Welcome to the New Perpetual Folly

Welcome to the NEW Perpetual Folly! For years I have been blogging at PerpetualFolly.blogspot.com. You can now find me here at PerpetualFolly.com. Please forgive the…

Tips for Writers: "Alright" is not all right.

  I don’t know where “alright” came from, but it’s not standard and should not be used in writing. I see it in submissions…

The New Yorker: "Referential" by Lorrie Moore

  May 28, 2012: “Referential” by Lorrie Moore   If it weren’t for the Q&A with Lorrie Moore I would not have known that…

Short Story Month: "Cousin Barnaby is Dead" in Joyland

Usually, I’m all over Short Story Month. Not this year, though, and I’m sorry about that. I’ve got a book coming out in the fall and I’m revising another book that will soon be shopped around to publishers (I hope), and I’ve been too busy.

The New Yorker: "The Proxy Marriage" by Maile Meloy

May 21, 2012: “The Proxy Marriage” by Maile Meloy I loved this story, except for the beginning and the ending. Regarding the ending, I…

New Update for Prime Number

The latest update of Prime Number Magazine has gone live! 19.2 features flash fiction by Brian Conlon, Robert Kaye, and John Duncan Talbird, a short…

The New Yorker: "Sweet Dreams" by Peter Stamm

May 14, 2012: “Sweet Dreams” by Peter Stamm It’s a little difficult to discuss this story, which is translated from the German, without revealing…

Tips for Writers: Which vs. That

Let’s try to untangle a knot that some writers find themselves in: how to know when to use “which” and when to use “that.”…

5/3: It’s National Press 53 Day!

> Today, May 3, is National Press 53 Day. (5/3 — get it?). I love Press 53, publisher of my 2009 linked story collection…