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.
October 7, 2010

>James River Writers Conference

> I’m off to Richmond today for the kickoff of the James River Writers’ Conference. I attended a few years ago as a participant…
October 7, 2010

>SWAG Reading Series

> On September 29, about 30 Staunton-area residents gathered at the Darjeeling Café for a night of poetry and prose readings and a sneak…
October 5, 2010

>Prime Number Magazine–update 2.7

> Have I mentioned that Prime Decimals 2.7 is now live at Prime Number Magazine? That’s the 4th and final update to Issue No….
October 5, 2010

>The New Yorker: "The Dungeon Master" by Sam Lipsyte

> A bunch of kids are play Dungeons & Dragons after school (at least I guess that’s what this is—having never played the game,…
October 4, 2010

>Nobel Prize week

> It’s Nobel Prize week, with the prizes doled out one-a-day, like vitamins. Today was the announcement of the inner in medicine. Tomorrow we…
October 4, 2010

>The MFA needs a splash of MBA — guest post by Cameron Conaway

> That’s right. MFA (Master of Fine Arts) students often joke about how the degree they are attaining is at the opposite end of…
October 2, 2010

>Book Review in Transition Voice

> My review of James Howard Kunstler’s The Witch of Hebron is in a new magazine, Transition Voice, which debuts today.
October 1, 2010

>Yiyun Li on KQED

> Yiyun Li recently appeared on KQED’s Writers’ Block program to read the title story from her new collection. The audio is embedded below…
October 1, 2010

>2011 Press 53 Open Awards

> Check out the 2011 Press 53 Open Awards and, more importantly, check out the incredible lineup of judges: Chris Offut judging the short…
September 30, 2010

>"A Good Man is Hard to Find"

> I wrote the syllabus for my composition class in early August. Because of the way holidays and the school’s fall break fell, I…