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 8, 2015

The New Yorker: “Come Together” by Karl Ove Knausgaard

February 17 & 24, 2014: “Come Together” by Karl Ove Knausgaard As we learn from the Q&A with Karl Ove Knausgaard, this “story” is…
January 5, 2015

The New Yorker: “The Crabapple Tree” by Robert Coover

January 12, 2015: “The Crabapple Tree” by Robert Coover Coover’s story from last January, “The Frog Prince,” is what ended my New Yorker commentaries,…
January 5, 2015

2015 Reading: Creative Nonfiction, Issue 53, Fall 2014

My subscription to Creative Nonfiction is new and this is the first issue I’ve read. I read essays from time to time, of course,…
January 4, 2015

The New Yorker: “Moonlit Landscape with Bridge” by Zadie Smith

February 10, 2014 “Moonlit Landscape with Bridge” by Zadie Smith I enjoyed this story, and also enjoyed the Q&A with Zadie Smith which sheds…
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…