Here is a short video of my appearance on Accents Radio with the uber-talented poet and screenwriter Katerina Stoykova. I read several poems and an odd short story. Enjoy!

Title: How Brown Smells **Author’s note: Another story with violence. Well, implied violence and a gruesome body part. Also another story with a violent criminal who happens to be in a wheelchair. Who knows where these things come from? I like the narrator in this one, as tiredly tragic and condescending as he is. The

Title: Mouse Himself in Action **Author’s Note: I like trying stories like this, where there is a bit of overlap in timeline and a shift in perspective. I italicized the middle section where we are privy to the junior henchman’s thoughts, but I sometimes feel like that is cheating, like you should be able to

Title: Rotting Stagger-Claw **Author’s note: I probably tried to do too much with this story, but it’s an exercise, so that’s what you’re SUPPOSED to do. Hubris is really the only correct posture for the artist to strike, especially while experimenting and drilling. But even though I tried to do too much probably, the story

Title: Bertram & Barney **Author’s note: This is one of those stories that came out all at once, in one sitting, which means it’s no surprise that I like it so much. In my opinion, my best short stories are usually ones that my subconscious just spits out all at once. It is best to

Title: The Size of Wasps **Author’s note: The title of this occurred to me first, and then I remembered some stuff I had read about Kinsey. I kind of like the effort here, but it does indeed fall short of a fully-fleshed-out short story, which is the idea of these exercises.** First you bury the

Title: Child Bear **Author’s note: It’s hard to write a single-page story that covers all the essential short story elements. I don’t know that I succeeded here, but it was fun to write.** Fur. Fur everywhere. Fur in the mouth. Brian scooped and parted hay, scooped some more. The ring must be here somewhere. The

We’re a couple of bent paper clips, Friction at our bendy tips. Made to clasp and grasp and fuse, Meant to wed intent to muse. Bend me, twist you, intertwine — We paper clips think bending’s fine.

Writing is an evolving process, even as you do it. It evolves beneath your fingers as you type. A writer should not resist this. Allow your writing to change and contradict itself temporarily so you can learn from the contradictions. Even messy things like contradicting yourself can help you understand your thought processes more thoroughly. The value in this kind

Hysteria solves nothing but just creates confusion. Hate quickly degenerates into a self-gobbling whirlpool of repeated grievances that feel new and righteous, but misses important things because it can’t see past the red. Rushing headlong into action before fully understanding the variables is just another form of hesitation, and hesitation is nearly always fatal. Studied, deliberate action