So many of us are staying at home to help limit the spread of COVID-19, and a lot of our to-read book piles are slowly shrinking. Quarantine is very important for flattening the curve, but it's definitely rough on local bookshops, which must remain closed to the public in Minnesota for now. Since libraries are … Continue reading Twin Cities bookstores that can help you get lit even during quarantine
Category: Uncategorized
This week, we lost Henry. He was a rabbit. He was our friend. There has been so much sadness in our little zoo of a house, but also a lot of remembrance. Anyone who's ever loved a "pet" (a term I dislike) for some time knows that they have a unique personality and tendency to … Continue reading 10 things to know about Henry
Bonnie Tyler: “Total Eclipse of the Heart” If I didn’t possess the voice of an angel, I wouldn’t attempt this song; if I didn’t attempt this song, I wouldn’t end up in the dark parking lot leaving another voicemail for my ex, Nigel, that he’ll probably never return. Hinder: “Lips of an Angel” I own … Continue reading What This Karaoke Song Is Really Saying
These thoughts will hopefully help you survive your creative writing education. I’ve tried to be broad enough that it will help no matter if you’re taking one-off classes at the local writing center, crossing off a gen-ed for your chemistry degree, or on the way to completing an MFA.
1: Thought Are roses still discounted the day after Valentine’s Day, if on Valentine’s Day there was a mass shooting? Or are those clipped stems, floating in a vat of water, still full price? After all, it’s a supply-and-demand thing—the way gun sales go up after a mass shooting—and either way, these people stand to … Continue reading 17 Thoughts & Prayers
The front room of my house is called the pawffice. It has a broad desk, a chair, three windows, a guitar, and a varying number of cats, depending on which spot they fancy that day, that hour, that instant. I used to have to share the pawffice. Stephanie and I both started to work from … Continue reading I have been spoiled
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.
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
James Figy 