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.
October 20, 2013

The Library of Virginia Awards 2013

The culmination of this year’s Virginia Literary Festival in Richmond was the presentation of The Library of Virginia Awards. I drove down on Friday…
October 12, 2013

2013 Reading: A Fingerprint Repeated by Jeffrey Condran

A Fingerprint Repeated by Jeffrey Condran. Isn’t this a great cover? But besides that, I really enjoyed several of the stories in this collection, including…
October 10, 2013

Nobel Prize Goes to Alice Munro

The 2013 Nobel Prize in Literature goes to “a master of the contemporary short story,” Alice Munro. That’s pretty exciting news, mainly because short…
October 9, 2013

The Literary Agent Search Has Begun

Literary Agents–can’t live with them, can’t live without them. Or something like that. People love to complain about how agonizing it is to find…
October 8, 2013

2013 Reading: Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass by Meg Medina

Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass by Meg Medina This middle-grade novel by a my friend Meg Medina is excellent. If you know kids…
October 7, 2013

The New Yorker: “Katania” by Lara Vapnyar

October 14, 2013: “Katania” by Lara Vapnyar I don’t see a Q&A with the author, so it looks like we’re on our own. However,…
October 7, 2013

2013 Reading: Blacksnake at the Family Reunion by David Huddle

Blacksnake at the Family Reunion: Poems (Southern Messenger Poets) by David Huddle I thoroughly enjoyed this collection of poems by David Huddle, one of the…
October 2, 2013

2013 Reading: Swoop by Hailey Leithauser

Swoop: Poems by Hailey Leithauser Good poetry is usually edifying, but it isn’t always fun. I get the sense that this poet had a blast…
October 2, 2013

2013 Reading: Daring Greatly by Brene Brown

Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead by Brene Brown The fear of failure can…
September 30, 2013

The New Yorker: “I’m the Meat, You’re the Knife” by Paul Theroux

October 7, 2013: “I’m the Meat, You’re the Knife” by Paul Theroux I gave up a long time ago on Theroux’s nonfiction, which struck…