News

My long-awaited (by me) short story collection, Trick of the Porch Light is available.  I would so appreciate you heading to Barnes and Noble, Amazon, or Mouthfeel Press and getting a copy.

An odd little prose piece about what we will know titled What We Will Know in matchbook literary magazine. Sorry ants. And to add onto this good news, matchbook has nominated this piece for a Pushcart Prize. Yay! I'm thrilled to share my gratitude for this honor and recognition.

Today's Horoscope appears in Cosmic Daffodil's horoscope edition. I'm on page 23, surrounded by other prognostications.

My prose piece What We Will Do was a semi-finalist in Midway Journal's -1000 Below: Flash Prose and Poetry Contest. But, of course, all ends well: a nice home at matchbook literary magazine.

Nice to see Birthday Fugue presented on the Winning Writers site.

 

Here is YouTube of the two poems below plus one titled Prosper. All part of a celebration of Kate Fox's new poetry collection from Shelia-Na-Gig. You can find me at minute 25:45.

Two poems--Let's Tip Things Over and Escalatory--now appear in the latest edition of Sheila-Na-Gig.

My poem "Life Span" appears in the latest Cider Press Review. Also, you can listen to it here.

The Women in Our Dragon Boat (which also appears in Let's End This Now) is out and about in FLARE: The Flagler Review.

Moreover! My third poetry collection Let's End This Now is also recently published and available here.

Looking forward to my trip to Chattanooga and Atlanta to read from my new collection Let's End This Now. First up? A reading on June 6th 2024 from 6-7:30 at The Arts Building, 301 E 11th Street, Chattanooga, TN. I'll be reading with Kris Whorton and Dana Shavin.

Next up is the reading at the NFSPS conference on Friday, June 7th. Lunch first and then reading, 12:15-2:15.

A couple of months ahead of of schedule, Let's End This Now is available here.

My poem Selkie Trap is in The Westchester Review in print and audio.

I Will Survive, based on my one and only disco experience, appears in Loud Coffee Press.

My poem File Not Found is in the Red Penguin Books anthology About Time.

My chapbook Sky with Falling Cat was a finalist in the Action, Spectacle Chapbook contest.

Planning ahead for the launch of Let's End This Now, I will be reading at the National Federation of State Poetry Societies convention on June 7, 2024 at 1:15. If you are in or near Roswell, Georgia, I would love to see you.

Here's what happened in Kansas City!

I'll be signing books and talking story once again at AWP. Firm plans listed here as they are finalized.

Thursday, February 8th 2024, I'll be signing copies of my short story collection Trick of the Porch Light at the Mouthfeel Press booth, 3021 from 11-12.

Thursday, February 8th 1:35-3:10. I'll be helping out at my alma mater Rainer Writing Workshop booth, #811. Good news? You can see Kris Whorton at the same time. Stop by and see what the MFA program is all about.

Thursday, February 8th at 3:15-4:00. I'll once again be with Kris Whorton at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga booth #933 with books to sell and sign.

Friday the 9th, I'll be at the Finishing Line Press booth #1207 with  Kris Whorton again from 10-11. I'll be signing copies of my poetry collection When We Almost Drowned.

Soon after, on Friday, February 9th,, I'll be signing copies of my latest novel What The Moon Did at the Flexible Press Booth, T3307, from 11-12.

Later in the day on Friday, I'll be at the UCLA Extension Writer's Program booth, #831, from 1:35-3:10, ready to chat up anyone looking for an amazing class.

The night of Friday the 9th from 7-9, I'll be reading with Flexible Press writers at The Milwaukee Delicatessen Company, 101 W 9th Street. More information here.

My poetry collection What Can I Do for You? was a finalist in the 2023 Cowles Poetry Book Contest. 

The Mad Hatter's Feast of Delights appears in the Seven Deadly Sins edition of Cosmic Daffodil.

My little odd piece "Ready for Digging" appears in Arts & Letters issue #47, hard copy and old-school!

I'm excited to say this flash involves cheddar cheese and an armadillo.

My third collection of poetry, Let's End This Now, won the 2023 poetry contest put on by the National Federation of State Poetry Societies. The book will be published in 2024, and I'll be reading in Roswell, Georgia in June at their convention. Hey, you might be close by! I'll put out an announcement or ten before the date.

My poem Julien at Three was an honorable mention in Free the Verse's love poem contest (the stipulation was that said poems didn't make the editors gag).

Two poems appear in the Fall/Winter 2023 edition of The Atlanta Review: "When We Were All There" and "I Talk to My Dead Father in the Bathroom."

More news on the poetry front: my poem "Let's End This Now" (the titular poem for my manuscript making the rounds) was the runner up in the North American Review's James Hearst Poetry contest. My poem and all the finalists' will be published in the next edition.

My third poetry collection (in some recent form) was short listed for the Steel Toe Poetry award. Creeping closer.

My poem Old Mom was nominated by the writer Nicole Graev Lipson for a Pushcart Prize. I was unaware that Pushcart winners are given the ability to nominate after receiving the honor. Suffice it to say, I was beyond touched.

Join me and a slew of fantastic readers, including star reader Sandra Rivers-Gill on Thursday, December 14th at 4 PST/7 EST, Here is the Zoom link. Hosted by Sheila-Na-Gig. And if you missed it, here is the YouTube video! For those of you wanting to skim, you can find me around minute 37.52 or so.

Finished reading the amazing manuscripts on the longlist for Rare Swan Press' Karin Ann Flickinger Poetry Prize. Kari was a talented poet and an amazing scholar, and it was no surprise that the manuscripts entered were stellar. Here is a list of winners. Congrats.

My prose piece So Much Gone was nominated for a Pushcart Prize by great weather for media. And I will be reading the piece along with others from A Shape Produced by a Curve on November 18th, 2023, at 1-2:30 PST. Register here.

Enter a Goodreads giveaway for Trick of the Porch Light. Ends November 18th.

What the Moon Did a semifinalist in the Kindle Book Award.

If you missed the Shelia-Na-Gig reading, it's available here on YouTube.

Appearing in the latest The Comstock Review: poems "Map" and "A Rock We Can Breathe On."

"My Husband Bakes Bread" received an International Merit Award from the Atlanta Review.

My poem "The Chinese Balloon Incident" is live on Sheila-Na-Gig, the lovely publisher of my collection Grim Honey. I will be reading alongside featured poet Alissa Sammarco on September 21st at 4 pm ET. Register for the Zoom here.

Trick of the Porch Light book launch events: Please come join me on Zoom with writer friends, in-person, or online at these events.

Read about how this collection came to be, through error and trial and a lot of writing. Leslie Pietrzyk interview me about Trick of the Porch Light on her blog.

In person, I'll be at the Stoveworks in Chattanooga, Tennessee on September 16th 2023 at 5 pm EST with my dear writing friend Kris Whorton. Both of us have new books. Kris's Alchemy is fantastic. Details here on Kris's website.

On Zoom, I'll be hosted by my publisher Mouthfeel Press on September 23 at 4 pm CST. Kris will be back, and we will be joined by Warren Read, my pal and co-conspirator. Register for the event here.

My third poetry collection was longlisted during YesYes Books open reading period.

I had a great conversation with Cynthia James about on her podcast Women Awakening. Watch it on YouTube here.

After thirty years of hope and longing to appear in these hallowed pages, I have a poem, Old Mom, in the August 2023 issue of The Sun. More importantly, the editors picked the last line from my poem to act as the heading for the poetry section. Strangely, this was extremely satisfying. Issue will be out soon, and info online to follow.

My poem God's Weekend Visit does a bit more good work in the world as a finalist in the 55th New Millennium Writing Awards.

Written from a prompt and based on a dream, This Life Where I Don't Get It appears in The Cumberland Review.

Excited for my odd prose piece "So Much Gone" to appear in the next edition of Great Weather for Media. Order here.

My poetry manuscript Cookies With Ghosts received an honorable mention in MoonPath Press's latest contest. Onward!

Two readings! The first on June 4th at 2 pm PDT at Dime Grinds. Here is the Zoom link.

The second is on June 8th at 3:30 PDT. I'll be with a number of lovely people I know and love. Here is that link. I would love to you at either or both!

Once again, a nonwinner in a group of fantastic nonwinners and one winner. My chapbook was a semifinalist in the Baltic Writing Residency contest. Congrats to the whole list.

My short prose piece Sparks Ignite is in the current The Nassau Review. And these kind folks nominated my piece for a Pushcart Prize.

As previously reported on this page, my poem God's Weekend Visit was an honorable mention in the Steve Kowit Poetry Prize. Here, you can read it on page 139. It's a huge compendium of poetry!

This lovely video--much of which I did not understand--popped up on YouTube. Spanish speakers, while I know she gave it a thumbs up, if there is anything I should know, send a message!

A wonderful article in The Columbian by Scott Hewitt about the inspiration for What the Moon Did.

I'll be reading with others from my MFA program on Monday, April 3rd at 6:30. Here is the link to join. More information on Facebook.

Enter the second Goodreads Giveaway starting March 17-April 16. Signed book and moon swag!

My poem Vancouver Lake, Washington in the latest edition of Catamaran.

Local launch for What the Moon Did! Vancouver/Portland friends, pals, family. Please come to my first reading in a bookstore for a long time. Saturday, March 18 at 2:00 pm (PST), at Birdhouse Books in downtown Vancouver. Come for the story! Stay for the cookies and punch.

A poetry reading for the launch of SHIFT, Volume 5. February 24, 2023 at 6 pm (CST). More information to come.

First reading for the launch of What the Moon Did at Literati Books in Ann Arbor, a Zoom reading on February 27 at 4 pm (PST)/7 pm (EST). Join Darien Gee and me online as we talk books, generational healing, friendship, and staying the course as a novelist. Check the store's site here for log in information.

I will be signing books and talking story at AWP in Seattle, March 8-11. Please come see me at the Bookfair at the Flexible Press booth (T1401) the 9th from 11-12, at Sheila-Na-Gig's booth (T534) the 10th from 10:30-12, at the UCLA Extension Writers' Program booth (742) the 10th from 12-12:30, and at the Rainier Writers Workshop Booth (710) on the 11th from 2-3. Here's a searchable map.

If you missed the online reading/discussion at Literati Books, you can watch it here. Darien Gee and I talk about writing, inspiration, and how truth and fiction come together.

Launch day appearance: Appearing on Sarahlyn Bruck's blog and answering a few questions about What the Moon Did, writing, and Italy.

Check out the digs for my novel What the Moon Did on the Flexible Press page. Available in Kindle and paperback editions!

Enter the Goodreads Giveaway for What the Moon Did, January 27-February 26.

Crackle, a flash piece about snails and not really about snails, at Barely South.

A poem about odd messages found on birds in Stone Poetry Quarterly. Catch It.

A poem for many issues: Disaster Poem in A Plate of Pandemic.

I love the title of this journal so much. Happy to have Living in an Aging Body in Hags on Fire.

A flash piece--Spark's Ignite--won me an amazing online weekend of workshop with Writing by Writers.

My poem God's Weekend Visit is a current finalist in the Steve Kowit Poetry Prize. Results in January. Fingers crossed.(Uncross them, but still happy to have been a finalist.)

When the Telephone Had a Curly Cord in The Nonbinary Review.

My third poetry manuscript in a former form was a finalist in the Hillary Gravendyk Prize. Progress. Onward, etc.

Texlandia published this poem in a lovely journal, and now Post-Apocalyptia is online. Click to page 76.

Writer's Digest published a few of my thoughts about Shakespeare and how he continues to inform writing, four hundred years after his death.

 

Let There Be No Winter Squash After the Apocalypse in West Trestle Review

Two poems--Going Without and Poets Against Dementia--in december magazine.

What Glory Chose now available at Story Quarterly.

Elegy for Everything--an elegy, no less--is in Coalesce.

My poem When the Telephone Had a Curly Cord was called out when I was received an International Merit Award from the Atlanta Review.

My submission packet to the Baltic Writing Residency landed me a semi-finalist spot, which would be a sad thing except I was in a list of "non-winners" of high skill and talent. I will apply again!

This is a fun list of five Shakespeare books I thought would only add pleasure to anyone's enjoyment of the bard.

Here's a YouTube video produced by SNHU's MFA program. I've had the pleasure of teaching for them for four years, and was asked to chat about writing, genre, and time travel.

After eleven long years of submitting some form of a short story collection, Trick of the Porch Light will be published by Mouthfeel Press, Fall 2023.

My poem Math Problem in The Curator.

Two shout-outs in one day (lord knows I could use them spread out). But huzzah! A mention of my poem "Zoo Story" and  redux of "It's Not Just the Cat."

I have two poems in Jabberwock Review, Volume 42.2.

This poem--Struck--was inspired by a sad dog loss. Here in Press 53. It appeared in January, and somehow, I missed its birth.

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Ever Again, a flash fiction piece, appears in Capsule Stories and their edition focused on "into the light."

My poem Barbie Dream in a celebratory Barbie-based edition of Limp Wrist.

Reading with quite an amazing group of poets, all of us writing to the theme of Barbie (her birthday is 3/9!). Join us for the reading on 3/16/ 2022 at 7 pm (EST). The poems go live 3/1 and 3/9 on Limp Wrist.

Bad Behavior and Naming Conventions in the latest edition of Mollyhouse. Free to download.

Recent acceptances from Texlandia, Limp Wrist, December.

What Glory Chose, a short story that quite literally came from a dream, was the first runner-up in StoryQuarterly's annual fiction contest and will be published this year with the other winners.

My poem Grim Honey is having a good day here on Verse Daily.

Reading January 12! Flash fiction Forum, a great reading series, now online. Please join us at 7 pm PST.

A nice review about Grim Honey here.

My latest poetry manuscript Ranch House at the End of the World was a finalist in the Ex Ophidia Press Poetry Book Prize. It is currently a finalist in Madville Press's contest. Let's see what happens next. What happened next, sadly, was that my manuscript was not picked. But onward!

A little bit of the backstory about my poem Disagreeing with Gandhi, which appeared in the Bacopa Literary Review.

My poem When I Wash Raspberries was nominated for a Pushcart Prize.

My poem A Long Way From Home is happily ensconced in Tar River Poetry, Volume 61.

In other prize placement news, Grim Honey was a top notable book in the Shelf Unbound Best Indie Book Competition. Click to page 96.

I have the keen desire to sing Someday My Prince Will Come when thinking about my short story collection and its also-ranness. But still, happy to be longlisted for Steel Toe Books' annual contest.

Grim Honey won an honorable mention nod in the Royal Dragonfly Book Award for 2021. You have to scroll a bit if you want to see. Or search for the title.

I will be reading my poem Girl Bird Ready for the launch of Welter Online. Please join us here on Zoom. Tuesday, December 7th at 6 pm EST (3 pm PST). Read the poem here.

A zoo-based poem appears in Miracle Monocle.

Revolute Lit nominated Alice Takes Her Mother to a Funeral for 2021's Best of the Net prize.

I had a computer disaster just before part one of this workshop on writing grief and loss, but we ended up having a great time. Click here for the discussion in part one. Also available, part two, which was a critique of the participants' poems.

A wonderful interview about The Play's the Thing with Mandy Jackson-Beverly on The Bookshop Podcast.

Grim Honey is a Distinguished Favorite in the NYC Big Book Award.

Please join me at a Quiet Lightning reading on November 1 at 6 pm, PST. If you missed the reading, here is a video (I'm third) but stay for some amazing work.

You can fast-forward a bit and then you will find me here chatting about poems, grief, and loss and how we write about them.

My poem "Disagreeing with Gandhi" appears in the latest edition of the Bacopa Literary Review.

My poem My Mother and I Join The Circus appear in The Oakland Review, volume XLVI, Spring 2021.

While the reviewer from the Historical Novel Society took a bit of umbrage over my changing of the facts--as well she should--this nice review of The Play's the Thing recently was published.

Will be reading my poem Alice Takes Her Mother to a Funeral with Randolph's MFA program folks and other contributors to Revolute's .002 edition on September 23 at 5 pm PST.

Listen to a lovely chat with NPR's Suzanne Lang about Shakespeare (and love) and my poetry collection Grim Honey.

A multiple-choice prose piece in Sledgehammer.

A poem about my best friend Kris appears in Pure Slush's latest anthology on Friendship.

My story Later, After, appears in Cuthroat's COVID Chronicles edition.

Excited to be on this list with fantastic writers.

I had such a great time chatting with C.P. Lesley on the New Books Network. Have a listen to the podcast. LitHub picked up the interview and posted it here with some nice graphics!

A wonderful review from my local paper The Columbian.

Very excited for two of my students--Pathrinathan Pathmanathan and Zachary Liebhaber--finalist and semi-finalist in the Allegra Johnson Prize at UCLA Extension. So good to see these writers and their stories honored.

The last bit of the mini-interview--a bit about poems that inspire.

I have made a bold, decade-long career of being a semifinalist and finalist in the Black Lawrence Hudson Prize contest. Scroll all the way down this list to find my first story collection named semifinalist in 2011. More placements--even finalist--a couple of times, but, as of yet, my short stories remain lauded but not published in a collection. However, thank you Black Lawrence for your recognition in the 2021 contest.

Part four of the mini-interview. More about poems.

I had a great time talking with Evan Karp from Litseen. He is a true literary citizen, promoting and supporting writers and their work for years. He was kind enough to video my short reading from The Play's the Thing and present a really fun Q and A.

More mini-interview.

Please join me for the last reading of the spring: a late but fun launch for Grim Honey. Afterword: this was a blast. If you missed it, click here.

A pandemic poem with tomatoes is here in this pandemic project. Scroll or search for In the Pandemic Garden.

A nice review of Grim Honey by Sunny Solomon, long-time book encourager.

A little more mini-interview. One Q and one A about writing poems--just the right amount.

The Oregonian book newsletter had some nice things to say about The Play's the Thing.

A charming mini-interview! Who needs more, really?

The Play's the Thing listed in Playbill's 18 Theatre Books to Read This Spring.

Feeling special because of my brand-new Poets and Writers listing.

Here is the Facebook Live event featuring The Play's the Thing with Chelsea Pieper and Suzanne Irving.

A fun Q and A with Deborah Kalb.

This is a great site with loads of info on authors, including me this month! Thank you Authors Answer.

My former student Sarahlyn Bruck does blog wonders. Here I am as the featured writer.

A wonderful, indulgent interview about my poetry, poems, and Grim Honey here in The Poet.

The Play's the Thing is a finalist in the Next Generation Indie Book Awards.

Much of my poetry writing this past year has been prompted by the great folks at Two Sylvias Press. Alice Takes Her Mother to a Funeral in Revolute Lit Mag is one of them (as is the poem below).

Hard to believe that two years ago, I had just returned from teaching a semester abroad in Florence. One of the most amazing parts of that experience was being with my older son for a month. Here is my poem You Over There, You in The Commuter this week (May 10-17).

Also hard to believe that over 40 years ago, Suzanne Irving and I were together at Miramonte High pursuing our dreams to be a writer (me) and an actor (Suzanne). On May 18th, we will be in conversation about all things Shakespeare, literature, and drama on this Facebook Live event.

May giveaway of The Play's the Thing on FreshFiction.

A wonderful review of Grim Honey on The Oregon Poetry Association website.

My review of Alicia Hoffman's fantastic poetry collection Animal in The Lake.

My poetry collection When We Almost Drowned is available.

NewPages lists Grim Honey on their New and Noteworthy Page.

My short story Joyride published in The Portland Review.

Grim Honey is out and available and part of the promopalooza on Gyroscope Review.

My flash fiction piece Swing Out published in Leon Literary Review.

An essay in Writer's Digest about putting together a poetry collection.

April giveaway for The Play's the Thing on FreshFiction!

My poem Photograph Late 1980s in Ruminate.

Read my recent blogs on Medium.com.

A poem explaining the unexplainable: This is It in Cathexis Northwest Press.

Apparently my poem Photograph, Late 1980s was a finalist for the New Millennium Awards.

My flash fiction piece It Rained All Night published in deLuge Journal.

North American Review nominates Unripped for a Pushcart Prize, 2020.

My story Caught up on PenDust Radio as an audio.

The Robin Does Not Know featured in Adanna: Mothering in a Pandemic.

A pandemic ode to a pamplemousse in Gyroscope Review.

My poem Losing it Found published in Burningword LIterary Journal.

My poetry manuscript Grim Honey: Poems won Sheila-Na-Gig Editions' annual prize and will be published in 2021

Twenty years after my first novel was published, so nice to see a good review for Her Daughter's Eyes.

So We Could Fight, a poem about fighting with childhood friends, was on the shortlist for the Macaron Prize at Cagibi Journal. My new goal is to be on as many lists as possible. Let's see what I can do.

My poem Grim Honey will be published in The Chacalaca Review, and I'll be reading 6/20 at 6 CST (4 pm PST) a la Zoom. Join us.

A bridesmaid who might get married: My collection Accepted Forms of Ruin made it to finalist in Blair Press' Bakwin award contest. Currently, it is being read by Carmen Maria Machado. Yes, indeed.Do I feel optimistic? Not really, But it is nice. Update: alas, an also-ran, but 1 of 3 finalists from over 160 manuscripts.

Nice to see this line-up of colleagues at Southern New Hampshire University's website.

My pandemic poem, The Robin Does Not Know, wins second place in Negative Capability's Spring poetry contest.

My thoughts about writing sex scenes. An often troubling topic!

Honored to have my poetry collection When We Almost Drowned listed in Pretty Owl's POP shop!

I was the featured poet-of-the day on Gyroscope's Poetry Month fandango. Click over to read my poem How to Roast a Pelican.

My essay on figuring out how to live during the pandemic--Anne Frank Keeps Me Going--in Litbreak Magazine.

Definitely, hands down, the hardest thing to teach: Point-of-View.

Safari available in Foreign Literary.

My flash nonfiction piece This Decade in Atlas and Alice.

The Dry Years is now available to view online at The Worcester Review.

Frankly, I was thrilled to see Rubric/Grade Scale listed on Necessary Fiction's Submittable page.

Listen to a reading of our times--online. Two Pulp Literature authors--Katherine Wagner and Douglas Smith--and I read from our work and answer writing questions.

How Astonishing makes it all the way to runner-up in the North American Review's 2020 James Hearst Prize in Poetry. This poem and Unripped and I Forget About Fame will be published in the upcoming edition. Also, a reading, somewhere in the PNW, this year, once the virus passes.

Journal of the Former World appears in the House of Zolo's first publication ever! Very exciting.

My creative nonfiction piece Death and Other Coincidences, which by coincidence, is not the title I gave it, in Two Hawks Quarterly.

The Dry Years finds its way into the latest issue of The Worcester Review.

My poem Unripped is a finalist in The Sewanee Review poetry contest.

Please join me for a reading at Diablo Valley College for a reading November 7, 12:30. I'll be reading from my collection When We Almost Drowned and some newer work.

My poem Grim Honey  a finalist in the Kallisto Gaia Julia Darling Memorial Poetry Prize.

My flash piece, Watch Us Go in New Flash Fiction Review.

Curve, Wave appears in Gyroscope's Crone Power edition!

I'll be reading at the Octopus Literary Salon on August 31 from 4-6. Join us!

My novel manuscript The Play's the Thing was picked up for publication by TouchPoint Press. Look for it in 2021.

This nice little wiki blurb appeared for my novel When You Believe. It made me want to read it (it's been a while).

Rubric/Grade Scale in Necessary Fiction (and it's about poetry).

Very happy for my former student Kari Flickinger and all her successes. Here is an interview all about her.

Also very pleased for my former student Daniel McClary's success in the Allegra Johnson contest, run through UCLA Ex. His novel Mahout is amazing, and it's only a matter of time before it's published.

What We Learn When We Learn Italian in the latest edition of Chiron, Spring 2019.

The Burning Hour, is available in audiobook format!

My short story collection--in its form Outside of Normal--was a semi-finalist in the Sundress Publications first fiction contest.

The Wigleaf nominates Knock, Knock as one of their Top 50.

Storytime is included in the latest Tahoma Literary Review.

Knock, Knock lives on. Dan Chaon picked it to appear in Best Microfiction 2019! Coming soon.

My poems Bon Soir is a Feeling Not a Time and Clarins (both set in France!) appear in The Pangolin Review.

Only a tiny bit about me: my former student Kerry Fisher is doing wild and amazing things out in the book world. Her fourth novel The Silent Wife picked up by Grand Central!

My poem Tea Party Photo was shortlisted on A3 Review's monthly theme contest on parties.

Love that Knock, Knock showed up in a best short prose list for 2018. Thank you Claire Polders.

Escape Room in Press 53.

Outside of Normal, a ghost story, is in Community College Humanities Review.

My short story collection Accepted Forms of Ruin has been longlisted for the Dzanc Short Story Collection Prize.

Much appreciation for my finalist finish in the Hudson Prize at Black Lawrence Press.

A lovely review of my ebook Prime.

In more bridesmaid news, The Dry Years was a finalist here as well.

The Dry Years receives an honorable mention from Glimmer Train. Yay!

My story Accepted Forms of Ruin is in the latest edition of Souwester.

My collection of poetry When We Almost Drowned was a semi-finalist in Gold Wake Press's Spring Contest.

My short story A Quality of Happiness in The Tishman Review. Read it in Kindle.

Though it would appear the writer hoped I'd retire sooner, a lovely article in DVC's Inquirer.

Late Night Selfies, an early version, in Thoughtful Dog.

Kind of a fantastic review for my Kindle book Where I am Now. I love this story, and it never found a traditional home. But there are 19 reviews on Goodreads, and this one made me very happy.

My flash piece Knock, Knock on matchbook.

The Brightness of Things reprinted in Pulp Literature.

My creative nonfiction piece "Until One Day They Are" appears in Holy Shit: Bathroom Reading for Irregular Christians.

I will be reading from my story Spain, 1933 at Deep Vellum Books, November 30th at 6:30. This is the launch party for Reunion: the Dallas Review.

The Burning Hour wins first place in Westerns.

New Episode of Jane the Virgin Now Available (a poem, not a commercial) is up on The Paddock Review.

Monsters in the Agapanthus is published once again, and in fine form in The Coil.

My collection Jungles of America was a finalist in the Cypress and Pine Fiction Series.

My poem Before I Was a Girl now in Califragile.

The Burning Hour is a 2017 WILLA Awards finalist in contemporary fiction. Read more about the award here.

I'm excited to read my short story "This," which appeared in Great Weather for Media's new anthology, The Other Side of Violet at Alley Cat Books on November 3rd at 7 pm and November 4th at the Octopus Lounge in Oakland.

I will be reading with a number of amazing writers at

Why There Are Words Sausalito on August 10th at 7 pm. Please join us!

In September, some of my MFA pals and I will be presenting at the Montana Book Festival. The panel is titled: Don't Go Home, Go Small: A panel on publishing with a small press. September 27-October 1.

I will be presenting and doing writing critiques for Write on the Sound, October 7-8. Sign up now!

Really wonderful to listen to  students read their work at Diablo Valley College, the culmination of the writing contest.

My poem "Privet" in Sheila-Na-Gig.

"This" available August 1st in The Other Side of Violet from great weather for MEDIA.

Monsters in the Agapanthus is a finalist in the 2017 Luminaire Award for Best Prose at Alternating Current's The Coil.

My short story Accepted Forms of Ruin received a Honorable Mention from Glimmer Train Magazine.

The Burning Hour is a finalist in the National Indie Excellence Awards in Best Regional Fiction West.

My poem How to Roast a Pelican in Crack the Spine (both seem like bad advice, right?)

Find me at the RWW table 550-T on Friday from 2-3.30 at AWP!

Some Place Not Here in Cahoodaloodaling.

My essay To My Forties appears in The Chaos.

Theft, a piece written for a MOOC at the University of Iowa, appears in Pretty Owl Poetry.

And Hunting, another piece written for that class, in Obra/Artifact.

I'll be at Meachum at the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga March 23-25 for Meachum.

I will be participating at Authors on the Move for the Sacramento Public Library, March 4.

Old Cadillac People published by Scintilla Press.

Not Once nominated for a Pushcart Prize.

The Burning Hour has been honored as a "Winner" in the "Fiction: Western" category in the Best Book Awards.

My poetic attempt at trying to figure out the election on Barely South's blog.

My poem Sugar Bowl in the latest edition of Lime Hawk.

Nice review of The Burning Hour from Ann Ronald, author of Friendly Fallout 1953 and  retired dean of University of Reno, Nevada's English Department.

Rachel Finally Red in Eunoia Review

I will be talking about POV at Write on the Sound on October 1st. Book signing that evening. Hope to see you.

Nantucket in Five on the Fifth . And just nominated for a Pushcart Prize.

Alert the media! I will be at the Montana Book Festival September 23-24th.

It's happened before and it didn't happen again! But I'm pleased that my short fiction collection Jungles of America and Other Stories was a finalist in the Hudson Prize. Uncross all digits. The same collection was longlisted for Stillhouse's Fiction Contest. and that, unfortunately, didn't pan out either. Time to regroup.

Kibbutz in Little Patuxent Review, Summer 2016

Three, Four, Five, Not Once, Leaving Mr. Wong and several other short stories are now available on Audible.com

Roommates is a finalist in Ruminate's 2016 William Van Dyke Short Story Prize. So two years a semi-finalist and now this. I might get there someday.

My short story Roommates in Palaver Journal

Caught and Other Stories a finalist in Press 53's Award for Short Fiction

My short story Attachment Disorder in Crossborder: A Journal of Fiction

Poor Little Chickens in Waccamaw: A Journal of Contemporary Literature

Divorce Stats in The Rain, Party, and Disaster Society

Jungles of America in The East Bay Review
The Room of Wonders in Litbreak
A zombie apocalypse. Really. A World That Certainly Didn't in Marathon
The Brightness of Things in Tinge
Triggers is up on the Watershed Review
Summer Water in the London Journal of Fiction
Poem Courtship Poem of the Week at West Trestle Review
Jungles of America an Honorable Mention in the Helen Literary Magazine Short Story Contest.
Night Monsters in Yellow Chair Review
Two Days of Magical Thinking in Gravel
All the Time in the World a semi-finalist in the Hudson Prize.
Caught appears with very cool illustrations in Buffalo Almanack
Higgns' Ghost now available in snippet form on Your Impossible Voice and in hard copy, too.
Flash nonfiction Backseat in Foliate Oak
Poems Guide in West Trade Review and What To Do If You're Choking in The Virginia Normal

Gertrude published in The Literary Nest

Leaving Mr. Wong wins the 2015 Dr. Nella C. Seshachari 2015 from The Weber Review

This Ain't No Party published on Pithead Chapel

As if Happiness Were Sky in the anthology Creature of Habitat


Listen to my interview with Suzanne Lang on KRCBA

Some haiku SPAM for your enjoyment at Eckleburg

Thoughts about beginnings on Storyacious

Not Once finalist in the Driftless Prize in Fiction

Essay about Procrastination in Storyacious

Four Tips for Writing for the Romance Market in Writer's Digest

Thinking about research on Storyacious

ELJ publishes It Would All Happen in Barcelona

Woodrunner eChapbooks publishes my fiction chapbook Monsters in the Agapanthus

Craft essay on the unreliable narrator on Storyacious

Craft essay on problems with point-of-view now in Storyacious

Sneakers in Hawaii Pacific Review

Once a Month  in Split Lip

My essay about the process of writing Boots in Compose.

Craft essay on writing sex scenes on Storyacious

My short story collection The Possibility of Fire was a finalist in the Tartt First Fiction contest. Argh!

Luck in The Boiler

OCD Day in Burrow  Press Review  and nominated for a Pushcart Prize

Big as the World in Per Contra

Three Witches in Clare Literary Journal

A nice write up about How to Bake a Man in the Orinda News

Jessica's new novel How to Bake a Man forthcoming from Ghostwoods Books

Boots in Compose: A Journal of Simply Good Writing

Monsters in the Agapanthus in Lunch Ticket

Failure to Disperse published in Storyacious

Turnip published in Bay Laurel

El Camino published in The Flagler Review

Finally on Shark Week Stories

All the Time in the World published in Fat City Review

Skin Changer published in Prime Number

Frankenstein Goes to the Bathroom wins second-place in The Missing Slate's Halloween Contest

Were in BlastFurnace

Indiscrimination in SPC Tule Review

Museum now in Rose Red Review

Chipped published in Gravel

Brace published in Foliate Magazine

KneeJerk Magzine publishes He Grabbed Me

Generations publishes She's Been Through Too Much, available in hard copy September 2013.

South85 publishes poems Automatic Rapture and It's Not Just the Cat

Gingerbread House Literary Magazine publishes Before Waking Her Up

The Lindenwood Review publishes Starving

Outside In: Travel and Literary Journal publishes Crown

Carve Magazine presents The Possibility of Fire  an Esoteric Award.

Mason's Road publishes Three, Four, Five

Litrouk.com publishes The Sausage Class.

Harry Opens It published in Edge

 Flywheel Magazine nominates Tuna for the Apocalypse for the 2012 Million Writers Award

The Mom Egg publishes Jessica's poem Bedtime Story.

 Three poems appear in Straight Forward Poetry, pages 6-8

Jessica's essay The Man Raft in the Winter Edition of The Coachella Review

Jessica's poem Sabotage in Flywheel Magazine online

Jessica's short story Harry Opens It  finalist in Cutthroat Journal's Rick DiMarinis Short Story contest.

The Anarchist's Mother in audio on WordPlaysound.

Essay Look at him on the Edge in The Whistling Fire

Jessica's poem Impossible Things now in the online journal Switched on Gutenberg

Jessica's short story Marco on the Beach appearing now in audio on The Drum Literary Magazine. 

Pear, a poem that appeared in Spittoon, has been nominated by the editors for the Sundress Press' 2012 "Best of the Net" anthology.

Jessica's short story manuscript Tuna for the Apocalypse  was named a finalist in The Black Lawrence Press'  2011 Hudson Prize Contest:

Black Lawrence Press Hudson Prize Finalists

And in 2012, a revised, new, perhaps not superior manuscript was named semi-finalist:

Black Lawrence Press Hudson Prize Finalists

Note that the winner wrote a few finalist manuscripts, so I have a feeling they like him!