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 11, 2007

>Pericles, Prince of Tyre at ASC

>Shakespeare is back. Actually, he’s been back for a several weeks (after the season of holiday shows, A Christmas Carol and Santaland Diaries), but…
February 10, 2007

>LitMag Wave: Harpur Palate

>Issue 6.2 of Harpur Palate isn’t the strongest I’ve seen, but there are some enjoyable stories here, including T.J. Forrester’s “Revolving Door,” which I…
February 9, 2007

>The New Yorker: "A Tranquil Star" by Primo Levi

>Is it the intention of the TNY to publish a Primo Levi story every month this year? That’s what they’ve done so far and,…
February 9, 2007

>LitMag Wave: One Story #77

>One Story No. 77 is “Prayer for the Long Life of Certain Inanimate Objects” by Paul Maliszewski. On the surface, the story is unique….
February 8, 2007

>Literary Magazine Blogs

>As if I weren’t already way behind in reading the stacks of novels and story collections I’ve acquired recently (in, say, the last decade…
February 8, 2007

>LitMag Wave: Southwest Review

>Issue 92, No. 1 of the Southwest Review recently arrived in my mailbox. I was pleased to see that my friend Chris Gavaler had…
February 8, 2007

>Boldtype #40

>The latest issue of Boldtype is live. Check it out.
February 5, 2007

>The New Yorker: "Good People" by David Foster Wallace

>Lane and Sheri have met at Peoria Junior College, in campus ministries. He studies business and she studies nursing and mostly what they do…
February 5, 2007

>Mary Akers Essay in Brevity

>Check out On Receiving Notice of My Step-daughter’s Pregnancy by Mary Akers, in the new issue of Brevity. Wonderful!
February 4, 2007

>Mistake Number 8

> Don’t Write About Wimps. I learned this one the hard way. My whole novel was about this passive guy–he even had a passive…