News

My first full-length book of poems, Killing the Murnion Dogs, has been accepted for publication with Black Lawrence Press, an imprint of Dzanc Books. Both Black Lawrence and Dzanc have strong reputations in the independent publishing world, and I’m thoroughly delighted they’ll be bringing out my book.

Just got word my poem “Fish Cutter” will be in the next issue of the venerable and excellent Southern Poetry Review.

Just heard that the Alaska Quarterly Review will be publishing two of my more recent poems, “Theodicy” and “The Day We Finish Painting the Bedroom, My Wife’s Father Emails Us His Suicide Note.”

The Washington Post Book World has called AQR “[o]ne of the nation’s best literary magazines.” I’m delighted to be featured in such a fine venue.

My poem “Encomium: Highway 49 South” is up this week at Linebreak.

Found out a few weeks ago that I’ve won the 2009 Richard J. Margolis Award of Blue Mountain Center. It’s quite a prize, and I’m all kinds of honored.

Here’s a bit from their website:

The Richard J. Margolis Award of Blue Mountain Center combines a one-month residency at Blue Mountain Center with a $5,000 prize. It is awarded annually to a promising new journalist or essayist whose work combines warmth,  humor, wisdom and concern with social justice. The award was established in honor of Richard J. Margolis, a journalist, essayist and poet who gave eloquent voice to the hardships of the rural poor, migrant farm workers, the elderly, Native Americans and others whose voices are seldom heard. He was also the  author of a number of books for children. Blue Mountain Center is a writers and artists colony in the Adirondacks in Blue Mountain Lake, New York.

Just heard from Paul Weber, creative nonfiction editor at The Briar Cliff Review, that “My Mother’s Story: Retold and Annotated,” an experimental essay of mine built around a phone call with my mother years ago, has won their fourteenth annual prize in Creative Nonfiction: the piece will appear in the 2010 issue, and they’ll be sending a $1000 my way!

Also, if you haven’t picked up a copy of The Briar Cliff Review, do so. It’s one of the most beautifully-designed journals out there, and there’s great work inside too.

Jazzed to find out Orion will be taking two of my poems, “The eye of the radio was red, and its round mouth was talking–” and “The Fixt and Random Universe Is Seen to Move.”

Just got word Linebreak has taken my poem “Encomium: Driving Highway 49” and Cave Wall has taken “One More Time Durango” and “The Old Ways Fade and Do Not Come Back”; I’m more than pleased to have poems coming up in such fine venues!

Though I’m a little late getting this up, my essay “You, All of You” was featured in the September 2009 issue of The Sun. The piece has occasioned emails and letters from folks across the country; so puzzling and wonderful to have readers!