All this talk of new media, and instead I give you a poem.

Investment Advice

I think, given the detrimental state of it all,
that our salvation, as a people and species, lies in the
restorative power of skimmed milk.
We all know that water will fail us—
it is, after all, susceptible to the whims
of braggarts and scallywags, tarred and [...]

My friend Marissa sent me this earlier this week in an email, and as I read the poem, it reminded me of how ephemeral everything really is, which sounds maudlin, but I don’t really mean it that way. Like the way summer slowly turned into fall this weekend, but I hope summer comes back, and [...]

This came out of a free-write in the backseat of a car. Something like that.

“A Simile Like You”
Adriana E. Ramírez

We drive along the highway in Indiana
snow on the ground—sunglassed and pure
like a Tuesday.
And inside my head there’s a swelling;
inside my head, shit’s about to burst.

And there’s crises on the left—
a woman plowed into the pink [...]

What is there to do in houston for entertainment outside the bar scene?
– Tourista

Well, that depends on what you like to do. My friend Rachel goes running with the Kenyan Way for fun and fitness. Pete plays indoor soccer at Kicks. I like the Miller Outdoor Theater. I know that there are Scrabble Clubs, and [...]

Ed Mabrey was in Pittsburgh last night. I sent emails to most everyone I knew, begging them to tell people. I really wanted Ed to have a packed house. Nine of my students showed up. I offered extra credit. Before I know it, Ed is on stage talking about how he’s not erotic, and I [...]

On Monday, George Saunders came to Pitt. I went to a Q&A session after lunch, asked him about what it was like to transition from fiction to nonfiction. He answered that he felt as though he was holding back the punches in nonfiction. The people were real, so it wasn’t so easy to be biting [...]