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  • Google Stories – “Charactered Pieces” and “Stranger Will”

    More about Charactered Pieces, here.

    More about Stranger Will, here.

  • Caleb’s SNIPPETS OF TOMORROW (04/25/10)

    Caleb’s SNIPPETS OF TOMORROW (04/25/10)

    @ UnRonic, Stephen Krauska offers some truly amazing words about Charactered Pieces. There’s so much more than I deserve in the full review, so I urge you to click over the UnRonic to read everything. But here’s a snippet:

    Between his spectacular characters, interesting stories, excellent metaphors all held together with great imagery and vivid description, Ross is a must read. He’s young, fresh and down to earth enough to admittedly “steal” lyrics and write an “Acknowledgment” section that sounds more like a bonus story than a Hollywood awards speech. Keep an eye on him, he is bound to turn up more great work in the future.

    @Outsider Writers Collective – on the above note, there are only 23 copies of Charactered Pieces left of the entire 150 copy print run. I don’t think there are any plans to go into another print run anytime in the near future. Of course, .pdf and Kindle copies will be available for the foreseeable future. However, if you want a print copy, now would be the time to claim one. Click here to visit the purchase page at Outsider Writers Collective.

  • Back from the AWP Conference in Denver, CO

    So, I’m back, after four short days of writing-related debauchery. All-in-all, a great time. The highlight, of course, was the OW Press The Velvet reading, which took place on Friday, April 9th at Leela European Cafe. Fourteen readers came together to read current works, works-in-progress, or never-to-be-published works. A damn fine time. I managed to meet a lot of people I’ve only communicated with over the Internet, which made the trip both surreal and important.

    Also, I posted about the AWP Conference as it was happening, over at the Denver AWP blog that I set up. Myself, along with a few other writers, posted about our experiences as they were happening. I’m sure more updates will trickle in over the coming days, as hangovers and jet-lag wear off.

  • The Velvet Podcast, Episode 003: INTERVIEW with Brian Evenson

    The Velvet Podcast, Episode 003: INTERVIEW with Brian Evenson

    A very special Episode #003 of The Velvet Podcast just went live a few hours ago. I interview one of my very favorite authors, Brian Evenson about his upcoming AWP Conference panel, Crime, Horror, Sci‐Fi, and Fantasy… Seriously.Extract below:

    (Anthony Smith, Brian Evenson, Stephen Graham Jones, Tod Goldberg, Mark Smith, Seth Harwood) Six writers of genre fiction who also teach and/or have graduated from university creative writing programs discuss how they approach genre fiction as a serious literary pursuit rather than as a lesser form of fiction. In addition, they discuss attitudes towards genre fiction in the university and how those attitudes have changed over the years.

    I want to personally thank Mr. Brian Evenson for taking time out of his day to chat with me. He has made this fanboy quite happy. Be sure to visit his website for details about this amazing author.

    Please, give it a listen. Subscribe via Feedburner, Podcast Alley, RSS, or iTunes.

  • The Velvet Podcast, Episode 002: Hey, is that a copy of Kiss Me Judas on your desk, Professor Meriweather?

    The Velvet Podcast, Episode 002: Hey, is that a copy of Kiss Me Judas on your desk, Professor Meriweather?

    Episode #002 of The Velvet Podcastjust went live a few hours ago. Me, Chris Deal, Bob Pastorella, and Chris Bodenstein talk about:

    Why the disparity between genre fiction and literary fiction? Why are these two modes so often thought of as mutually exclusive? Though genre fiction (the big ones: mystery, sci-fi, horror) are taught at the university level, there is a palatable disinterest among much of academia. In this episode, four The Velvet members discuss these questions and more.

    I look forward to the future of this podcast. Please, give it a listen. Subscribe via Feedburner, Podcast Alley, RSS, or iTunes.

  • Our Guy is your guy at the Orange Alert Podcast

    Our Guy is your guy at the Orange Alert Podcast

    Professional Orange Alert kind gent, Jason Behrends, invited me to contribute to his weekly arts and literature podcast. I’ve been dabbling in podcasting lately (contributing to The Velvet Podcast and getting things in line for next week’s AWP Conference, where I’ll have an audio feed to document the event), so to have this additional swath of experience is nice.

    For this week’s episode, I read my story “Our Guy” which originally appeared at Word Riot.

    I’m really happy to be a part of this thing. Thanks to Mr. Behrends for having me. And be sure to check out past episodes for some great songs and readings. Scott McClanahan reading “The Rainelle Story” and Hosho McCreesh reading “Another Kind of Life” on episode 2 for starters.

    Click over to the Orange Alert Podcast post to listen.

  • Dialogue with Pablo D’Stair for Predicate #1

    Dialogue with Pablo D’Stair for Predicate #1

    Someone needs to murder Pablo D’Stair. He’s making all of us, who for so long have relied on passion as a vehicle for discussing literature, look like asses. I’ve never met a person more in love with books (possibly more in love with the idea of- and the ideas within- books than the books themselves). This guy makes me imagine a beautiful world of quiet dive bars and smokey conversation.

    He recently asked me to be a part of the re-emergence of his literary journal, Predicate. What he’s done here is amazing. He invited seven authors to wax ever-so eloquently about literature. Sounds boring, I know. But these are not simple Q&A sessions. These are in-depth examinations of the meaning of literature. Okay, still sounds boring. But trust me, it’s not.

    Despite what my description above may imply about my ability to be entertaining, I’m quite proud of my contribution. Pablo has a way of evoking all the thoughts I’ve had for so long about literature, providing the prodding I’ve been missing.

    Best of all, copies of Predicate #1, (all 300+ pages!) are available at-cost via Amazon.com ($6.50 US) (link forthcoming), or for free .PDF format at the dedicated Predicate website.

    On a side note, I’ll be drinking with Pablo sometime during the AWP Conference in Denver. Ohhhh, what should I wear!!!
    In other Brown Paper Publishing news, Chris Deal’s flash story collection Cienfuegos has just been released. I am lucky to have known Chris for a few years. Everything this guy writes, I eagerly read. So, when he asked me to take a look at an early version of this collection, I jumped at the chance. I had this to say:

    ‘These stories render emotion in shades of stark gray. Like sculptures, Deal subtracts from his Cienfuegos superfluous elements, leaving a base from which the reader is allowed to interpret, perhaps participate in, his characters’ disjointed lives. Each word hints at two others; each line implies a life; each brief fiction describes a world.’

    Author Stephen Graham Jones has this to say:

    ‘Prose haikus, fiction bullets, one-sentences novels, two fingers of story neat, no chaser . . . I don’t know what to call these, really. But I want more.’

    Like all titles from Brown Paper Publishing, Cienfuegos is available as a free .pdf download, or at-cost for a print copy. I suggest you download and read now.