Month: August 2013

Addicts & Basements book, when a segment came on, hosted by Ray Suarez, to discuss the current state of gay marriage. Ray introduced two gentlemen, and I immediately thought: I know one of these guys! Sure enough, turns out, John Eastman is someone I went to high school with, and I vaguely recall his family moved either during our senior year, or perhaps right after. Ironic it is that Eastman now serves as the Chairman-of-the-Board of the anti-same-sex-marriage group, The National Organization for Marriage. Life is stranger than fiction. And while speaking of high school, not long ago, my writing desk that I had in my youth returned home to me, and is currently in my office: It’s an antique beauty, and she has been through everything with me, like a long lost friend. Now, I do most of my work at the more modern, larger desk I acquired after moving to Wisconsin. I adore being surrounded by my books. Same office, same space. My new and older writing desks are buds: Where do you write? Where do you get most of your work done? Here are some of the posts floating around cyberland this week: At Blaze, a story about Tag (thanks Paul Scot August for the link): http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/03/04/the-awesome-story-about-a-group-of-men-who-have-been-playing-a-single-game-of-tag-for-40-years/ “Brute Dictation” by Jules Gibbs at Verse Daily: http://www.versedaily.org/2013/brutedictation.shtml Matt Rasmussen is profiled at Poetry by Kathleen Rooney, in “See What You Miss by Being Dead?”: http://www.poetryfoundation.org/article/246196 At Up Poetry, Bob Schofield with “World’s Spookiest Dad”: http://upliterature.com/worlds-spookiest-dad-by-bob-schofield/ Juliet Escoria writes about how to write your first book in 33 easy steps at Electric Literature blog (hers is Black Cloud, forthcoming in June 2014): http://electricliterature.com/blog/2013/08/15/letters-from-a-young-whatever-7-how-to-write-your-first-book-in-33-easy-steps/ Bud Smith debuts his new book, Tollbooth. You just have to check it out to believe me when I say READ THIS: http://theidiommag.com/. And here is Bud’s blog, where you can sample some of Tollbooth: http://budsmithwrites.com/2013/08/19/tollbooth-officially-released-yo/ A funny (ironic?) Onion article, “Teacher Just Hopes They Never Google Him” (Mary Stone Dockery, thanks for link!): http://www.theonion.com/articles/teacher-just-hopes-they-never-google-him,29271/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=SocialMarketing&utm_campaign=LinkPreview:NA:InFocus&recirc=back-to-school Wayne Kostenbaum does the TNB Self-Interview: http://www.thenervousbreakdown.com/tnbnonfiction/2013/08/wayne-koestenbaum-the-tnb-self-interview/ – more-113156 At the Good Men Project, Matthew Salesses writes 25 Ways Moving is as Stressful as Death: http://goodmenproject.com/families/moving-is-as-stressful-as-death/?fb_action_ids=10151672481218229&fb_action_types=og.likes&fb_source=other_multiline&action_object_map=%7B%2210151672481218229%22%3A574371725941776%7D&action_type_map=%7B%2210151672481218229%22%3A%22og.likes%22%7D&action_ref_map=%5B%5D DJ Berndt at Shabby Doll House (Spring) with “Three Decisions”: http://shabbydollhouse.com/Three-Decisions Take some time before summer ends, to get out and enjoy the smog. Take a drive on the NJ Turnpike, or swim in the brackish waters, the headstreams of the Amazon. I digress- when’s the last time you set an alarm so you could watch sunrise? Or met your best pal at the highest plateau to watch sunset? P.S. Here’s one fun thing about a writer’s blog…my pal Zach found that writer’s book (about their writing desks) that I referred to at the beginning of this post. Here’s the link: Amazon.com: The Writer’s Desk (9780679450146): Jill Krementz, John Updike: Books    ]]>