Dispatches since 2005
The journal
Announcements, new editions, travel, diving, cooking and the working life of a novelist — 163 entries, all of them here in full.
July 18, 2015 · 121 words
Road Trip
I’m on the road, looking for America or the world’s best BBQ or maybe just lightin’ out for the territory. Kathy’s decided to remodel the kitchen, which will involve about a month’s worth of destruction, construction, inconvenience, and noise. I found myself unable to work, eat, or sleep, and so I’m going on a road [&h
Read entry →July 16, 2015 · 94 words
Punchdrunk
So I’ve been trying to wrangle some software to do some basic, simple tasks, and it’s taken three days. Three whole days I’ll never see again. Three days in which, believe me, I’ve had a lot of other things to do. This isn’t helped by the fact that Comcast has apparently decided I’m not allowed to […]
Read entry →July 13, 2015 · 304 words
Customer Service
So Walter, I hear you asking, how did you spend your lovely Monday afternoon? Why, I was dealing with Comcast Customer Service, and it was the most pleasant thing in all the world. To give you an idea of the utter pleasantness of the whole thing, I refer you to the letter below, which I wrote to […]
Read entry →July 10, 2015 · 322 words
Wrapping Up the Bear
The 2015 edition of Taos Toolbox is over, save for the big celebratory dinner tonight. The students were a talented, ambitious crew, and they worked hard, which meant Nancy and I had to work hard, too. The students have scattered all over the county, shopping or sightseeing or just getting away. I’m just bumping around
Read entry →July 6, 2015 · 350 words
El Dia de la Marmota
Here’s a large, fat marmot that came up onto the second-floor balcony the other day. He remained in this pose, pensive or possibly praying, until someone came out of their room unexpectedly, at which point the marmot gave a piercing shriek and headed for the hills. Apparently he lives under one of the buildings. Taos [
Read entry →June 26, 2015 · 550 words
Words From the Yogi
The great Yankees catcher Yogi Berra was famous for his “Yogisms,” malapropisms that kept the sports press amused (and Yogi in the headlines). Things like, “I’m not going to buy my kids an encyclopedia. Let them walk to school like I did.” Which is amusing enough, but maybe I (and the rest of the world) have […]
Read entry →June 24, 2015 · 51 words
Write-a-Thon
The Clarion workshop’s annual Write-a-Thon is underway. First, you go to this page, and then you either write, or you sponsor, or both. The money raised helps to create scholarships for Clarion. Which is a six-week workshop that can really change your life. (I’ve taught there. I should know.)
Read entry →June 22, 2015 · 479 words
Two From the Toolbox
I’m gearing up for this year’s Taos Toolbox, which starts this weekend. But before I climb the mountain to begin my yearly two-week struggle for quality genre literature, I thought I’d pass on my congratulations to a couple Toolbox graduates whose books have recently been published. First up is Alan Smale, whose Clash
Read entry →June 21, 2015 · 268 words
Dad’s Day
Here we are at Father’s Day, and here I am, a big-headed blond Minnesota kid, with my dad. I believe I am helping him read a comic book. You can tell it’s Minnesota by the big heaping piles of white snow visible through the window. I’d like to thank my father for being gentle, understanding, […]
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