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Posts By Caleb J. Ross

began writing his sophomore year of undergrad study when, tired of the formal art education then being taught, he abandoned the pursuit in the middle of a compositional drawing class. Major-less and fearful of losing his financial aid, he signed up to seek a degree in English Literature for no other reason than his lengthy history with the language. Coincidentally, this decision not only introduced him to writing but to reading as well. Prior this transition he had read three books. One of which he understood.

“Simpsons did it,” The Simpsons says to Stephen King

(part of my ongoing Unexpected Literary References series) In yet another The Simpsons (un)expected literary reference, Stephen King's novel, Under the Dome is called out for its similarities to the 2007 The Simpsons Movie, both stories incorporating a town-sized dome to seal people off from the outside world. The overt commentary may be a further play on the South Park episode,  "The Simpsons Already Did it," which explores the degree to which The Simpsons has embedded itself into our collective consciousness. The screenshot below appears in Season 22 : Ep. 6, "The Fool Monty."

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The real reason authors get paid nil: content saturation.

Another Roxane Gay® observation gets the Caleb jumping-on-board treatment. In her post over at HTML Giant, Gay talks about the James Frey writing factory, and how its existence speaks to the strange desperation of writers (particularly MFA-pursuing writers) to be published, even when facing little to no financial or celebrity gain. The following line caught me, and while powerful in its own right, my mis-reading is what really got me thinking. Brackets: MINE ( I had to insert something of myself into this statement as a meta-nod to the topic) “The desire to be published, for some [reason], is so desperate and so intense they will do whatever it takes.” Why? Answer: We are trained to be ego maniacs. The loudest, most boastful vainglorious attitude gets applauded while humility gets ignored. This is not surprising, as the very act of braggadocia is a stimuli. It doesn't matter that silence (which…

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The Velvet Podcast, Episode 009: Does This Novel Make Me Look Fat?

Episode #009 of The Velvet Podcast is now live! Authors Gordon Highland (Major Inversions), Brandon Tietz (Out of Touch), and Caleb J Ross (Stranger Will) have a spirited conversation about self- and vanity-publishing, debating its legitimacy, logistics, and financial aspects, as well as insights from their own experiences in this oft-scorned segment of the industry. Please, give it a listen. Subscribe via Feedburner, Podcast Alley, or iTunes.

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Prematurity affects more than just you and your spouse

My wife told me that today was prematurity awareness day. Alright, alright, I get it. You could have been a little more subtle with the suggestion, but I get it. Hey, this problem is no picnic for me either… …what? Whoops. What I mean is, boooooo premature birth. My boy was five weeks premature. He had a few health issues, but he’s perfect now. He’s one of the lucky ones. Nobody knows why so many babies are born premature, but with continued education, awareness, and funding, maybe we’ll find out soon. Please, take a few moments to peruse the March of Dimes site. Shed a few tears. Pretend you had something in your eye. Then smooth everything over with your friends by talking about football and fantasy leagues.

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Episode 009: Does This Novel Make Me Look Fat?

tfm [display_podcast] Authors Gordon Highland (Major Inversions), Brandon Tietz (Out of Touch), and Caleb J Ross (Stranger Will) have a spirited conversation about self- and vanity-publishing, debating its legitimacy, logistics, and financial aspects, as well as insights from their own experiences in this oft-scorned segment of the industry.

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Episode 008: Don’t Pull My Hair Unless You Mean It

TinHouseDoMe [display_podcast] Writers Richard Thomas (Transubstantiate), Nik Korpon (Stay God), Pela Via and Nic Young grind out the topic of sex and violence in fiction and their complex relationship to sadistic bedfellows, love and shock.

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