“I loved her, you know that.” But the wind was a vacuum, dragging the sincerity away with the leaves in a whisper across his feet and over the hill. Tumbling, rolling, tiny bodies caught in a fateful gust. “Without love people wouldn’t get into messes like these. I’m not the master of my own fate. I’m like…
While there are plenty of creative writing programs offered by universities, and lots of courses available as one-off workshops or even summer-long programs,
In a bizarre attempt to save money, the University of Texas at Austin has decided to shut down the (money-making) informal
It was the last shift I ever worked in that shit-hole. It all fell apart smack dab in the dinner rush when I looked up from the sink and saw a forkful
Rob’s wife conveniently discovered irreconcilable differences after they won the lottery. Then this was what he learned: 20 years of “yours, mine
My aunt is a professional palm-reader, and as such, she has a fairly diverse customer base. Apparently, a real big-time Hollywood producer has my Noni
This week’s first writing contest seems to have a spot of science fiction to its rules and regulations, but as it has recently extended its deadlines,
This week we’ve got a summer writing contest that will keep you cool with free entry, and a nice (but non-monetary) compensation, plus a contest
We recently got the chance to interview Austin writer Amelia Gray, author of AM/PM
As Montreal gears up for the internationally acclaimed literary festival Blue Metropolis, which begins
An easily devoured read, D*U*C*K by cult author Poppy Z. Brite leaves readers wanting more. First things first,
Graham Parke’s novel, No Hope For Gomez!, is an unusual read, and we’d expect nothing less from the 2008 winner of Broken Pencil’s Indie
Please allow me to reintroduce myself My name is sprightly green nub Fatboy McWoothatsaniceline Exiled former patriot broken Brooklynite By way of the
RealDoll image courtesy of Anoush Abrar and Aimée Hoving the Kama Sutra says that there are 64 erotic positions which
Even the Writer’s League of Texas is getting in on SXSW fever! They’ll be holding a Sidewalk Book
You wouldn’t think it would be difficult to write humorously about bad sex, but you’d be wrong. I mean, I expected to read about truly bad,
Not long after moving from New York to Los Angeles, I met a Minor Mogul (MM) in an upscale grocery store, first hearing his voice before actually turning
Even in our moments of most profound intimacy, I have always harbored a deep resentment for Andrew. There are few revelations more painful than the recognition
is it romantic if I say that I love long walks in the rain with wide meandering conversations that take an hour as the water drips from my chin and that
Here lies Trolley-Girl Betty ‘neath a belly of dirt. When Betty was livin’ she sure liked to flirt. But men didn’t move her, she wanted
if poetry’s in a state of emergency and you are the self-appointed medic does this make me the patient suffering from the general malaise? should
It starts with a crash. You wonder what it could have been that made you jump. You look around the apartment; maybe your dog knocked something over. The
Late, late last night a boy shot off on my thigh. We were two gay brothas sandwiched in between the church on Park Avenue and The Blonde Iguana. I couldn’t
Some relationships are built on love and trust. Ours was a house of cards, made with a deck stolen from The Mirage. You can still see the holes punched
yesterday i got so bored, i kept downing glasses of white wine, until i was too drunk to pour and started drinking from the bottle, getting all maudlin
Our Writing Contest of the Week features contests that are: Inexpensive for the broke-ass artist to enter. We look for contests that cost $20 or less and prefer no-fee contests. Offering decent cash-money
Before his name showed up in the tabloids, I knew Jeremy Fry. None of the other waiters noticed him. They cared more about the celebrity bodyguards who came to Club Dredd to unwind and the occasional female
Our Writing Contest of the Week features contests that are: Inexpensive for the broke-ass artist to enter. We look for contests that cost $20 or less and prefer no-fee contests. Offering decent cash-money
Has death got you down? Afraid of leaving loved ones behind? Wondering what the point of it all is? Fear no more; with the new “Life Eternal Version 2.2″ from EBBBCO Ltd you’ll be able to
If I ever take it upon myself to do something insane like spending another 30 grand to get an MFA in Creative Writing, I’d want Lorrie Moore to be my thesis advisor and writing mentor. Ever since
Not much time left on the first of our contests this week, so we’ve decided to include a two-fer to get your writing motors running full-speed. First up, the almighty Glimmer
The first time I saw my father fly was the Christmas of ’75. He was standing on a retractable ladder, hanging lights along our eaves. I was twisting a carrot into a snowman’s face when I heard
We here at Black Heart have a soft spot in our blackened aortas for an old-fashioned revenge story. A truly good one is hard to pull off, without simply sounding like therapy for the writer, but the really
“Negro spirituals are outdated.” Maser was always giving his opinions on American life. This was the main reason he had no friends. It was to the point now where he would hang out at Joe’s Coffee
7 AM: The shrill alarm rings and demands that I rise. My eyes are heavy with denied sleep. My tongue is a matted carpet of cheap booze and vomit, and the film that covers my teeth is thick and greasy.
A waterfall tumbled down over a steep cliff into a circular pool carved out of the ancient rock over millennia of erosion. It was a perfect day, the sun high in the sky, the spray from the waterfall glistening
The thing about his eyes is that they were never the same twice. I’d stared into his so long and so intently, I ought to have learned them, but I hadn’t. I was constantly caught off guard. The way
Read mainly during a stint scoring Hawaii Math at one of the country’s top education testing facilities, Paul Theroux’s Hotel Honolulu provided a nice counterpoint to the terribly misguided
Ma witnessed us fighting at Easter dinner, a small argument over how to cook candied yams, but it wasn’t just a fight to Ma, she must’ve seen a way to exorcise her own ghosts from her relationship
While Peter was working I would go down the stairs and do his wife. I could not help myself. I tried to stop. I locked myself in my room. I even insulted her. I called her terrible names. I tried sleep,
On the couch you sit and read the paper. The paper tells you the news. The news says someone gunned down the family who sat together into the night talking drinking smoking and laughing on the front porch. The
When you work in publishing, you tend to be surrounded by women most of the time. I don’t know what it is, but they seem to make better editors. I have a hunch that it has something to do with how
René was his name. I mean, the name of the boy and the name of the grandfather. René – the boy – had a dream, six months before it happened. He was ten years old and he saw René – the grandfather
SYNOPSIS: Writer Jacob Hastings is uninspired by his latest assignment: a museum full of hideous rocking horses. But his socks are rocked by Normandie Stephens, a mischievous astronomer who can match his
I keep a crowbar by my bed, easily within arm’s reach. I can have it ready at a moment’s notice. I bought it on a whim, almost as a joke. In a book I once read, you see, it was suggested that
I hate reading bestsellers. Maybe this is a stupid prejudice, or maybe it proves what a snob I am, but in general, I’ve found that I’m more often disappointed when I read a book that supposedly
My Dad believes that Jesus is magic. And not in the Sarah Silverman way, either; he really and truly thinks the dude performed miracles, even from beyond the grave. Which is a shame, because if he really
Local literary group Five Things presents their monthly performance this Friday, March 5 at the United States Arts Authority here in Austin. As described
Okay, seriously: What’s up with you Austinites and your wristbands? Apparently Dave Eggers, founder of McSweeney’s
Erotica has always been a favorite genre of mine, perhaps because it has always come easily to me. However, it’s also a genre that easily creates boxes for the writer, which become harder to escape.
That’s it. I’m out of retirement and bringing Black Heart to Austin, despite the Bible-thumpers, the hipster-douchebags, and the just plain uptight. Bend over, Austin. You’ve got a Smut
