I'm pretty excited to finally see this Backrooms movie. The original series of YouTube videos used to creep me out and inspired some scenes in my upcoming horror novel. The unsettling claustrophobia of endless liminal spaces is real nightmare fuel.

I spent the last 6 weeks working on the first draft of a new novel (~65k) and finally slapped "The End" on it. But a heavy revision awaits. Once I get within 10k words of an ending, a fever compulsion takes hold and I start sprinting, so I'm pretty sure I'm going to go back to a scrap heap of typos.

Hokum is a creepy, enjoyable "don't go in there, why is he going in there!" flick that did a good job of shifting expectations and maintaining suspense. I don't know if the bookending device worked but I'm not booking a honeymoon suite anytime soon. Loved the brief Halloween-Eve vibes early on too.

One of the best book barns in upstate NY, Owl Pen Books, has a blog and it's worth checking out! www.owlpenbooks.com/blog

I'm not in a book club, but I think if Victor Wembanyama started one for all his pre-game reads I'd consider it. But if he doesn't call it Wemby's Readers Block or some such silliness I'll be disappointed.

Ten years ago today a Buddhist monk stopped me in Union Square and asked if I'm looking for good health on my journey. Yes. He gave me beads and said he'd pray for me. Then he asked for $20. I gave him three.

A little story I wrote about an arm wrestling match between Hemingway and Mama Fratelli from the Goonies. The world gets heavy. Sometimes you just need to write something silly. www.jameshduncan.com/blog/2023/2/...

I hope everyone is enjoying Independent Bookstore Day! If you're ever looking for a good one, I have you covered... www.jameshduncan.com/the-bookshop...

I've been burning through the first draft of another novel, hitting 1.5k words a night for weeks. This one is an isolated rural crime noir with cult vibes and folk horror undertones. I'm hoping to wrap it up before heading into the woods for a much needed detox from the modern world in late May.

WE'RE BACK www.poundingtherock.com/spurs-game-p...

My most anticipated read this spring. www.npr.org/2026/04/18/n...

My write-up of McNally Jackson, their Rockefeller center location. It's a gorgeous bookstore, but boy is it ever busy. www.jameshduncan.com/the-bookshop...

Throwback to my write-up of Briar & Bramles Books in the heart of the Catskill Mountains. www.jameshduncan.com/the-bookshop...

A prime example of why you can't trust Rotten Tomatoes is that The 'Burbs has a 58% and that's simply unforgivable.

"A Whole Civilization Will Die Tonight" would be a hell of a poetry collection title if the real source wasn't so depressing.

I recently visited the new location for the Book House of Stuyvesant Plaza and it's a beauty. Take a look! www.jameshduncan.com/the-bookshop...

My write-up of Oblong Books in Millerton, NY. One of the many outstanding bookstores in the Hudson Valley. www.jameshduncan.com/the-bookshop...

The Little Red Book Shack is one of the most unique book browsing experiences you'll have in the Hudson Valley. A wonderful shop to visit, especially in spring and summer. www.jameshduncan.com/the-bookshop...

The number of bots and AI slop in the "writing community" tab in Bluesky is wild, although I was never on Twitter so maybe this is expected. Still, yuck.

After 16 years of searching, I finally had a great chat with an agent about a horror novel I wrote and I signed a representation deal over the weekend with Falkin Literary. Lots of work to do yet but the rubber has officially met the road. Let's do this. www.jameshduncan.com/blog/2026/3/...

Poets on Craft is a series of essays by poets about how they approach their craft and writing process from a practical standpoint, and I’m very happy to have my own essay appear alongside one by the incredible Rebecca Schumejda. www.jameshduncan.com/blog/2021/11...

I found $25 and a pair of shorts I haven't worn since last summer and I think I might start stashing money for my future self, because finding a few bills in clothes you haven't worn in seasons is an incredible, incredible feeling.

New poem over at Trampoline! www.jameshduncan.com/blog/2026/3/...

Roadside Press has a new anthology sampler out including some of my poems. They are a fantastic press and I highly recommend checking this out. www.jameshduncan.com/blog/2026/3/...

My poem "Variations of Blue" is now up over at Trampoline, in a mini 3 poet issue. It's a brief poem I wrote during a trip to Iceland a couple years ago. Enjoy! www.trampolinepoetry.com

Sherman's Maine Coast Bookshop is simply one of the best regional chains out there, yet retains that essential indie vibe. www.jameshduncan.com/the-bookshop...

Posting AI art with your poetry on social media only makes me suspicious that you probably didn't write the poem either.

The Oscars are coming up and I've always enjoyed watching those, so here's my own ten picks for Best Picture of the last 12 months or so, in order: One Battle After Another Train Dreams Blue Moon Weapons Sinners The Ballad of Wallis Island Euphus Marty Supreme Hamnet Wake Up Dead Man

A throwback to my write-up of Odyssey Bookstore in Ithaca. I haven't been here since sometime just after the pandemic and it's long overdue for a return! www.jameshduncan.com/the-bookshop...

Our open call has a theme of the American Southwest. Give us plateaus and deserts. Myths and legends. Bustling city streets baked by the sun, full of joy, grief, and stories of the communities of folks who have lived in this vast space for centuries. hobocampreview.blogspot.com/p/submission...

Submissions are now open. Guidelines are at the website: hobocampreview.blogspot.com/p/submission...

Stress reduction

If by AWP you mean All Waffles & Pancakes then hell yeah I'm going to AWP.

My write-up of The Golden Notebook in Woodstock, NY over at The Bookshop Hunter blog www.jameshduncan.com/the-bookshop...

Open submission window coming soon, poetry and fiction, art and photos, with a theme of the American southwest.

My write-up of the beautiful Lake Bound Bookstore in Averill Park/Sand Lake NY is over at The Bookshop Hunter blog www.jameshduncan.com/the-bookshop...

A poem from my 2019 collection Feral Kingdom www.jameshduncan.com/books

Stop using AI to write, or at least stop calling yourself a "writer" terribleminds.com/ramble/2026/...

That Bad Bunny halftime show was FUN

My write-up of Green Hand Bookshop in Portland, Maine is now posted at my blog, The Bookshop Hunter. www.jameshduncan.com/the-bookshop...

A write-up of Urban Aftermath in Albany NY from a few years back. Still going strong! www.jameshduncan.com/the-bookshop...

Not that I think anyone with these qualifications would sign up to do something this stupid, but WOE to the writer who does. The rest of us will eat them alive.

Upcoming open calls at HCR

A short piece of fiction in the form of a poem from my book Nassau

A bookshop interview with writer Gabriel Ricard. I need to start doing more of these again. www.jameshduncan.com/the-bookshop...

Obviously I'd rather people weren't dying and getting kidnapped and that ICE would go away, but if Bovino and Noem are both gone over the response over the last couple days, all I can say is, good work Minnesota.

This is what they've always wanted, the ability to beat up and shoot anyone simply because they don't like them, and receive total immunity from leaders who are laughing all the way to the bank. This is fun for them, the werewolf of the American psyche running wild. It's disgusting and evil.

Bravo www.thenation.com/article/soci...