Original Poem: Gen X Exegesis
Sean MurphyWhere are my #GenX at? This one's for you. It's also for those older and younger than us, who are either confused or impressed or, hopefully, inspired by our resilience…
HOT FUN IN THE SUMMERTIME: CELTICS/LAKERS ’84 at 40
Forty years ago. Officially a classic. But, of course, it was a classic even as it was being played. Sports writers and fans can be forgiven, in this one instance,…
Rebel’s Rebel: Anthony Bourdain, Six Years Gone
Here's what I wrote, the moment I read --with the same shock and sadness most of the planet shared-- Bourdain not only was gone, but had taken his life, in…
Born in the U.S.A. at 40: The Boss Before, During, After
i. Before Deliver Me From Nowhere Perhaps because of what followed—the next album, the acclaim—Springsteen’s decision to make the ultimate lo-fi album seems even more prescient, appropriate, and perfect. If Darkness…
In the Garden of Eden: Doug Ingle, RIP
RIP to Doug Ingle, singer and organist on Iron Butterfly's epic (or insufferable -- and for my money these are not mutually exclusive) "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida," a song that for many young…
I’ve Got Questions for Sean Murphy
I'm a big fan of Cliff Garstang, the author and person: in addition to being a super prolific, gifted writer, he is an integral part of the literary community, helping…
From Writer’s Digest: Primer for Helping—and Tolerating—Your Annoying Artsy Friend
Having been an avid reader, and subscriber, to Writer's Digest for several decades (going back to a pre-internet world where the entirety of our options, as aspiring writers, could be…
Murphy’s Laws: 54 Infallible Observations on the Occasion of Turning 54
“With age comes wisdom, but sometimes age comes alone.” That, from the ever-quotable Oscar Wilde. Does age impart wisdom? Maybe. It definitely provides opinions. Some of them, perhaps, are worthwhile.…
‘This Kind of Man’ is Available Today!
“This Kind of Man,” my first collection of short fiction, is officially live TODAY. Yes, the process of publishing a book is kind of like a marathon, if the training…
Unsolicited Press: Q&A with Sean Murphy
THIS KIND OF MAN by Sean Murphy offers an unvarnished look at life in 21st Century America, excavating the complicated, tender, wild truth of what it is to be a…