ALOUD Reading Series: Writing Our Future

Along with Eugenie Montague, my friend and classmate at UC-Irvine, I had the honor of reading at the ALOUD reading series at The Library Foundation of Los Angeles on April 17th. We read with students from CalArts, Otis College, UC Riverside, and USC. It was an amazing night in the beautiful Mark Taper Auditorium at the Central Library in downtown L.A, and it was an evening I won't soon forget.


There is a podcast from the reading, which you can listen to here. If you don't have time to listen to the whole program (which I recommend), but are curious about what I read, you can fast forward to the 16:00 minute mark. I read from the first six pages of the novel I'm working on.

I'd like to thank Louise Steinman for having us at the ALOUD series. And special thanks to Michelle Latiolais, Ron Carlson, my friends in the UC-Irvine MFA Program, and The Library Foundation of Los Angeles!

Okay, thanks for listening!

Focused on the Novel

I'm nearing the end of year three of three in the MFA Programs In Writing at UC Irvine. Late last summer I finished my first full-length short story collection, Talking Past The Close. Right now it is just a document sitting in the Dropbox cloud. I've been lucky to place stories in some great places (Tin House, FiveChapters, and others). I've been working on my first novel since the end of summer (a dark comedy influenced by The Sisters Brothers and Fargo, among others, which will be my thesis project here at Irvine). I'm about 60,000 words into it and I think a complete first draft is in sight. Writing is rewriting. I know as soon as I write THE END on the novel that is when the real work will begin. I'm looking forward to that. Until then!

A Couple of Book Reviews

I reviewed Daniel Alarcón's stunning new novel, At Night We Walk in Circles, for the Washington Independent Review of Books. You can read my review here. Alarcón has crafted a literary noir, a page-turner with plenty of suspense. But the novel is more than an atmospheric mystery, and you should read on to find out why.

I also reviewed Tomorrowland, a new story collection from Joseph Bates. My review appears in the newest issue of Mid-American Review (34.1). Bates has written an affecting, often hilarious book of stories. You should check it out.

As ever, I'm happy to be a staff reviewer for both of these fine publications!

New Fiction in NOÖ Journal

Mel Bosworth recently guest edited NOÖ Weekly. He was kind enough to ask me to contribute a short story to his issue. I jumped at the chance to send him "Dale Deveraux Comes to QVC," which you can read here. This is one of my favorite stories. I'm very happy Mel gave it a home in NOÖ Journal.

You should know Mel put together a killer issue. It boasts work from Ryan Ridge, Ashley Farmer, Ravi Mangla and Sara Lippmann. I'm honored to be in this issue with these great writers.

You can read the entire issue here. Believe me, it is well worth your time. As always, thanks for reading! And thanks again Mel, you're awesome!

New Fiction in Tin House

Tin House published my short story "And Finally the Tragedy." You can read it here. I wrote it after reading Donald Barthelme's "The School," a piece of fiction I've always loved. The title of my story (and its first line) comes directly from a line toward the end of "The School." It was one of those moments as a writer when I had to stop reading and start writing, something that happens for me when I read Denis Johnson, Cormac McCarthy, George Saunders, Thomas Berger, and Barry Hannah. 

I'm ever grateful to editor Masie Cochran for publishing my story as part of Tin House's Flash Friday fiction series. They've published a lot of great stories in this series, including personal favorites from Diane Williams, Steve Almond, Seth Fried, Mary Miller, Blake Butler, Lincoln Michel, Jaimie Quatro, James Yeh, Ryan Hume, Adam Peterson, and a collaborative effort from Ryan Ridge and Mel Bosworth, among many others. I'm happy to be included in this great company. As always, thanks for reading my work!

Surreal South '13

My story "The Boxer and the Bear" is anthologized in Surreal South '13 this year, and I'm so thrilled to have my fiction appear next to stories by David James Poissant, Ron Rash, and others. I'd especially like to thank series editor Josh Woods for selecting my story for publication.

Past contributors include Joyce Carol Oats, Robert Olen Butler, Benjamin Percy, and Daniel Woodrell. If you like surreal southern writing, you'll really love this anthology. To purchase a copy, just click here. Thanks for reading!

Fall is for Forthcoming Fiction

As I pound away on my comedic novel (think the Coen brother's movie Fargo meets Patrick deWitt's novel The Sisters Brothers), which will be my MFA thesis at UC-Irvine, I'm happy to report I have some new short fiction forthcoming in some pretty cool places in the next few months:

"And Finally the Tragedy" in Tin House this October.

"The Boxer and The Bear" anthologized in Surreal South '13 this October.

"Dale Deveraux Comes to QVC" in NOÖ Journal this October.

I'm eager to share these stories with you! I'll let you know when they're published. More soon (hopefully)!

The New Short Fiction Series in L.A. on 9/8

I'd like to invite you to a live performance of my stories (by actors!) on Sunday, September 8th at 7pm at the Federal Bar in North Hollywood.

The New Short Fiction Series is L.A.’s longest running spoken word series now in its 17th year. Sally Shore directs the series and pairs an actor (from current shows like Mad Men, Dexter, Glee, and your favorite Soaps) with a story and they do a dramatic interpretation/reading of it. They're presenting four of my stories.

Writers who have participated in The New Short Fiction Series in the past include Aimee Bender, Ray Bradbury, Dana Johnson, Tatjana Soli, John Fante, and Tod Goldberg, among others, and I'm honored to be among them.

The Federal Bar, located at 5303 Lankershim Boulevard in North Hollywood (at Chandler), is a great venue and the events are lively and fun. Tickets are $10 in advance (via this link) or $15 at the door. Please let me know if you think you can make it, because I'd love to see you there!

Update: Sally was a guest on L.A.'s 90.7 FM Arts in Review program at 7:00pm on 8/30. She talked about the upcoming New Short Fiction Series season and even spent a few minutes kindly talking about my fiction and promoting the show on September 8th (beginning around the 7:50 mark), which you can listen to here.

Forthcoming Book Reviews

I'm excited to be a staff writer for The Washington Independent Review of Books. I recently read Hanya Yanagihara’s debut novel, The People in the Trees, and wrote about it here.

I'm currently reading Daniel Alarcon's forthcoming novel, At Night We Walk in Circles (set for publication October 31st), and will have a piece in The Washington Independent Review of Books in late October.

And I'll have a review of Tomorrowland, a new story collection from Joseph Bates, printed in the next issue of Mid-American Review (34.1), also set for publication later this fall.

Families Among Us - Black Lawrence Press - 2014

My chapbook of short tales, Families Among Us, will be published by Black Lawrence Press in September 2014. I couldn't be more excited about this. Out of close to 500 entries, Families Among Us was named winner of the spring 2013 Black River Chapbook Competition.

Here is what Kit Frick, the Black Lawrence chapbook editor, had to say about my collection:

"Surreal, beautiful, unnerving, and all-round awesome. The sentence-level cadence you set in the title story really reeled me in and builds so beautifully toward the conclusion, and the mix of strangeness and emotional rawness present in the families throughout the stories is so right on." 

I'm so happy to be part of the Black Lawrence family now, and to work with their editors and book designers. Black Lawrence Press, an imprint of Dzanc Books, is a beautiful New York-based house publishing some of the finest contemporary American and European poetry and fiction.

I can't wait to share this short book with y'all a year from now. Families Among Us will be a handsomely designed, perfect-bound book, distributed through Consortium, a national distributor, as well as on Amazon and the Black Lawrence Press website. I'll have more information to share soon. As always, thanks for reading!

Skylight Books Podcast

As part of the MFA program at UC-Irvine I got to read at Skylight Books in Los Angeles this May. They recorded a podcast of the reading (as they do for all of their reading events), which you can listen to here. It is the episode labeled UC Irvine MFA Students, released on 6/6/13.

I read my story "Little Man," which was published in Short Fiction (England), along side work by Benjamin Percy, Brad Watson, Michael Martone, storied Irish writer Mike McCormack, and others.


I can't thank Skylight Books enough for letting us read at their store. It was a real thrill. The podcast also features the work of my friends, poets Josh Cornwell and Meagan Cooney, and fiction writer Justin Lee. If you'd like to listen to "Little Man," it starts at the 18:41 mark in the recording, and you can check it out here. Big thanks to Meagan Cooney for her wonderful introduction as well. Thanks for listening!

Book Review in Mid-American Review

I reviewed The Incurables by Mark Brazaitis for the current issue of Mid-American Review. The stories in this linked collection, reminiscent of Sherwood Anderson's masterful Winesburg, Ohio, are fresh, inviting, and comically bizarre. Brazaitis conjures the small town of Sherman, Ohio, a place that comes to life beautifully on the page. The characters here have deep roots, and for most, the city limits act as a boundary that they dare not cross. Never unkind, Brazaitis forces his characters to face down trouble of their own making; he backs them into a corner and makes them fight their way out, often with dire consequences. I can't recommend this book enough.

Thanks again to Mid-American Review editor Michael Czyzniejewski for assigning this book for review; I'm happy to be a regular contributor now. You can get a copy of the new issue of Mid-American Review here and a copy of The Incurables here.

New Fiction in Puerto del Sol 48.2

First: check out the cover of the latest issue of Puerto del Sol, by artist and writer Rachel B. Glaser. It is amazing. I just love it.

I'm thrilled my story "The Boxer" is in this issue (48.2), along with great work from Lee K. Abbott and a host of other fantastic writers.

Thanks again to Lily Hoang, Christopher Rosenbluth, and the rest of the gang at Puerto del Sol for accepting my story for publication.

Chris paid me one of the nicest compliments I've received from an editor: "I loved the story. It reminded me of a Barry Hannah story. A force of nature."

Teased? You can have the issue for just $10, and you can order it right here. Thanks for reading!

The Adroit Journal

My story "A Familiy Among Us" is in the summer issue (#7) of The Adroit Journal, along with great work from Ned Vizzini, Bruce Holland Rogers, BJ Hollars, and many more. Big thanks to editor Peter LaBerge for publishing this story. I'm so happy to have my fiction included. You can order a copy of this beautiful journal here.

"A Family Among Us" originally appeared online in Dark Sky Magazine, made the 2012 Million Writers Award Notable Stories list, and was adapted for broadcast on NPR stations, which you can listen to here. I'm excited Peter wanted to put this story in print for the first time!

Reading at Skylight Books in L.A. on 5/18

As part of the MFA Reading Series at UC-Irvine I'll be reading at Skylight Books in Los Angeles this Saturday (5/18) at 5pm. The reading will also feature the work of my friends, poets Josh Cornwell and Meagan Cooney, and fiction writer Justin Lee.

Skylight Books is a beautiful independent bookstore in the Los Feliz neighborhood that features readings from established literary luminaries and up-and-comers. It's one of the hubs of the L.A. lit scene, and I'm thrilled to be reading there with my peers. Thanks to Skylight Books for hosting the reading! More information here.

Spring 2013

My time in the MFA fiction program at UC-Irvine, where I also teach creative writing, is flying by. I'm nearing the end of year #2 and have just started work on the novel that will be my thesis project, due next year. I have a completed collection of stories ("Talking Past the Close") and a chapbook of five tales ("Families Among Us") that I'd like to have published in the near future. Bueller, Bueller?

In the meantime, I have a few stories and a book review coming out soon (and one from the archive to share with you):


My story "The Boxer" will appear in the next issue of Puerto del Sol (48.2), which launches in May. I'm so excited to have a story in this amazing journal. Thanks to Lily Hoang, Christopher Rosenbluth, and the rest of the editors at Puerto del Sol for accepting "The Boxer" for publication. Chris, who accepted the story via e-mail, paid me one of the nicest compliments I've received from an editor: "I loved the story. It was probably my favorite of the submissions from the slush pile. It reminded me of a Barry Hannah story. A force of nature." If you'd like to read "The Boxer" you can pre-order a copy of Puerto del Sol (48.2) here.

Peter LaBerge, editor of The Adroit Journal, solicited my story "A Family Among Us" for publication in their summer 2013 issue. "A Family Among Us" originally appeared online in Dark Sky Magazine, made the 2012 Million Writers Award Notable Stories list, and was adapted for broadcast on NPR stations, which you can listen to here. I'm excited Peter wanted to put this story in print for the first time!

My second book review (The Incurables by Mark Brazaitis, a beautiful linked collection) will appear in the forthcoming issue of Mid-American Review (33.2). My review of the excellent Fires of Our Choosing by Eugene Cross appeared in issue 33.1. Thanks again to MAR book reviews editor Michael Czyzniejewski for letting me write for the journal!

More news on the way. Thanks for reading!

New Fiction in Structo 9

My story "The Skylight" appears in issue 9 of Structo, an Oxford-based British literary magazine. I'm really excited about this one. Structo is beautifully produced and if you like writing that tends toward slipstream check 'em out. The issue can be yours for just six pounds! Thanks again to editor Euan Monaghan for accepting "The Skylight" for publication. Get your copy here.

To learn a little more about Structo you can read a rave review of their last issue over at Newpages.

Book Review in Mid-American Review

I've got a book review in the current issue of Mid-American Review. I reviewed Fires of Our Choosing, an excellent debut collection of stories from Eugene Cross, out now from Dzanc Books. I can't recommend Fires of Our Choosing enough. The stories and writing are simply stunning.

Thanks again to Mid-American Review editor Michael Czyzniejewski for assigning this book for review. You can get a copy of the new issue of Mid-American Review here and a copy of Fires of Our Choosing here. Both are well worth the price of admission.

New Fiction in Keyhole 12

You can now order Keyhole 12, which contains my story "Ricky Jensen Goes to Work," along with great fiction from James Brubaker, Adam Moorad, and Simon A. Smith.

I just read the issue in proof format and it is really great. I'm happy to have my work featured next to stories by James, Adam, and Simon. Thanks again to editor Peter Cole for including my work in this issue. Keyhole is an imprint of the great Dzanc Books and at only $7.99, this issue is a total steal.

It'll ship on 12/12/12. Get your copy here.

"Dirty Birds" in Monkeybicycle

Thanks to editor J. Bradley and the guys at Monkeybicycle. They published my story "Dirty Birds" today, which you can read here.

Fall 2012

I'm in my second year of graduate school at UC-Irvine. Last year was a blur. Made great friends and snagged some readers for life. I'm also teaching creative writing this year, the excitement of which cannot be put into words.

I love the fall. Lots of good things happening, most importantly the arrival of our daughter in December. Can't wait to watch Danielle be a mom; she was visiting faculty at Knox College earlier this fall making a bit of public art with her students, and getting a little creative help from her assistant in the womb. Check out Danielle's project here.

And one day soon I'll start writing things my little girl can read, but for now, this:

"The Lanes" was recently published at Juked. You can read the story here. Many thanks to editor J.W. Wang for taking this story.

My story "The Best Man" appears in Issue 12 of The Los Angeles Review. This issue happens to be dedicated to Ron Calrson, the co-director of the MFA fiction program here at UCI. I'm beyond excited Stefanie Freele loved my story enough to put it in print. You can order the issue by clicking here.

My story "Ricky Jensen Goes to Work" will be published in Issue 12 of Keyhole Magazine, which you can pre-order here. Happy Peter Cole finally took a chance on a story of mine.

And later this fall I'll have my first book review appear in the pages of Mid-American Review. Thanks to departing editor Michael Czyzniejewski. 

Thanks for reading!

storySouth Million Writers Award

Thanks to Dark Sky Magazine Editor Gabe Durham for letting me know my story "A Family Among Us" was included in the 2012 Million Writers Award Notable Stories, which are the collected best online short stories published during 2011.

I'm very happy to be included on this list. I can't thank Dark Sky Magazine enough for publishing this story in the first place! You can read "A Family Among Us" here, or listen to it adapted for broadcast on NPR here.

New Fiction in Her Royal Majesty

Along with fiction from Alice Munro and poetry from Pulitzer-winner Carl Dennis, my short story "Tunneling" will appear in the Paris-based literary and arts journal Her Royal Majesty, Issue 12; this issue has already gotten great endorsements from the Paris Review and Tin House. You can order the "Exotic" themed issue by clicking here. Copies of this issue will go fast, so get one before they're gone (you can buy online, or in bookstores in Paris, Berlin, Santorini, Toronto, New York, Montreal, and Halifax).

I want to thank founder/editor Harriet Alida Lye for publishing my work; she is an amazing editor who took such great care with my writing. I am thrilled to be part of this issue, which also contains visual art by Matthew Rose, Sydney Smith, and Melchior Tersen; poetry by Giller-winner Anne Simpson, and fiction from Aaron Akira and Amanda Dennis, plus so much more. You can also buy a digital copy of the issue for your e-reader.

"Tunneling" is a new story in a series of surreal, Kafka-inspired stories I am writing. You can find other pieces from this series published online: "A Family Among Us" in Dark Sky Magazine, and "Up and Away" in PANK. Thanks for reading!

5/2/2012: Cool to see this story receive a kind review in a foreign language, and compared to Joyce Carol Oates, no less:  

Le texte qui a ma préférence est une nouvelle, “Tunnelling”, écrite par Blake Kimzey, dans laquelle l’auteur, en très peu de pages, et dans la suite de ce qu’a pu faire quelqu’un comme Joyce Carol Oates, parvient à créer une ambiance étrange autour de l’histoire d’un nouveau-né un peu spécial – la nouvelle se fonde sur l’alliance de ces deux choses attirance/répulsion, deux choses qu’elle exploite sous le point de vue du regard : ce qui est exotique, c’est désormais cet être, cet individu qui vient de naître et qui n’évolue pas comme on l’attendait.

You can read the full review, in French, here. 

5/10/2012: The Paris Review devotes a great post to this issue of Her Royal Majesty; you can check it out here.

5/22/2012: You can also read about this issue of Her Royal Majesty over at Tin House.

"A Family Among Us" Recorded for Broadcast

Last month Brian Bahouth, the radio producer for My Audio Universe, sent me an e-mail asking if he could produce my story "A Family Among Us" for broadcast on California Public Radio and NPR affiliates. Brian said he read my story in Dark Sky Magazine and loved it. I of course said yes, please adapt it for broadcast!

I'm really excited about this. You can listen to the audio production of "A Family Among Us" here. It is over 8 minutes long, and I think it sounds great. It's my first adaptation, and I can't thank Brian and Jill Marlene (who reads the story) enough for bringing this story to life.

Additionally, the spring broadcast of MAU (an hour long literary magazine produced for radio) also includes stories by Andrea Kneeland, Wayne Conti, Majnun Ben-David, and Michael Pacheco. Give it a listen! You can listen to the entire hour-long broadcast here, and I'm thrilled to be a part of it!

Thanks again to Brian Bahouth of MAU, and also to Gabe Durham and the fine folks at Dark Sky Magazine for originally publishing "A Family Among Us," which they nominated this year for a 2012 storySouth Million Writers Award. 

Three Exciting Bits of Writing News

I'm very happy to announce that Rust Belt Bindery has produced a limited edition, illustrated chapbook of my short story "Up and Away." It is accompanied by three original paintings by Danielle Huey Kimzey, all inspired by the story. It will be a first edition of 75 and is being hand bound at Rust Belt. What some people are saying about "Up and Away":

"This is really fresh and interesting and quite moving." -Roxane Gay, author of Ayiti

"Wonderful." -PANK

"Up and Away" even got some love from Dark Sky Magazine and the French literary/arts magazine Her Royal Majesty! As of 2/4/2012, after just five days, it is SOLD OUT! Thank you to everyone who supported this project! I can't thank you enough! If you didn't get one, and would like one, e-mail rustbeltbindery@gmail.com; they are considering a second edition if their is enough interest.


I'm also one of six finalists in the Unstuck Magazine fiction launch contest. Nam Le, Fiction Editor at the Harvard Review and author of The Boat, will choose the winner at the end of February. In the meantime, Unstuck will feature my story on their website in the coming weeks. I'm really excited about this. Winning would mean money and publication in the next print issue of Unstuck, which featured Aimee Bender, J. Robert Lennon, Amelia Gray, Lindsay Hunter and Kiki Petrosino, among others, in their last issue. Update 3/6/12: I came in second place, which means I win a bunch of awesome books written by Amelia Gray, Lindsay Hunter, Marisa Matarazzo, Helen Phillips, Rachel Swirsky, Leslie What, Rachel B. Glaser, as well as Matthew Derby's chapbook! Big thanks to Matt Williamson and the rest of the gang at Unstuck!

My story "Ricky Jensen Goes to Work" will be featured in the next issue of Keyhole Magazine, due out next month. Big thanks to Peter Cole for selecting this story for publication. I've been trying to get into Keyhole for the last few years and finally cracked the code with this story. I think you're going to like it. I'll post a link when the next issue of Keyhole is available to order.