I didn’t notice when Suzanne first showed up. We unloaded the stage, carried it into the theater, and assembled it behind the proscenium, a stage upon a stage. First came the wine barrels, then the interlocking frame, and finally the wooden platforms. We lashed the backdrop to the uprights and, with a shout from cast… Read More

As a musician, actor, writer, and part-time carpenter, I had grown tired of planning how I was going to buy my next pair of shoes, so I unpacked my diploma and went looking for a job. I had three criteria — the job had to (1) involve writing, editing, and publishing; (2) take place in… Read More

I do love me my shoes. When I was a little kid we went to a shoe store that featured an x-ray machine that you could stick your feet inside and radiate the hell out of them. It made your bones glow. Scary, how little they knew about radiation back then. Despite my fascination with… Read More

I wrote this piece for the Retro prompt "Gardens," but I've posted it here to celebrate the salmon that reinhabited the Mattole watershed as a form of recycling. Read More

“Don’t sweat it,” I said. I couldn’t get the “brother” part out; it stuck in my craw. Read More

I awoke with a familiar mixture of covid emotions, sadness and gratitude... Read More

Not much to say on cursive, although I had perfect cursive writing scores in third and fourth grade. I liked how beautiful it was, all the curves and the way the style let you keep your number two pencil on the page when you finally got to write whole words and sentences. Now my handwriting… Read More

Mao Tse Tung, Uncle Ho / Dow chemical has got to go Read More

Damn, I thought, this guy has to be a musician... Read More

Good gawd how we tried. Read More