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Better Late Than Never (or so my students tell me)

This year’s AWP conference in Denver was outstanding. I had the opportunity to see amazing writers read their work (Gary Snyder, Anne Waldman, Rick Bass, Terry Tempest Williams, Kevin Sampsell and Justin Taylor), competed in an Opium Literary Death Match at Jonesy's EatBar, saw old friends and made new ones.   Also, I received some exciting news from my publisher. Stay tuned for further updates on this. If you’re a young writer trying to decide whether or not AWP is worth it, I have one word of advice. Go!  
Posted:  2010-04-20, 9:40am

AWP 2nd-Ever Literary Death Match - Denver - April 8
http://www.literarydeathmatch.com/upcoming-events/april-8-2010.html
The 4th stop on Opium100's Fundraising Tour, the Literary Death Match's 2nd-ever AWP Edition will feature six scribes representing six literary magazines: Naugatuck Review (represented by the Portland-based poet "M"), failbetter (represented by Brooklyn's Mary Donnelly), Spire Press (represented by Damian Dressick), ACM, Eleven Eleven, and New England Review (represented by Matthew Olzmann). Each reader will have four minutes or less to impress the all-star trio of judges, including author/screenwriter general comedic genius Owen Egerton, Rachel Resnick (author of Love Junkie) and the last to be announced shortly! Hosted by Opium's Todd Zuniga.  When: Thursday, April 8; doors at 7:00, show at 8:05 p.m. (sharp!) Where: Jonesy's EatBar, 400 E. 20th Ave, Denver  Cost: $5 preorder; $5 students; $5 with AWP pass; or $10 at the door. 
Posted:  2010-03-25, 9:50pm

Very pleased to have some new work in the upcoming issue of JMWW. Dave Erlewine has done a great job of rounding up some flash authors whose work I really admire. Glad to be included with them.
Posted:  2010-02-12, 12:57pm

Thanks to everyone who came out to see the reading at KGB!
Posted:  2010-01-25, 8:49pm

Spire Press Reading at KGB Bar, New York - NY Daily News
events.nydailynews.com
Spire Press Reading at KGB Bar in New York - Spire Press New Author Reading January 23rd, 7:00 pm, KGB Bar FICTION Damian Dressick - Fables
Posted:  2010-01-16, 5:29pm

I will be reading from my new book Fables of the Deconstruction at 7 pm on January 23 at the KGB Bar 85 East 4th Street New York City. Thanks Spire Press for setting this up!
Posted:  2010-01-06, 7:52pm

Just got the absolutely awesome news that my story "Accrual" in Gargoyle #55 has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. (I'm so excited, I nearly misspelled Pushcart-and I'm not sure what a Pishcart nom is worth these days.)
Posted:  2009-12-10, 12:26am

Post-Turkey Day Greetings from the Land of Deep-Fried Everything,

I refuse to compromise so we roasted—turkey, that is. Good news on the publishing front. My story “Stripper” appears in the inaugural issue of the British print journal, blue-eyed boy bait. Just got the issue and it looks awesome. Really well done, it also contains work from Blake Butler, Jonathan Taylor and Kristy Bowen. Did I mention it looked great? Also, my essay (my second creative non-fiction piece ever) “I Know You Rider” appears in the current issue of Connotation and can be read here.

I also heard my publisher has hired a comic book artist to do the Fables cover. Can’t wait to see it.
Posted:  2009-11-28, 5:56pm

My story "Ice Water, Here on Earth," which appeared in the September 25, 2008 issue of the Pittsburgh City Paper, is one of the nominees for the 2nd Annual Micro Award.  Here's a link to the official Micro Award website.
Posted:  2009-02-26, 5:17pm

Although conventional political wisdom may dictate one should “never apologize,” most of us way back concluded the vast majority of conventional politicians are major league ass-hats. So, let me say unequivocally—sorry for the long time between blog updates at dd.com.  First, news on the UPWords reading front—had an outstanding and well attended January reading from Cathy Day and John Lawson on a ridiculously snowy day.  Mad props to Cathy for bringing 'em out to hear fiction and poetry.  February has us looking forward to prose from THE Kevin Stewart, the hottest thing to come out of West VA since a trunkfull of untaxed shine crossed the state line in a stolen Pontiac, AND poet Deb Bogen, winner of the XJ Kennedy prize who’s been published in a crazy array of absolutely top shelf journals.  

On the publication front with regard to my own work—got some nice news.  The first of the stories officially designated as “Fables of the Deconstruction,” #475 Jameson on Polish Hill has been accepted for publication in Ravenna Press’ Snow Monkey and will appear there in March.  I also have a story called “In Order to Live” coming out in the next issue of Barry Graham’s Dogzplot. 
Posted:  2009-01-26, 10:36pm

My story "Ice Water, Here on Earth" appears in the current issue of Pittsburgh City Paper.  I'm really happy to have work someplace that I can say the name of and people not living a literary life will have some idea what I'm talking about.

Here's a link.  Hope you enjoy.
Posted:  2008-09-28, 9:23pm

I am very happy to announce that the UPWords Reading Series has been awarded a Greater Pittsburgh Council for the Arts grant for the 2008-2009 year. This will enable us to bring in several important writers from outside the immediate area. We are honored and extremely pleased.
Posted:  2008-09-17, 11:52am

Subject: UPWords Kickoff

The UPWords Reading Series kicks off its Fall 2008 season this Friday, September 12th, at 7:00 pm.

The series takes place at Pittsburgh’s Union Project at 801 Negley Ave (Negley and Stanton) in the Highland Park section of Pittsburgh. There’s free coffee (courtesy of Starbucks) and free snacks sponsored by Whole Foods.

The readers for this event are absolutely amazing.

One of Pittsburgh’s literary treasures, Lewis Nordan’s books include Music of the Swamp, The Sharpshooter Blues, Lightning Song, and Wolf Whistle, winner of the Southern Book Award and an American Library Association Notable Book. His short stories have appeared in the Oxford American, Redbook, The Southern Review and The Greensboro Review. Publishers Weekly calls Nordan "one of the best contemporary writers to portray the South's people." Until he retired in 2005, Nordan was a Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Pittsburgh.

A poet based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, CM Burroughs’s poetry has appeared in journals including Runes, jubilat, PLUCK!, Bat City Review, and Tuesday; An Art Project. She has received commissions from the Studio Museum of Harlem and the Warhol Museum to create poetry in response to art installations. Burroughs is a fellow of The MacDowell Colony and Cave Canem, and a nominee for the 2009 Pushcart Prize. She received her MFA from the University of Pittsburgh, where she currently teaches poetry and creative writing. Visit her online at www.myspace.com/cmburroughs.
Posted:  2008-09-10, 11:57am

I'm really excited that my story, "Jesus in 42" is now live at www.failbetter.com. This is one badass online literary journal with stuff from heavyweights like E.L. Doctorow, Michael Chabon, Junot Diaz, and Antonya Nelson. I'm psyched, pleased and humbled (ok. kidding on the humbled) to have stuff in the same place. Also, "Jesus in 42" is a personal favorite of mine.
Posted:  2008-06-18, 2:44pm

Read about the upcoming UPWords on June 13th on my Calendar page.  Liz Ahl is coming the whole way from New Hampshire to read her kickass poetry with fellow Pitt alum Jeff Oaks.  Prepare yourselves for a hilarious good time!
Posted:  2008-05-29, 3:45pm

I've been selected as this year's fiction fellow for the Ligonier Valley Writers Conference to be held in Ligonier, Pa., on July 26, 2008.  You can read the press release and download the registration form here.
Posted:  2008-05-15, 11:44am

My microfiction (17 words) $4,750, is up live now at Tuesday Shorts.
Posted:  2008-04-28, 1:10pm

Friday's UPWords with Jim Daniels and Jim Harms was unsurprisingly excellent. The "jims" read to a full house at Pittsburgh's Union Project.  If you're not familiar, check out Jim Daniels's new collection Mr. Pleasant and Harms's "After West" which features TWILIGHT AT THE EDGE OF THE EMPIRE.  And a big THANK YOU to the UP's executive director, Maria Pranzo, and the UP team for getting the word out and doing set up.  You guys rock!
Posted:  2008-04-15, 1:08am

Over the weekend of the 5th, I attended the Conversations and Connections Conference at Johns Hopkins University in Washington, DC. The conference was put together by Dave Housley, an editor at Barrelhouse. Mary Gaitskill was the keynote speaker. She was, of course, amazing. The panels were also quite good, especially Short Fiction: Process and Craft with Merrill Feitell (who shares my colossal love of James Baldwin's masterpiece "Sonny's Blues") and Lalita Noronha and Web Markets and Marketing, which featured Thom Didato of Failbetter.com, Lines and Stars Rachel Adams and Reb Livingston, who edits the incredibly coolly-named poetry journal No Tell Motel.
Posted:  2008-04-12, 4:22pm

Last night I saw Brian Turner read from his prize-winning collection Here, Bullet at Pittsburgh’s International Poetry Forum at the Carnegie Music Hall. Turner was presented with the Charity Randall Citation for reading of poetry, and did the man ever deserve it. Turner’s passion, frankness, hard won wisdom and ability to connect with his audience while speaking of his experiences in Iraq (and our responsibility as Americans for what has gone on there) made for one of the strongest readings I’ve seen in recent memory.
Posted:  2008-04-03, 11:13am