30 Comments

Murphy’s law strikes again. He can’t keep getting away with it, the bastard.

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(Stares off into the distance, spits.)

Let me tell ya bout two days I had recently...

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Murphy was an optimist.

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HA! We were talking about Camus and Sartre on Discord earlier. Nice little weird coincidence. Murphy is an optimist, and Sisyphus is happy.

Edit: I would argue that Murphy is a cynical optimist. Plan for the worst, hope for the best.

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Given his occupation as an engineer, I’d hope so.

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It was so much fun to read on Monday! What a great bunch of writers/storytellers. Was happy to be part of a great group in NYC. Looking forward to hearing and seeing the videos! Thanks Randy and Chuck!

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Great time in NYC. I had to stop myself from being a chicken and running out the door because I’ve never read but I did and I’m happy I read. Thanks again Chuck and Randy. I’m looking forward to hearing more stories.

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Well congratulations to everyone that was able to read. It's unfortunate that the Portland crew had some audio difficulties. I can't wait to see the New York Gang's work.

I'm looking into open mics in Seattle. Hugo House and several bars have 5 min time limits so I have been writing some flash fiction. If they pan out I could talk to the bar owners about hosting a Seattle chapter of story night. I will let you know how it goes.

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Mom just got the package. A wonderful vintage puzzle of the US states. And colorful balls too! She says thank you. And I hope you aren't spending too much of your money on them. Also, I've been saving all the brown UPS boxes. Those are MY gifts lol

(takes a moment of silence for all stories lost during the Broken Mic tragedy)

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Hey Chuck, my upcoming dissertation is on unreliable post-modern narrators and I was wondering if there were any books -- both fiction and non-fiction -- that you think would be good to check out. Thanks!

P.S. Does the remix edition of ‘Invisble Monsters’ add in any major way to the unreliability of the text? To my shame, it’s the only book of yours I don’t own/have read. Please don’t excommunicate me for this sin.

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Expand your definition of "unreliable" to "dishonest" and the books practically fall in your lap.

We can rely on Humbert Humbert to lie to us. All of Wuthering Heights is hearsay, sometimes twice removed.

The Harvest, by Amy Hempel.

There are a few chapters in the Woman Warrior by Maxine Hong Kingston heavily colored by distortion, and dishonesty both.

Life of Pi is pretty obvious.

Be cool, stay in school.

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Now I just wanna have my dissertation be a one line response -- “Humans are not to be trusted.”

Footnote: Me.

Bibliography: Me

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It doesn't delve into unreliability, but it experiments with how a story can be beyond fully "knowable." By hop-scotching through the book, the reader will glimpse scenes that the through-line narrative will never pass through. This creates the sense that the story still holds secrets. Like loving a person, but never fully knowing who they were. It's my shot at reinventing D.H. Lawrence's "The Odour of Chrysanthemums."

https://fullreads.com/literature/odour-of-chrysanthemums/

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Thank you!

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The best laid plan is a plan to lay.

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What an incredible time it was!! Thank you again writers for giving us your heart!! And thank you Chuck and Chelsea for having me!! I’ll never forget!

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When Brad told me the recordings were botched, he said that he felt particularly awful about your reading. Your story was so good, and you presented it so well. People actually stood to hear better. You are always welcome back. And thank you for the shirts!

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You’re so welcome! And I hope no one feels bad - the magic we made that day lives on, tech problems can’t touch it.

I’m so grateful for such a wonderful opportunity and warm feedback. I’ll be back for sure!

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Is there any way I could still get a link to the visuals? I will mute the audio and pretend I’m hearing Colton tell me how crushed pine cones splinter and turn into glass, and Greg talking about the “pink flag” (said with a speech impediment) - 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼

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That was Eric.

Good guess though, we get confused all the time.

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But wait - I met you and your dog outside with my dog. You wrote that you were named after the gun. That wasn’t you?

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No pinecones in my piece, that was Eric's fiction. But yes. I'm the gun boy. Pew pew.

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I’m sorry Colton. I won’t say anything else about the piece in public for privacy sake but I did love it.

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Don't sweat it, and thank you very much! Great to hear coming from such a strong reader :)

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Thank you so much!! It was such a great night!

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Hat’s off to the person who draws the short straw and dubs the whole thing with subtitles. Unlucky, I guess.

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I knew I broke the camera! But why oh why not the New York one? Oh well. I'm pretty proud of myself but my heart does go out to those whose recordings were lost.....

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I can still hear Krissy’s #PumpkinSpice foam being created by the pin pricks in her victims body foaming with hydrogen peroxide. I would love just the video so I can remember all of it!! And Tony’s dead foot with the toe ring!!

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Hey, a re-do and a re-write never hurts. We're in it for the long haul.

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What is the process to apply to be in your workshop?

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