Mailing more stories out to journals and more zines out to shops! Also finishing up a longish review of a poetry collection for The Rumpus. Bigger blog update soon, but for now wanted to say “hi!” and list some stuff I’ve been digging lately.
Couple books I’ve started but not finished recently: 100 Years of Solitude (read ~200 pages) and Thus Spoke Zarathustra (read ~20 pages … should probably give another try.)
steadily adding to the “big piece of writing” in both notebooks and on computer – i’m not anticipating sending portions out for review/etc for a while, but it’s getting seriously longer, which is nice
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working on some non-fiction stuff too. new book review posted soon – will post link when it’s done!
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I read Cormac McCarthy’s first novel:
which was published back in 1965, which is kind of crazy because McCarthy published The Road in 2006, more than forty years later, and during those forty years he wrote/published tons of other awesome books. Pretty gnarly and hardworking dude.
As for the book, I loved it like I do all stuff by the author, and am now kind of torn about where to go next in his catalog of novels: delve deeper into Appalachia-era McCarthy, go back to Southwest/Texas-era McCarthy, or just re-read Blood Meridian ? As always, I’m leaning towards the last one.
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I also read this guy:
and although I bought it originally for the cover art by Chuck Sperry, I really enjoyed the actual text as well, and about a third of the way through I had lots of trouble putting it down I was so caught up in the pretty enthralling/exciting story.
If you’re interested, there is an outrageously long article on the author Charles Bock here at the NYT.
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Music!
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Also, like a month ago, but I forgot to blog about it, I went to a JAPANTHER show with some friends, and it was mind-blowingly awesome, and yeah, just see them if you get the chance, which chances are you will since they’re constantly touring
I’ve been doing lots of writing, including a couple new poems now in submission queues, a couple short-short stories now in submission queues, and I’m still polishing the longer ones. Let me know if you want to read anything!
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I bought the latest issue of ZYZZYVA at Needles and Pens a few days ago and read it and it was unquestionably the best literary journal I’ve ever read, by far.
It is utter and complete destruction. I can’t wait to submit a story to them someday. If you’re in the Bay Area, it’s available at tons of bookstores; check out a copy!
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Finished this guy today:
which was predictably amazing. Cormac McCarthy is rapidly becoming maybe my “favorite” living author. So far this year I’ve also read The Road and Blood Meridian, and I’m really excited to read the rest of the Border Trilogy now. Also, i’m always on the lookout for a used copy of The Orchard Keeper, his first novel. These seem to be pretty rare though, so next up is probably re-reading Blood Meridian.
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Meanwhile, in Lawrence, Asteroid Head brings the St. Patrick’s Day heat/weirdstuff:
Hyped to see some photos from their recent trip to SXSW!
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Bought this like a long time ago and have had it in constant rotation forever:
Perfect music to write or read to. Planning on either picking up Silver next or diving headlong in Justin Broadrick’s extensive back catalog and maybe buying a Godflesh album or something.
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Nate East 