Stories
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- 16.Dec
- The Going-Away Party
“Drink up,” the man said to his daughter. “I don’t want to,” the girl said. “You need to understand how this feels,” said the man.
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- 20.Nov
- Fight Night
The recent Pacquiao-Márquez boxing bout was full of lust, anger, calculation, sport—the same as what’s occurring in Zuccotti Park, in Congress, in every household across America. Boxing is the sport of the now, and its lessons will be useful tonight.
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- 06.Oct
- The Ornithologist’s Last Wish
“The geese are winging in from the north. First a hairline thread in the muted horizon, then a cross-stitch in the sky over Portaferry, in County Down, Northern Ireland. Soon a dark and honking seam gliding in against the ebbing tidal narrows, breaking rank at last to alight in ungainly spray atop the waters of Strangford Lough …”
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- 10.Jun
- In The Deep End
“The shade held no allure for me – I was here for a belly full of booze and the insouciant regret of a peeling sunburn. I’d sleep it off tomorrow and be back in the rotation on Monday with a fresh take on Herb’s high-minded theories on risk versus reward.”
Blog
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- 17.Jan
- DIY MFA Reading List: “Gilead” by Marilynne Robinson
In trying to show us the light, Marilynne Robinson illuminates the darkness.
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- 04.Dec
- DIY MFA Reading List: “Collected Stories” by Raymond Carver
The tortured collaboration between Raymond Carver and Gordon Lish produced a masterpiece in American short fiction.
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- 17.Nov
- DIY MFA Reading List: “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien
Truth is stranger than fiction in Tim O’Brien’s brilliant meditation on the Vietnam War.
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- 30.Oct
- DIY MFA Reading List: “Pilgrim at Tinker Creek” by Annie Dillard
Annie Dillard’s “Pilgrim at Tinker Creek” dares us to open our eyes.
On Writing
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- 07.Mar
- The DIY MFA in Creative Writing
MFA programs help authors hone their craft. They’re also hugely expensive and, for full-time parents, the residency requirements can be impractical. Introducing the “DIY MFA in Creative Writing”.
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- 21.Feb
- Made To Be Broken
Never use the phrase “all hell broke loose” – and other tips for aspiring authors.
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- 13.Jan
- Peeling Back The Onion
Writing can be like peeling an onion: there are always more layers, new things to learn. And sometimes you just want to cry.
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- 18.Dec
- Local Hero
Searching for a satisfying, complex plot structure for your next story? Look no farther than your front window – the answer might be closer to home than you think.
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FEATURED STORY
- The Going-Away Party
“Drink up,” the man said to his daughter. “I don’t want to,” the girl said. “You need to understand how this feels,” said the man.
COMMENTS
- Patrick Glennon: Awesome… Very quick and punchy.
- Claire: I am so on board with this idea, it isn’t even funny.
- Bob Tomlinson: Wow, very engaging eye contact!!!
- gabi: Just stumbled on your blog and I’m a big fan of the DIY MFA (even though I just graduated from a standard...
- David Eric Tomlinson: Thanks for commenting Jo!