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.
February 5, 2008

>AWP Report – Part II

>The first part of the adventure was locating the Amtrak station in Charlottesville and boarding the Crescent for my first train trip in years….
February 4, 2008

>AWP Report – Part I

>Got back last night from AWP and there’s lots to talk about. And I will, once I catch up on a lot of stuff…
January 29, 2008

>Road Trip: AWP 2008 NYC

>I’m heading to New York on Wednesday morning for the 2008 Conference of the Association of Writers and Writing Programs. Things will begin slowly…
January 29, 2008

>Unique Contest

>I’m not sure what possessed Curtis Brown’s Nathan Bransford, one of those literary agents who exposes himself to the public (i.e., writers) by blogging…
January 28, 2008

>Singing Readers

>Did you see the article in The New Yorker about Art Garfunkel and his library? It seems that Garfunkel has been keeping track of…
January 26, 2008

>The New Yorker: "The Reptile Garden" by Louise Erdrich

>Except that the dramatic moment on which this story hinges has a false ring to it, I liked this story. It is told by…
January 26, 2008

>Zoli by Colum McCann

>There is no story more exotic than a Gypsy tale. This one, loosely based on the life of Papusza, a Polish Gypsy singer and…
January 25, 2008

>Fellow Travellers by Thomas Mallon

>The McCarthy era is not just the backdrop for this story of forbidden love; the context of reactionary intolerance is the plot’s very fabric….
January 25, 2008

>VCCA Blog

>The Virginia Center for the Creative Arts has recently created a blog – a great way to keep up on the latest news.
January 24, 2008

>The Imaginary Lives of Mechanical Men by Randy F. Nelson

>Humans aren’t mere machines, despite outward appearances. They are moved, and often discomposed, by love and loss, by faith, by regret. In this collection…