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Small Press Distribution . . . dedicated to the Indie Press.

http://www.spdbooks.org/pages/about/default.aspx

Two Unrelated Announcements

First, I finally sold 500 copies of my novel, Into the Desperate Country. It was released on June 16th, 2006, so it only took me about two years and ten months. What's next? 501, I suppose.

As a total non sequitor, I also want to put out there that I'm teaching a Screenwriting course at Delta College this summer. It's number is ENG 258W. It starts on 07/08/09 and ends on 08/12/09. Ever wanted to try your hand at writing a movie? Well, sign up!

Things

Spent last Thursday and Friday in Ohio with Larry Smith and Josh Maday. What a great time. I got caught up with Josh, and the both of us had an excellent time in the company of Larry. He showed us Oberlin and a few different places in Cleveland (including the house where they filmed A Christmas Story . . . Josh and I got our picture taken in front of it. True tourists.) I did a reading at Mac's Backs bookstore to promote Landscape with Fragmented Figures, and then we went out for a very filling Chinese meal.

This isn't the last you'll hear of it, but Josh and I are co-editing an anthology for Bottom Dog Press. Check out the call for submissions (and feel free to share the link): http://ontheclockanthology.blogspot.com/

I finished reading The Scribner's Anthology of Contemporary Short Fiction . . . 648 pages of very good short stories. There's something for everyone. Honestly, I didn't care for every story in the book but, if you think about it, I probably shouldn't. If it's truly well put together, it's not going to please everyone.

Upcoming events: On Saturday, May 2, I'll be at the Adequate Symbol Writer's Conference:
http://www.hometownlife.com/article/20090419/NEWS06/904190371/1023

On Wednesday, May 6th, I'll be at Schuler Books in Okemos with Bonnie Jo Campbell, author of the new short story collection American Salvage. (Schuler Books is 1982 W. Grand River Ave, Okemos, MI 48864 (517) 349-7326

Poem in Bad Light

I need to send a thank you out to Nick Bernard at Bad Light magazine (http://badlightzine.blogspot.com/). He was good enough to accept my poem "Thank God It's Friday" for their next issue. It's one of my favorite poems to read at readings, but it's very long. Long poems are pretty hard to get published, so I'm going to tip my hat one more time to Nick.

Thanks, Nick.

Various Things and Such

Okay, first, some kind words said about Landscape with Fragmented Figures . . .

http://viciousladybug.livejournal.com/142606.html

Also, some events coming up.

Next Wednesday, I will be reading poetry with JodiAnn Stevenson in Room N008 at Delta College at 12:00 noon. N008 is located off of the Red Bricks commons/cafeteria. This is a series of readings JodiAnn put together in honor of National Poetry Month. Skip Renker and Larry Levy read today at noon, and it was just great. Look for readings every Wednesday at noon in Room N008 during the entire month of April.

Also, I don't know how many Cleveland visitors I get at the site, but I will be reading and then signing books at Mac's Backs bookstore on Friday, April 17 at 6:00 p.m. I'll be joined by Ohio poet and fiction writer, Jeanne Bryner.

Canada's Been Good to Me

Earlier this year, I had a story picked up by Existere . . . my second acceptance from that fine magazine.

Then, just today I learned officially that Toronto's Echolocation (http://www.echolocation.ca/) is going to publish my prose poem/flash piece "What Just Happened". I think that's such a great name for a magazine, and I'm proud to be a part of it.

Go Canada!