Life is busy, as usual, here. It’s the end of the semester, so school is actually coasting along from my point of view as a teacher; from my point of view as a student in a low residency MFA program, though, it’s still all uphill. Essays to write, business plans for hypothetical literary ventures. Eventually last of the term essays to grade for my own classes, and fiction portfolios to peruse for grading. And getting ready for my next novel to come out next week. On Tuesday. I can’t believe it’s time already. I’m looking forward to the release party I’ve been planning the past couple of weeks for down at the Oakland Center for the Arts on the 29th. If you’re around, stop by. 7-10 PM. Books, food, wine, sake, art, a reading. It should be a good time. And my favorite local band, The Zou, is holding a debut CD release party two blocks down from the Oakland, at Cedar’s, later that evening, so come over there afterward, and it’ll be an even better good time.
Today my car stalled on the way to work. It was out of gas. I’ve never run out of gas while driving. The worst thing is that as soon as I saw the gauge was on empty, I remembered seeing that two days ago, and somehow I never did anything about it. This, my friends, is surely a sign that I have too many things taking up my brain space, and not everything that needs to get done is getting done. I so look forward to the winter holiday. And New York City, where I’ll be between the 12th and 19th, doing a radio interview on Hour of the Wolf WBAI, and reading at KGB Bar with Alaya Dawn Johnston. So if you’re around the city at that time, tune in, or come to the reading, say hi. I’ll be enjoying not being at work or taking classes. Life will in general feel paced a little more slowly. A good thing.
Oh god, I’m in a Christmas play down at the Oakland too, the weekend before going to New York. Obviously this auto-pilot thing is not working and soon I will have to take control of my life by sequestering myself away from people, and becoming a recluse. I bet recluses feel like they have a lot of time on their hands. I can see the attraction.
Have good T’givings, all.
Christopher Barzak 
Hey Chris! I didn’t know you were in a low-residency MFA. Which one? I have a couple of friends starting two (Stonecoast and Bennington) this winter and have been harboring a fantasy of doing the same sometime in the future. What have your experiences been?
BTW, was at the KGB last night and they announced your upcoming reading… Everyone is really looking forward to it!
Oh and I don’t think you can casually drop that you’re in a frickin’ Christmas play without telling us who you’re playing… 🙂
Hey Robert, I’m doing my low res MFA at Chatham University in Pittsburgh. I’m still in my first semester, and so far, so good. It has a place-based writing track, which was attractive to me. I’m only doing two courses a semester, as I’m also teaching four a semester here at YSU, so I’m sort of overbooked.
V. excited to hear people are looking forward to the KGB reading! I’m looking forward to it, too. Last year was a great crowd.
As for the play, I have been doing it every year for the past three. It’s a local play called How the Drag Queen Stole Christmas, and it’s put on as a fundraiser for a local community theater. Full houses, all around. Youngstown loves drag, apparently. I do not appear in drag, however. I play the younger version of a drag queen, pre-drag years, who has a conjoined twin attached to his head. Yep, it’s that kind of musical theater. Very bawdy. Tons of fun. Next December, you should come out and see it. 😉