Elvis...In the Nonfiction Section

I've posted another essay published a while back (2008) and added some musing about transgender identity. To pique your interest, I dredged up some photos to share. First, here I am in the role I write about... Conrad Birdie!

That's me on the right -- I'm eleven.  You can read the essay by following the "Nonfiction" tab above.

And, just because I found it and thought it made good contrast, here I am on the same stage (the one not playing the upright bass, in case you're in doubt), about three years later.  Now, in which photo am I in drag?

New Nonfiction Section

For the time being at least, I've wrapped up my posting in the research area of this site.  (I feel pretty confident I'll go back there for one last set of reflections... but not yet!).  So, on to the next stage.  I've started a new page about my nonfiction publications.  Most of these essays have to do with transgender identity, and I thought I would blog a bit about either the content of the essay or the process of composition or related aspects of gender identity.

I just posted the first entry -- it is on one of my very first published pieces: "Back of the Band," which appeared in Word Riot.  Check it out!  I've included a link to the piece as well as an alternate version and my musings on the subject of tubas and transgender.

Story Published in New Ohio Review
Just received my hard copy of New Ohio Review #12, which contains my short story, "The Hittite," along with many other wonderful pieces.
Check out their website and order yourself a copy... New Ohio Review

"The Hittite" tells the biblical story of David and Bathsheba, but I set it during the Afghan war.

Final Entry in "Researching Revolutionary"

(for now)

I just added some last thoughts on the research process... waxing more philosophical than practical, I admit, and reflecting a bit on the genre of historical fiction in general.  These topics were on my mind because I recently received some wonderful notes from a historian who had read through the manuscript.  So... once I'm through this stage, perhaps I'll post some more on this part of the process.  It has been enlightening!

Check out Section 6 under the "Researching Revolutionary" tab above.  As always, leave comments and tell me what you think!

Loose Sally Blog Contribution

Another Loose Sally (a blog component of Hunger Mountain, Vermont College of Fine Arts' Literary Journal) is running a fun series called "Write, Sally, Write!" in which responses to common questions and situations writers face are considered.  I contributed my two cents to the initial posting.  No surprise, I suppose, that I am billed as the "practical" advice.  But check out the more humorous ones!  It makes me miss my VCFA classmates!
Write Sally Write Entry

Another Road Trip

I've just entered another section in my "Researching Revolutionary" section (see tab above)... this one on a road trip to Middleborough and Sharon Massachusetts, where Deborah lived before and after the war, respectively. There are photos of some notable sites, so enjoy! Next week I'll post the final installment in this section... but if you have any areas of research that you'd like me to expand on, please leave a comment and let me know.

Road Trip...

Continuing on with my entries on researching Revolutionary, I just added a section on a road trip I took up to spots in New York:  West Point, New Windsor, Newburgh, and other places where Deborah Sampson was stationed or fought.  There are lots of pictures as well as explanations for how these sites influenced my writing and revision.  Check it out via the tab above.  And... for those who aren't sure it's worth the tab click, here's a sample photo to entice you:  a shot of me at New Windsor, standing next to a reconstruction of one the cabins.  Now imagine you're a woman, disguised as a man, living in one of these (along with a dozen other soldiers) for an entire winter in 1782!