Month: March 2012

1) My best pal, and extremely talented writer, Carol Wobig, has her first collection on Kindle- eight stories ready to break your heart, make you laugh and cry- you HAVE to get this!…Poached is Not an Option: http://www.amazon.com/Poached-Not-Option-ebook/dp/B007OV4S1A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1332888887&sr=8-1 And here are some other fascinating things happening lately: 2) March Flash Fiction Fridays theme is “Numbers…” We hear the super flash interview with Anthony Van Hart, and his “77 Word Stories” then I read Joseph A. W. Quintela‘s “He Was Confined to His Home Under House Arrest.” Enjoy! http://www.wuwm.com/programs/lake_effect/le_sgmt.php?segmentid=9011 3) Gay Degani gets interviewed by Michelle Elvy at Flash Frontier: http://flash-frontier.com/2012/03/23/gay-degani-interview/ 4) Brother from Another Planet, Alex Pruteanu, is up at Bard is Bong: http://bardisbong.blogspot.com/2012/03/nth-week-in-rehab-alex-preteanu.html 5) These two books are must haves…now, or wish listed…Mary Stone Dockery and Pat Pujolas… http://www.amazon.com/Mythology-Touch-Mary-Stone-Dockery/ http://www.amazon.com/Jimmy-Lagowski-Saves-World-Pujolas/ 6) Howie Good, Bobbi Lurie, and Joanne Jagoda all conquer food and drink in different ways at Pure Slush: http://pureslush.webs.com/thelatest.htm 7) Gill Hoffs & her red hair invade A-Minor with “Because I’m Worth It:” http://aminormagazine.com/2012/03/26/because-im-worth-it/ 8) Frank O’Hara reads “Having a coke with you” from his New York flat in 1966: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDLwivcpFe8 9) Bill Yarrow and Ann Bogle discuss one of my favorite pieces of hers at Fictionaut called “Letters, notes, conversations, partings.” Fascinating! http://www.fictionaut.com/blog/2012/03/26/monday-chat-ann-bogle/ 10) Sarah Silverman offends us all in the best ways in “German Cars:” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9b3_05qL7k&feature=share And that’s all for now! Got some POACHED eggs waiting for me in the kitchen nook. Oops, no…wait…Poached is Not an Option? (Congratulations, Carol!!!)]]>

Riding the Humpster Wheel Ever feel like you are on some treadmill, spinning round and round, same track, re-living some same moment? It happens to me periodically, and especially when I come across articles like these listed in my TOP 10 this week. I hope you enjoy: 1) I used to live in New York City’s East Village, on East 6^th Street, across from the side entrance to The Saint. Here is a great article from Bowery Boogie about that landmark building at 105 Second Avenue: http://www.boweryboogie.com/2012/03/live-at-the-fillmore-east-a-history-of-105-2nd-avenue/ 2) Len Kuntz stuns me with his stellar write-up of Flash Fiction Fridays at People You Know By Heart. Thanks, my brother: http://lenkuntz.blogspot.com/ 3) xTx and Roxane Gay bring it at Wigleaf in the same week!!! With “Jonah Questions” and “Apocalypse Story…” http://wigleaf.com/ 4) Here is NAP’s 2.4, read it and weep: http://naplitmag.com/ 5) Have you made a little mash in your life yet? Play with words at rigormort.us: http://www.rigormort.us/ 6) Meg Tuite ushers in the amazing new fiction at Connotation Press. And what a line-up!: http://www.connotationpress.com/fiction 7) What are you waiting for? Get it now, from Alex Pruteanu: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1466244550/ref=cm_sw_r_fa_dp_GJZzpb0A7RDZT Ditto, when Kristine Ong Muslim is in the house: http://www.amazon.com/Bury-Landscape-Kristine-Ong-Muslim/dp/0983907145/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1332167292&sr=1-4 8) “You’re All,” for you James, is up at Fictionaut: http://www.fictionaut.com/stories/robert-vaughan/youre-all 9) Writer and Metazen editor extra-ordinaire, Christopher Allen, is interview by stellar Gay Degani at Flash Fiction Chronicles: Flash Fiction Chronicles 10) Thunderclap #8 is going to press, but you can submit your magical poetry for the upcoming April NaPoMo…a poem a day, (year #2). Send submissions to thunderclap.mag@gmail.com. Amanda Deo and I can’t wait to read them!!! That’s all this week. Hop off that hampster wheel. Hand glide. See you on the down low.]]>

 1) Lost in Thought issue 2 has arrived!!! Contains such inspiring photography, with pieces like my “3 C’s,” accompanied by amazing images. Also includes writers Tuite, Tepper, Reese, Wong, Hoffs, Stancek, MAK, among many others. Thanks editor, Kyle Schroder! http://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/345833 2) Check out my new piece “Stand Here” up at Fictionaut, originally appeared in Durable Goods issue 58. Thanks, editor Aleathia Drehmer! http://www.fictionaut.com/stories/robert-vaughan/stand-here And, one more: “The First Time I Lied,” is up at Art Faccia. I just love this kickass site, thanks pal and editor, Jamie E. Reich: http://artfaccia.com/post/19188402795/the-first-time-i-lied 3) Vouched contributor Tyler Gobble chats with Gregory Sherl at Smalldoggies: http://www.smalldoggiesmagazine.com/columns/vouched-satellite/interview-with-gregory-sherl/ 4) Even indie authors have their day! Latest news about Cheryl Strayed: http://www.oregonlive.com/books/index.ssf/2012/03/reese_witherspoon_buys_movie_r.html 5) I had the great fortune of reading with Chloe Caldwell at AWP and her new book of essays is out from Future Tense Books. Her recent Rumpus piece: http://therumpus.net/2012/02/chloe-caldwell-the-last-city-i-loved-1-new-york-city/ 6) Have you checked out the all-women’s Sententia 4: What She Said? Editors extra-ordinare Paula Bomer, Jen Michalski and Amy King assemble great work from the likes of Tuite, Flick, Fowler, Lippmann, and so many others: http://sententiabooks.com/?p=257 7) An exquisite interview with Michelle Elvy and Christopher Allen about being an “expat” author and so much more (and thanks for the mention, ME!!!). All on CA’s great travel blog: http://www.imustbeoff.com/2012/03/expat-author-interview-with-michelle.html 8) I’d meant to mention this touching story before AWP and simply forgot. But it’s too good to let slip by. Josh Denslow brings it memoir style in “Say Goodnight, George” at The Lit Pub: http://thelitpub.com/say-goodnight-george/ 9) The new BULL: Men’s Fiction is here, contains “Houseboy” from Sara Lippmann, Also Ethyl Rohan, and many other fantastic writers: http://bullmensfiction.com/ 10) I have a mash-up at Short Fast & Deadly’s new rigor.mort.us site! Thanks, editors Eryk Wenziak for the nudge, and Joseph Quintela. (Also a nod to Eryk for his e.e. cummings homage “since feeling is first” and Meg Tuite’s “Unsaid” for providing the words): http://www.rigormort.us/work-by-robert-vaughan/ And, please, please help Flash Fiction Fridays to remain the #1 selection in Literature and Fiction at Lulu. Order your copy now: http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/flash-fiction-fridays/18854615]]>

http://htmlgiant.com/web-hype/do-as-franzen-does-do-what-you-like/ 2) Meg Tuite dazzles with her amazing craft at Metazen: http://www.metazen.ca/?p=9902 3) Alex Prutaneau transports us into a new world order at Necessary Fiction: http://necessaryfiction.com/stories/AlexMPruteanuTheRubberPenguin 4) My poem, “Melt Away” is up at Fictionaut: http://www.fictionaut.com/stories/robert-vaughan/melt-away/ 5) Len Kuntz, my AWP co-hort and pal, and writer extra-ordinaire, sums the recent Conference with swagger: http://lenkuntz.blogspot.com/ 6) One of the very best online magazines out there, Blue Fifth Review. Winter Issue: http://bluefifthreview.wordpress.com/ 7) At The Rumpus, an Interview with Documentary Film-maker Cassie Jaye: http://therumpus.net/2012/03/the-rumpus-interview-with-cassie-jaye/ 8) Because I’m in Milwaukee, I had to include this one from The Good Men Project: http://goodmenproject.com/featured-content/i-hate-fancy-beer-and-so-do-you/ 9) The Go-Go’s made this song popular, but Fun Boy Three has an even better version, makes me ache for the 80s: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqQT3oKA3v8 10) Three poems by Diana Salier in the latest kill-> author slayed me: http://killauthor.com/issueseventeen/diana-salier/ Also, if you have not yet ordered your Flash Fiction Fridays anthology, what are you waiting for? Flash Fiction Fridays by Robert Vaughan in Literature & Fiction]]>

Hump over Chi-town 1) Have you had a chance to listen to our Flash Fiction Friday from February 2012? Wisconsin author Norma Bishop reads her “Got Clean Away,” then I read Michelle Reale’s “What Passes for Normal” http://www.wuwm.com/programs/lake_effect/le_sgmt.php?segmentid=8854 2) Head on over to The Lit Pub where Meg Tuite and I dance toe to toe: http://thelitpub.com/featured-books/domestic-apparition/ Then, for another glimpse of Domestic Apparition, Meg’s novel, head over to The Nervous Breakdown for Paula Bomer’s awesome review: http://www.thenervousbreakdown.com/pbomer/2012/02/review-of-domestic-apparition-by-meg-tuite/ 3) Lookin for a place to get lucky? I’ve always had a thing about cabins. You? Don’t make assumptions from the name, you have to check this out! http://freecabinporn.com/ 4) I had the great fortune of reading in three distinct and wonderful events while I was at AWP. Here are some photos from the Connotation Press event. Thanks editor-in-chief Ken Robidoux and photographer extra-odinaire Jennifer Tomaloff: ConnotationPress.com | EVENT BLOG 5) Eryk Wenziak is getting his groove on at the all new rigor mort.us, check out how your print pieces can become mash-ups, erasures, re-mixes and all sorts of flora! http://rigormortus.submishmash.com/submit 6) February SF& D- from creativity guru Joseph Quintela (how did I miss running into you at AWP???), featuring super-talented Eryk Wenziak and many more: http://www.shortfastanddeadly.com/ 7) Amazon: could it get any greedier? An interesting article for writers. http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/22/amazon-pulls-thousands-of-e-books-in-dispute/?ref=todayspaper 8) Roxane Gay (who is as lovely in person as she is in print!) reviews The Help before (now after) The Oscars in NYDN: http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/pageviews/2012/02/bad-movieworse-book-part-i-why-the-help-is-hopeless 9) Anna March (the Erotic Extrovert!) brings it with “Hungover After a Bad Date” at The Rumpus: http://therumpus.net/2012/02/aural-fixations-the-rumpus-mixtape-12-hungover-after-a-bad-date/ 10) ‘I Was Born (a Unicorn),’ or so The Unicorns lyric goes…check out Seth Fischer’s Rumpus ‘Notes From a Unicorn’: http://therumpus.net/2012/02/notes-from-a-unicorn/ And last, but by no means least, I received news that my flash fiction piece, “10,000 Dollar Pyramid” (published in elimae, Feb. 2011) was a Finalist in The Micro- Fiction Awards, 2012. Thanks, editor Brandon Hobson (great meeting you in Chicago!), for accepting this for Elimae. Also, Gay Degani, the other judges, and Alan Presley. The Micro Award]]>