My latest short story, “The Fix,” has been published in Fauxmoir. It is, indisputably, among the better sub-600-word tales of eavesdropping in Eritrea in the 1960s.You can read it here. Photo Credit: Tandberg Rullbandspelare Serie 14, by Tubaist via Wikimedia Commons
Author Archives: Pete
Phases and Stages
In the late 1990s I became smitten with a Welsh psychedelic pop band, the Super Furry Animals. I first saw them in Boston, then a couple years later in Seattle, where I’d moved, and then a few times in New York City, where I’d moved again. I’d stand in the crowd and imagine a conversation …
Ain’t No Cure
This summer, man. Strikes and gutters, ups and downs. It was the kind of summer that had me contemplating breaking glass on The Emergency Plan, but then I read this: “… nearly all of the people I served with were unfulfilled in their expectations of the whole affair, myself included.” No kepi for me! *** …
Hiatus
The Mercatus Center very generously gave me a grant to create a curriculum for my obituary project. Now I have to go write it. In solidarity with that intention, I am going to stop writing blog posts. Say. Did you know Henry Heimlich (he of the Maneuver) was an Army doctor behind Japanese lines in …
You Got That, Right?
I was flipping through an art book and saw a trio of photographs that really dismayed me. I could tell right away it was Ai Weiwei. I don’t know much about him, but enough to know he wasn’t playing around with the title: Dropping a Han Dynasty Urn. I’ll listen to whatever explanation, and I’m willing …
I Was Looking for a Job and Then I Found a Job
Not long after graduation, way back when, I was talking to a friend’s dad about my job hunt, and he said, “Looking for a job is a soul destroying experience.” He said it in that way you’d say something serious but intended to be amusing, so I chuckled. I’ve since had ample opportunity to consider …
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Hub of the Cosmos
I saw Nick Cave the other night at the Wang Theatre. He asked the audience if Boston was a worthwhile place to live. He said his son wanted to know, so he’d promised to inquire. He then handily narrowed the crowd’s responses from “best place in the world” to a considerably less inaccurate “best place in …
Bells Chime
It’s been a week since masks became optional at our school, and I want to record my impressions before things go back to normal – right? – and we forget all this. First, it felt improper to walk into school without a mask. The best approximation I can think of would be walking in barefoot. …