We Interrupt Our Regularly Scheduled Program to Talk About Publishing A Book in the Age of AI

AI is basically sucking up all human knowledge and throwing it back at us–and charging a price. –David Byrne My novella, Submarine Stories, is up now for pre-order in all the usual places where you can preorder a book or its ebook counterpart. Very exciting stuff. This is my second published work of fiction, andContinue reading “We Interrupt Our Regularly Scheduled Program to Talk About Publishing A Book in the Age of AI”

We Interrupt Our Regularly Scheduled Program to Announce the Publication of Michael Jarmer’s Novella

Available for preorder now, Michael Jarmer’s novella, Submarine Stories, comes out into the world officially on April 3, 2026. As it is an unusual device, rarely employed here on the blog, to write about oneself in the third person, Michael Jarmer has chosen this particular strategy for this announcement. He hopes that you will beContinue reading “We Interrupt Our Regularly Scheduled Program to Announce the Publication of Michael Jarmer’s Novella”

On the Sixth Day of 2024: The Creative Impulse, or What the Hell Am I Doing?

I must say that the sixth day of 2024 has been a rough one. I slept in a little bit longer than I usually do, then, diverging from my usual practice of hitting the cushion before doing anything electronically, other than calling up my meditation timer, I read a text message. Needless to say, myContinue reading “On the Sixth Day of 2024: The Creative Impulse, or What the Hell Am I Doing?”

It’s Been A Long Time . . .

. . .since we rock and rolled. So long, in fact, that my hair color has changed from purple to blue and then to silver. Apologies to anyone who might have missed me. It was April the last time I posted something new. I’m not including July’s essay “Reflections on 37 Years of Marriage” becauseContinue reading “It’s Been A Long Time . . .”

As a Result of Maintaining a Regular Blog…

I have found a book.  It just appeared there. I wasn’t intentionally writing a book. I was just blogging. One day I decided to look closely at a pattern I saw emerging (among many patterns), and there I found a book! I found a book of poems, needing revision, sure, but almost fully formed, a bookContinue reading “As a Result of Maintaining a Regular Blog…”

Combustion Deconstruction: Some Musings on the Fate of a First Novel

I started writing my first novel when I was, perhaps, 28 years old, I finished it coming out of an MFA program when I was 32, revised it when I was 35, began a long, demoralizing, tedious, and ultimately unsuccessful agent search, and then, when I was 40, I put the novel in the proverbialContinue reading “Combustion Deconstruction: Some Musings on the Fate of a First Novel”

Of Being Tired of Writing About Teaching

I think, at least for now, I’ve exhausted my brain and my “pen” regarding teaching, issues of public schooling, educational crisis, education reform. I know I will come back to it. It’s inevitable. But for the time being I feel like anything I have to say now will be a repeat of something I haveContinue reading “Of Being Tired of Writing About Teaching”

The Inaugural Video Blog

Wherein Michael Jarmer introduces himself, his novel, and the purpose of this particular blog medium; wherein Michael Jarmer learns about video recording himself, where to look, for example, where to place the microphone, how everything on the screen is the opposite of where it is in the room; and finally, wherein Michael Jarmer demonstrates rudimentaryContinue reading “The Inaugural Video Blog”

More Reasons Why You Will Love My Novel: Adventures in Self-Publishing and Self-Promotion Part Two

Let’s recap, why don’t we. I do not have a history of being a very capable or enthusiastic self-promoter. I have difficulty asking people, cajoling people, insisting that people come to see my band play a show, for example, or buy our records.  It’s not that I don’t think we’re worthy of their patronage, butContinue reading “More Reasons Why You Will Love My Novel: Adventures in Self-Publishing and Self-Promotion Part Two”

Why You Will Love My Novel: Adventures in Self-Publishing and Self-Promotion

I’m telling the truth.  Yes, I will indeed tell you why you’ll love my novel, Monster Talk, available to the on-line book buying public very shortly, a week or two, perhaps, after the publication of this blog entry, and available immediately, like right this minute, at the iUniverse bookstore. But I want to begin byContinue reading “Why You Will Love My Novel: Adventures in Self-Publishing and Self-Promotion”