King of the bums — A lot of writers bash Bukowski. It’s almost a sport, a very easy sport. Like kickball. No, Bukowski is not the pinnacle. Yes, Bukowski-worship is annoying. Worship of any author is annoying. But why is it ok to worship someone like Billy Collins or Sharon Olds? “But, but, but those…

A novel — This is the inspiration: This is Bacanora:

Another cab story — I’m not saying it was symbolic but his address was 8704 W. Lazy Street. I slowed my cab in front of his pre-fabricated house. He was standing on the porch in red shorts and a yellow t-shirt, maybe 60 years old, with a big long-haired German Shepherd. …

One morning I was down on the corner of Water and Second looking at the help wanted sign on the Yellow Cab building. It was the beginning of October, overcast. The big open garage was cold. It smelled like oily rags, cigarettes and wet coats. They hired me, because they…

My new novel — In Hermosillo, I get Natalia out of bed and up on her feet with her crutches, and we drive over to Alameda’s house. We try to talk everybody into going to the beach at Kino Bay. It’s an hour drive. But Alameda doesn’t want to go, Adriana doesn’t want to…

My mother has fixed her house up the way she always wanted it, took her 25 years, as long as I’ve been away. Wood floors, furniture that still smells new, kitchen appliances show-room shiny, fussily decorated bedrooms nobody sleeps in, clocks around every corner all ticking in unison, every hair-raising minutia down…

I was the new janitor at Pima Community College in Tucson. I worked during the daytime which was much easier than the night crew. One morning I was in the east wing of the English building. I stopped in front of office CC126. Taped to the door was a newspaper…

When a writer is emotionally uninvolved with his subject matter, I call that “distance”. The stretching of emotional distance de-emphasizes original motivation and emphasizes craft. This is considered by many to be the sign of a master. What the master lacks in emotional intensity he patches up with odds and…

Hi, I’m Mike. It has been 64 days since my last Joe Rogan. I’m standing here before you today, because I know you, I know where you’ve been, and I can say that there is hope. I can see it in your faces: you’re thinking, this guy doesn’t know shit…