Environmental Horror Flash Fiction: “The Seahorses”

Seahorse holding a cotton swab

This story originally appeared on Wattpad as an entry to the #PlanetorPlastic writing contest. I went the horror route because why not? Cover illustration by Erica Anderson, digitization by Jesse Lubera. In John’s dreams, seals thrashed, their necks throttled in plastic twine; birds lay on moonlit sand dunes, knickknacks bursting their guts. He’d stand in … Read more…

New Poetry Chapbook: “A Great Siberian Silence”

It’s here!!! Paperback: Amazon Ebook: Amazon Kindle | Nook | Smashwords This is a collection of poems from an especially fruitful poetry season — the year and a half I was living in Siberia. In a sense, this book is a tribute to that time, that place, and all the beautiful souls I met there. … Read more…

Translated Poem: Maria Petrovykh’s “Muse”

Moon - Maria Petrovykh's Muse in Translation

When I asked a professor of Russian at my university for suggestions on lesser-known and less frequently translated Russian poets, she suggested Silver Age poet Maria Petrovykh. Petrovykh was friends with such luminaries as Anna Akhmatova and Osip Mandelstam, and although they appreciated her work, she didn’t publish much or get a whole lot of … Read more…

Painting: “The Blessed Virgin’s Rose”

After a long time away (indeed, almost a decade!), I’ve started painting again this summer at the encouragement of a local artist whom I met at a museum exhibit. Once I’d done a couple of experimental acrylic paintings on canvas board, I decided to try my hand at a little religious art on canvas. For … Read more…