I'm really excited to have this issue's creative nonfiction writing prompt in the biannual WRITERS' CHRONICLE. It's paywalled, for AWP members only, but a ton of writers are AWP members. 

I guess if my book will be out, Steve and I will be going to AWP next spring in Chicago. We didn't go to Baltimore this year, but we went to L.A. the year before that. Thousands of writers attend. It's enormous and pretty overwhelming.

Lots of buzz around my nonfiction flash "Faceplant" (more than 110 likes on Facebook, last I looked). Partly because so many readers seem to have had bad falls themselves (who knew?) but partly because many readers/writers admired the writing, so that's gratifying. It's something I've wanted to write about for a long time and I'm glad I did.

Making great progress on the edited manuscript of THE LUNATICS' BALL and the other required materials. Did a second round of edits. Filed the illustrations (SO much work and I hope it's done) and the permissions, and I'm almost done with the rest, due April 19.

I have a new Substack on the centenary of the day that Violet Gibson attempted to assassinate Mussolini. And on readings and salons: reading my LUNATICS' BALL flash "Shooting Mussolini" at Patricia Bidar's book launch at Books on B in Hayward, and again at the Irish-American Festival's Literary Salon in a grand mansion in San Francisco, and reading my opening flash "The Lunatics' Ball" at Sasha Vasilyuk's paperback launch in the Mission in San Francisco some time ago. Once again I elected not to have the Substack delivered to subscribers' or followers' email inboxes, because I don't want to be a pest. I get so much unwanted email myself. I'm sure fewer people read it this way, but I can live with that.

​I'm getting very close to having all of my edits and everything else ready for the April 19 deadline at Mad Creek Books. Once we got going, it's been a pleasure to work with the EIC Kristen Elias Rowley. Very exciting!
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Thrilled to be in CLEAVER again with a nonfiction flash “Faceplant.” (My two previous pubs in CLEAVER, both nonfiction flash, are among my very favorites.)

Thanks to Kathy Fish for her “thirty seconds” prompt, which unlocked something I knew I wanted to write about, but wasn’t sure how to approach. What I mostly remember about my faceplant, besides how scary and sudden it was, is that split second as my face was rushing to meet the cement, and how that split second and the sickening thud that followed recurred for weeks after the event. Kathy Fish's prompt (I think it was about the thirty seconds preceding something that happened, or maybe the thirty seconds after?) opened a door for me.

I'd been invited to give a craft talk at the launch for the new issue of SUPERSTITION REVIEW, which had published my essay on Joseph Cornell. Luckily, I had the talk already written, but I had to do the talk (which had a powerpoint at least) and the Q&A with the camera off because of the abrasions on my face and black eyes.

The EIC at CLEAVER, Karen Rile, does all of their art. Love the art for "Faceplant" (attaching, but the original actually moves!).