Gloria Mindock – Conversation No. 10

Gloria Mindock is a name that I became familiar with through friends. Gloria is a brilliant poet, editor, and publisher. She’s a major part of Červená Barva Press, where some of my favorite poets have published chapbooks. She is also a tremendous advocate for emerging and established literary voices. I was very eager to have a chat with her and find out more about her work as artist and literary extraordinaire. Gloria delivered! Continue reading Gloria Mindock – Conversation No. 10

Robert Vaughan – Conversation No. 8

I hit the wall in 2010. The year before, my first story was published in Pank. In May of 2010, I graduated from my MFA program. That summer, I attempted to write new stories. I failed. By November, I was feeling lost. I joined the online writing community known as Fictionaut. The first writer to welcome me to the site was Robert Vaughan. For the next six months, I read stories by Robert and other established and emerging writers and poets. Robert’s pieces were always at the top of Fictionaut’s Recommended Stories list and the notice was well-deserved. As a minimalist writer, I’ve experienced my share of disparaging criticism for my work, but Robert offered me encouragement and for that I’m forever grateful. Continue reading Robert Vaughan – Conversation No. 8

Roberto Carlos Garcia – Conversation No. 2

Roberto and I met the old-fashioned way writers meet, through our work. I had just come out of a self-imposed, post-MFA, two-year incubation period. As a way to jump-start my writing, I joined an online community for writers called Fictionaut, and began posting a series of flash fiction on that site. My little stories received a modest amount of attention, but, more importantly, there were a … Continue reading Roberto Carlos Garcia – Conversation No. 2

Susan Tepper – Conversation No. 1

Last April, I attended a poetry reading at KGB, “a Soviet-era themed bar in the East Village of New York City, which once served as a speakeasy for Ukrainian socialists.” The reading’s host was Susan Tepper. Eamon Grennan, Gretl Claggett, and Steve Griffiths were the featured poets. The crowd was older and serious about their poetry. I strode in and parked myself by the bar and ordered … Continue reading Susan Tepper – Conversation No. 1