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 [...]

While some people in my life still revere the book and might tell me that my perspective on publishing is dour, I think the time is running short for an aspiring writer to see their words in print. In this month’s Atlantic there is an article which foretells a better time for content creators, writers, [...]

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 [...]

Watched the documentary Scott Walker: 30 Century Man two nights ago. In the other room, Lisa was watching Lost getting wrapping into these last few, precious episodes. In the other room my indulgence was 60′s pop/rock leading into 90′s/00′s avant-garde. My loose infatuation with Walker goes back to living in the Sellwood neighborhood. Kell Dockham [...]

A blanket of snow came in a rush on Tuesday night. No one predicted it until moments before when weather models acquiesce and precious barometric electricity takes over. The warm, wet front that the authorities correctly called for pushed in on the city from the ocean. What it didn’t do was push the cold front [...]

Teach your children. Teach your parents. Take the time along the way to teach yourself — that’s the sentiment I keep reminding myself is crucial. Unlike most people I encounter throughout this walk, I don’t make proper New Years resolutions: I make birthday pacts and resolutions (that day which is my watershed, January 21st). In [...]

The search for meaning on the backdrop of this season seems apropos. I woke up this morning to the same alarm clock (albeit a little later than usual). When I turned on NPR the news discussed oil prices, instability in Afghanistan’s leadership, health care, the job market and a disappointing first year in the Obama [...]

In my thoughts frequently these days is the idea that being creative is an act of self-preservation. For some. I get up two hours earlier than necessary to write each morning because I spiritually have to; in my day-to-day work, encounters stage as events in a larger fictional realm; the gumption to get up the [...]

When I was in grade and middle school, the mile run test was abject torture. My feet are bad. I preferred the sit-up or stretch tests. There has never been much strength there in my ankles and flat bottomed feet, and at random times throughout my youth I could be described as quite out of [...]