54 Comments

I'm so sorry to hear of Tom's passing... for my next read I'll take one of his off my shelf and thank him.

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I only just recently fell head over heels in love with Tom’s work, I’m so sorry to hear of his passing.

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This breaks my heart. I’m so sorry Chuck as I know he meant the world to you.

The world is definitely less bright now. I’m grateful he was surrounded by people who loved him.

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Just read In the City of Shy Hunters, and really connected with I Loved You More. Seemed that Tom wasn't trying to hide himself at all in that one.

Its meaningful because the horizontal ends.

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founding

In the minimalists’ fashion:

Fine writing, Ken.

Final wishes, Tom.

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Thank you.

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She went from hot enough for this asshole to unbelievably orca fat in 60 pounds? Really? Do you not understand how weight works? Is she 3 feet tall? Christ on a fucking sidecar. Do better.

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founding

Yikes.

Unless this is an inside joke between you and the author of the story—

isn't that what this space is all about? Doing better?

If not, how is "doing better" working out for you?

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Yes, this space is for doing better. I suggested how to do better - by understanding how the human body fucking works - in the words before 'Do better.'

Hope that helps your reading comprehension.

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founding

Uh, yeah. Thanks for the comprehension lesson.

What are you working on these days?

Where can we find your work?

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My condolences, Chuck.

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I am very, very sorry for your loss of this man who has meant so much to you. RIP, Mr. S.

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author

Hey Tom,

You knew him as well as anyone. Monica and Suzy are organizing a group reading of his work. Our first public reading had been at "Common Grounds," a coffeehouse on Hawthorne. It's still there so we might shoot for that venue. Will keep you posted.

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founding

I’m so sorry to hear the news about Tom’. Wishing comfort for you and everyone he touched.

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So sorry for your loss

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May Tom be greeted with a long embrace in the afterlife by all those that loved him. We share in his life everytime we read his words or hear his lessons echoed in the voices of each of his students.

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Ahh. When you brought up his writing rules, they felt so immortal, so it was easy to forget they came from a man. Sorry for your loss.

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founding

I'm so sorry to hear about Mr. Spanbauer. Thank you for sharing. Mr. Spanbauer's teachings touched the lives of so many including mine.

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Damn, Chuck. I'm sorry to hear about Tom. I only got to chat with him at any length once. A decade or so ago I was a featured reader at the Burnt Tongue (#14) reading. This is also where I met and became friends with Steve Arndt. Anyway, the reading had two sets. I closed the first set, and Tom closed the second. I was too nervous to chat with anyone until after I read, but after that he and I got to talk a few minutes about narrative and poetry and weaving the two together, which is mostly what I was doing at the time, heavy on the poetry side. I honestly didn't even know who he was then, but I was glad I spent the time because he was both encouraging and blunt (he liked the story parts of my writing better than the more poety parts) which are the voices that have always driven me most. I still have the poster from that reading night with our names on the bill and as I learned more about him, I appreciated it and his passed down wisdom all the more.

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author

Tom always said, "You can be artsy, but keep that part short."

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I am terribly sorry to hear about Tom, Chuck.

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Chuck, I am so sorry that your friend Tom has died. Thank you for your thoughts on my story, and I will be rereading them and digging into your thoughts. But I just wanted to express my condolonces to you first.

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