Second, Choice Words has been released by Borgo Press. The book is edited by Robert Reginald and is subtitled: “The Borgo Press Book of Writers Writing About Writing.” Besides the fact that I always enjoy seeing new books come out for writers, I also have three essays in the book. These are reprints. Two of them come from Write With Fire and the other from Writing in Psychology: A Guidebook. The last is a collaboration piece, of course, with Elliott Hammer and Du Bois Irvin.
Third, the new Illuminata is up and looks very interesting this month. My essay on “Evolution of a Genre” is included. You can download it for free here. If you haven’t signed up for the free newsletter you can also do so on that same page.
Fourth, I just finished reading J. Bruce Fuller’s 28 Blackbirds at the End of the World and I raved about it over on Goodreads. Below is what I said there:
I originally read this collection in manuscript form and enjoyed it very much. I gave the author a blurb, which appears on the back cover. Here's what the blurb says:
"J. Bruce Fuller's "28 Blackbirds" is to haiku what Cormac McCarthy's "The Road" is to apocalyptic novels. A masterpiece."
I stand by that.
The printed version has a great cover, as seen above, and contains a short introduction by the author. If you like haiku, especially connected haiku on the same theme, you will surely enjoy this book. All the haiku revolve around the theme of blackbirds surviving, and sometimes dying, at world's end.
Here's one of my favorites:
world burned black
the hearts of men are black
blackbird's eye is black
If you're interested in the collection you can get it from Bandersnatch Books
Fifth, the Saints are still going to the Super Bowl. And I think that’s enough good news for one day!
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It's always nice to read good news. The Haiku was very good.
ReplyDeleteCharles,
ReplyDeleteSo wonderful to hear good news! I hope your mom feels better real soon. Wow - 93! God Bless her!
Congrats on the publication of CHOICE WORDS - that's terrific.
I will check out your "Evolution of a Genre" essay - thank you for that.
J. Bruce Fuller must be thrilled with your blurb. Nicely done.
I'm not rooting for either team, I usually watch the commercials, but since you're a Saints fan, I'll be pulling for them! Enjoy it!
May your good news streak continue for years and years to come!
The good news keeps comin' and comin'.
ReplyDeleteI say, way to go!
Bernardl, Yes, I love the repetition of black in so many ways there.
ReplyDeleteKathleen, Thanks. Yes it would be nice if 2010 was just the year of good luck! I haven't gotten my copies of Choice words yet but am looking forward to seeing what other writers have said.
Ivan, thanks. It has been a pretty good year so far, although I've been awfully lazy too much of the time.
Excellent I have soimne reading I'm gonna do right after lunch and get back to you about.
ReplyDeletesome reading
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tips for reading!
ReplyDeleteYou sure are successful in my eyes.
Feel better, Mom
Aloha, Friend!
Comfort Spiral
I'm glad your mom is doing well.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your essays coming out in Choice Words.
I'm going to go read Evolution of Genre right...now.
Saints!
ReplyDeleteCool news on all fronts.
ReplyDeleteThat was a great article, funny how even who I think is one of my favorite genius writers, KEW, could be making that fundamental slip-up when it comes to readers.
ReplyDeleteCharles, Yay to Mom on the recharge! I've heard that shingles are VERY painful! Go Saints on Sunday! They should win just for the name!
ReplyDeleteGreat stuff, Charles. I hope your mom is okay! I'll have to pick up a copy of "Choice Words." "Evolution of a Genre" sounds very cool. I'll check it out.
ReplyDeleteDavid J. West, the Illuminata is a pretty good newsletter, especially being free!
ReplyDeleteCloudia, thanks!
Christine Purcell, thanks. she seems to be feeling so much better today. Probably not being so worried, I guess.
Don, nuff said.
Sidney, yes, if only work hadn't sucked so royally today. guess you can't have everything.
David J. West, I always wanted to talk to KEW about that but never ran into him again. I think it was something of an attitude among editors at that time feeding off each other too. And KEW was such a fine editor, and great writer.
jodi, my son had the shingles once and found them pretty painful. I've never had them, but anyone who has had chicken pox can show them.
Rick, thanks. I'll do a report on the other pieces in Choice Words once I get the copy. I know you've already read the two pieces by me from Write with fire.
glad mama is home again, safe and sound, charles :)
ReplyDeletewill look into the books...
Excellent news all around!
ReplyDeleteAnd you remind me that I have neglected my Goodreads account.
That is all very good news indeed. Strangely enough, my mother was just treated for Shingles, too.
ReplyDeleteCongrats are in order for many things. Cheers to the Saints'
Looks like everything is going your way. Still, I'm betting on the Colts.
ReplyDeleteWith respect to one of your earlier posts, I'd like to offer a thought in defense of cliche: in an age of narrowcasting and focus-group-demographic marketing, cliches might one day become the last bit of language we all share.
Besides, isn't berating cliches in itself a cliche?
Charles, good to hear about your mom. And congrats on the publication of Choice Words!
ReplyDeleteA whole lot of cool in that post!
ReplyDeleteI'm dying for that Blackbird book, for sure!
A stellar and satisfying week, Charles. Congratulations.
ReplyDeleteGreat that things are going well, my friend
ReplyDeleteMy first thought is "get a shingle's shot" if you had chicken pox. I know so many older people who suffer with this and it is avoidable usually.
ReplyDeleteGlad February is turning out to be a good month for you.
Charles if you are on a treadmill it certainly is producing some fine results.
ReplyDeleteI loved the haiku. It takes on more of the Japanese form than the Western and that is a fine thing.
laughingwolf, yes, me too. I’m very far away from her so I can’t always be there when she has these issues.
ReplyDeleteTravis, I’ve been having a lot of fun on Goodreads.
Erik Donald France, hope your mom is recovered. And thanks.
X. Dell, I can visualize a story where two urban tribes meet in the future and can only communicate via cliché. That might make a good tale. And trust you to throw a “monkey wrench” into the works with your “isn’t berating clichés a cliché.”
Candy, thanks.
Natasha Fondren, I haven’t really seen much like that book in haiku. I think it’s a breakthrough perhaps.
Bernita, thankee!
Gary, ARCHAVIST, thanks, man.
pattinase (abbott), I had chicken pox but have never had shingles. I didn’t even know they had a “shingles shot.”
Mark, the treadmill analogy seems apt at the moment but the nature of teaching is that it changes.
Your advice on writing is so good, I'm not surprised it keeps finding a wider and wider audience!
ReplyDeleteCongrats!
Steve, you say the nicest things.
ReplyDeletecongrats on the new publications! enjoy the game Sunday... either way it looks to be a good one.
ReplyDeleteYou're right, mostly good things, but having the batteries changed would have made me nervous and my uncle-in-law's mother had shingles and they can get very painful. I hope she is staying comfortable.
ReplyDeleteAs for the books! BOOH-YEAH!! As cyclops would say.
Greg, I'm looking forward to the game big time!
ReplyDeleteChristina, her shingles haven't been bothering her too much, she said. It may be partly the relief for her of having the pacemaker change completed. She was really nervous about that.
I hope your mom is doing alright. I hear shingles can be painful.
ReplyDeleteSQT, so far she hasn't had a lot of pain. I hope that continues. Thanks for your well wishes.
ReplyDeleteGreat news. Love the title of your blog.
ReplyDeleteMary
One more thought on the Superbowl. I keep hearing the sports people wondering which Reggie Bush will show up for the Saints - the one who ran wild over the Cardinals or the one who played against the Vikings. I don't know what game they saw, but that squirming, reaching touchdown towards the game's end against the Vikings and Bush's earlier clutch catches were vital to the win. I guess those chuckle-heads think a running back can just show up and rattle off a couple hundred yards against anybody.
ReplyDeleteAnd so our stories go, thanks for visiting. I appreciate the kind words.
ReplyDeleteBernardl, I've been pretty impressed with Bush in general this year. He's really lowered his head and laid some wood. He's also a great decoy even when he doesn't have the ball. But yeah, people shouldn't expect superhuman things from him.
I didn't know about "Choice Words"...did I? Congrats, hon. That's cool.
ReplyDeleteLana, I didn't mention the title to you, I don't think. It's those reprint articles I was talking about the other night.
ReplyDeleteHa! Yes, the Saints in the Super Bowl is very good news.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the publication. That is excellent.
Have a great weekend Charles. Geaux Saints!
I'm sorry, I forgot!! Prayers that your mother will get over her Shingles quickly. I've heard that is a fairly painful thing to have.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad she went through the battery change on her pace maker well.
Congratulations on having essays published and may the Saints win (but I can't say that too loud as there are two folks in this house in love with that Manning guy)
ReplyDeleteIf it were not based on location but based on musical tastes I would have had you pegged as a Raider fan.
ReplyDeleteYour haiku was excellent.
Tom
Best to your mother. Mine has been through shingles. She'll come through fine.
ReplyDeletejennifer, thanks. I've never had shingles myself but my son did and said it was pretty painful.
ReplyDeletesage, yes, you're in Enemy territory. :) Actually most everyone down here loves Peyton too and the Mannings, since they grew up down here. Still, I'm rootin' for the Saints.
Tom Bailey, Yes, I'm not a big fan of Jazz, which is usually the local music of distinction. If you're talking about the haiku in the post, that is J. Bruce Fuller's. I wish I'd written it though.
Randy Johnson, thanks, my friend.
You've been busy, Charles. Good for you, and your feisty mum.
ReplyDeleteLeigh, thanks.
ReplyDeleteCongrats to your Saints. Are you sober yet?
ReplyDeleteX-Dell, I didn't even get drunk, my friend. I couldn't have said that if this had happened a few years back.
ReplyDeleteI have been so busy this morning, I had only now time to look up the Super Bowl winner! :-))))
ReplyDeleteCongratulations Saints Fans!
ReplyDeleteEnjoy it.
I was pulling for them also, since they had never been there before. I like parity.
Nice haiku there, also by the way. I'll have to check out that book.
Merisi, yes, we're still walking on air here.
ReplyDeletePeter, thanks, and thanks for visiting.
All the best to your mother, Charles!
ReplyDelete28 Blackbirds at the End of the World seems like a great book, starting with the title and the cover. What an interesting idea...