Read my latest story, "A Tale of Two Birthdays", at 52|250.

Of course, it could have been much worse, but it’s somewhat troubling to return from a bumpy flight and discover that the turbulence was related to a typhoon, even if it was far enough away that there was no real danger. At any rate, I’ve made it back to dull, dusty Zhengzhou after a week in glittering Shanghai.

Shanghai, however, is like a cheerleader: beautiful but, ultimately, soulless. And it really is gorgeous, especially at night. The view of the Bund from Pudong ranks as my top cityscape, with the reverse not far behind. On the Bund, they light up the buildings colonial powers left behind, while Pudong’s towers clearly show that it was built up within the last decade, though the Oriental Pearl carries a hint of ’50s-style futurism with its pink-by-day orbs. (Pictures will be on Flickr once I’ve had the chance to fuss with the colors.)

I did see some intriguing art in the galleries on Mongashan Lu, but most of the better work was by artists from Beijing or abroad.  Moreover, the objectification of the female form was rampant and, in some cases so extreme that it made me queasy.  Headless, twisted figures seemed almost tame in this regard.

Over the past few days, I’ve received notice of poems selected for inclusion in Existere and Offcourse Literary Journal. The piece accepted by the former is part of my tarot series, which is a good kick to get back into writing those poems on a more regular basis.  I’ve also had a photograph chosen to appear next year in Snow Monkey.

The fourth issue of Crossing Rivers Into Twilight: CRIT Journal is now online at www.critjournal.com/current.html. It features art and writing by Christopher Mulrooney, Jeff Epp, George Jack, Ruth E. Dominguez, Christopher Barnes, and Francis Raven.

I am also now accepting submissions for Issue 5, as well as applications from anyone interested in blogging on themes related to CRIT. Please send them to critjournal@gmail.com