The Spaces in Between

The period between March and June has always been, and will probably always be, a dramatic time in my life.  Most of the best (and also worst) news I've received is during this time frame.  For example:

1.  Winning the Sparks Prize

2.  Getting rejected from the JET program (for being too old)

3.  Getting accepted into SC's PhD program in Literature and Creative Writing

4.  Hearing back from all the tenure track jobs you applied to, where they gush about what an insanely large and especially talented pool of candidates there were, which made their job especially difficult

5.  Seeing my short story on Tin House's website

6.  Getting accepted in Notre Dame's MFA program

7.  Visiting Rome, Hong Kong, Macau, Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Tokyo, and London

8. Finding out whether I'm getting (re)hired at UC Irvine after an exhaustive application process

9.  Getting married to LB, something I never thought I'd do and something I never wanted to do until we fell in love

This list could go on.  If we were at a café, this list would go on.  But the point is, shit always goes down this quarter.  Sometimes, it's bad.  Usually though, it's good.  But it's always crazy enlightening (and crazy dramatic too).  So, it's with immense curiosity (and slight trepidation) that I wait to hear the state of the world for me in 2016.  Stay tuned, people.  Shit could get crazy.

 

No Rice for You

You know, i can deal with this. i mean, i'm still kinda shocked and i think it's kinda ridiculous i didn't get a JET assignment. But honestly, tangibly, constructively, what the fuck can I do now, except:

give
keep writing
travel when i can
devote myself to becoming a better fiction writer
publish my novel
love
help people
yadda yadda

I know it doesn't look like it right now since i've gotten nothing but rejections since the year started, but 2007 is gonna be a good year, i just know it. i'm just waiting for the universe to agree with me.

Post-MFA Crisis Really Begins

Well, my rejection list is almost complete. no's from:

the george bennett fiction fellowship
yaddo corporation
and recently, the colgate creative writing fellowship.

This leaves:

the sparks prize
the JET program
emory university fiction fellowship

at this point, any of those would do. but if not, i'll figure something else out. i'm still kinda keen on chicago or osaka though, personally. on verra. . .