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 4, 2015

2015 Reading: The Great Glass Sea by Josh Weil

The Great Glass Sea by Josh Weil I consider the author to be a friend. He’s a good guy and, more to the point here,…
January 3, 2015

The New Yorker: “The Emerald Light in the Air” by Donald Antrim

February 3, 2014: “The Emerald Light in the Air” by Donald Antrim Still getting caught up with old stories. I remember hearing about this…
January 3, 2015

2015 Reading: VQR, Winter 2015

Virginia Quarterly Review, Winter 2015, Vol. 91, No. 1 I think literary magazines are great, both print and online. My habit, though, is to…
January 2, 2015

2015 Reading: Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift

Gulliver’s travels by Jonathan Swift The edition shown is a beautiful book with illustrations, historical notes, and a few critical essays. I picked it up…
January 1, 2015

The New Yorker: “Under the Sign of the Moon” by Tessa Hadley

March 24, 2014: “Under the Sign of the Moon” by Tessa Hadley Greta, in her 60s, is traveling by train from London to Liverpool…
January 1, 2015

The New Yorker: “The Ways” by Colin Barrett

January 5, 2015: “The Ways” by Colin Barrett Here’s what I didn’t like about this story: (1) Little sense of place. Because Pell has…
January 1, 2015

The New Yorker: “The Relive Box” by T. Coraghessan Boyle

March 17, 2014: “The Relive Box” by T. Coraghessan Boyle I’ve never been much of a T.C. Boyle fan, as readers of my New…
December 31, 2014

The New Yorker — fiction commentary to resume

In early 2014, I gave up my weekly “review” of the New Yorker fiction. I wasn’t loving the stories, and I received one particularly…
December 30, 2014

2014 — My Year in Reading

70. That’s how many books I read this year. Goodreads has this handy tool that allows you to set a reading goal and then…
December 29, 2014

The Problem of Knowledge by A.J. Ayer

The Problem of Knowledge by A.J. Ayer My rating: 3 of 5 stars I read a portion of this book in college and decided…