Sickness / Music

Since the semester ended I have been sick. Twice. My body is decompressing. Or emitting. Or simply weak and tired after nine months of teaching.

After two semesters where every moment of my life had to be scheduled, the freedom of summer presents its own problem: I struggle to maintain a routine. I don't mind temporary aimlessness, but something about it scares me. Call me A-type, I guess. Or focus-driven. Or death-conscious.

During times like this, I don't write as much as I'd like.

Instead, I make music.

The process of creating and recording music is controlled chaos, which is what I need to help stave off the blues, and to assist with my emergence from the gauzy cocoon of constant obligation into the dangerous beauty of three months off.

Here is my latest therapy song. It is part of an unfinished 3-song EP inspired by a week's worth of Sister Bar and reverb and pilsner.

Here's a little song

Here's a quick little rock 'n roll number I whipped up yesterday to start the summer off:

Fuguers Cove - Comfort Seeds 

Manzano Mountain Review is seeking submissions

Writers: 

I am the founder and co-editor of Manzano Mountain Review (MMR). We are seeking submissions for our first issue.

We accept flash fiction, poetry, short stories and literary nonfiction.

• For poetry: Submit up to 3 pieces at a time, but no more than 10 pages. 
• For flash fiction: Submit up to 3 pieces at a time (totaling no more than 1,000 words)
• For longer prose: 3,000 words is our max.
• For Visual art/photography: Submit work in jpg form (no more than one sub every three months).

All work must be unpublished.

The caveat: You must be a current or former New Mexico resident.

Tell your friends! Tell your enemies!

The Point Blank Podcast is coming together

This summer, a friend and I will record episode 1-4 of the Point Blank Podcast. Each episode of Point Blank will offer commentary and analysis on a seminal noir, hardboiled, or detective fiction novel. We can't wait to do it and we look forward to sharing it with you. More details when we have them.