Early ’80s, Dearborn, MI.

September 23: sister Caitlin’s birthday. It’s fair to say it creeps up slowly each year, the winds a little cooler than the week before, sometimes an early morning fog and brittle grasses that are warm again by noon. One year—I can’t remember which—I gave her this frame, having snatched the enclosed picture from an old photo album. For thirteen years now, it has perched on my desks and dressers, the thing I’d be sure to grab in the event of a fire.

Strange that it was only last year that I realized John Coltrane—whose records account for a good 15% of my non-collector’s collection—shared the same birthday as Caitlin. Having no finite ideas about things astrological, it’s nevertheless a nice coincidence to ponder, in this case. As much as any writer or thinker, he’s my hero in the realm of art; yet he spoke so few words. He didn’t need to, of course. I suppose Caitlin didn’t need to, either. It’s not language I think of when remembering her, but an essence that’s always changing and full of wide-open feelings I’ve only begun to understand.

Honor to lives lived, the good ones.
SMH

Honored to be featured in the latest issue of Rain Taxi, one of the true literary reviews; doubly honored to that Jaimy Gordon was my interviewer. I had the good fortune of meeting Jaimy about twelve years ago during hazy phase when she, nevertheless, gave me some much-needed encouragement. Half a decade later, the publishing industry nearly overlooked her aesthetic marvel Lord of Misrule, but the National Book Award committee was smart enough to alert the world to her continuing brilliance. I’m grateful to call her a friend and mentor.

You can patronize the good business of Rain Taxi http://www.raintaxi.com/rain-taxi-review/print-edition/

Some fall book events forthcoming… thanks so much for stopping by.

SMH