Coming soon is a book, Asphodel, that I did with artist Matt Hebermehl. Matt did the drawings, and I wrote the words. Two of the drawings from the book were chosen by American Illustration for inclusion in their AI 45 Annual. Congrats to Matt! www.ai-ap.com/slideshow/AI...

Heading to Europe: Venice, Padua, then Croatia: Dubrovnik, Split, Brodarica. Any hot tips appreciated.

More of this. deadline.com/2026/05/dogm...

Got this cool zine from my buddy Allan at The Useful Knowledge Press. Check ‘em out!

Rewatched We’re No Angels for the first time since it came out. Remembered liking it then and really liked it now. Tons of fun and genuinely moving at times. Written by David Mamet and directed by Neal Jordan. youtu.be/I5I2PvGbZRA?si

Pasolini’s first feature, Accattone, is the story of a Roman pimp’s downfall. Great neorealist tragedy. Beautifully shot street-level action with a cast of mostly non-professionals. On Criterion. youtu.be/WbHT2CCqZSY?si

An AI bartender reviews the Italian translation of The Smack! youtube.com/shorts/5ZoC7...

Nice review of the Italian translation of The Smack. www.thrillercafe.it/the-smack-ri...

A sneak peek at the cover and title page of Asphodel, a collaboration between me and artist Matt Hebermehl. I wrote the words and Matt did the drawings. Available soon.

My photo zine Not This Pig on display at a gallery in Switzerland! Get yours at the link in comments.

My fourth photo zine, Sugarlight, is a collection of evocative film stills. One reviewer said of it, “Beautiful work that makes me nostalgic for a past I never had.” Get it by itself or as part of a five-zine boxed set! Etsy link in comments

Over on Insta, the third and final installment of my book list for Hardcore Book Club. Check it out.

Help Hannah out with her dental surgery. She was Judge Judy’s best friend and is a super sweet lady. gofund.me/5fad80013

Over on Insta, Part 2 of my Hardcore Book Club list is up.

Over at Insta, I sent the Hardcore Book Club a list of ten books I dig. Check it out.

Any opportunity to hear William Vollmann speak is worth your time. Give this guy the Nobel already. An easy entry point is Whores for Gloria. If you like that, dive into the Seven Dreams series. Masterworks. My favorite contemporary author. youtu.be/EYL9B-pH4W4?si

Miracle on Main Street, a hard-boiled Christmas flick set in grimy old downtown L.A., was great. The star, Margo (?), is really something. On YouTube.

Not This Pig was my third photo zine and was described as “a treasure” by a satisfied purchaser. Get it by itself, or as part of a five-zine set. Etsy link in comments. The video soundtrack is Philip Levine reading his poem “Animals Are Passing From Our Lives.”

Rovers is an April Kindle Monthly Deal at Amazon. Get it for only $2.99! a.co/d/0fZZ92pL

The Italian edition of The Smack drops today from minimum fax. Thanks to the translator, Raffaella Vitangeli! www.instagram.com/p/DWZDv4GiJ5...

All That Glitter Ain’t Gold is the second photo zine I put out. A collection of eerie tableaux shot during the COVID lockdown. One satisfied customer commented: “I love the feels within -- beautiful little work.” Get it by itself or as part of a five-zine boxed set! Etsy link in comments.

My home is now to be referred to as Villa Gorilla. youtu.be/peqPXM2zq7I?si

This is pretty great. Whitman is best read aloud. fb.watch/FXWasbgyK1/?...

Here’s AI’s completely screwed up info on the Italian edition of The Smack. Right off the bat, the main character’s name is Rowan Petty, not Dixie Swinburne. There is no Dixie Swinburne in the book, or any book I’ve written.

What you need today: Will Oldham covering Pink’s “Trustfall.” youtu.be/8ck3ji3U-W4?si

Hard to Handle, directed by Mervyn Leroy and starring James Cagney was great. The ups and downs of fast-talking Depression-era hustler. This film zips right along and has lots of laughs and a couple of memorable set pieces. On Criterion. youtu.be/VttqFB8g2ck?si

Reading a little book on Lee Lozano, a somewhat forgotten artist from the 60s and 70s. Check her out. Puts me in mind of other neglected female artists who were, thankfully, rediscovered, like Barbara Loden and Lucia Berlin.

Great new Bonnie “Prince” Billy song. He calls it a spiritual cover of The Mekons’ “Horses,” which he’s already actually covered twice. Sally Timms of the Mekons sings on it and appears in the video. youtu.be/LjNghUy1Ykc?si

One Less Thief in Trona is the first photo zine I put out, back in December of 2019. It’s a collection of pinhole photographs taken in Tonopah and Goldfield, Nevada and at Vasquez Rocks in CA. Get it by itself or as part of a five-zine boxed set. Link to my Etsy store in comments.

Had a great time doing Crimes in the Desert in Palm Springs. My fellow authors were great, the crowd (full house) was awesome, and the discussion funny and lively. I even sold some books! Thanks for inviting me, Starlite Pulp.

While Trump was starting WW3 last night, I discovered my new favorite sports bar, Quads in Palm Springs, which only shows clips from musicals on all its TVs. So at least there’s that.

Well, I lost on my horse bet today (thanks for the tip, Breezy), but I’ll get it back at the casino tonight. Meanwhile, the beer is cold, and the pool is warm at our Palm Springs hotel. See you at the Cathedral City Library for Crimes in the Desert at 2pm tomorrow.

Saturday, Saturday, Saturday! You better be there.

Next week I’ll be heading out to the desert to appear at this event in Palm Springs with a few other cool writers. Show up! It’ll be fun!

Great production of Richard III at A Noise Within in Pasadena, directed by Guillermo Cienfuegos, a favorite. Ann Noble is fantastic in the title role. youtu.be/ZuK6BX8o154?si

Progress? www.screendaily.com/news/concour...

You know what would make a great Valentines gift for someone special (or yourself)? One of my photo zines! Or, better yet, a boxed set of all five. Etsy link in comments.

After a productive week working on the new novel, we gorged on dim sum this morning.

A great double bill, two pre-Code gems from Mervyn LeRoy and Criterion: Three on a Match and Big City Blues. Zippy, sassy, and full of Old Weird America charm. Some of the same actors appear in both, including Joan Blondell and Humphrey Bogart. youtu.be/mxIqPCGZrLs?si

Here’s a sneak peek at the cover for the Italian translation of The Smack, coming from Minimum Fax.

I’ll be reading at this Palm Springs shindig on Feb. 28. Stop by and say hi.

Here’s a little thing I did for Barbara DeMarco-Barrett’s Pen on Fire Substack. penonfire.substack.com/p/richard-la...

I recently babbled for a bit on the Writers on Writing podcast. Listen to me talk about how applying Dogme 95-type restrictions to your fiction can force you out of writing ruts. www.writers-on-writing.com/writersonwri...

Copies of my newest photo zine, Bring Cigarettes, available on Etsy. Also new: Boxed sets of my first five zines. Treat yourself or your coolest friend. Link in comments.

Watched the Iranian film The Mirror last, a Safdie Bros. recommendation on Criterion. Great, gentle little movie about a girl lost in Tehran that takes a surprising meta turn about halfway through. The trailer below is in French. All I could find. youtu.be/EY1bRY60oLY?si

Here we go again! This was announced a few years ago but never happened. Fingers crossed now. deadline.com/2026/01/case...

Sending out boxed sets of my photo zines and individual copies of the newest, Bring Cigarettes. Get you some. Etsy link in comments.

If you need a palate cleanser after all the shit we’re being forced to eat this weekend, watch Il Posto. A sweet, humane film about a group of office workers in ‘60s Italy. Fantastic in every way. It’s on Criterion. youtu.be/KcXdC8RB3uc?si

We knew it was coming, but….nooooo!

Treat yourself to a copy of my new photo zine, Bring Cigarettes. Half the tar and nicotine of the leading brands but twice the flavor! Etsy link in comments.