The Mary, Frank and Cindy Show and Mel Bosworth Reads.

Some cool writing things I've happened across I think folks would like:

Mel Bosworth reads people's stuff, including most recently Darby Larson's story "Reflexive," and sent me cigarettes as a closer for our correspondence on his piece that will appear in Wrong Tree Review. He's of course a cool cat. Have a look.

Roxane Gay's piece up at Hobart is phenomenal. She keeps cropping up in every nook and each time is better than the next. Read, I say.

David Erlewine is working on a novel. Yes, that just happened. He's been posting a bit here and there at Fictionaut. Go have a look. Sign up if you haven't already. Fictionaut is a good, fine place and David's stuff is some of the best there.

There's a lot more out there – HTMLGIANT's Mean Week is a catch up situation if you didn't get a chance to follow along for instance and the new issue of decomP to name just a couple more – but these have stuck out in my mind.

I've had some fortune lately with my work.

Three pieces taken since last I spoke of my growing number of submissions out there in the world.

I'll have a story called "A Tree Born Crooked" in The Cut-Thru Review's winter issue, another called "The Body Ricardo" at Metazen soon and just this morning learned that Cindy Rosmus will take my story "Reaction" for Issue #20 of Yellow Mama.

I'm more than pleased with all of these, no doubt. Thanks to Mary Stepp, Frank Hinton and Cindy for including me.

Winter Isn't the Only Time To Publish.

Picked up another grand writer for Wrong Tree winter issue in Sam Nam. Now if only I could convince Sam Pink to do some cover art for me, all the pieces would be in place.

Actually, it feels like there are several stones unturned, to be honest. There are so many writers out there I enjoy and who I'd like to have in this coming issue – Molly Gaudry, Ryan Bradley, xTx, Brandi Wells, Scott Garson, Ben White, Dave Clapper, and on and on – but I've got to realize that this winter issue will not be the only issue I put out. I must save room for seconds, not to mention the wealth of submitted material I hope will come in after we print winter.

Heard today that PANK nominated Molly for a Pushcart. Congrats to Molly, who deserves every bit of it.

By the way, as I said I'd love to get some artwork from Sam Pink, in addition to his writings, of course. On that note, if you don't go read his blog today parts of your face will fall off. You can find it here.

A big old nod to our webmaster at Wrong Tree, Ralph Davis, is long overdue. He has worked hard as hell to take care of things that would've had to've been, well, just wouldn't have been done. If you're wondering what Ralph looks like, and I know you are, this is Ralph.

Also, pumped that I've been asked to take part in some sort of blog thing for JMWW.

Yeah, I just learned today how to link to places. Can you tell?

Marge Simpson graces Playboy

Just a quick note to say that I'm strangely excited about the fact that Marge Simpson is the centerfold for this most recent issue of Playboy. Feeling pretty weird about that, but honest at least.

MSNBC rocked out and had a feature piece of very very very short short short (okay you get the point) fiction. Twiction, pictofiction, etc. Man, there's too many ways of saying that, which leads me to this statement: I think a story should just be called a story. No need to add labels. Anyway, David Erlewine and company are interviewed about the form. Roxane Gay mentioned something in her fine blog that also stood out to me about the segment. They refer to David, at least, as a "lawyer by day and an amateur author by night." Roxane said "amateur" stuck in her craw (my words, not her's) and I agree. But I'm gonna focus on the awesomeness that is attention where attention is due and try to forget simple-minded editors who meshed up the narration without any of the people interviewed even knowing it was happening. Rock on storytellers.

So I moonlight a second job third shift at a hospital, and, for the record, I'm not paranoid about swine flu. It just happens to be that I'm constantly surrounded by people with either swine or type A flu, which is basically swine about 85 percent of the time. The reason I mention this is because I'd really like some time off work and hope that the gods hear me and remember me when they break out their swine ammo to unload. Hey, stop picking on kids and old people and give me a little vaca time. Thanks, god folk.