give them some darkened niche and parchment

~~ from The Netanyahus by Joshua Cohen

 

The Pep Boys

"It took some time, and some considerable cajoling on my part, but thanks to a few generous donors from the greater Philadelphia area (owners of a prominent wig-making factory and three local Jewish men in the automotive industry collectively known as "The Pep Boys"), I was able to offer Ben a one-year fellowship which he accepted."

~~ from The Netanyahus by Joshua Cohen

a little guy wins pulitzer

Publisher Dan Cafaro of Atticus Books gives us all reason to keep hope alive with this note, so I might as well post my two cents, thus jinxing any chance of winning anything at all. And of course, when I'm not in despair over all of my own problems, yours, and even those of the country, the world, and the rest of it, I've already had ridiculous visions of approaching the podium to accept the national book award. Once behind the lectern, I extend both arms high and wave the "Hook 'em Horns" U-Texas pinkies and thumbs as if I were attending a Guns 'n Roses concert as opposed to a prestigious literary event. I proceed to shout out cliches like "Never Surrender!" and "We must keep up the good fight" to a room full of accomplished, nearly dead writers who view the year's category winner with apprehension and are wondering when the lunatic on stage will quit sending shout outs to his peeps back in Philly.

I suppose that deep-immersion dreaming has always been one of my specialties. The most powerful dreams can be the life-changing ones, and perhaps most likely also about events and circumstances far out of reach. And it seems easier to have them when operating on low sleep levels, thus ensuring the mind can quickly escape the day's events. And why should I believe for an instant that anything I write could jinx (or affect) any event at all?

Remember to fight for your long dreams, too.