Cabin In Mt Tamalpais
A couple of weeks, friends invited us to spend the night in a cabin in Mt Tamalpais. Can you believe the view off the balcony? We had a great time: lots of hiking, board games, listening to people playing music,…
Poetry Foundation: Bohemian Tragedy
I wrote an essay for the Poetry Foundation on the poet George Sterling and the Carmel artist colony. It’s a crazy story about artistic utopia, California Bohemians, scandals, affairs, and a suicide pact. Jack London, Upton Sinclair, and HL Mencken…
Disneyland, Othello, and Hikes
Here are some things we’ve been doing lately: Disneyland Even though I’ve lived in California all my life, I’ve never been to Disneyland. So we took Gideon down there, and had a great time. They do what they do well.…
Learn to Write from the Movies: Magic Beyond Words: The JK Rowling Story
Check out Learn to Write from the Movies: Magic Beyond Words: The JK Rowling Story. Here’s a sample: Lesson 3: Don’t Bother To Write Until A Creepy Ghost Appears To You In A Dream. Good news. You don’t have to…
2017 Was A Dumb Year, Hello 2018!
While everyone was moaning about 2016, personally it was a great year for me. But 2017 was pretty dumb. Just before Christmas, Kyle’s grandmother Ruth passed away. We just came back from her funeral in Kentucky. For much of the…
I Was Interviewed By CNN
I forgot to post this on here! I wonder what else I’ve forgotten. Back in August, I was Interviewed By CNN about Donald Trump. They wanted my opinion because of my article on Vice about How Reality TV Made Donald…
Learn To Write From The Movies: Genius
It’s the next installment of my Barrelhouse column, Learn To Write From the Movies. This time it’s about the movie Genius. Genius is a 2016 movie about Thomas Wolfe, who wrote Look Homeward, Angel, and his editor, Maxwell Perkins. The…
LA Review Of Books: Ted Hughes’s Play About Marriage
I wrote an article for the LA Review of Books on Tight Wires Between Us: On “Difficulties of a Bridegroom” by Ted Hughes. Excerpt: ON FEBRUARY 9, 1963, two days before the poet Sylvia Plath killed herself, a radio play…
Barrelhouse Column: Learn To Write From The Movies
I have a column! It’s called Learn To Write From The Movies and it’s for Barrelhouse. More information: Welcome to a column where we learn how to become the sexy intellectual rock stars that Hollywood says all writers should be.…
Germany and Austria Trip 2017 Part 4: Hallstatt
Hallstatt is a tiny town in Austria. It sits by a lake and is surrounded by mountains. I’m not kidding when I say it may be the most beautiful place I’ve ever visited. Here’s a picture of the town from…