Reading list of 2015 Fourteen Stories: None of Them Are Yours- Luke B. Goebel (short stories) The Secret Games of Words- Karen Stefano (short stories) The Tears of Eros- George Bataille The Marbled Swarm- Dennis Cooper Asuras- Jayinee Basu (poetry) Maelstrom- Doug Bootes (poetry) The Vixen Scream and other Bible Stories- Nancy Stohlman (flash fiction) Not My Father’s Son- Alan Cumming (memoir) Lunette- Pamela Davis (poetry) Ohey- Darby Larson (flash fiction) Chloe Sevigny- (photos/ text) A Different Light: The Photography of Sebastiao Salgado by Parvati Nair Sting and Nest- Barbara Rockman (poetry) Edge of Taos Desert: Escape to Reality- Mabel Luhan Dodge (memoir) F-250- Bud Smith (novel) Smoke- Dorianne Laux (poetry) Today I Am A Book- xTx Prelude to Bruise- Saaed Jones (poetry) An Apology for Apologies- Matt Nelson (poetry) The Small Backs of Children- Lidia Yuknavitch (hybrid) A Brave Man Seven Storeys Tall- Will Chance (novel) All Day, Talking- Sarah A. Chavez (poetry) Drink- Laura Madeline Wiseman (poetry) Soft- Ryan Werner (hybrid) Part Time Shaman Handbook- Michael Gillan Maxwell (hybrid/art) Night Chorus- Joani Reese (poetry) catalog of unabashed gratitude- ross gay (poetry) The Rooster’s Wife- Russell Edson (prose poems) Peek- Paul Beckman (flash fiction) Gutshot- Amelia Gray (stories) The Secret and the Sacred- Erin Parker (stories) Ongoingness- Sarah Manguso (hybrid) Tangled in Motion- Jane L. Carmen (hybrid) Dept of Speculation- Jenny Offill (novel) Tables Without Chairs #1- Bud Smith and Brian Alan Ellis (fiction) The Disordered- Anhvu Buchanan- (flash fiction chapbook) David Wojnarowcz: a definite history of five or six years on the lower east side (interviews) Orphans Burning Orphans- Gene Kwak (flash fiction chapbook) Inheritance- Joseph Fasano (poetry) So You Know It’s Me- Brian Olio (flash fiction) Manson: The Life and Times of Charles Manson- Jeff Guinn (biography) Visions and Revisions- Dale Peck (non-fiction) Every Kiss A War- Leesa Cross- Smith M Train- Patti Smith (essays/ memoir) Witches of America- Alex Mar (non-fiction) When You Cross That Line- Sam Slaughter (chap flash) Mall Flower- Tina Barry (hybrid) Two Truths and A Lie- Leah Rogin- Roper (hybrid) Grace Notes- Meg Tuite, David Tomaloff, art by Keith Higginbotham (hybrid) The Suicide of Claire Bishop- Camiel Banansky Choose Wisely- 35 Women up to no good- edited by H.L. Nelson and Joanne Merriam Although of Course you end up Becoming Yourself- David Lipsky (non-fiction) Bad Sex- Clancy Martin The Free- Willy Vlautin Speedboat- Renata Adler People Like You- Margaret Malone (stories) Why This World: A Biography of Clarice Lispector by Benjamin Moser W-3 by Bette Howland (novel) Shadows of the Sun: Diaries of Harry Crosby The Best Small Fictions 2015, edited by Robert Olin Butler and Tara Masih Currently reading: Kinda Sorta America Dream- Steve Karas ****PLACES I VISITED, events in which I PLAYED: January: Mexico for Satchi and Michael Hauser’s birthday!!! New Mexico at La Fonda for a reading, hosted by Meg Tuite, writers Kathy Fish, Len Kuntz, James Claffey, Nancy Stohlman, Sally Reno and so many more talents. April- Minneapolis AWP- too much fun. My first panel experience with Literary Orphans. May- Truth & Beauty Conference in Taos, New Mexico with Pamela Davis June- Green Lake reunion with Dorianne Laux at the WFOP Conference July- Snohomish, Washington- a week in paradise with Len and Tonja Kuntz; Denver reading for F-BOMB hosted by Nancy Stholman- readers Paul Beckman, Meg Tuite, Karen Stefano, Kathy Fish. August- Indiana Indie Book Fest- Bud Smith, Joanie Reese, Blotterature staff, etc.; my birthday week in New York City with Satchi at the SoHo Grand. Saw Andrea, Ian, Bud, Rae, etc. September- Connecticut with my sisters, and family time. October- The Clearing in Door County- my second week teaching Mixing Genres. A great experience! November- Denver #2 reading for F-BOMB, hosted by Meg Tuite. Readers Len Kuntz, Leah Rogin- Roper, Meg Tuite, Kathy Fish. December- Spartanburg for Christmas with Satchi- family time with Mom, Dad, Yogi, Erin, Siddhartha and Navarre. Submissions/ Stats: I sent out 15 submissions this year (my lowest in the past decade). I had seven acceptances. Thanks to magazines like Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets, Short, Fast & Deadly, Literary Orphans, Scabies Anthology, This is Poetry, Volume 2: The Midwest Poets, and The Airgonaut. The big news, of course, is that RIFT became a book on December 1. Huge thanks to my co-author, Kathy Fish. 2015 was so much more fun because of you! Also, Bud Smith, for whom I am ever so grateful. And our fourth musketeer, Michael Maxwell. NIGHT OWL CAFE rules! You can see more information about RIFT here: www.unknowneverything.com/books/rift. Also it is available: http://www.amazon.com/Rift-Robert-Vaughan/dp/0996352600/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1451588231&sr=8-1&keywords=rift+robert+vaughan. To all who have said encouraging things about RIFT already, Kathy and I are so grateful: Daniel Handler, Lidia Yuknavitch, Michael Martone, Ron Carlson, xTx, Luke Goebel, Jenson Beach, Michael Seidlinger, Ryan Ridge, Megan Bergman, Robert Lopez, Sheldon Compton, Steph Post, Cheryl Zovich, Len Kuntz, Meg Tuite, Karen Stefano, David Atkinson, Christina Dalcher, David Abrams, Dennis Mahagin, Tina Barry, Joseph Spuckler, Rachel Sherman, Loren Kleinman. Your words mean so much. (If I’ve forgotten anyone, I assure you it is not intentional.) And for anyone looking for an amazing course in 2016, Kathy Fish and I will be leading a week long fiction workshop, more information here: http://www.kathy-fish.com/?page_id=1588. And that, my friends, is a wrap! Here is to a kickass 2016… ]]>
2015: Looking Back
And then these lovely first mentions, news and reviews about RIFT, and made Kathy Fish smile. And me giggle. So grateful:
First, my brother Sheldon Compton at Revolution John: https://revolutionjohn.wordpress.com/2015/12/13/the-world-set-shaking-kathy-fish-and-robert-vaughans-rift/
Joseph Spuckler at Evil Cyclist: https://evilcyclist.wordpress.com/2015/12/13/book-review-rift/
David Abrams at The Quivering Pen: http://www.davidabramsbooks.blogspot.com/2015/12/a-year-of-reading-best-book-cover.html
Dennis Mahagin (“Ancient Bassist”) at Amazon (among all the other amazing reviews!): http://www.amazon.com/Rift-Robert-Vaughan/dp/0996352600/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1449355153&sr=8-1&keywords=RIFT+RObert
Sheldon “Lil Joe” Compton, part 2: http://bentcountry.blogspot.com/2015/12/my-top-ten-books-of-2015.html
My dear sister, Cheryl, at CurTales: https://curtalefarm.wordpress.com/2015/12/17/rift-a-book-review/
Loren Kleinman at THE HUFFINGTON POST: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/loren-kleinman/a-rift-in-the-clouds-an-i_b_8824102.html
Steph Post with two part RIFT interview, here’s Kathy Fish: http://stephpostauthor.blogspot.com/2015/12/rift-part-one-interview-with-kathy-fish.html
Steph Post with two part RIFT interview, with me: http://stephpostauthor.blogspot.com/2015/12/rift-part-two-interview-with-robert.html
Steph also included RIFT here: http://stephpostauthor.blogspot.com/2015/12/stephs-super-awesome-2015-end-of-year.html
I have to say, it’s been a wild ride so far! I want to give thanks to everyone who has purchased, reviewed, and said gracious or kind comments to Kathy and me. RIFT took the same gestation time as making a child: nine or so months! It would never have been possible without Satchi, Bud Smith, my siblings, Kathy (of course) and so many more contributors. Please help us spread the word. Get a copy of RIFT for a friend. Read more! Happy holidays.
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