The Literary Journal of the Stonecoast MFA
Short answer: Because I want to read stories that haven’t been written yet. Long answer: It is a truth universally acknowledged that a weird child living in a lonely suburb must find all of his best friends in books. When I had nobody, I still…
There is a country where my voice must hold its daily reckoning and question this allegiance to the spirit of the crossroads who has scattered what remains too horrible for language and placed a skull over a stump to guard his wretched boundaries. I know his ways so…
Wind knocks brown leaves off the poplars like ashes off vertical cigars, and a trolleybus tries puddles on the round flippers of its wheels. A woman with an umbrella walks across the black square like a rustling whirligig. One out of every three in this…
You were in a wheelbarrow that day when the wind overturned trees, trashcans, and I was being born. In the pavilion Hazel foamed while Furies hovered above, their hands wrung with joy. She kept me deadlocked like Julius Caesar in a pool of blood. Then you diverted oh so…
During my medical career, my writing was confined to academic journals, book chaptersand grant applications. I never imagined writing for any other reason. However, within weeks ofmy early retirement, I began recording the details of pivotal events from my medicalexperiences. I did not understand at…
Why do you write? I write to remember, as a matter of record. I write to honor the people, places, and ideas that have given my life unexpected meaning. I write with the hope and intent of sharing some of that meaning with others. There’s enough…
Why do you write? I write because I’m trying to work things out. I see things, feel things, experience things, and I have this compulsion to sort it all out on paper. It’s easier said than done. Also, there is a core element to who I am that just…
Why do I write? I didn’t know writing was something I enjoyed until I entered college as a returning student. Though, once I realized it, it made sense. English was my favorite class in high school, and these days, I love telling tall tales, exaggerating the…
Why do you write? We are storytelling animals. Our stories, others’ stories give us purpose and meaning. I guess I’m just finally listening to my instincts.Is there an author who has most profoundly influenced your work? My mentor just turned me on to Jo Ann Beard. She…
Why do you write? As a teenager, I adored the rush of coming up with a concept; as I’ve aged, however, writing has become a place of solace. A place where I can explore concepts and emotions without fear. It wasn’t until I began work on…