This afternoon I sent out my third story in as many days. Don't be too impressed - only one of them is a brand new tale. But at least there's four stories out there now instead of one. More to come.
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After finishing Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian and getting closer to finishing Don Quixote, I think I'm going to indulge in some short fiction. And what better way than to buy nearly three years' worth (roughly 1982-84) of F&SF at a used book sale Saturday?
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My first reaction to the new Mark Knopfler/Emmylou Harris project All the Roadrunning was disappointment, but it's beginning to grow on me. More on that later.
I also found a used copy of Poe's Haunted. Many of you will know that lead singer Ann Danielewski is the sister of Mark Z. Danielewski, author of House of Leaves. I haven't given the disc a really close listen, but apparently many of the songs are connected to the book. (Titles include "Exploration 8," "5&1/2 Minute Hallway," "House of Leaves," etc.) So far not quite what I expected, but very enjoyable.
Now Playing = Haunted - Poe
Now Reading = Dark Mirror - Marjorie M. Liu
Now in the DVD Player = Rear Window ($3 at a library sale)
15 comments:
"Terrible Thought" is a fantastic song. And though it probably doesn't have similarly strong literary connections, Poe's previous album, Hello, is punchy-good as well.
I actually found Hello at a garage sale last weekend for 33 cents. Haven't had time to give it listen yet.
Excellent! I don't think you'll be disappointed. I harbor an abiding love for that album and — some years ago — spent time annoying radio listeners in north Mississippi with constant pairings of Poe's "Dolphin" with "The Wind Cries Mary" by Jimi Hendrix. They fit together well, regardless of the order in which they're played. College radio, we hardly knew ye.
Where in north Mississippi? Are you from there? I spent a (mostly) dismal year in Southaven, MS many years ago.
If that's not the beginning of a short story ("I spent a (mostly) dismal year in Southaven, Mississippi, many years ago") I don't know what is.
...the beginning of a tragedy, maybe?
I don't know, Andy. Tragedy, comedy, space opera... who knows where the Muse might lead?
I'm intrigued, though. I'll show you mine if you show me yours; that is, I'll write one if you will.
I was a DJ in Starkville, at commercial stations and later for Mississippi State's then-fledgling station. (My childhood and teenage years were divided between Meridian and Oxford.)
Did you teach in Southaven?
Get outta here....I taught band (Magnolia Middle School and Northwest Jr. Hi.) in Meridian for three years, 1985-88, then went to Southaven for a year of misery. Originally from Forest - you probably know where that is. Wow, this is wild...
OK, this is nuts!
I was in your band for two years at Northwest (86-87 and 87-88). My name is Mike Henry — I played saxophone.
Wow, this IS nuts! How have you been? Where are you now?
I've been doing pretty well — and better than average, for me, in recent months. I just accepted a job at the National Arbor Day Foundation in Lincoln, Nebraska, where I've lived since 1997. Before that was a half decade spent flipping around various media jobs in Mississippi and North Carolina.
How about you? You and writing seem well-suited together. Do you enjoy it more (or perhaps differently) than teaching music?
Sorry - been out of town awhile.
Wow, Nebraska...are you required to root for the Cornhuskers when you move there?
I do enjoy writing in a different way than I do music. After Meridian, I taught in several places (and got a lot better at it than I was in Meridian!) and had a great time, but I don't think I'll ever go back to it.
Married? Kids? Dogs/cats?
I remember having a lot of fun in the Northwest band (and not just because of the tempestuous flautist girlfriend).
Neither married nor kids, nor any pets of my own — I've developed a sort of open-ended rapport with every child and pet that comes my way, though. Kids wave to me in grocery stores; otherwise intractable dogs nuzzle my palm. In the case of the children, my mother (only half-jokingly) says they acknowledge me because they recognize one of their own. I have been unable to refute the assertion.
Just lately I've come out of a kind of free-fall (philosophical, more than situational) and have begun to steer life in a slightly different direction. Probably not as drastic as your career change, but I was curious about how you came arrived at the decision and implemented the change. Did the impetus build gradually, or was it something that came to you all at once? And did you step down from the podium right away, or was it a smoother transition?
(Apologies if this is too nosy. I am something of a closet social scientist, and overly talkative.)
I think we're expanding beyond the limitations of the comments section! I've placed my email address in my profile - I'll keep it there for a day or so. Feel free to email.
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