Author: Cliff

I am the author of three novels--THE LAST BIRD OF PARADISE, OLIVER'S TRAVELS, and THE SHAMAN OF TURTLE VALLEY--and three story collections--IN AN UNCHARTED COUNTRY, HOUSE OF THE ANCIENTS AND OTHER STORIES, and WHAT THE ZHANG BOYS KNOW, winner of the Library of Virginia Literary Award for Fiction. I am also the co-founder and former editor of Prime Number Magazine and the editor of the award-winning anthology series EVERYWHERE STORIES: SHORT FICTION FROM A SMALL PLANET.
March 16, 2012

>Virginia Festival of the Book

> One of the highlights of the year in this area–the literary year at any rate–is the Virginia Festival of the Book. And I…
March 16, 2012

>Year of the LitMag: Indiana Review, Vol. 33, No. 2

> [This is the latest in my Year of the LitMag series. If you would be interested in doing a guest post in the…
March 16, 2012

>Tips for Writers: Conferences

> Last week, a commenter asked what my opinion of writers conferences was and whether I favored one over another, so that will be…
March 15, 2012

>SWAG Writers: WriterDay and OpenMic Night

> SWAG Writers (the Staunton-Waynesboro-Augusta Group of Writers), the organization I started a couple of years ago, continues to grow. Tonight we had a…
March 13, 2012

>The New Yorker: "Appreciation" by Rivka Galchen

> March 17, 2012: “Appreciation” by Rivka Galchen This story begins well. It’s written as if it were the evidentiary record in a dispute…
March 9, 2012

>Tips for Writers: It’s Your Vision

> Only the writer knows what she is trying to do with her story. It’s unquestionably useful to get the reaction of readers in…
March 7, 2012

>AWP 2012 Recap: Thinking With Your Own Apparatus

> “Thinking with Your Own Apparatus: Fiction Writers and History” was an interesting panel that in my view was equally applicable to historical and…
March 6, 2012

>The New Yorker: "Ever Since" by Donald Antrim

> March 12, 2012: “Ever Since” by Donald Antrim Every once in a while, the New Yorker story is actually set in New York….
March 6, 2012

>AWP 2012 Recap: The Long and Short of It

> First day of the conference, first time-slot, lots of panels to choose from. I picked “The Long and Short of It: Navigating the…
March 5, 2012

>AWP 2012 Recap: The Troublesome Novel

> Last night I got home from a quick trip to Chicago for the annual AWP Conference. As always, the conference was overload–too many…