Category Archives: whatnot
how to get there
Directions to my houseboat: 1. Drive to Marin County, California, which has one of the highest incomes per capita in the United States but forget about that, you won’t need your wallet where you’re going. Huddled between the highway
how to get there
Directions to my houseboat: 1. Drive to Marin County, California, which has one of the highest incomes per capita in the United States but forget about that, you won’t need your wallet where you’re going. Huddled between the highway
train wreck
1. I hear about the Amtrak Residency program through a friend’s post and immediately apply with spastic, hopeful glee. Wheee! So fun and so romantic! I’m goin’ on a train! I’m the little engine that could! Choo choo! 2. I
train wreck
1. I hear about the Amtrak Residency program through a friend’s post and immediately apply with spastic, hopeful glee. Wheee! So fun and so romantic! I’m goin’ on a train! I’m the little engine that could! Choo choo! 2. I
blinders
Once you start noticing something, you can’t unnotice it. Once you’ve seen, you have a responsibility to continue seeing. There are many things I can’t stop myself from seeing: My to-do list at work. Homeless people. Tattoos. Old people trembling in
smackdown
(A sea of darkness surrounds a boxing ring glowing as bright as a neon disco floor in a pitch black nightclub.) MC: Welcome mateys and estrogen, Portnoys and pearls, to the ultimate fight, an epic karmic kerfuffle, the Last Circle
movie star on the wall
(Note: “I” is an unknown writer and “Mae” is a famous movie star. I would like an interview with Mae, but Mae won’t return her calls.) I stand in front of the mirror dripping on my apartment floor as I
movie star on the wall
(Note: “I” is an unknown writer and “Mae” is a famous movie star. I would like an interview with Mae, but Mae won’t return her calls.) I stand in front of the mirror dripping on my apartment floor as I
alice close your eyes
When the advance reader’s copy of Alice Close Your Eyes by Averil Dean arrived, I ripped open the package with relish. Or, as Averil might say, I tore the corner with my teeth and slid my palm inside the envelope
alice close your eyes
When the advance reader’s copy of Alice Close Your Eyes by Averil Dean arrived, I ripped open the package with relish. Or, as Averil might say, I tore the corner with my teeth and slid my palm inside the envelope
love and money
When I saw this film clip of the recent stunt in which Banksy, who’s doing a much-hyped artist’s residency on the streets of New York this month and whose name is being tooted and trumpeted by every loud voice, set
love and money
When I saw this film clip of the recent stunt in which Banksy, who’s doing a much-hyped artist’s residency on the streets of New York this month and whose name is being tooted and trumpeted by every loud voice, set
pre-coffee conversation
He was my first customer this morning at the bookstore. I knew he wasn’t there for books because he marched right up to the counter to peruse the stuff we keep at the register. He picked something up and scowled
pre-coffee conversation
He was my first customer this morning at the bookstore. I knew he wasn’t there for books because he marched right up to the counter to peruse the stuff we keep at the register. He picked something up and scowled
unshod quills
I have an unbelievable story to tell you. One day, an editor found me on Facebook then published one of my essays in her literary magazine, Unshod Quills. This story lacks verisimilitude, and yet it’s truly true. Dena Rash Guzman and
unshod quills
I have an unbelievable story to tell you. One day, an editor found me on Facebook then published one of my essays in her literary magazine, Unshod Quills. This story lacks verisimilitude, and yet it’s truly true. Dena Rash Guzman and
How To Write Your Own Face
Everywhere I go, I am bombarded with “I” statements and close-ups taken at arm’s length. These days, it seems like everyone is taking pictures of themselves and writing memoirs, large and small, from tweets to status updates to blog posts
How To Write Your Own Face
Everywhere I go, I am bombarded with “I” statements and close-ups taken at arm’s length. These days, it seems like everyone is taking pictures of themselves and writing memoirs, large and small, from tweets to status updates to blog posts
cranky
I’m learning a lot at my new job. The other day when I answered the phone, a haughty voice introduced herself (So-and-So, author of such-and-such published by BigPublishingHouse) and asked to speak to the store’s buyer. I put her on
freeway
Sometimes I’m driving my car on the freeway and it hits me: one spacy moment, a hiccup, a tic, and I’m a goner. The freeway lane is what–maybe twelve feet wide? Twelve feet of cement for me and my car,
please say it for me please
I Go Back to May 1937 BY SHARON OLDS I see them standing at the formal gates of their colleges, I see my father strolling out under the ochre sandstone arch, the red tiles glinting like bent plates of blood
please say it for me please
I Go Back to May 1937 BY SHARON OLDS I see them standing at the formal gates of their colleges, I see my father strolling out under the ochre sandstone arch, the red tiles glinting like bent plates of blood
pinky finger
The good news: I’m getting the hang of this work thing. Since I started my full-time job, my kids don’t seem to miss me as much as I imagined they would. (!!!) Of course my man is still home to
pinky finger
The good news: I’m getting the hang of this work thing. Since I started my full-time job, my kids don’t seem to miss me as much as I imagined they would. (!!!) Of course my man is still home to
the art of trust
When I start to worry about how I’ll survive or how I’ll be able to keep writing or what kind of world we live in, along comes Amanda Palmer to twist it all on its ear. Amanda says it’s okay
the art of trust
When I start to worry about how I’ll survive or how I’ll be able to keep writing or what kind of world we live in, along comes Amanda Palmer to twist it all on its ear. Amanda says it’s okay
shifting
I have just been hired by the independent bookstore down the street where I will be supervising and organizing author events. I get to fondle, sniff, and chat about books all day. I’ll meet authors and help them sell books.
girl in the hat 