C. Matthew Smith

Who, pray tell, was Howard?

A photo of Leonard Cohen, who wrote the song, “Chelsea Hotel #2.”

And clenching your fist for the ones like us
Who are oppressed by the figures of beauty,
You fixed yourself, you said, "Well, never mind,
We are ugly but we have the music."

Sci-fi movies would caution against doing that too often.

A coloring book entitled LET’S COLOUR PEDRO PASCAL.

Sure, why not?

His scenes are what make the movie worthwhile.

Leonardo DiCaprio points at the TV.

As a devotee of Tod Goldberg’s story collection THE LOW DESERT, it’s a real treat to be reading his novel GANGSTERLAND for the first time, catching reference after reference to characters from those stories (or vice versa). Basically, this is me the whole time.

come out and play with us #AWP

Anything Keith does is an automatic purchase for me.

It’s up to all of us to boost the newer writers, am I right?

Email from a scam Ian McEwan to his”fellow author,” me.

Guys, it happened!

RIP

US troops were told war on Iran was ‘all part of God’s divine plan’, watchdog alleges Religious freedom group says 200 troops sent complaints of superiors using extremist Christian rhetoric to justify war

Remind me again which is the religious extremist regime?

How I arrived on Bluesky:

They’re both on my ballot. If you haven’t read them, you need to.

Get thee behind me, Satan.

I’d gladly contribute to a defense fund for anyone who runs around knocking these off of people’s heads.

This looks amazing.

In civil litigation, most courts wouldn’t allow this level of attorney interference during a deposition. But this is a clown show anyway, so why not run them ragged? Also, it’s really hard to be this zeroed in for hours on end. Impressive.

When even the people charged with selling the product know its output will be shit.

Congratulations! Those novel sounds and looks amazing.

Cover for the anthology MYOPIC DUPLICITY.

Bouchercon attendees! I’d be remiss if I didn’t remind everyone that this anthology is a banger and eligible for the Anthony Award for best anthology. It features many stories worthy of being nominated for the best short story. I wouldn’t object to my own, “Third-Year Practice,” being among them.

Such a good adaptation. And a great cast.

Preach.

Right, because forced regime change has worked so well historically.

I don’t know, y’all. When the AI company with billions at stake says fully autonomous weapons and mass domestic surveillance are red lines we shouldn’t cross in using their technology, maybe it’s time to listen. That doesn’t feel all that radical to me.

The Writer's Dossier is on the incredible Authors on the Air Global Radio Network. Go to soundcloud.com/authorsontheair to see all the great hosts and their revealing author interviews.

Cover of the Mon Rovîa single “crooked the ground”

“Day breaks sorrow,
And I still feel the edge of this cold knife.
But next to you, I laid softly on this hard ground.
But next to you, I laid softly on this hard ground.”

Mon Rovia is something special, y’all.

“Narrow Margin” starring Gene Hackman and Anne Archer.

Tonight’s viewing. Saw it in a movie theater 35 years ago. I’m not sure it’s aged as well as I’d like, but there are some fantastic moments and not a computer generated image in the whole damn thing.

A children's hospital is renamed for Dolly Parton and hopes to transform pediatric care in Tennessee The East Tennessee Children's Hospital is now known as Dolly Parton Children's Hospital. Hospital officials say the name change, announced Thursday, promises to “transform pediatric care” in the regio...

“Dolly Parton Children’s Hospital did not share how much Parton donated as part of the naming announcement. But its president and CEO said her support would ensure ‘every child who walks through our doors receives the treatment they deserve.’”

We don’t deserve Dolly.

Poster for “Scrubs”

I don’t know if people who missed its original run in the 2000s will appreciate its quirks, but as a devotee of the show from way back, this “Scrubs” reboot is like hanging out with old friends.