RIP Umberto Eco, 1932-2016

“The real hero is always a hero by mistake. He dreams of being an honest coward like everybody else.” “I always assume that a good book is more intelligent than its author. It can say things that the writer is not aware of.” “Italy is not an intellectual country. On the subway in Tokyo, everybody…

How to get painlessly published

It’s never been easier to publish your writing; it’s never been harder to make a living from it. I ran a workshop at Western New Mexico University on Feb 18th, 2016 about how to get published. My home town, Silver City, has plenty of budding and talented writers who understand their craft but know little…

How Winter Began – by Joy Castro

                This is a luminous short story collection by the author of the outstanding Island of Bones. This latest work is every bit as dark as that earlier one, which took as its themes violence and oppression both physical and psychological. So here’s the deal: if you want…