With the help of Sarah Manriquez of UAF’s College of Liberal Arts, I took a new professional portrait. It’s posted over on my Bio page. That’s what I look like at age 41, arms crossed, being told to smile.
UND Online Reading
On Tuesday, September 27, I’ll be doing an online reading as part of the Virtual Speaker Series in Writing, Editing, and Publishing at the University of North Dakota. It’s free to attend—please do!—and helpful if you register ahead of time. UND is my alma mater (MA, 2007) and the first place I took a writing workshop. I’m really honored to return virtually for this event.
Essay in The Sun
My personal essay “Ten Years Sober” appears in the July 2022 issue of The Sun. Because it takes so long to write, edit, and publish work, I’m now actually 14 years sober. Lucky me, this is the second essay of mine to appear in The Sun. Both times, I received generous help from Senior Editor Andrew Snee and the whole editorial team.
Interview with Morgan Talty
I’ll be chatting with Morgan Talty, author of the acclaimed debut collection Night of the Living Rez, as part of the online festival Short Story Fest. The date is Sunday, May 22 at 11 a.m. Eastern time. You can attend, because it’s all online, except you need to register first. My friends Caleb Tankersley and Taylor García are also hosting sessions during the festival.
Get Lit!
On April 21–24, I’ll be at the Get Lit! Festival in Spokane, WA. I’ll be part of two panels: “Celebrating the Short Story” and “Poetry, Prose, and Pints.” You might think the “Pints” thing is about beer, but no, it’s about ice cream. The Get Lit! staff has been so wonderful, and what fun that we’ll get to do in-person events (fingers crossed!).
Review of Worldly Things
I reviewed the poetry collection Worldly Things by Michael Kleber-Diggs in the new issue of Great River Review. Great book, great journal, and the issue even includes an innovative poem from Kleber-Diggs.
Library Reading / Q&A
The Rasmuson Library at the University of Alaska Fairbanks is hosting a Golden Heart Parade book launch, which will include readings and a Q&A. Librarian Genova Brooks Boyd has been really generous in proposing the idea and planning everything. It’s scheduled for Wednesday, November 17, 1–2:30pm Alaska time. It will be on Zoom, and I believe the recording will be released later.
Montana Book Festival
I’ll be participating in a panel called “The Big Short (Story): Big Imaginations In Small Spaces“ at the Montana Book Festival. The date for the panel is October 23, which is the day after I’m posting this news item, so you probably missed it, ya chump!
1-Week Critique Interview
My friend Matthew Schmidt and I recently talked for the 1-Week Critique interview series. We compared excerpts from the story “Road Songs”—an early draft and the final version—and we discussed the processes of writing, revising, and publishing. Our interview is up on YouTube, and I’m wearing a denim shirt.
Interview / Two Short Essays
Now that Golden Heart Parade is a physical object in the world, I have a few spinoff articles to share:
Interview with Deborah Kalb. Six questions about the book and my creative process.
”Research Notes” via Necessary Fiction. The story-behind-the-story of “Make It Yours,” describing how I worked a couple summers on a state bridge crew.
”If My Book” via Monkeybicycle. An extended metaphor about how the book is your bachelor uncle, with a photo of my own bachelor uncle, Wally Arnold.