Writing Out of the Wilderness - Speaking to the Writers' Guild of Texas

I was invited to speak to the Writers' Guild of Texas at the Richardson Public Library next Monday night (5/18) at 7:00pm. My talk is titled Writing out of the Wilderness: How to Survive Rejection and Forge a Path to Publication. My talk should last about an hour and is free and open to the public. In a John Steinbeck letter from 1953, republished in The New York Times, he wrote:

The process of acceptance-rejection is not unlike the lone dance of the fiddler crab. A man writes a book - why? Because he wants to...Now the purpose of a book I suppose is to amuse, interest, instruct but its warmer purpose is just to associate with the reader. You use symbols he can understand so that the two of you can be together. The circle is not closed until the trinity is present - the writer, the book, and the reader.

I'll be talking about how we as writers can close that circle: you, your book, and your reader. And you can find more information about my talk at local NPR-Affiliate KERA's Art&Seek Website, which I'm thrilled is promoting the event. So if you’re in the Dallas area next Monday night and hankering for a talk about writing, I’d love to see you!

Families Among Us: Great Review at PANK

Thank you to Thomas Michael Duncan and PANK for this great review of my chapbook, Families Among Us. Here is a short excerpt:

When a writer tells vibrant stories that bleed into the margins, and when a sharp design meets fitting, fascinating artwork, the result is too great to ignore. In other words, the result is Families Among Us. An entire universe lives within these forty pages, spun into existence with the sincere cadence of an ancient origin story. For readers, this chapbook is a welcome pause from realism, a chance to give in to and live briefly in the fantastical.

You can read the rest of the review here. And if you'd like to buy a copy of Families Among Us, you can do so here. Thanks for reading!

Guest on The Weekly Reader on Minnesota Public Radio

Last week I was a guest on The KMSU Weekly Reader, an author interview radio show that airs weekly on Minnesota Public Radio. Thanks so much to host Teagan Knoblich for having me on. We talked about my chapbook of short tales, Families Among Us, the writing process, what I'm working on now, and even how having kids has had a wonderful affect on my writing. It was a lot of fun, and I also read from a couple stories. You can check out the show archives for great interviews with Steve Almond, Kyle Minor, Daniel Handler/Lemony Snicket, Frank Bill, D.A Powell, Robert Boswell, and Kate Bernheimer, among others. And you can listen to the episode I'm on right here. Thanks for listening and for reading!