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.
November 24, 2008

>Secret [Literary] Santa

>How does exchanging gifts with complete strangers sound? Nah, I don’t much care for the idea either. Except, here’s the plan: it’s going to…
November 23, 2008

>Very Short Novels

>Check out this new-to-me blog: David B. Dale’s Very Short Novels. 299 words . . .
November 22, 2008

>Quick Fiction #14

>Issue #14 of Quick Fiction is available for pre-order. I reccommend it highly, because it includes my short-short story, “Papel Picado.”
November 22, 2008

>ASC: Richard II, the second

>As I’ve mentioned before, our American Shakespeare Center is doing all the history plays over the next few seasons, which is a project that…
November 21, 2008

>Taubman Museum of Art

>Last Saturday I had the pleasure of visiting the brand new Taubman Museum of Art in downtown Roanoke. Our group got a guided tour…
November 21, 2008

>Black Friday

>We have read your submission carefully and regret that we do not have a place for it in [the magazine] at this time. Thank…
November 21, 2008

>National Book Award Winners!

>The National Book Award Winners have been announced: Fiction: Peter Matthiessen’s Shadow Country Poetry: Mark Doty’s Fire to Fire Non-fiction: Annette Godon-Reed’s The Hemingses…
November 21, 2008

>The Theory of Light and Matter by Andrew Porter

>I have just finished reading The Theory of Light and Matter by Andrew Porter, winner of last year’s Flannery O’Connor Award for short fiction,…
November 20, 2008

>New Magazine: College Hill Review

>The first issue of a brand new online magazine has just gone live: College Hill Review. (One of the essays is by me–Competition is…
November 19, 2008

>The Bookshelf Muse

>I’m posting this partly as a reminder to myself to spend some time browsing through this blog that seems to have a lot of…