Conversations Overheard at Restaurants, No.3

“So here we are. Out.” “Don’t make fun.” “Yes sir…” “Stop.” “…out…” “Stop.” “What?” “You know. That tone. That look.” “I’m simply commenting. I mean, this is what everyone is talking about. The food prepared in picturesque portions, like the photos of meals in Gourmet magazine; the lights craftily placed about the room, as to [...]

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A Series of Brief Questions for Members of the Public

previously unpublished short story Q: How did the invention of plastic change the 20th century? A: In exciting and meaningful ways to be sure. Straws for drinks are one way. Before plastic came along straws were made of wood which sometimes left splinters in the lips. If left untreated, the seceded wood could infect the [...]

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Amnesia Jane

I am usually working on various story ideas, often several at a time. Some start from descriptions of characters, or are simply would-be paragraphs looking for a larger space to exist within. This idea, shown above in illustrated form, started out as a quick outline: A woman wakes up one day to discover she has [...]

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Exiting Eden

  Once upon a time is how the scene begins (don’t they all?) and this is how it unfolds: first we see a sprawling lake, a supine giant, the water of which falls from emerald green to thick, murky browns. This lake has existed here, presumably for a thousand years or more. An old tire, [...]

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The Bunker

I killed him, finally. The nerve to do so had emerged inside me and I promptly took advantage of it: I raised the pistol and squeezed the trigger just like he taught me. Samson smiled mightily, let out a sputtering moan and fell to the ground of the bunker. I was surprised there wasn’t more [...]

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House of 1000 Elvises

What says Christmas more that Elvis? And what says Christmas even more than Elvis? How about a story about 1000 Elvises? Well, there you go…   Horse Elvis was arguing again with Table Lamp Elvis and Sausage Elvis (formerly Pig Elvis) in the dining room the three story dilapidated house on 5th street, the one with [...]

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It’s Halloween at the Catalogue of Curiosities!

That’s right, folks! It’s that time of the year again. When ghouls ghoul, and goblins, er, eh…globin. To get in a spooky mood here’s a story of mine that was published several years back on Word Riot, Father’s Parts. And be sure to check out the website, Countdown To Halloween (which I’m a part of) a meeting [...]

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A Story on Pindeldyboz

Check out my short story, “How Was It During the Inquisition?” now up on Pindeldyboz, the amazing online literary magazine. And while your there, pursue the archives, there’s some wonderful stories that have received a great deal of acclaim over the years.

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Untitled Section From A Longer Piece of Fiction

The following is from one of my many longer stories that never seemed to gain any legs. I always sort of liked this section, so, here it is … Kids on hot asphalt, in the desert noon:      Running back and forth, girls and boys, under a sun that lingers, unforgiving. Heat rises from the ground in waves. Objects undulate [...]

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The Neighborhood Children

  The neighborhood children wander the street in front of our house carrying baseball bats, and cartons of eggs and sometimes large cans of cheap paint from the hardware store three blocks west. They have used each of these items against us, we who live on the block. The cartons of eggs: to spray the [...]

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