A few months ago, Fear No Lit accepted my pitch for an interview series called Fail Better. It explores how writers become better through trial and error, failing and learning how to fail a little bit less, a little bit better, the next time. It has been fun to learn from each writer.
Author: jfigy
I'm a writer, vegetarian, musician, francophile, and student at UIndy. I have a beautiful GF/editor, a big family, two rabbits, and a devil cat.
Last night I superglued my thumb and forefinger together. Not on purpose. I was attempting to repair a ceramic spoon rest that my jackass cat, Herman, jumped from one counter he’s not supposed to be on to another counter, which he’s also not supposed to be on. A miscalculation on his part shot the spoon … Continue reading 16 Things That Didn’t Suck About My 2016
- Ten days before teaching assistant workshop began, my wife and I got on a plane for Beijing. Reading books and workshop materials, and sleeping, occupied me over the thirteen-hour flight. Anxious about teaching, I studied the sheets closely, making notes. In China, we visited the Lama Temple, where visitors lit incense, despite the stifling … Continue reading The 60-foot tall Buddha and my first last day of teaching
I wrote a piece about Brand New’s third album, The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me, for the music site It’s All Dead. Check it out!
I wasn’t into Brand New before it was cool. But I did love the Long Island emo rockers before The Devil And God Are Raging Inside Me landed on November 20, 2006. In fact, I was waiting for it. By that time, I knew what to expect—straightforward mid-aughts rock with pop punk undertones and emo vocals. That, however, is not what the band brought to the table with its third album.
The first track, “Sowing Season (Yeah),” begins quietly—Jesse Lacey’s vocals just a whisper, the solitary guitar a mere hum—before exploding into a mourning waltz. “Time to get the seeds into the cold ground,” the lyrics say. “Takes a while to grow anything before it’s coming to an end, yeah.” Lacey, who was raised in a religious family and attended Christian school, is no doubt referring to the parable of the sower. The sower spreads seeds of faith across his…
View original post 949 more words
The Any Tire Store™ 2-Hour Guarantee© makes us a leader in the industry. That’s right: We will make sure that you enjoy no less than a full 2 hours in our luxurious showroom...
I talked to the good folks at Midwestern Gothic about life in middle America, Kurt Vonnegut, how to know when work is complete enough to send out, and taking showers. They interviewed me along with many other, better writers who contributed creative writing for Issue 22 of the literary journal, which came out in July … Continue reading Midwestern Gothic
The great folks at The Geeky Press have published my essay "Prodigal Remodeler" in their new anthology, Bad Jobs & Bullshit. The collection contains fiction, CNF, and poetry about those less than satisfying jobs that everyone has had to work. And, though I might be a little biased, there's some great stuff. Mine talks about … Continue reading My essay on remodeling
While working to survive the first year of grad school, I scribbled down some notable quotables in class, at events, wherever. Some good ones popped up as recently I flipped through my notes.
Michael Martone by Michael Martone My rating: 4 of 5 stars The narrator Michael Martone is talking on the subject of Michael Martone in the book Michael Martone by writer Michael Martone of Fort Wayne, Indiana, which is, strangely enough, the birthplace of the author Michael Martone. The voice is matter of fact, copying the … Continue reading Review: Michael Martone
(So humans should learn to be awesome owners.) I didn't originally want a rabbit. But Stephanie was adamant. We were going to get the little gray guy her friend was giving away, and we'd figure out the rest later. It wasn't until we picked him up that we learned the dwarf rabbit's name: Frodo. Which absolutely had to … Continue reading Rabbits are awesome as pets.
James Figy 