Spy Dreams & Dream Spies

Crossing borders, assuming identities, infiltrating the unknown with the intention of uncovering and transmitting secret maneuvers, fraudulent agendas, hidden lives: the spy and the artist, I think, are kindred spirits.

And in that spirit, I’m writing a series of stories called The Watchers. The stories are all short and mostly very strange. In one, an agent infiltrates a sleeping man’s bedroom via the miniature submarine in his aquarium. In another, a band of partisans falls in with the only thing more dangerous than enemy soldiers: a group of carousing teenagers.

This is some of the most personal fiction I’ve written, mixing up autobiographical elements with bits and pieces of my dream life. The first story, “What We Trained For,” came ready-made in the form of a dream about a mission I was on with a childhood friend. After I wrote that down, I started having more dreams like it, and I wrote those down, too. Once the feedback loop took over, I gave myself over to its logic. My friends and I are super spies now, and it turns out that we have a lot of work to do.

A selection of these stories appears in Conjunctions (read online, audio), with more in the current issues of Unstuck and matchbook. Others are forthcoming—I’ll update my news page as they appear.

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Image: Brodsky & Utkin, “Wandering Turtle in a Maze of a Big City.” Source.

So Far

A fat crow in a field, hopping around and making the noises crows make. Gusts of wind steal snow from the cemetery across the street. Blue ink on white pages and on my fingers. Orange ink: notes for later.

Also, a James Blackshaw album on repeat. Have you heard his music? It works for days like this.

Get Unstuck

Unstuck has published only one issue so far, but it’s already among my favorite literary journals. It showcases excellent new fiction with elements of the fantastic and the surreal, and it does it in style.

Matt Williamson, the journal’s executive editor, writes: “We aren’t really interested in labels—in deciding whether a particular piece is ‘science fiction’ or ‘speculative fiction,’ ‘fantasy’ or ‘fabulism,’ ‘magical realism’ or ‘slipstream,’ etc., or even in deciding what those names might mean. Instead, we approach each story on its own terms—letting the work speak for itself—and encourage our readers to do the same.”

Beautifully designed, bound, and illustrated, and packed with excellent fiction, poetry, and nonfiction, this journal just gets it right. Even the errata page that came with my copy of the first issue is nice to look at. And the next issue, planned for November, will be huge: 500 pages or so (with a few devoted to some new work of mine).

The editors have launched a Kickstarter campaign to help raise funds for their endeavor, with an array of tempting rewards (print and ebook copies of the journal, subscriptions, signed artwork, robot visitations, and so on). Check out their video below, or head straight over to their Kickstarter page if you’d like to make a pledge.

Also, in the weeks ahead, the Unstuck website will feature interviews with their contributors, including Aimee Bender, Rachel B. Glaser & John Maradik (who co-wrote a story in issue one), Amelia Gray, J. Robert Lennon, Meghan McCarron, Joe Meno, Zach Savich, and Leslie What. Up now is an interview with Arthur Bradford.

So: read, subscribe, pledge if you’re able. Or just watch the video and see if you can count how many dinosaurs appear in it.

 

Star Island Literary Festival

I’ll be headed out to the Isles of Shoals on August 26th for the first ever Star Island Literary Festival. It’s shaping up to be an exciting week of readings, workshops, and panel discussions with a fine group of authors and presenters including Corwin Ericson, Tim Horvath, Anita Shreve, and Katherine Towler.

I’ve been hearing a lot about Star Island. The old hotel and chapel! The restorative sea air! Lantern light processions each evening! Obviously, it’s the perfect place for a week of writing, reading, and talking shop. Those interested in joining us should take a look at the Star Island Literary Festival site or the Star Island site for more information.