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.
January 2, 2016

2016 Reading: Continuum: New and Selected Poems by Mari Evans

Continuum: New And Selected Poems, Revised Edition by Mari Evans The poet and activist Mari Evans recently won a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Indianapolis…
January 1, 2016

Literary Resolutions, 2016

I won’t bother anyone with my perennial New Year’s Resolutions (lose weight, clear away household clutter, be a nicer person, etc.), but I thought…
January 1, 2016

2015 Reading — Catching Up

In the first part of 2015 I did a decent job of keeping this journal about my reading, but as the year went on…
January 1, 2016

2016 Reading: Faith Ed. by Linda K. Wertheimer

Faith Ed: Teaching About Religion in an Age of Intolerance by Linda K. Wertheimer I was acquainted with the author through a Facebook group, so…
December 31, 2015

So long, 2015! Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! It has been awhile since my last newsletter, but the end of the year seems like a good time to bring…
December 20, 2015

“What are you working on now?”

One question I hear over and over again–from friends, other writers, and even strangers who learn that I’m a writer–is “What are you working…
December 17, 2015

Review of What the Zhang Boys Know in The Florida Review

My novel in stories, What the Zhang Boys Know, came out a little over three years ago. Since then, it has received a few editorial…
December 12, 2015

2015 Reading: Thirteen Ways of Looking by Colum McCann

Thirteen Ways of Looking by Colum McCann Without question, Colum McCann is one of my favorite writers. His novel Let the Great World Spin blew…
November 28, 2015

Call for Submissions: Everywhere Stories Volume II

In the fall of 2014, Press 53 published the anthology Everywhere Stories: Short Fiction from a Small Planet. The book included 20 stories by…
November 26, 2015

Thanksgiving away from home

It’s Thanksgiving Day and I am grateful to be spending the holiday at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, where I’ve been in…