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.
March 26, 2005

>A King and No King

>My dash to catch all three of this season’s repertoire at Shenandoah Shakespeare continued last night; I saw their production of A King and…
March 22, 2005

>Passing the Stick

>Carol passed it to me: 1. You’re stuck inside Fahrenheit 451, which book do you want to be?Ulysses 2. Have you ever had a…
March 22, 2005

>Slow Newsreel of Man Riding Train (Cont’d–Part I.4)

>4.Paducah. It is 7 a.m. on the morning of May the 15th 1924.Delicious odor of fried hominy grits drenched in molasses.Lightly in the gutter…
March 21, 2005

>Interview with Lorraine Lopez

>Check out this Interview with Lorraine Lopez, one of the Virginia Festival of the Book panelists I mentioned yesterday.
March 20, 2005

>More on the Virginia Festival of the Book

>Although the New Stories from the South panel was excellent, it was tucked into a corner of the Barnes & Noble and so it…
March 19, 2005

>Taming of the Shrew

>There’s small choice in rotten apples. True enough, but it’s just about the only memorable line from a very funny play. I went last…
March 19, 2005

>Writing Short Stories

>The second panel I attended at Virginia Festival of the Book was on Writing Short Stories. One of the readers was my friend from…
March 19, 2005

>New Stories from the South 2004

>Today was the only day I’m going to get to this year’s Virginia Festival of the Book, but the two panels I attended were…
March 16, 2005

>Slow Newsreel of Man Riding Train (cont’d–Part I.3)

>3Against the amber of the observation car lampsspeeding through the Ozark night, lunar moths feed. Brandy is being served. Lucius Beebehas just finished his…
March 16, 2005

>Wolfowitz Will Ruin the World Bank

>Of all the idiotic things Bush has done, this is right up there. It proves, beyond a doubt, that he is ignorant and does…