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 12, 2014

The New Yorker: “The Paper Revolution” by Dinaw Mengestu

January 13, 2014: “The Paper Revolution” by Dinaw Mengestu This fiction is an excerpt from a novel by Mengestu that comes out this spring,…
January 2, 2014

Writing Goals for 2014

I’ve seen a lot of my writer friends post their writing goals on Facebook, and I think that’s a good practice, so instead of…
January 1, 2014

The New Yorker: “First Husband” by Antonya Nelson

January 6, 2014: “First Husband” by Antonya Nelson This is a terrific story with a lot going on. It’s a little hard to keep…
December 31, 2013

My Year in Reading: 2013

I read about 80 books this year. I thought I was going to hit 100, but I had a terrifically busy fall. Still, 80…
December 30, 2013

The New Yorker: Stories of the Year — 2013

New Yorker Stories of the Year   For the past several years, I’ve been asking readers to vote on the New Yorker Story of…
December 29, 2013

The New Yorker: “Coming Soon” by Steven Millhauser

December 16, 2013: “Coming Soon” by Steven Millhauser Weird story. Twilight Zone? Kafka? (I couldn’t find a Q&A with Millhauser, so I guess we’re…
December 29, 2013

The New Yorker: “The Late Novels of Gene Hackman” by Rivka Galchen

December 9, 2013: “The Late Novels of Gene Hackman” by Rivka Galchen There isn’t too much to be learned from the Q&A with Rivka…
December 23, 2013

The New Yorker: “The Christmas Miracle” by Rebecca Curtis

December 23 & 30: “The Christmas Miracle” by Rebecca Curtis Wow. This story did nothing for me at all. While I admire the story’s…
December 5, 2013

Interview up at Street Talk

The kind folks at Braddock Avenue Books have posted an interview with me in their Street Talk Series. Please take a moment to look…
December 3, 2013

The New Yorker: “Roadkill” by Romesh Gunesekera

December 2, 2013: “Roadkill” by Romesh Gunesekera Q&A with Romesh Gunesekera This story reminds me of my one and only visit to Sri Lanka….