The Spectrum of Metafiction (Interview in Bomb Magazine)
Wendy J. Fox, author of the fabulous short story collection WHAT IF WE WERE SOMEWHERE ELSE interviewed me for Bomb Magazine. We talked about tech lingo, parenting, metafiction, emoji vs. emoticons, writing about a writer as a way to write, and a bunch of other fun and crooked topics.
some honest and chaotic thoughts about creativity and book launch week (with A LOT of pictures)
So I did a reading at historic Powell's Books on Tuesday — the day of my book launch. But I also decided to use the days leading up to the book launch to push out all kinds of crazy creative things. I’m not positive that I can come to a grand conclusion about what this all means. But I’ll try, and at the very least, I can meander us through a picture-filled story that involves books and apps and social media and videos and music and essays and podcasts, and then I can land us (in the final postscript) inside a messy gazpacho filled with guilt and passion and triumph. Who wouldn’t want to go on that kind of adventure!?!?!? 🎢🛼🚌
S3-38: Very much our space (podcast)
In this podcast episode, we conclude the Beyond Coupled season. We talk through what we learned. And we share an exciting update about Ben...
S3-37: The beautiful messiness (podcast)
In this podcast episode, we dig a little more into the nature of their relationship. Some things we can immediately identify with, and some things we have to talk through...
Stand-up Comedians (failvid-16)
I've been obsessed with stand-up comedians lately... and what writers can learn from comedians about finding their voice. Or something like that. Just watch the video and tell me if you think I'm crazy...
tctpod-season1-05: Before I was an African-American artist
In this podcast episode, I talk to Harold Johnson — poet, novelist, musician, artist, teacher, editor, and more. Harold is an African-American man who was born in 1930s Yakima, Washington and I really wanted to listen to him talk about growing up in this time and place. It is only one piece to the story of who he is, but a piece I definitely wanted to hear. So I hope you'll join me on this journey into 1930s & 1940s rural Washington...
vid004: The index card treatment
In this video, I get to focus on Kate's perspective on the index card treatment, which is how she lays out index cards to outline her novel. It not only can help with plotting a story, but with detecting patterns in your book. Kate also came up with a fabulous metaphor about a risk with the index card treatment — a metaphor that required all of my bad animation skills. She says many more things that I didn't get a chance to animate, so check out the full one-hour audio conversation for more of her insights. Enjoy!
tctpod-season1-04: The podcast based on the book based on the movie (with Kate Maruyama)
In this podcast episode, I talk to Kate Maruyama. She is the author of the novel Harrowgate, which just came out in September and hit #3 on the Kindle horror bestseller list. Kate and I usually check-in using an ancient telephone contraption, but I tricked her into Skyping so I could record some of the cool things she says about the writing process. Two things we focus on: Kate's background in screenwriting, and her keen editing abilities...
tctpod-season1-03: Writing in the raw (with Kristen Forbes)
In this podcast episode, I get to talk to my good friend Kristen Forbes about writing well-crafted pieces that cover emotionally raw material. I really enjoyed speaking with her, and other than the number of times I stupidly say, “Wow!”, I’m pretty pleased with how this conversation turned out. Check out the first two links below to read the two main essays that we reference in the discussion…
vid002: From head to heart
In this video, I fixate on one particular topic: Scott's quest to turn his second book (a novel in progress) into a deeper story. And more generally: can you turn something formulaic (and in your head) into something deeper (and in your heart)? ...
tctpod-season1-02: The second big thing (with Scott Sparling)
In this podcast episode, I talk with Scott Sparling about the challenges of writing the second book. We talk about bringing a work-in-progress into your heart when it wasn't born in the heart. We talk about the egomaniacalness of comparing your work to the Beatles. We discuss the pros and cons of having a deadline for your writing project. We discuss bad book sales, writing in tree houses, stones on the beach, delusions of grandeur, depression, tenacity, stubbornness, and masturbating while writing. Enjoy! ...
vid001: Marinating with Joan Didion and Telaina Eriksen
In this video, I fixate on two cool topics that came up during my conversation with Telaina Eriksen: 1. Writing in the moment vs. letting things marinate; 2. Putting your thoughts within the context of a particular scene. I take an under-educated stance on why Joan Didion’s The Year of Magical Thinking worked so well. I also find a way to stick my kid’s precious stuffed animal (Shaggy the Jaguar) into the video...
tctpod-season1-01: The depressing episode (with Telaina Eriksen)
In this podcast episode, I get to talk to my friend Telaina Eriksen about how she is able to write about grief and death in her essays. I first met Telaina in 2008 when we both were in the Antioch University low-residency MFA program. I’ve been wanting to ask her about how she gets to these difficult places in her writing for a few years now, and this so-called podcast thingy gave me the chance. Join us for this delightful romp through grief and loss and death.
video: Too Hip for the Room: George Carlin
So I'm still experimenting with different themes and styles and formats for my videos. Here is a posthumous interview with the great George Carlin. I've always wanted to know how he evolved into the great comedian that he became. So I asked him...