Storytellersunplugged

I am a sucker for dance shows.  Not  Dancing With The Stars kind of thing – I think I was one of the few people actually not watching that – but competitions featuring trained, talented dancers.   And because you don’t exactly need to catch every word of dialogue, they are excellent to watch from the perspective of a rapidly moving treadmill amid the sound of pounding feet (and gasping). So of course I watched every episode of Step It Up and Dance  and what struck me ... Read More

I think I may have mentioned a time or two that whenever I’m asked whether I prefer being called a writer or an author, my answer is always the same. Neither. I prefer being called a storyteller. The fact that I tell my stories with written words instead of orally really doesn’t make that big a difference in my opinion. If you have a tale to tell, you should tell it wholeheartedly, right? Tug the reader/listener into the story so they’re hanging ... Read More

In college, my roommate Steve and I used to interview bands for the on-campus radio station, and by our senior year, we'd gotten pretty jaded. We'd had milkshakes with Mr. Bungle and sushi with Shonen Knife, and when the Revolting Cocks needed a keg in their dressing room, or Nivek Ogre was freaking out on a layover at LAX, they knew whom to call. But when I finally got a chance to talk to someone from the last band on my list, ... Read More

(ON REMEMBERING WHO AND WHY WE ARE)  By John Skipp   Dear gang -- No homework this time. It’s a holiday weekend, and the odds are fairly good that most of you won’t read this ‘til you drag your super-fine asses back to work on Monday, anyhow.  Not to mention the fact that I just spent the whole day in a swimming pool – with family and friends, no less – and upon returning home, my ambition level at this instant is not nearly as high as ... Read More

by Janet Berliner Last night I took a bath. No big deal, you say? Actually, it’s a huge deal for me. At the end of 2003, they wanted to pull the plug on me. Four years ago, I came home palsied, unable to eat or go to toilet on my own, and unable to walk or write my name. It’s been a long journey from there to getting into that tub unaided: The realisation of a dream. I tore a sheet of paper out of the ... Read More

THE FACTS IN THE CASE OF DOUGHBOY by Mort Castle We writers know that research is absolutely essential if we are to create works of either non-fiction or fiction that do not trigger the reader's built in BS detector. So, let's examine the etymology of the outdated slang term doughboy to see what we might learn about the nature of research and its uses in our work. Before mostly lovable and resoundingly dim Homer acquired the title D'oh Boy, for reasons obvious to anyone who knows ... Read More

(OR: MAKING DEATH AS FIRST-PERSONAL AS IT CAN POSSIBLY GET) by John Skipp Dear class – This is, I hope, the last of my quickees for a while. (Last-minute JAKE revisions; you don’t even wanna know.) But the assignment itself is really cool, and I hope that you have fun! To whit: Many people have a problem with writing first-person narrative: locked in one perspective, sustaining the illusion convincingly without becoming self-indulgent or precious, etcetera. I find it an enormous pleasure, myself, in the same way that I imagine ... Read More

by Wayne Allen Sallee Got laid off from my job last week. Just saying, is all. Three years back, I found myself writing all sorts of things I never did before, so watch out for big things this time. A Robert Mitchum superhero comic! A musical based on Abe Vigoda! MooTube! And whatever else I can think of before the meds wear off. I’m leading towards something here, just bear with me. Remember, I’m the guy ... Read More

By Richard Steinberg This month's essay is dedicated with love and gratitude to Sgt. Bryan J. Tutten, 33, of St. Augustine, Fla., who died Dec. 25 in Balad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his position.  He was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, and also, to: Pfc. Brian L. Gorham, 21, of Woodburn, Ky., who died Dec. 31  of wounds suffered in Afghanistan when his vehicle encountered an improvised ... Read More

My first word was “Boo!” and I’ve loved surprises ever since.  I want to discover things.  Refine that, I want to discover hidden things, things that have meaning.  I want there to be more than five senses can take in.  Five senses are standard issue.  Most critters with fin, skin, fur or feathers have them, often with a superior specialty.  Jack rabbits out-hear me.  Eagles out-see me.  I’m tied with the koala bear.  But word has it that heart, mind and soul ... Read More