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There But For the Grace of Grunts Go I. . .

I enlisted into the Navy right out of high school. I graduated early and everything so I could make it to boot camp. My dad was the one who took me to the recruiter's offices on base. He let me get a feel for each of the branches of the military by letting me ask intermittent questions. There was something about the Marine recruiter's look that put me off. The Army guy was fine, but they only had openings for infantry. The Navy guy, though, made me take notice. Navy was looking to recruit for Intelligence Specialists, and with my ASVAB scores I qualified. My natural pessimism helped prepare me for the awfulness of boot camp in Orlando, Florida during the height of summer. Other recruits seemed bitter because their recruiters lied to them, or let them believe it would be different, which isn't that much different than lying. I made...

April 1, 2019
Military, Science Fiction, Writing
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What I’m Doing to Stop the Insect Apocalypse

After getting home from work the other day, I sat in the car for a moment, waiting for the feelings of deep sadness and rage to subside. The first reports of the widespread extinction of insects had come out that day and it was all a bit too much for me. Out of all the tsunami of shit washing over me every day, this is the news that made me feel like we're doomed. Current estimates say 40% of all insect life is on track to become extinct. Forty Percent. The eco-quake the loss of this amount of insects would have far-reaching implications to continued life on Earth. With ongoing climate change, it's likely that the estimate of 40% will end up being conservative. After letting the mood pass, I started reading up on what could be done. Even if I couldn't change systemic issues (like how prevalent agribusiness is, and how often their...

February 17, 2019
Uncategorized

It’s That Time of Year: My 2018 Eligibility Post

Folks, it's awards season and it's time for me to submit my eligible stories for 2018. I humbly request you read them for consideration for the Nebulas, Hugos, Locus, World Fantasy or the Campbell (I'm in my last year of eligibity). At the very least, I'd love for them to be read and thought about again. Many thanks! My two eligible publications are in the Short Story Category (under 7,500 words): Writing for the End of the World - This appeared in Nature on March 7, 2018 (996 words). This is an origin story for post-apocalyptic fiction interwoven with one of my favorite jokes. Emergency Evaluation for Penny Ante, as Recorded by Cal-Q-Tron of the Benevolent Order of Heroes - This appeared in Galaxy's Edge #32, their May/June 2018 issue (999 words). Penny Macías, sidekick to Major Patriot is up for her her first job evaluation, and it turns out she's not the best fit for the job. Over at...

December 2, 2018
Awards Eligibility, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Writing
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Disintegration Loops

Some days ago, prompted by an online friend, I started listening to William Basinski's "Disintegration Loops". It was overcast, and quiet in the office as the musical phrase repeated, diminishing and distorting with each cycle. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjnAE5go9dI[/embed] I recognized it from the Radiolab episode, "Loops," which I'd listened to years ago, and as was often the case then, it flowed over me, but I didn't try to learn anything more about it. I filed it away as not much more than a curiosity. Until the other day, listening to the music, I decided to look it up online. Basinski recorded the ambient music fragments from old magnetic tapes from the 80's in an effort to salvage them. As Basinski played them, the ferrite on the tapes kept cracking, deteriorating with every loop around the magnetic tape head. The tapes kept tearing themselves apart in an effort to continue playing the music. He completed recording in Brooklyn,...

October 11, 2018
Memoir
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Where I Can Be Found at the Baltimore Book Festival

Now that the schedule is official, I'm able to talk about where I'll be during the Baltimore Book Festival this year. I'll be at the Science Fiction Writers of America (SFWA) pavilion, located in the Inner Harbor area of downtown Baltimore. This year, I'll be participating in a couple of panels, which I'll detail below. Friday, September 28, 4:00 PM Hey, You: Why You Should Be Reading SF/F Even If You Never Have Before Don't consider yourself a genre reader? Let our panel try to convince you why you should be reading SF/F, and some of their favorite entry points and gateway books. With: Sue Hollister Barr, Vera Brook, Christopher Mark Rose, K.M. Szpara, Andrea Tang Saturday, September 29, 1:00 PM Short Fiction: The Beating Heart of SF/F Novels may get all the press, but some writers do their most interesting work at the shorter lengths, where they are free to be more experimental. Find out the...

September 5, 2018
Public Appearance
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