
2. I was sort of shocked to find out that Wells Towers's Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned just came out as a full collection recently. I remember reading the title story several years ago, so I'd just assumed the whole book had been published back then. But I guess sometimes that's the life of a short fiction writer--when your first collection hits the shelves, almost every story has already been published in journals and you're probably sick to death of half of them. And now everyone's interested and wants to talk about them.
So I read the book and it's pretty great. Different from what I had remembered. Lots of men making bad decisions and building porch decks with their bare hands. Callouses, tequila, gripping loneliness. Good stuff. He's not bad to look at, either:

3. The downside to the snow is, everyone's car is stuck. Outside my window I can hear wheels squealing against the piles of snow. It sounds like, when you step on a cat's tail. Or more like, if you take a cat and swing it around by the tail. And I can hear a lady hollering helpful instructions to the driver ("I think you should, like, step on the gas? And maybe turn the wheel? The other way?")
The best part about Minneapolis is someone always seems to be walking down the street right when you need a push. And since it's Minnesota, it's usually a big fat person who is jolly and more than willing to heave his shoulder against the back of your car as the tires spin and kick up snow and ice all around him.







