One of mine!

A story of mine ("The Need for Other People Faded") was named one of the "Notable Stories of 2009" in the Million Writers Award.  I'll know in the next couple of weeks if it made the list of top ten stories. I'm very excited to be in such good company, and the journal it appeared in (> Kill Author) was singled out as "Best New Online Journal."

Other Stuff (not mine)

Every blog has a collection of links to interesting articles and ephemera of the internet, and here's mine:

At least once, Dostoevsky met Dickens.(Brandywine Books)

Hispanics in Arizona are already getting hassled due to the new law...and this happened before the law was passed. (Crooks and Liars)

TriQuarterly (Northwestern University's famed literary journal) stopped publishing last year after over 40 years of existence. But! Now it's back online. Their first issue (version? post?) includes a review of the National Book Award finalist American Salvage by Bonnie Jo Campbell. American Salvage is an amazing collection of strong short stories, and this review, even though it's more about the reviewers Kindle than the book itself, is worth a look. Here's the review and two excerpts.

PopMatters is digging really deep into Blood on the Tracks.

Jezebel breaks down the new insane abortion restrictions in Oklahoma. For example, it's now legal for doctors in Oklahoma to not tell you if your baby has birth defects.

Casiotone for the Painfully Alone and Magical Beautiful

On Sunday night I caught these two bands at The Black Cat Backstage; they're on tour through the first week of May and I'd recommend them to anyone fortunate enough to live in one of the cities they're visiting. Songs, info and tour dates for CFTPA and for Magical Beautiful . This is DIY/laptop rock at its best, and a chance to see two great indie groups on a national tour.