Bubbling Brew

I'm crossing a sort of a no-man's land in the old writing department these days while late spring buzzes around me and a new test scoring promises to swallow June up like a mad, temperature-controlled ogre, but plenty of my compadres have achievements and projects bubbling up to the surface, and when your friends are making good that gives you a whole other high.

Today, my brilliant girlfriend Melissa Kelley passed her oral prelim exam, which means she's officially a PhD candidate in U of MN History program. Also, my old pal Mike Mensink (aka Miguel "Tiny" Sanchez) has (pretty much) wrapped up his PhD at the U of MN in Educational Psychology. Thirdly, my cousin Steve Norman has achieved some kind of master's degree in communication I only vaguely understand, also from the U of MN. Kudos, brainiacs! Somehow I have put up with all your grad school craziness this far!

Also, budding film maker Eve Daniels has started working on a film project that examines niche business in the Twin Cities. Visit MN Niche's Facebook page here.

Author Aaron Wilson has a new story out in eFiction Magazine called "Lily Pad".

My former Hamline prof and all-around awesome writer Sheila O'Connor has a new YA novel out called Sparrow Road. I'll be posting a review of later this month, but as far as I can tell she needs another glowing review like America needs Donald Trump to be president.

Last but not least, my old buddy Geoff Herbach has a new YA novel coming out himself called Stupid Fast. It's guaranteed to be a hilarious emotional roller coaster of teen angst and adventure.

Goddamn, you people make me proud sometimes.


The grad student, seen in his natural habitat. They like to come out at "happy hour" to drink beer and eat gravel from the road-it helps them digest all that book learning.