My son asks how my satire of The Raven is coming along. It’s stalled, I say, and explain the problem. The first seven stanzas, more than a third of the poem, have nothing to do with the bird. Yet the inspiration to write this satire flaps all around me, every day, unavoidable reminders of their own absurdity: … Continue reading Poe’s Pigeon: “Poop Galore”
satire
Mail Call—Trump-Sized Satire
Oh happy day! New books arrived for review, including one unexpected. Thanks to a tip from writing coach, author, and blogger Marylee MacDonald and literary website Dactyl Review I find myself in possession of not one but TWO books courtesy of author U.R. Bowie. The first looks like a novel of the most ridiculous order for … Continue reading Mail Call—Trump-Sized Satire
Little Green Men
I'm about done reading Little Green Men, Christopher Buckley's satiric romp through an imaginary government bureaucracy established in 1947 to promulgate UFO hysteria in America. MJ-12's mission: keep the Russians off-balance during the Cold War & boost support for Defense spending against unknown threats by means of increasingly intrusive forms of alien-related phenomena. What begins as mere sightings … Continue reading Little Green Men
P-A-T-C-H-W-O-R-K-S
America's next gun massacre is inevitable. Unless one government intern makes a miracle of his odd jobs in Washington, DC. This week.
-A-T-C-H-W-O-R-K-S
America's next gun massacre is inevitable.
Billy Lynn’s Long Thanksgiving Slog
Thanksgiving. The most American day of the year. More American, perhaps, than the Fourth of July. Throw in a hyperbolically American venue---Texas stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys---and you've got Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk (also now in theaters). For the heroes of Bravo squad, barnstorming the U.S. on a brief victory tour to rile up … Continue reading Billy Lynn’s Long Thanksgiving Slog
The Literary Excellence, II
My nominations for The Stephen T. Colbert Award for The Literary Excellence continue. Writers, friends, and fellow bureaucrats looking for the most eloquent way to describe their mood this past week should look no further than Sterling Johnson's masterpiece of contemporary literature: English as a Second F*cking Language. This gem, in the shape of Strunk & White’s classic treatise … Continue reading The Literary Excellence, II
A Wry Ode to Clusterf***ing
Joyless House posted this generous review of Two Pumps for the Body Man. See what else they're reviewing with a click on the image. "...Two Pumps is a page-turner, baby, and it takes some real balls to satirize the great Christian crusade of our times." Two Pumps is set in the Royal Kingdom of Saudi … Continue reading A Wry Ode to Clusterf***ing
The first readers
It's almost twenty years since I first shared my fiction beyond the confines of family or classroom. I found three trusted readers during the months of pre-service training as a Peace Corps Volunteer. What else to do on the dusty plains of Central Malawi beneath the boiling sun, the cloudless sky? I wrote my first novel. I wrote … Continue reading The first readers
Marine Security Guards at 70
The Marine Security Guard program this week celebrated 70 years protecting U.S. diplomatic missions around the world. Happy Fourth of July to the Ambassadors in Blue. Two books covering their service, one non-fiction, the other fiction: Greg Matos’ Shattered Glass—The Story of a Marine Embassy Guard... recounts the December 2004 attack on the U.S. Consulate in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. … Continue reading Marine Security Guards at 70
Ben East Books 