Writing – Page 21

I Keep Leaving My Novel in the Uber

(Now Playing: “Here You Come Again” by Dolly Parton) I tried singing the karaoke version the other night and had completely forgotten it spans three keys. I’ve got a decent range, but good golly, Ms. Dolly. Word Raccoon, in the background, was fanning herself with a taco shell and whisper-sobbing, “Modulation is emotional warfare.” IContinue reading “I Keep Leaving My Novel in the Uber”

I’m Longing to Linger ‘Til Dawn, Dear (Word Raccoon Got the Rizz!)

Now Playing: “Dream a Little Dream of Me”(Yes, I sang it last night. All heart, zero shame.) Reporting live from the bunker where the Busted Poetry Vending Machine sits flickering, refusing to dispense anything but metaphorical lint and fragments of verse. Word Raccoon’s tried shaking it, threatening it with a ballpoint pen, and bribing itContinue reading “I’m Longing to Linger ‘Til Dawn, Dear (Word Raccoon Got the Rizz!)”

From the Forgotten Drawer: Looking for Virginia

Originally published in Woolfzine (2017) Now Playing: Virginia Woolf by Robyn Hitchcock (I heard him do it live. Snaps.) I wrote Looking for Virginia back in 2007 for a creative writing class. For a long time, I wasn’t sure what I’d made, only that it felt sharp and strange and necessary. No one saw itContinue reading “From the Forgotten Drawer: Looking for Virginia”

Head Butted by Submission Season

Now Playing: Ultraviolence by Lana Del Rey Morning, Lovelies! I’ve been perfectly pretentious and submitting my rear off. Word Raccoon has been cracking the whip while I do her grunt work: organizing the precious word-hoard. And TBH? I HATE admin work. So I slinked over to Submittable, and what do I find? A whole flurryContinue reading “Head Butted by Submission Season”

Because We Can, Can, Can

Now Playing: Music from Baz Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge! I’ve found a recipe that works for me, though it’s not supper—sorry to subvert your expectations so early in.It’s about writing. What else? LOL. Act I: The Writing Recipe Start working on a poem, song lyrics, a short story—whatever—when your heart is good and aching (you don’tContinue reading “Because We Can, Can, Can”

Pink Sunglasses, Poetry, and Other Strays

Now Playing: “Kiss Me” – Sixpence None the Richer I forgot how much I love this one. The video’s a soft homage to Jules et Jim—Truffaut’s bittersweet tale of art and longing. I couldn’t skip it! Poetry and I Might Be at a Crossroads After a wild, exhilarating couple of weeks, poetry and I are…Continue reading “Pink Sunglasses, Poetry, and Other Strays”

The Word Raccoon Wants Drums

Adventures in Rejection, Rhythm, and Hairy Candy Bars Now Playing:“Black Horse and the Cherry Tree – KT Tunstall(For anyone who’s ever rage-Googled drum kits, written poems mid-lasagna, or accidentally gotten rejected for something they didn’t submit.) I don’t know how to tell you this, but the Word Raccoon wants drums. Not metaphorical drums. Not “drummingContinue reading “The Word Raccoon Wants Drums”

You’ve Got — Nothing: The Disappearance of Meaningful Email

Now Playing: The You’ve Got Mail Soundtrack “The odd thing about this form of communication is that you’re more likely to talk about nothing than something.”— You’ve Got Mail If I were being courted in the age of email, I imagine it would feel a bit like You’ve Got Mail. A slow unfolding. A thoughtfulContinue reading “You’ve Got — Nothing: The Disappearance of Meaningful Email”

Something’s Brewing (and It’s Not Just Tea)

I’m working on a comic book.I can’t tell you what it’s about—yet. But I can tell you the idea first came to me a couple of years ago while my husband and I were having lunch at Cardoso, a now-defunct local place that served great chimichangas and even better ambiance for impulsive creative sparks. TheContinue reading “Something’s Brewing (and It’s Not Just Tea)”

Waiting on Coffee: A Comic, Could be a Whole Series

Soundtrack: Now Playing: “Art School Girl” – Stone Temple Pilots There’s something both oddly sacred and super casual about the phrase “Let’s grab coffee soon and talk about your work.” It floats around workshops, readings, literary events, DMs—spoken with the breezy warmth of “let’s catch up sometime” and the casual optimism of people who mightContinue reading “Waiting on Coffee: A Comic, Could be a Whole Series”