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 16, 2015

The New Yorker: “All You Have to Do” by Sarah Braunstein

March 16, 2015: “All You Have to Do” by Sarah Braunstein It’s 1972, Sid is 16, and he meets Bill, a tin foil salesman….
March 16, 2015

2015 Reading: Silent Murders by Mary Miley

Silent Murders (A Roaring Twenties Mystery) by Mary Miley This is the second in a series of mysteries set in the Roaring Twenties. The first…
March 15, 2015

The New Yorker: “A Death” by Stephen King

March 9, 2015: “A Death” by Stephen King I’ve never been a fan of King’s and this story is definitely not going to change…
March 10, 2015

2015 Reading: Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk

Fight Club: A Novel by Chuck Palahniuk I’ve never seen the movie, but I’ve seen some of the clips, so I wasn’t prepared for the…
March 1, 2015

2015 Reading: We Were Flying to Chicago by Kevin Clouther

We Were Flying to Chicago by Kevin Clouther I might not have heard of this collection of stories except I’m going to be on a…
February 26, 2015

The New Yorker: “Ba Baboon” by Thomas Pierce

June 2, 2014: “Ba Baboon” by Thomas Pierce I’m still getting caught up on the 2014 stories and hadn’t read this one yet, so…
February 25, 2015

Teaching Old and New Stories Together

Against my better judgment, I agreed to teach a fiction workshop this winter in Charlottesville at WriterHouse. The class is fun and the “students”…
February 24, 2015

2015 Reading: A Walk Across the Sun by Corban Addison

A Walk Across the Sun by Corban Addison This novel is the February selection of my bookclub, Reading Liberally. Our discussion this week should be…
February 20, 2015

Reading Liberally — a political bookclub

Five years ago, I started the Staunton chapter of Reading Liberally, an offshoot of the national orgazination Living Liberally (which includes the more popular group…
February 19, 2015

The New Yorker: “Kino” by Haruki Murakami

February 23 & March 2, 2015: “Kino” by Haruki Murakami The story is about a Japanese man who works for a sporting goods company…