Lantern Lit, Vol. 1 Archived at the University of Buffalo

Fellow poet John Dorsey passed on some great news this weekend, saying Lantern Lit, Vol. 1, which contains my mini-chapbook of poetry 'The Darkest Bomb,' will be archived at the University of Buffalo. The book also appears in the stacks at my alma mater, Southern Vermont College, but to have a book in the university system in my home state is awesome news. John also says that the book will be part of Hugo House's April Book Expo, so if you're up in Seattle after March 29, be sure to check it out. And if you still want a copy or are interested in the other books released by Dog On A Chain Press, please visit their website, Thanks for the support!   

What Lies In Wait: Crawling Closer Every Day

I'm getting closer to having my next collection of short stories - What Lies In Wait - ready for all you eager readers out there, if only to help you level out your uneven coffee tables and couches. In all seriousness, I'm hoping you'll enjoy these fifteen eerie, pulpy, humorous, and memoir-ific tales, exploring all kinds of genres and stories, everything from a young boy's adventures while running away to the circus, a woman's struggle to decide what to do when the ghosts in her house portend a coming evil, and even a lumberjack stranded in the deep woods who finds himself hunted by an unspeakable, writhing beast. I'm getting back some fantastic edits and feedback from test readers, and there's some proofreading left to do, but the book is getting closer to a release with each passing week. Stay tuned! 

Six to the End (from the pages of Berlin)

My new poetry chapbook Berlin (from Maverick Duck Press) is flying out the door, and I thought I'd throw up a sample poem for anyone who would like to see what the chap is all about. The poems were all written during a week in Berlin, Germany in 2010 and contain plenty of noir sentiments: streelamps, trains, sidewalks, corner cafes, nighttime skylines, hotel ghosts, and more. You can order copies for $6 via the publisher or by emailing me at jhdwriting@hotmail.com. If you already own a copy, you can leave a review and rating at Goodreads.com. Thanks!

Six to the End

out go the lights

six to the end like empty chambers

of a smoking gun dead

broken heels running in the night

up the wet street, up the wet sky

blonde hair gracing the face of the moon

every dream has a hole

and every hole pours red hope

into pools of abrupt sermon songs

there isn’t a street without a crack

and there isn’t woman without a spine

to hold up her coat, or feathered summation

the women, they reload quick

and then men, they hurry for knives

every villain eager for a hero

every heart beaten to a pulp

and the empty shells slip from the gun

clatter onto the glass table

roll across Venetian blinds like mice

in the alleys there are tigers

in Macau there are fires

in morgues there are long dreams of masculine fear

all down the potter’s lane, cemeteries in a row

six to the end like waiting chambers

six to the end like autumn lovers gone

Berlin: Coming Soon!

My new poetry chapbook Berlin is inching closer to its release in early December, and Kendall A. Bell, the editor over at Maverick Duck Press, sent me the cover image last night, and here it is (both front and back are seen here):

I'm really impressed, and a major thank you goes to artist Ryan W. Bradley for putting it together, as well as to the entire staff at MDP for all their work. I can't wait for the book release reading on Dec. 5th at the Daily Grind Coffee Shop in Mount Holly, NJ. All are welcome to come along and join the open mic portion, or just hang out and listen, and I'll be reading from Berlin and some other books as well. I'll post details on where you can purchase a copy of Berlin as soon as I can. Until then, thanks for the support!

The Cards We Keep, Others Now in Everett Library

The gorgeous Everett Mansion of Southern Vermont College (library wing is on the left).

Last month I dropped off four of my books at my alma mater, Southern Vermont College, for inclusion in the Everett Mansion Library. The mansion houses the classrooms, admin offices, theater, and library for the SVC campus, and I'm really excited about having my work placed there. The library is a beautiful corner of the mansion with brightly lit reading rooms, a large fireplace, and now four of my own books, including:

• The Cards We Keep (2013, short fiction)
• Dealing with the Devil in the Middle of the Road (2012, poetry)
• Lantern Lit, Vol. 1 - The Darkest Bomb (2014, poetry)
• Maybe a Bird Will Sing (2009, poetry)

If you happen to be in southern Vermont - Bennington specifically - feel free to drop int! The campus has amazing views of Bennington and the surrounding area. It's worth checking out!

Readings Past and Yet to Come

I don’t read my work in public often (never got comfortable with it) and I recently tried to rectify that by reading at a cool little open mic where author Bud Smith revealed an excerpt from his upcoming novel, F-250. The reading took place at a bar in the Bronx called An Beal Bocht (Gaelic for “The Poor Mouth”) and it was the first time I read in front of a crowd in, what…two, three years? Something like that, so it was a fun personal challenge to shake off the rust and get up there. I was more nervous than I’d like to admit, and like every other reading I’ve ever done, I needed 6-7 beers in order to not shake like a set of wind-up chattering teeth up in front of the mic. I read two older pieces from around 2009; one, “Norway,” is about strippers named after European nations and how swimming naked in the moonlight is often the best way to put them in the past; and the second, “Darkness Within the Dark,” comes from one of my many bouts with Taoism, an on-again/off-again passion of mine. Both poems are also found in my collection Dealing With the Devil in the Middle of the Road. Thankfully it went well and I got some encouraging feedback. I'm grateful for host Erin Lynn for putting the open mic together each month, and I definitely plan to attend again. If you’re in the NYC area on August 13 around 7:30, you should swing by An Beal Bocht and listen in.

I’m also doing a reading on Saturday, October 4 at Jimmy’s No. 23 (in the back room, plenty of seating) where I’ll be featured along with a number of other authors from the Too Much anthology, which is due out this summer. The cover here looks amazing, doesn’t it? I’ll have more details about that reading soon, but I’ll probably read from my piece in the anthology, which is full of stories of alcoholic, sexual, and narcotic excess. Pretty apt topic considering I'll likely need a double dose of liquid courage to read in front of a crowd that large. Anyway, I hope you can make it!

*** Update: I may be doing a reading in the southern New Jersey / Philadelphia area in December as well to promote a new book of mine. Details TBA. ***

Too Much: An Anthology of Excess

I am pleased to announce that my short story, "The Rube," is scheduled to appear in the upcoming Too Much: An Anthology About Excess from Unknown Press. The book is due in late July and is overflowing with poems, short stories, essays, and interviews about the pleasures and pitfalls of excess, be it alcoholic, sexual, mind-altering, or what have you. A big thank you goes out to editors Chuck Howe and Bud Smith.

My story, "The Rube," is a brief and humorous look at alcoholic excess experienced during a point in my life when I was ... well, to be honest, a bit of a barfly, working as a freelance writer, surviving on meager poetry sales and the kindness of friends, and how a destination wedding invitation turned into an alcohol-infused brush with death in a third-world country. Part memoir, part fiction, and definitely excessive.

I'm also excited that a poem of mine, "Burning in the Freeze," will soon appear in riverbabble #25. I just need to return the publishing agreement on Monday morning. I haven't sent out many poetry submissions recently, so this is a real treat. I'm excited to be in riverbabble once again. Many thanks to the editors for selecting my poem.

I'll post more details when each of these pieces become available. Thanks!