merganser86

Hey.

So I write, still. Points of interest:

Real Pagan Geek, my blog at Pagan Square
Family Traditions, my Patheos column
Killing the Buddha, my first love and home to my best stuff

So, in the months since my last blog entry, a couple of exciting things happened.

First, I was asked to become a Contributing Editor to my favorite website, Killing the Buddha. I also wrote a review of Thor for them, "The Trouble With Loki."

Secondly, I started writing a biweekly column on paganism, specifically second-generation paganism, at Patheos. I had a new column go up...
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I got quoted in USA fucking Today. I'm pretty much floored.

I have a new biweekly column over at Patheos.com, called "Family Traditions." The first installment, After Ice Cream, went up today. Go read it!

And another new story, "Reaching for Da'at," at Caper Literary Journal. Go read it!

Two publications in two days? It's like I'm an actual writer or something.

I have a new story, "Valhal-Mart," up at the best website on the internet, KILLING THE BUDDHA. You should go read it.

So. I struck out at all my attempts to get into a PHD program. For at least a year and a half, I'm out of the academic game and in the (shudder) real world.

This eats at me, largely because I'd gotten really excited about my proposed studies -- new media and religion, and how the everpresence of things like Facebook have changed how people...
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Driving through the blackberry winter snow, I nearly hit some debris on the bridge outside my apartment building. I stopped to move it off to the side of the road and examined it -- three carseats for small children, an overturned shopping cart, and a wrecked piece of particleboard furniture. It left it on the sidewalk, a mystery for other, wiser people to solve.

I am now officially a master of fine arts. I'm still a little stunned, so I'm not sure I have much else to say, except that I've got two stories coming out in the new year and, uh, no job prospects. :-)

THE 31 THINGS I WILL DO WHEN I FINISH MY MFA
(being updated, one a day, from 10/25/10.)

1. I will read Gabriel Garcia-Marquez's Love in the Time of Cholera.
2. I will get a haircut.
3. I will visit Decatur, Illinois, and consider punching Garret Sayles in the yarbles.
4. I will write a book proposal and submit it to Llewellyn.
5. I will...
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Well, been a while since I updated. Uhm. I'll see if I can correct that in the future. For the moment, I'm in my last semester of graduate school, teaching a lot, and sleeping. (Note that none of those including the magic phrase, "finishing my novella." I should get on that.)

Pattern Recognition (This Year's Naked Redhead)

It's not that hard to see the pattern
When I do it every single year
Latch onto a woman standing at the fire
And then give into my fear
I write some sappy fucking letter
And slip it into her bag
I hunt the same prey so often
They ought to fit me with a tag

You're this year's...
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