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.
August 1, 2008

>The New Yorker: "Clara" by Robert Bolaño

>I find it hard to believe that The New Yorker didn’t have available to it a few thousand stories more interesting than this one….
July 30, 2008

>New Issue: Peace Corps Writers

>The July issue of Peace Corps Writers is now live.
July 29, 2008

>The New Yorker: "The Teacher" by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala

>The endings of short stories, they say, are supposed to be inevitable and yet surprising. Or something like that. They are NOT, however, supposed…
July 29, 2008

>Man Booker Prize 2008 Long List

>The long list for the 2008 Man Booker Prize has been announced. I’d guess that the Rusdie and the O’Neill would have to be…
July 29, 2008

>New Issue: Wigleaf

>It looks like Wigleaf‘s summer break is over, because a new bunch of stories appears today, including pieces by Liesl Jobson, Kathy Fish, Blake…
July 28, 2008

>The New Yorker: "Yurt" by Sarah Shun-lien Bynum

>This story appears to be an excerpt from Bynum’s forthcoming novel, but unlike many New Yorker excerpts, this one is credible as a story,…
July 28, 2008

>Sewanee Reflections

>Even though I skipped a number of sessions this year, Sewanee 2008 was my busiest, thanks to Tim O’Brien. As my primary reader this…
July 26, 2008

>Sewanee: Day 12

>This is it. The end. For those of us whose workshops ended on Friday, Saturday morning was quiet. I visited the bookstore and Stirling’s…
July 26, 2008

>Sewanee: Day 11

>Things are clearly winding down. The program is still ongoing, but we can feel the end approaching. Friday morning we had a presentation by…
July 25, 2008

>Sewanee: Day 10

>Thursday was busy. In the morning, several Scholars gave short readings (since this year there is no scheduled reading for Scholars as there was…