Thursday, June 26, 2014

Speaking of Quill and Quire ...

... my review of D.D. Miller's debut short story collection David Foster Wallace Ruined My Suicide is also now up on the Q&Q website. While I didn't enjoy this book nearly as much as the Shepard novel I posted about yesterday, I still thought there were a number of really solid short stories in Miller's collection. This book was part of the debut launch of titles for Wolsak and Wynn's new imprint Buckrider Books, and I have a couple of other titles from that same debut on the nightstand that I'm hoping to review eventually here on the blog. So stay tuned for that!

M.

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

My Quill and Quire review of When Is a Man, by Aaron Shepard ...

... is now online at Q&Q's website. I really can't recommend this novel enough to readers who really dig hyper-realistic yet lyrical fiction. This was another example of a novel with a setting I'm not overly interested in (the wilds of nature) and yet still managed to absolutely enthrall me. It's also quite rare to see a writer take on the softer (no pun intended) aspects of thwarted masculinity, and Shepard handles his subject matter both boldly and bravely. Definitely a writer to watch.

M.

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Acceptance: FreeFall magazine

So I'm pleased to announce that FreeFall magazine, out of Calgary, has accepted my poem "Lusus Naturae" for its upcoming fall issue. This will be my second appearance in the pages of FreeFall, as I placed second in the magazine's annual poetry contest back in 2011. (You can even hear audio of me reading the poem here).

FreeFall is a feisty little journal that has been around for years. It has published a number of my compadres in the literary salt mines, including Zach Wells, Ron Schafrick, J.J. Steinfeld, and, of course, my wife Rebecca, and I am very stoked to be back in its pages. I'll do a follow up post once the issue has been published.

M.