"Praying Drunk" Review at Necessary Fiction; Forthcoming Fiction (!)

Whoops, I'm a couple days late: the fine folks at Necessary Fiction published my review of Praying Drunk, Kyle Minor's astounding collection. I also had the good fortune of meeting him tonight as part of Roosevelt University's spring reading series. His rendition of "There Is Nothing But Sadness in Nashville" was complex and moving. It's one of my favorite pieces in the book, and I was grateful to hear it and experience it in a different form. And he provided some good feedback and suggestions on one of my essays. So, good night all around, I'd say.

Oh yeah: to read my review, click here.

I'm also proud to announce that I have a piece of flash fiction forthcoming from CHEAP POP this May; my first fiction publication of 2014! CHEAP POP is a (relatively) new online literary journal specializing in flash fiction and essays. Robert James Russell and Elizabeth Schmuhl have published some terrific pieces from established and beginning writers. To have my work alongside people like Leesa Cross-Smith, Amanda Miska, and Jared Yates Sexton is humbling and exciting. I don't want to get too ahead of myself: "The Heart Is the Size Of a Fist" is tentatively scheduled to be published at the beginning of May. Thank you, Robert and Elizabeth! I hope people respond to my work half as much as I've responded to CHEAP POP's art thus far.

Check them out here. Read some great work.

That's all for now. Happy reading/writing.

MIRA CORPORA Review at Necessary Fiction

I have another review up today. The awesome folks at Necessary Fiction have published my review of Mira Corpora, Jeff Jackson's 2013 debut novel from Two Dollar Radio.

I've long admired the consistent quality of fiction and reviews that come out of Necessary Fiction, and I'm really honored and thrilled to have a new home for a review of a terrific novel. I'll hopefully have another review published there next month (I don't want to share any details until the editing process is complete, and I never want to be presumptuous).

Michelle Bailat-Jones is a terrific editor, even if we communicate solely via e-mail. She's enthusiastic about independent literature and is always glad to answer my most inane queries and questions.

My review is here. Thanks, Necessary Fiction. Thanks, Michelle. And thanks, Jeff Jackson, for a terrific reading experience.

"Desert Places" Review at Fanzine

Yes, it's been awhile. And no, no grand promises of more consistent updates, BUT: I have another nonfiction publication, my first since 2011:

I reviewed The Desert Places for the excellent, often overlooked Fanzine (I just misspelled it as Franzine, which could be the name of a pretty good curmudgeonly Jonathan Franzen appreciation site, but I digress). The Desert Places is a wonderful, creepy collaboration between Amber Sparks and Robert Kloss, with some stunning illustrations by artist Matt Kish. It was published by Curbside Splendor last year, and I'm honored to review it for such a terrific literary publication.

The link is here.

I want to thank the awesome, talented Sarah Rose Etter for being open to my review, providing me with some great editing, and for being a terrific human being and writer. Visit her site. Read her fantastic writing (I highly recommend "Tongue Party." I read it a couple years ago, and it's one of those pieces that has stayed with me since my first reading). And support Fanzine. Not because they published me today (I could create an awesome list of great publications that have rejected my work more than once). But because they have such a great mix of literary reviews and original stories.

More to come! I have at least one if not two more book reviews forthcoming. The spring semester has been manageable, but I know it'll get very busy before too long, so I'm attempting to get these pieces ready before I'm delightfully swamped.

Happy Thursday to all.

2013 Readings, 2014 Goals

And it's time for my first post of 2014. I'm kicking things off in the same way I started 2013: by recapping my book readings for the year and setting some new goals. My MFA candidacy has been a necessary, delightful impediment to this blog, hence my not having posted anything for almost two months. I'm not going to apologize or make any grand promises. I'm updating when necessary. But on the bright side, some of my long overdue book reviews might be appearing on other literary magazine websites; I'll immediately update when they go live, if they do (this isn't false modesty: I've been doing a lot of inquiries, with one review scheduled and another possibly forthcoming).

In 2012, I read 56 books, which was my highest total in quite some time. Even with graduate school taking up a good chunk of my year, I managed to beat that total in 2013, finishing with 65 total titles completed. I was very happy with this, and for the most part, I highly enjoyed the books I chose. I was careful with my readings. I wouldn't go into any book expecting to dislike it, but a lot of my choices were based on recommendations from writers and readers whom I trust and admire. Therefore, I was rarely disappointed, if at all. Last year, I took a page from my friend/mentor Jeremy P. Bushnell and ranked my readings under the headers of "Masterpiece," "Great," "Very Good," "Good with Reservations," and "Disappointments." I'm modifying this list for 2013. Ranking or tallying vastly different books is futile and begs a lot more discussion than I'll give. Therefore, I'm giving two vague rankings: "Very good" and "good." That's not to say that my opinions are set in stone. I might have given glowing reviews to books that are ranked in the "merely" good category, and vice versa. It's akin to giving star ratings on Goodreads. What does it mean, really, to give two, three, four, or five stars? How does that take into account a slim poetry collection vs. a long, epic novel? I'm not concerned with distinctions right now. Here my list, and after, I'll recap what my goals were, and what my goals will be for this new year.

VERY GOOD

Winter Hours by Mary Oliver

AM/PM by Amelia Gray

Both Flesh and Not by David Foster Wallace

May We Shed These Human Bodies by Amber Sparks

A Naked Singularity by Sergio De La Pava

Tenth of December by George Saunders

The Diegesis by Chase Hoppe and Joshua Young

To the Chapel of Light by Joshua Young

Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo

Confessions of a Mask by Yukio Mishima

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrisson

I Want to Show You More by Jamie Quatro

Indiana, Indiana by Laird Hunt

Leaving Saturn by Major Jackson

Suicide by Edouard Leve

Wise Blood by Flannery O'Connor

JR by William Gaddis

A Guide to Being Born by Ramona Ausubel

Spectacle by Susan Steinberg

Apex Hides the Hurt by Colson Whitehead

Angry Candy by Harlan Ellison

In the House Upon the Dirt Between the Lake and the Woods by Matt Bell

No One Belongs Here More Than You by Miranda July

The Awful Possibilities by Christian TeBordo

The Avian Gospels by Adam Novy

Tampa by Alissa Nutting

In the Devil's Territory by Kyle Minor

The Middlesteins by Jami Attenberg

Going Clear: Hollywood, Scientology, and the Prison of Belief by Lawrence Wright

This Is Water by David Foster Wallace

The Violent Bear It Away by Flannery O'Connor

The Slide by Kyle Beachy

I Wear the Black Hat by Chuck Klosterman

How To Predict the Weather by Aaron Burch

Everything That Rises Must Converge by Flannery O'Connor

Jesus' Son by Denis Johnson

Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson

Ficciones by Jorge Luis Borges

High Rise Stories: Voices From Chicago Public Housing Edited by Audrey Petty

The People Of Paper by Salvador Plascencia

Mira Corpora by Jeff Jackson

Vanishing Point by David Markson

No Man's Land by Eula Biss

Pulphead by John Jeremiah Sullivan

Hill William by Scott McClanahan

Don't Kiss Me by Lindsay Hunter

Even Though I Don't Miss You by Chelsea Martin

Short Takes: Brief Encounters With Contemporary Nonfiction Edited by Judith Kitchen

The Desert Places by Amber Sparks and Robert Kloss; illustrations by Matt Kish

Friend.Follow.Text: Stories From Living Online Edited by Shawn Syms

Hush Hushby Steven Barthelme

Gentleman Junkie by Harlan Ellison


GOOD

Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan

Under the Jaguar Sun by Italo Calvino

Columbine by Dave Cullen

Life After Life by Kate Atkinson

On Bullshit by Harry Frankfurt

The Russian Debutante's Handbook by Gary Shteyngart

Detroit City Is the Place To Be by Mark Binelli

How Literature Saved My Life by David Shields

Merchants Of Culture by John B. Thompson

24/7: Late Capitalism and the Ends Of Sleep by Jonathan Crary

OKAY, FINE, THERE'S ONE UTTER DISAPPOINTMENT. HOW IN THE HELL IS THIS SO REVERED?

The Pearl by John Steinbeck

Whew. Okay, here's what I wrote in early 2013 for my goals:

"What are my remaining goals? I'm going to shoot for 60-65 books. Again, it's a conservative increase, but maybe, just maybe, I'll look back and see myself near 70. As far as topics, I'm still deciding. I want to read more science fiction, classics, and graphic novels. And while I like to mix up what I read, I might spend a month or two devoted to a specific writer, to see how his/her books change through the years. But whatever I end up doing, the focus will be on quality."

I read multiple books by Flannery O'Connor (and fell in love with her writing after being ambivalent in high school) and two by Harlan Ellison. That's not exactly burning up a given canon. I did reach my original goal for book totals, which was a pleasant surprise. I'm taking a literature course this spring that will have a heavy reading list, so I hope to keep pace and maintain the same reading schedule. So I'll be conservative in my number goals: in 2014, I want to read 65-70 books. I'm currently halfway through Ben Tanzer's Orphans (a science fiction novel, something I didn't touch upon last year, depending on one's definition) and I'm starting NoViolet Bulawayo's We Need New Names, which starts me off on an ongoing goal to read more minority and women writers. So yeah, I'm pleased. My focus is more on writing, but reading is essential to that balance.

As I said before and I'll continue to say: I love hearing other people's reading summaries and goals. Send 'em my way. Please! Happy 2014 to all.

(Belated) Halloween Flash Fiction

Hi there.

This is a little delayed, but I'm pleased to share this short story I wrote. The Gentleman won the annual Flash Fiction Contest sponsored by the Roosevelt University writing center. You can read the story here.

Included is a story titled Incredulous, penned by my fellow creative writing candidate Ryan Johnson. Ryan and I also gave our first public fiction readings in the writing center during their Halloween party. I was glad to give my first reading for a tiny audience. At some point, I'll be reading for larger groups, but getting my feet wet with seven or eight polite people was a good start. I didn't do any Mitch Hedberg-esque "reading with my back turned," but I do need to work on eye contact and not being so married to the page in front of me. It's a learning process. This is my first semester. I'm not worried.

And here's a gratuitous photograph of me clutching my winning Barnes & Noble gift card. It was used to picked up Notes From No Man's Land by Eula Biss and Hill William by Scott McClanahan. Rock.

Chicago Ex-Patriate: Now on Instagram!

Before 2011, I used to scoff at the idea of Twitter. Now, as you can see from the widget to your right, I'm pretty damn active there, and I've found it to be enjoyable and beneficial.

I haven't scoffed at Instagram, but I never saw the point of it. My thoughts were: "I can already post photos on my blog, Facebook, Twitter, what-have-you. Why in god's name would I need another site, another screen name, another password to remember, just to share photos? Well, here we are. I have an Instagram account. If you're so inclined to follow me, here's my link. I assume you can just search by my handle: @chicagoexpatjy; alas, I'm still getting used to the ins and outs of sharing, posting, etc. I only have two images up, with more to follow.

With how busy I've been with school, I didn't think I'd have time to update it, let alone consider the kind of images and photographs I want to post. But as I spend a good part of my day commuting from home to work to campus and back again, I've seen little moments that I wouldn't mind snapping. Some of these images are obvious: glorious sunrises from the train. Some of these are lesser known: next to the beautiful facade of Roosevelt University, there's a covered alley next to it. There are loading docks, boxes, and a general atmosphere of the industrial side of progressive education. Or something like that. Granted, I haven't photographed it, but I'm sure it'll be next on my list. I've toyed with the idea of doing a photo per day. But, as I've said too many times, no promises. The more I promise, the less my immediate vision translates to what I actually do. And a note to actual, real photographers: I'm using the word "photograph" lightly. I know that whipping out my phone and hitting "click" isn't the same as actual, artistic work. I salute real, dedicated photographers. I'm not cutting into your world, I'm just interested in documenting little things.

Overall, this could be a good writing exercise. By accumulating images that I see in passing, or seeing infrastructures that strike me as odd, I hope to think critically and see how I can use my writing to uncover some of these smaller, tender moments. Perhaps I'm being too grandiose: so far, I have photo of Chicago's Rainbo Club and one from the interior of a CTA train. But hopefully this will make sense as I go along.

I'm only human, and this is the internet. So while I want to shy away from the obvious, I can't promise there won't be the occasional photo of (pick one or all of the above): a.) cats, b.) beer steins, c.) full whiskey glasses, or d.) plates full of food.

So follow me if you wish. And if you're aware of any accounts that specialize in urban visions, by all means let me know.

A Brief Dispatch From MFA Land

Why, hi there.

It's been over two months since I last updated this blog. One of my last posts explained this: I'm currently in my first semester at Roosevelt University, on the first leg of my MFA candidacy in Creative Writing. While I had hoped to do little "snapshot" updates over the course of these months, that hasn't happened. But I wanted to write something, for god's sake. I was honest when I said I wasn't giving up on this blog, just that doing five book reviews/personal essays a month was impossible, given my jam-packed workload of reading, class writings, workshop editing, and edits, edits, edits. On top of that, I'm one of the student editors of Oyez Review, the MFA program's literary magazine (issue #40 is above; I'm currently editing and reading submissions for #41, coming this spring).

I'm also going to be doing two blog posts for the Oyez website. I'll update those here when they're published. A slight preview of my first blog post: after reading submissions for a solid month, I want to find the editors who sent me detailed, kind rejection letters. And I want to hug them profusely. With a small team of student readers, the workload has been immense. I can't imagine the work that goes into reading for a journal that publishes all year. So when I received rejection letters accompanied by kind notes, I was appreciative, but now, I'm even more touched. The unpaid hours are really, truly done out of love and dedication. So to take the time to send a small, personalized note when time is precious shows just how dedicated the editors of my favorite journals really are.

Some other notes:

1.) The new director of Roosevelt's MFA program is writer and novelist Christian TeBordo. When I found out he was coming to the program, that's what sold me, and I'm pleased to note that his writing skills and personality are in equal abundance. He's nicer than I could have imagined, and he really, truly wants to make the program as good as it can be. So I feel like I've started at the perfect time.

2.) My fellow first year MFA candidates are talented people. There's no competition, but rather a true sense of community and a shared goal of helping each other become better writers. We're very honest with each other, and there are never any hard feelings. And even though we've been together just over a month, there's been a marked improvement overall. I'm sure there will be steps back and steps forward for all of us, but for an opening month, this has been a terrific experience. And for fuck's sake, I need to stop using passive voice. That's been one of my biggest problems as a writer, and seeing this pointed out consistently has helped.

3.) On Monday, October 7th, Lindsay Hunter gave a reading at Roosevelt. As anyone who knows me can attest, I'm a serious fan of her writing, and I was beyond excited about this opportunity. Not only did I get to meet her and hear her read (if you ever have the chance to attend a Lindsay Hunter reading, go. Just go. Her performances are equally stunning and hilarious), but she sat in on our Fiction Workshop. She offered assessments on my story, was encouraging and honest, and she's a very careful reader. To have one of my favorite contemporary writers discuss my own work with me was unexpected a few weeks ago and a reality just this past Monday. I was honored. The photo below was taken for the Roosevelt Creative Writing MFA blog.

4.) I won a $1,000 spring semester scholarship for the above story. An organization called Friends Of American writers offers this scholarship every year to a first year MFA candidate. I was humbled. I guess in a way, it's the first time I've been paid for my writing, in a roundabout way. Actually, not really, but every little bit of cash helps right now.

5.) Two classmates said my story reminded them of George Saunders. I was touched and deep down wanted to say "easy there, tone it down. I'm not even within a couple galaxies of his talent." But it was just an overall assessment on tone and style, and I was touched, even though I was heavily skeptical.

So this is just a random smattering of what I've been up to as of late. I don't want to promise more consistent updates, because whenever I make any kind of promise via this blog, that's a virtual guarantee that said promise won't be kept at all. But I'm happy, a bit overworked and dazed, but overall on the way to where I want to be as a person and as a writer. And the ultimate catch-22: I'm making progress on my writing but have no time to work on things not related to school. I better keep my ass moving during Thanksgiving and Christmas break, yeah?

More updates soon! Just not sure when, exactly.