Tag: writingcommunity

Reading at AWP23 with Unsolicited Press

~ twtierney ~ 1 Comment

I was honored to read with 30 Unsolicited Press authors on the AWP Bookfair Stage in Seattle. What a blast.

We each only had time for one poem or a short passage of fiction, and all the authors left the audience wanting more. Looking forward to doing it again next year!

Here is a brief video of me reading “The Poet’s Garage”, the title poem from my poetry collection.

Cover reveal: The Bridge on Beer River

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Thank you to the design team at Unsolicited Press! My new novel will drop 7/11/23, and it’s beginning to feel almost real.

Here is a brief synopsis of The Bridge on Beer River:

A rust belt city in decline retains the solace of romance, which often proves to be an empty promise or even a curse. With a wry perspective and unflappable determination, Curt embodies all the town’s ills, including his own problems with drinking, work, and relationships, as he tries to save himself and rescue his friends in his own unconventional and unlawful ways. In The Bridge on Beer River, a novel-in-stories set in Reagan-era Binghamton, New York, characters scramble for subsistence while hoping for love and a better life.

I will be posting more information in the coming months, but you can read some of the stories from the novel that have appeared in literary magazines HERE.

Hear my Brief Interview on the “Words to Write by” Podcast

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Thank you to Kim Smuga-Otto and Renee K. Nelson for including me in their podcast! You can find my comments at 5:22, but you might enjoy the entire podcast episode.

https://wordstowritebypodcast.com/podcast/speeding-up-and-slowing-down-your-novel/

I respond to Jack M. Bickham’s concept of sequels from his writing craft book Scene & Structure. Bingham calls sequels the glue that holds scenes together, in that scenes build on the action of previous scenes.

Kim’s provocative questions led me to describe how the structure of my novel Lucky Ride includes scenes that both enforce and violate Bingham’s tenets and assumptions. It was great fun.

I recommend the Words to Write by podcast for any writer who wishes they had time to read seminal writing craft books, including those from John Gardner and Ray Bradbury. Kim and Renee apply insight and wit to boil the books down to their basics, and they take on a different chapter or concept in each episode. Think of it as eating your dessert first.