Original Poem: The Unsatisfactory Suicide Note
Sean MurphyFour summers ago, almost to the day, a friend took his life, and his life partner posted his farewell note. This situation was awful enough, on so many obvious levels,…
Original Poem: On This Day in History, 4877 B.C.: Universe is created, according to Kepler.*
It's always a fresh thrill to see one's work find the right publisher, and I've been fortunate to have my work published by Exterminating Angel Press many times. With gratitude,…
Jim Morrison: Still Hot, Still Sexy, Still Dead
Jim Morrison took his last bath on July 3, 1971 in Paris. R.I.P. Lizard King. (I wrote, in what most normal people would consider painful detail, about The Doors in…
Alan Arkin & American Artistry
When it rains, it pours, so of course news breaks that the beloved, completely irreplaceable Alan Arkin has left us earthlings behind for better adventures. Before he became the always-lovable…
WHAT WRITERS TALK ABOUT WHEN WE TALK ABOUT PERSEVERANCE
The first rule of writing is to understand, and eventually embrace the fact that there are no rules. There are also no short-cuts. (Sorry, posers.) Writing, like life, is ultimately…
Frederic Forrest: RIP, Chef
If you're a fan of Francis Ford Coppola, you are familiar with Frederic Forrest. If you're an ardent fan of Francis Ford Coppola, you appreciate the rare gifts Frederic Forrest…
6/26/87: Full Metal Jacket
Thanks to the remarkable team at All The Right Movies (a crucial Twitter follow if you don't already do so), I am reminded that one of the great, harrowing films…
Original Poem: Sustenance
It's an honor, every time, to have any literary magazine accept your work, and it's an extra thrill when you place work suitable for a certain journal. I'm so happy…
James Gandolfini: Ten Years Gone
Man. Ten years ago, today (and it seemed an intolerably premature death to me, at 43; now that I'm older than he was (51!), it really stings on so many…
A Story about Storytelling
What are you going to do, teach? This was the question. It’s what everyone asked, what everyone thought, how everyone assumed things worked: you get a degree in the Humanities and…