. Or five. No waiting for the mailman. No garbage to dispose of. No adding to stacks of journals that threaten to topple over with a gust of wind. Something to be said for that.

Here are some great stories to check out, online:

At Night Train: Tattoos Alive by Lydia Ship. I read this almost 2 weeks ago and it has stayed with me. Such creativity!

At Night Train: Watching Stanley Kowalski in the TV Room of Belle Haven by Jeanne Holtzman. Wonderful voice.

At Staccato Fiction: Almost Shaped by David Erlewine. This was published a few months ago but I just stumbled across it recently. Wonderful, tender story. So much is said in such a small space.

At Smokelong Quarterly: What Passes for Normal by Michelle Reale. There's a sad, haunting quality to this story that has stayed with me.

Go on... check them out!

Great reads:

I realize this might be old news, but I recently read these and enjoyed them:

Jacob Appel's The Empress of Charcoal in Harpur Palate

Molly Gaudry's An in Night Train