7 VALUABLE PIECES OF NEWS

Hey. So. I've been reading Amelia Gray's THREATS lately and it is so sinister and yet really kind of sweet and I entirely recommend it. Although I imagine that the people who fall onto this blog are probably the kind of people who already know about THREATS and have probably read it before me. But.

Here's something you might not know about: my mother, Martha Moody, has her fourth novel coming out in October, and I've been reading that as well (because I have privileges), and it is something devilish. Sharp and Dangerous Virtues. DYSTOPIA. WAR. THE MIDWEST. You don't want to miss out on this business. Put that on your radar and smoke it.

There has been newses on my front. Here are some links that I've neglected to give you over the past few weeks:

1. My story "Partners" was in SmokeLong last week. You should probably watch this one.

2. The new print issue of PANK is out and about, and I have a hefty story inside. As you know.

3. The latest issue of elimae is floating around, and I have a poem in it called "DUDES."

4. I wrote a thing about "why I write" for Stymie. It's because lizards.

5. Over at the Safety Pin Review site, we announce the 2012 Best of the Net nominees. Congratulations, magicians! And if you missed Brandi Wells' issue (such as if you rely entirely on this blog for SPR updates, probably a mistake) you should read it.

6. For the bulk of the kill, the third issue of Flywheel was unearthed and put online this past week, and it's my first as flash fiction editor. There's great stuff in that section from Lydia Ship, Mel Bosworth, Kristine Ong Muslim, Richard Thomas, 'n Chris Lee (like Saruman). And that's just the flash. Go read it all, you won't be sorry in the least.

7. In utterly inconsequential news, look! --> I've reorganized my linkies on the side of this blog! OOOOOOOH.

Things I've Been Keeping from You: Dispatches from the Most Boring Man on Earth (#1)

Today, the most boring man on earth checks his instruments. They read normal, as always.

First! I have a short piece, “The Spirits of Imaginary Animals,” in the March 2012 edition of Bluestem Magazine. Read it, tell me what you think. I would like to know.

Second! I actually, really, truly got invited to participate in a reading (!) with NAP Magazine in Indianapolis this Friday, March 23. It’s called NAP SLUMBER PARTY ONE, takes place at a book-recycling warehouse, and includes five (!) readers: Joshua Young, Meg Forajter, Davee Craine, Sarah Tarkany, and myself. WOW. It’s all been put together by Chad Redden, mayor of NAP, who deserves many raves.

Beforehand, there’s a reading at Butler by Roxane Gay (!!) and BJ Hollars to celebrate the release of Pressgang’s first book, Monsters: A Collection of Literary Sightings, which promises to be awesome. So if you’re in Indy this weekend, you should attend one/both of these events, meet me, hear some great words out loud. Up close, and personal. Because I will be IN YOUR FACE. Actually not. I’m pretty nice.

Third! This has been news on the Safety Pin Review site for a few weeks, BUT, there are now SPR buttons available, and they are beautiful. There’s a spiffy new “Support!” page on the SPR site as well, where you can make donations ($1.00 gets you a button, or hell, you could just ask me and I’ll send you one) and see exactly what the SPR runs on. In the spirit of openness and the DIY ethic, I’ve posted approximately how much the SPR has cost me (it’s pretty modest) and where the money goes. Iluminating, maybe? Probably not.

Other than my taste, there’s nothing inscrutable or mysterious about the way the Safety Pin Review works. No secrets here. I want to be as down-to-earth as possible, maybe debunk some of the pretension that exists around so-called “literary magazines,” which, in many cases, are just a guy with a blog. (I am a guy with a blog, for example.) Long live the editorial we!

I just got back to school from an exhausting spring break, and I’ve decided not to sleep tonight, so it’s time to write some letters. Catch you later.