Semi-Urban Cartography

Poetry: In my hands is the Dos Passos Review Volume #7, Issue #1. On its 46th page is the poem, “South China Sea” — my poem. I’m critical of it. I don’t like the spacing — I like my poems bunchy, contained. Some of my lines, now that they are memorialized on paper don’t spring [...]

I’ve pined for a breakthrough. Something to re-invigorate. In the weeks prior to my anniversary in late May, I felt a strong pull to get away from the emotional dependence on writing. In spite of the strong flow of story (evidenced by the stacks of sketches on the desk) my sense was that the emotional [...]

Without much adieu, here is the poem “Ghost Story” as published on-line by elimae magazine. Click here for the poem. To make appropriate note, this poem took on a radical change in publication. It was, as written, a landscape poem; it wasn’t meant to be written and viewed in portrait form. The editor, Coop Renner [...]

One of my favorite of my own poems, “South China Sea” has been picked up. Finally. After dozens of submissions. I received word last week from the Dos Passos Review out of Longwood, Virginia that they were accepting it for June of 2010 and may also consider it for their website. This is exciting and [...]

On the phone yesterday. A lot, it turned out although the morning didn’t promise such a thing. With a sick dog in my life who eventually passed in the early evening, it felt like I was always talking to someone. Always relaying messages and information. The vet and her advice. My wife who was in [...]

It’s been a few months since I heard of my acceptance from The Deronda Review but to my surprise in the mail on Saturday I finally got my two contributor copies. Volume III. Issue #1, Fall and Winter of 2009-10. Immediately I opened the 8 1/2 x 11 magazine up and looked down the list [...]

The new year 2010 has brought it’s usual brood of bad weather outside and renewed writing focus inside. My desk is absolutely teeming with ideas, the pile growing beside the computer, the “kitchen sinks” as I like to call them are filling. I can’t seem to contain that story churn characteristic. Unlike what I detailed [...]

her name found written in a book of Noel Coward’s letters: Andrea Drinard

“Love Is A Dog From Hell” rejected for it’s unmarketable title. Bar fighters (especially the loud ones, the mad ones) don’t improve their pugilistic. They make the evening news circuit. Live at 5:00, 6:30 and 11:00. Face notorious. Updates on-line regarding their whereabouts. No novel, Post Office. The arcade of whores and “mad women” who [...]

October 19th, 2009 First day of writing the feature length, Promise Before The Sword. Using Blake Snyder’s “Beat Sheet” as a guidepost, I hand sketched out the first five pages of screen time (through “Theme Stated”). All of these scenes have been hashed out in concept months ago. These are the scenes for setting tone [...]