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.
July 21, 2013

2013 Reading: Glossolalia by David Jauss

Glossolalia By David Jauss Press 53 (September, 2013)   I first became aware of David Jauss from reading his wonderful essays on the craft…
July 20, 2013

Prime Number Magazine — Issue 41

The other editors of Prime Number Magazine and I put in a lot of work to produce our journal. We’ve been doing it for…
July 19, 2013

Blue Ridge Anthology 2013

Blue Ridge Anthology 2013 Published by Cedar Creek Publishing for the Blue Ridge Writers Chapter of the Virginia Writers Club, the Blue Ridge Anthology…
July 18, 2013

Breaking News . . .

Well, not breaking, exactly, but I was on the news last night. My group, SWAG Writers, held a reading last night at the Shenandoah Valley Art…
July 15, 2013

The New Yorker: “From a Farther Room” by David Gilbert

July 22, 2013: “From a Farther Room” by David Gilbert What, then, is this creature Robert finds? Robert, while his family is away, is…
July 14, 2013

2013 Reading: Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky

Suite Française by Irene Nemirovsky is brilliant. I bought the book in 2007 when everyone was reading it, but I didn’t get around to it….
July 12, 2013

Theater: All’s Well That Ends Well at the American Shakespeare Center

This production is nearly perfect, with excellent performances from every member of the cast. I don’t remember when the American Shakespeare Center last performed…
July 9, 2013

2013 Reading: The Little Blue Book by George Lakoff and Elisabeth Wehling

The Little Blue Book: The Essential Guide to Thinking and Talking Democratic by George Lakoff and Elisabeth Wehling There’s no question that words matter, and…
July 8, 2013

2013 Reading: Stein, Stoned by Hal Ackerman

Stein, Stoned by Hal Ackerman Described as a “soft-boiled” mystery, this book definitely doesn’t take itself too seriously. Harry Stein, a former pot aficionado, gets…
July 7, 2013

Theater: Return to the Forbidden Planet

Make that: Return of Return to the Forbidden Planet. The American Shakespeare Center did this show six or seven years ago. I remember enjoying it…