Better to Cry Now: Shaping the Flow of a Gay Black Man by Geoffrey Newman
Enjoying Better to Cry Now: Shaping the Flow of a Gay Black Man, a memoir by Geoffrey Newman and out from River Grove Books: Act I: Striving (1956-1964) My French teacher at Calvin Coolidge Public High School in Washington, DC, made a troubling announcement on my first day of tenth grade. "Neither ... Read More
White Mulberry by Rosa Kwon Easton
Enjoying White Mulberry by Rosa Kwon Easton out from Lake Union Publishing: "...Once, she had seen some young men at the market staring at her sister like this—like she was something they wanted to own. While Bohbeh had blushed at the men's attention, Miyoung had thrust herself into their view. Born in ... Read More
My Heresies by Alina Stefanescu
Enjoying the first poem in My Heresies (Sarabande Books), a poetry collection by Alina Stefanescu: "I am eating raw violets / I am curious about the possessing / in the having been possessed...." I was delighted to receive her first signed copy at AWP 2025 in Los Angeles, California ... Read More
Arroyo by Chip Jacobs
I'm enjoying the first chapter of Arroyo (Rare Bird Books), "The Birds of Pasadena," by Chip Jacobs: "Say what you will about his morning pep and cowlick, his galling diet and corny pride. No one ever rode Mrs. Grover Cleveland, the animal, quite like Nick Chance...." ... Read More
Writing Openings
The opening of any work should immediately immerse the reader into the narrative. An opening might focus primarily on character(s) and/or setting. Regardless of focus, there is a general rule of thumb when writing effective openings—in medias res—or to put it another way, just throw us right into the middle ... Read More