In a little under 24 hours, my new book, What the Zhang Boys Know, will launch at a party hosted by Press 53 in their offices. It’s a little confusing, I know. The book officially will be published on October 1. And it’s currently available for pre-order from the publisher (with… Read full post »

Not long ago, Meg Tuite invited me to participate in this month’s Exquisite Quartet–a group of four writers she assembles to produce a collaborative story. It sounded like fun, so I agreed.

The result is “The Suburban Happy Hour,” which appeared in this week in Used Fur… Read full post »

I love book clubs. After my first book came out, I visited several. I also enjoy reading to a room full of people at a bookstore–people who mostly have not read the book–but there’s something special about sitting in someone’s living room (drinking wine, almost invariab… Read full post »

Ten Questions for Susan Woodring

I’m talking today with Susan Woodring, author of Goliath (St. Martin’s Press, 2012) and two previous books, The Traveling Disease and Springtime on Mars. Read more about Susan on her website. For a chance to win a free copy of Goliath, read to the end… Read full post »

Win a free book!

I live in a small town served by a small-town newspaper. The paper is owned by Gannett, however, so in theory it should have pretty high standards of journalism. Usually it does, but too frequently there are errors that are impossible to overlook.

For example, in… Read full post »

My new book, What the Zhang Boys Know, is being published by Press 53, the same wonderful small press that published my story collection, In an Uncharted Country.

OFFICIALLY, the book is available on October 1, which is when you can get it from Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble. You can… Read full post »

Watch this space! I recently read Susan Woodring‘s Goliath, a wonderful and surprising novel about a small town in North Carolina. I contacted the author–a friend from my MFA program–and we’re putting together an interview that I hope to post next week.

And in conjuncti… Read full post »

August 13 & 20, 2012: “After Ellen†by Justin Taylor

Q&A with Justin Taylor

Scott, who is kind of a jerk, packs up his car in Portland while composing a “dear John†note to his girlfriend, Ellen. He plans to leave it on the table and just disappear, leaving her… Read full post »

I’m pleased to announce that I will be giving a reading and signing books at this year’s Fall for the Book festival, September 26-30. I’ll be appearing on Thursday, September 27, at 10:30 am at the Sandy Springs Bank Tent together with short story writer Edward Belfar.

Follow… Read full post »

On August 18, 2012, in Winston-Salem, NC, I’ll be joining 5 other writers in the first Gathering of Writers, sponsored by Press 53 and Prime Number Magazine.

I think the program is a good one. The six writers on the faculty are John McNally, Valerie Nieman, Tracy Crow, Susan Woodring, Ki… Read full post »

The Virginia Writers’ Club Symposium is upon us. This coming Saturday, August 4, the VWC will convene at the Piedmont Virginia Community College in Charlottesville for the 2nd Annual Symposium. It looks like a very good program–other than me, of course.

There are 2 sessions in the… Read full post »

July 30, 2012: “Permission to Enter†by Zadie Smith

I wasn’t happy with this story at first, mostly because it seemed like a typical teenage angst piece, just set in a minority community in London. But it gradually became more than that, and in the end I think I like the… Read full post »

The long list for the 2012 Man Booker Prize has been announced. This prize is one that I watch each year because it helps to identify some of the best literature in English other than American writers. Without it, I’m afraid there are things I’d miss or never hear about. I’ve… Read full post »

Issue 23 of Prime Number Magazine went live this morning, and we’re very pleased with it. The issue represents the first in our third year, and includes some excellent work:

Short stories by Joe Samuel Starnes, L. McKenna Donovan, Susan Lago, and Ryan Meany; poetry by Devon Miller-Duggan… Read full post »

July 23, 2012: “The Cheater’s Guide to Love†by Junot Díaz

There certainly are things I like about this story. Díaz’s character Yunior is with us again—always—but he’s older now, and in pain. Granted, the pain is of his own making, but what’s good about that is that by the en… Read full post »

A few years ago, Gund—the plush animal manufacturer—came out with a new product: Garstang Gorilla. I was shocked when I heard about it. The thing was cute, but what the heck kind of name was Garstang for a stuffed gorilla? I contacted the Gund Corporation and was informed that the… Read full post »

Many years ago, I participated in a workshop at a writers’ conference. My workshop instructor was pretty famous and I was a little intimidated by him. But the workshop went very well and the instructor turned out to be very nice, so it was overall a pleasant experience. When we had… Read full post »

My first book, In an Uncharted Country, is a collection of linked short stories set in the fictional town of Rugglesville, VA. The book culminates in the final story, “Red Peony,” during the annual 4th of July celebrations, when fireworks, including the Red Peony (pictured at left)… Read full post »

There’s a good chance you’ve never heard of Raintree County by Ross Lockridge, Jr., or if you have heard of it you’ve probably not read it. (Maybe you saw the 1956 movie starting Montgomery Clift, Elizabeth Taylor, and Eva Marie Saint–but believe me, it’s not the… Read full post »

July 9 & 16, 2012: “An Abduction†by Tessa Hadley

As we learn from the Q&A with Tessa Hadley, the author means for Jane’s experience in this story—a girl making the leap into adulthood—to stand for the whole period of the 60s. We might have guessed that on our own, but… Read full post »

It’s Sunday morning and as of 7:30am I still didn’t have power. I drove into town looking for coffee and breakfast, but was too early for the locally owned coffee shops so I headed to the outskirts to hit the Starbucks. I’ll stop by the gym on the way home to… Read full post »

This isn’t my photo, but it gets the point across. Trees are down all over the area; power is out. The event I was supposed to do today at the Staunton Public Library got canceled. It’s a weird day.

I was over in Charlottesville for a dinner meeting last night and… Read full post »

Libraries are wonderful places, and I was delighted when the Staunton Public Library invited me to participate in “Between the Covers,” an event with 10 local authors.

We’ll be at the library from 1-5pm on Saturday, June 30. Each of us will speak for a few minutes and answer… Read full post »

My novel in stories, What the Zhang Boys Know, is now available for pre-order from the publisher, Press 53. Go here to reserve your autographed copy, scheduled to ship in mid-August, weeks before the official publication date.

Set in a condominium building on the edge of Chinatown in Washingto… Read full post »

I’m very pleased to have a short piece up in the summer issue of r.kv.r.y, a beautiful magazine edited by Mary Akers. This issue has an Asia theme. I hope you enjoy “The Year of the Rooster.” Read full post »