My review of Margaret Atwood’s latest novel, The Heart Goes Last, is up on Punchnel’s.
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Fictlicious Shit Show
The Fictlicious Shit Show is a little more than a week away. I’ll be reading with GQ, Steve Trumpeter, Mike Devens, Maria Vortis, and Micki LeSueur. Musicians Liam Davis, Diana Lawrence and Molly Callinan will perform. All at the Hideout next Sunday, January 10th.
More information can be found on the Facebook event page or at The Hideout’s website.
Fictlicious Shit Show at The Hideout
I will be reading on January 10th at The Hideout for the Fictlicious reading series. The theme that night will be Shit Show! More details to come.
Mary Gaitskill Interview on The Millions
I interviewed Mary Gaitskill about her new novel, The Mare, for the lit and culture website The Millions. You can read the conversation here.
A short excerpt from the introduction:
“Mary Gaitskill’s singular ability to create characters that are rigid and vulnerable, complex and demanding, has earned her a devoted readership, along with a National Book Award nomination, a Guggenheim fellowship, and a PEN/Faulkner nomination. Her new novel, The Mare, is softer in many ways than her previous books. The characters are easier to root for, but at the same time, Gaitskill delivers the same hard edges; it’s a compelling book, but it’s not easy reading.”
Chicago Book Launch for Rebecca Makkai’s Music for Wartime
Tonight was the Chicago launch of Rebecca Makkai‘s excellent short story collection, Music for Wartime, at Women and Children First. I completed Rebecca’s Novel in a Year program this past June at StoryStudio Chicago, and in addition to being a great writer, Rebecca is an extremely generous and astute reader and mentor. This is Rebecca’s third published book, released after her two novels, The Borrower and The Hundred-Year House.
Tin House Summer Writer’s Workshop
I just returned from a week at the Tin House Summer Writer’s Workshop in Portland, Oregon. My workshop leader this year was Karen Russell (MacArthur Genius, Pulitzer Prize nominee, and all-around thoughtful and wonderful person). This was my second year at Tin House, and the community of writers there is always outstanding. I’m going to have a writing high for awhile now.
The Love Potions of Ellie Gray
My flash story, “The Love Potions of Ellie Gray,” is up today in Issue 19 of Literary Orphans. The issue is named after the asian elephant Topsy, a circus elephant who was, sadly, electrocuted in public. Scott Waldyn’s Letter from the Editor talks more about the Topsy and about the issue as a whole.
Flash piece forthcoming in Literary Orphans
My flash fiction piece, “The Love Potions of Ellie Gray,” has been accepted for publication in the next issue of Literary Orphans. I will post more details as they become available.
Thank you to the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs
Last weekend was the AWP conference, or the conference for the Association of Writers & Writing Programs. It is an immense gathering of writerly types, with 11,000 participants. We took over the Minneapolis Convention Center, making it a small city of writers for three days. I want to thank the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs for providing me with the grant that allowed me to attend this event. I’m not making any money off of my writing — yet — so financial support like this is vital to furthering my career.
Here’s a link to the grant announcements on the City of Chicago website.
Chelsea Voulgares 