Craig Clevenger
@craigclevenger.bsky.social
Writer. Library staffer. I do all my own stunts. "The Contortionist's Handbook" forthcoming 01/14/25 from Datura Books. "Mother Howl" already forthcame in 2023, also from Datura.
A long round-trip to Los Angeles, but worth it. Got to shake hands with @danchaon.bsky.social at Book Soup.
November 11, 2025 at 7:25 AM
A long round-trip to Los Angeles, but worth it. Got to shake hands with @danchaon.bsky.social at Book Soup.
Couldn't make it to the launch in Los Angeles earlier, but the latest from Mark Z. Danielewski's in my hands, so I'm turning off my phone for a few days. #Tom'sCrossing
October 29, 2025 at 2:55 AM
Couldn't make it to the launch in Los Angeles earlier, but the latest from Mark Z. Danielewski's in my hands, so I'm turning off my phone for a few days. #Tom'sCrossing
Mini-brainstorm on my work breaks over the weekend; I wrote a book group guide to a non-existent novel.
open.substack.com/pub/craigcle...
open.substack.com/pub/craigcle...
October 21, 2025 at 4:56 AM
Mini-brainstorm on my work breaks over the weekend; I wrote a book group guide to a non-existent novel.
open.substack.com/pub/craigcle...
open.substack.com/pub/craigcle...
One more shout-out before this weekend... hoping for a solid enough turnout that the library lets me run with this program.
October 15, 2025 at 1:34 AM
One more shout-out before this weekend... hoping for a solid enough turnout that the library lets me run with this program.
This book. Goddamn. Seventy-five pages in and it's already on a (very) short list of 'do not read right before I go to sleep' books. Get this one, stat. @danielkraus.com
October 6, 2025 at 8:59 PM
This book. Goddamn. Seventy-five pages in and it's already on a (very) short list of 'do not read right before I go to sleep' books. Get this one, stat. @danielkraus.com
It's October, so it's officially The Most Wonderful Time of the Year (not that other holiday), so I'm kickin' off a new thing at the library. Come on down and let's hash it out over @sgj.bsky.social and #TheBuffaloHunterHunter.
Saturday, October 18th, 1-2pm, Goleta Valley Community Center.
Saturday, October 18th, 1-2pm, Goleta Valley Community Center.
October 2, 2025 at 4:20 AM
It's October, so it's officially The Most Wonderful Time of the Year (not that other holiday), so I'm kickin' off a new thing at the library. Come on down and let's hash it out over @sgj.bsky.social and #TheBuffaloHunterHunter.
Saturday, October 18th, 1-2pm, Goleta Valley Community Center.
Saturday, October 18th, 1-2pm, Goleta Valley Community Center.
Turns out the cafés in New Orleans frown on it when you motorboat their pastries in public. But you get it, right? #Bouchercon2025
September 4, 2025 at 4:25 PM
Turns out the cafés in New Orleans frown on it when you motorboat their pastries in public. But you get it, right? #Bouchercon2025
Security gave me this li'l scarlet letter to carry through airport screening. Sorta like a coupon for a free pat-down and a side-eye. And the extra time in line meant I got to hear my name over the airport PA for the boarding gate. Not quite the win that it sounds like. But I'm in NOLA. #Bouchercon
September 2, 2025 at 10:55 PM
Security gave me this li'l scarlet letter to carry through airport screening. Sorta like a coupon for a free pat-down and a side-eye. And the extra time in line meant I got to hear my name over the airport PA for the boarding gate. Not quite the win that it sounds like. But I'm in NOLA. #Bouchercon
Hey y'all, I'll be at Bouchercon this coming week. Hit me up.
August 31, 2025 at 3:34 AM
Hey y'all, I'll be at Bouchercon this coming week. Hit me up.
"... rule 34 boils down to no such thing as unthinkable... rule 35 says the writers spin reality... rule 35 says the machines have no idea who they're fucking with..."
Indeed. Machines don't have any ideas.
At all.
But writers do.
'Rule 35' is my new rallying cry.
@will7christopher.bsky.social
Indeed. Machines don't have any ideas.
At all.
But writers do.
'Rule 35' is my new rallying cry.
@will7christopher.bsky.social
July 16, 2025 at 5:22 PM
"... rule 34 boils down to no such thing as unthinkable... rule 35 says the writers spin reality... rule 35 says the machines have no idea who they're fucking with..."
Indeed. Machines don't have any ideas.
At all.
But writers do.
'Rule 35' is my new rallying cry.
@will7christopher.bsky.social
Indeed. Machines don't have any ideas.
At all.
But writers do.
'Rule 35' is my new rallying cry.
@will7christopher.bsky.social
Happy 'Barton Fink' Day. How goes the life of the mind?
June 21, 2025 at 7:44 PM
Happy 'Barton Fink' Day. How goes the life of the mind?
Gonna make some words, over here. Workshop beginning early July. www.burnt-tongue.net
June 10, 2025 at 4:36 PM
Gonna make some words, over here. Workshop beginning early July. www.burnt-tongue.net
This was a fun collaboration with @deadendfollies.bsky.social, a follow-up to his review of #MotherHowl and my previous Substack entry. You can read it all here: craigclevenger.substack.com/p/writer-vs-...
June 6, 2025 at 6:50 PM
This was a fun collaboration with @deadendfollies.bsky.social, a follow-up to his review of #MotherHowl and my previous Substack entry. You can read it all here: craigclevenger.substack.com/p/writer-vs-...
When I think about it, it's the dogs who are walking me...
In the desert/my future home for a few days. Packed my laptop, a bag of books, my manuscript and four extra black t-shirts. Gonna catch up on some reading, make with the words, and see if I can howl back at the coyotes.
In the desert/my future home for a few days. Packed my laptop, a bag of books, my manuscript and four extra black t-shirts. Gonna catch up on some reading, make with the words, and see if I can howl back at the coyotes.
May 9, 2025 at 7:21 AM
When I think about it, it's the dogs who are walking me...
In the desert/my future home for a few days. Packed my laptop, a bag of books, my manuscript and four extra black t-shirts. Gonna catch up on some reading, make with the words, and see if I can howl back at the coyotes.
In the desert/my future home for a few days. Packed my laptop, a bag of books, my manuscript and four extra black t-shirts. Gonna catch up on some reading, make with the words, and see if I can howl back at the coyotes.
My lastest on Substack: open.substack.com/pub/craigcle...
March 27, 2025 at 11:07 PM
My lastest on Substack: open.substack.com/pub/craigcle...
Looks like this year's count is a healthy seven... now we'll see if they all hatch (for scale, they're almost exactly the size of peanut m&ms).
March 27, 2025 at 3:55 PM
Looks like this year's count is a healthy seven... now we'll see if they all hatch (for scale, they're almost exactly the size of peanut m&ms).
She was shifting about to floof a bit during the night... and there's a glimpse of her first three eggs. Life marches on.
March 25, 2025 at 4:08 PM
She was shifting about to floof a bit during the night... and there's a glimpse of her first three eggs. Life marches on.
The eight works in the search results include two other U.S. editions plus the French and Hungarian translations.
March 21, 2025 at 3:05 PM
The eight works in the search results include two other U.S. editions plus the French and Hungarian translations.
A palate cleanser... this soon-to-be-momma bird took up residence in the box outside and her nest is well underway. She's got some of the coolest markings we've seen.
March 7, 2025 at 6:12 PM
A palate cleanser... this soon-to-be-momma bird took up residence in the box outside and her nest is well underway. She's got some of the coolest markings we've seen.
Santa Barbara folks... our celebrated local indie, Chaucer's Books, has signed copies of #TheContortionistsHandbook on their shelves. You know what to do.
February 12, 2025 at 7:45 PM
Santa Barbara folks... our celebrated local indie, Chaucer's Books, has signed copies of #TheContortionistsHandbook on their shelves. You know what to do.
And last week's fist-bump to #TheContortionistsHanbook in the NYT Book Review hit the print version today. Cheers to @ericlarocca.bsky.social and bigtime thanks to @gabino.bsky.social . #crimefiction #noir
February 3, 2025 at 2:39 AM
And last week's fist-bump to #TheContortionistsHanbook in the NYT Book Review hit the print version today. Cheers to @ericlarocca.bsky.social and bigtime thanks to @gabino.bsky.social . #crimefiction #noir
A patron was trying to find a certain Calvin & Hobbes book, but with no luck. Another library staffer and I went through all the usual alternate places it might have been shelved by mistake...
January 29, 2025 at 4:50 AM
A patron was trying to find a certain Calvin & Hobbes book, but with no luck. Another library staffer and I went through all the usual alternate places it might have been shelved by mistake...
One last blast for tomorrow's event (okay, maybe I'll do another during the day...), but I'll be talking with @clairephillips.bsky.social for a virtual event hosted by City Lights tomorrow evening, Monday, January 27th at 7pm PST. Registration link in first comment... hope to see you there.
January 27, 2025 at 2:33 AM
One last blast for tomorrow's event (okay, maybe I'll do another during the day...), but I'll be talking with @clairephillips.bsky.social for a virtual event hosted by City Lights tomorrow evening, Monday, January 27th at 7pm PST. Registration link in first comment... hope to see you there.