Author Archives: Mandolin

Bunny Chicken

Posted on June 4, 2019 by Mandolin

Bunny Chicken is a character I drew for a role-playing game I was sketching out called Cats and Dogs Living Together. Bunny Chicken is a muscular, black domestic shorthair. He’s five years old, weighs twelve pounds of sheer strength, and … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Straight to the Point: What can we learn about ourselves from the world around us?

Posted on June 2, 2019 by Mandolin

My online speculative poetry class, Verses of Sky & Stars, is coming up on June 9th! The class changes a little each time as the group composition does, but if you want to get a basic idea, I talk about … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in classes, Poetry, Rachel Swirsky's poetry, Verses of Sky & Stars | Comments Off

Haiku Round-up #3

Posted on May 24, 2019 by Mandolin

Time for another round-up of my recent haiku! (Here is an explanation about why I’ve been writing and posting haiku.) A day for walking, but I sit and try to work. My thoughts are so slow. Cats watch the birds … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Silly Interview with Jenna Katerin Moran, who knows what Russian servers to hack

Posted on May 16, 2019 by Mandolin

Here’s me! The outfit is Miranda Harrell’s version of the clothing style for the villains (?) of my RPG, Nobilis: A Game of Sovereign Powers. Here’s my website! https://afarandasunlessland.wordpress.com/ Rachel Swirsky: You have a PhD in computer science. What … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Interviews, Jenna Moran | 1 Comment

Learn the Rules Before You Break Them. Or Don’t.

Posted on May 13, 2019 by Mandolin

I’m teaching my class on how to break the rules on Saturday, May 25th. Rules can put fiction in a box; let’s talk about ways to explode out of it. There’s an old adage: Learn the rules before you break … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in classes, Essays, Writing Advice | 3 Comments

Zippy

Posted on May 7, 2019 by Mandolin

Zippy is a character I drew for a role-playing game I was sketching out called Cats and Dogs Living Together. When she’s full grown, Zippy will fit in a teacup. At three months old, she’s even smaller. She’s noisy, playful, … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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New Anthology!

Posted on May 3, 2019 by Mandolin

There’s a new anthology of mythology-inspired stories and retellings coming out next week! My story about Iphigenia, “A Memory of Wind,” is in there, along with some other great stories. It’s available May 14th, and you can preorder … Continue reading →

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Silly Interview with Deborah Walker and her Expandable Red Goo

Posted on May 2, 2019 by Mandolin

Here’s another updated silly interview! RS: Your website invites me to find you at the British Museum, but that’s a lot of miles from where I am currently sitting, so instead I will ask you about the British Museum. What are … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Patreon Content for April!

Posted on May 2, 2019 by Mandolin

Patreon content went up this week! There’s a poem for all patrons: “To the Person Leaving,” which I wrote for my grandmother’s funeral. For $2 patrons, there’s a chapter from an unfinished novel “Haloes of Limelight.” And for $5 and … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction, Patreon, Poetry | Comments Off

The Words Are Always There — Poetic Tools for Prose Writers

Posted on April 30, 2019 by Mandolin

Poetry is focused on words. So is prose! But the way we talk about words in poetry is different from the way we talk about them in prose. Merging the perspectives of poetry and prose has benefitted me enormously as … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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