Fly Fishing Made Easy in Missouri – Part I

Posted on 12/30/2010 by Jeff May

St. Louis Stream Adventures  About five years ago, I started a side-business called St. Louis Stream Adventures. Since I had over thirty years of teaching and fly-fishing experience, I felt comfortable enough combining two of my three passions into one, offering tours and lessons. The Missouri Ozark “Mountains” with their lush green hills and crystal-clear streams provide often overlooked fly-fishing gems. I had been a teacher and principal for a small school of emotionally troubled … Continue reading →

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The Wells Creek Route – Pushcart Prize Nominee

Posted on 12/26/2010 by Jeff May

The Wells Creek Route was published in 2008 by The Rambler – a magazine of personal expression and nominated for a Pushcart Prize. “It is always hard for us to narrow down the stories and poems in the magazine to nominate, but The Wells Creek Route really stood out for us this year. Thanks again for sharing your work with us.”– Elizabeth Oliver, Managing Editor “This is more than good writing. This is what happens when … Continue reading →

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Are You A Writer?

Posted on 12/22/2010 by Jeff May

When I was “becoming” a writer, merely identifying myself as a “writer” was impossible. Saying “I’m a writer” was almost a sacred utterance. I refused to do it until I got paid for my efforts. I became uncomfortable, embarrassed even, when anyone referred to me as a “writer.” Now it seems everyone is calling themselves a writer. Not only that, everyone is “published” and marketing “the book.” Maybe most of these writers earn a living … Continue reading →

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Blogging Reconsidered

Posted on 12/18/2010 by Jeff May

Perhaps I want to write without the constraint of dignity and given what I’ve seen online, a blog seems to allow that sort of “freedom.” Maybe telling your boss, coworker, acquaintances and friends potentially embarrassing details about your life is more difficult than broadcasting it to the online universe.

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Why This Blog?

Posted on 12/14/2010 by Jeff May

Why am I writing a blog? Aside from the usual cynical self-centered reasons, a significant part of me wants to help you. (My “other careers” were devoted to helping others also.) For almost 40 years I have been trying to become a paid fiction writer, and I wrote my first short story when I was about ten. (I was the goofball who volunteered to recite poetry in my eighth grade class. Sound familiar?) Becoming a … Continue reading →

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Meritorious Rejection

Posted on 11/16/2010 by Jeff May

Writing may be the only “profession” that measures success by the quality of failure.  While I’ve lost count long ago, I know I must have received thousands of rejections over the years.  Some of them have been “successful” rejections from reputable places like Scribners, The New Yorker, The Missouri Review, Boulevard, the new Electric Literature, and many others.  Not as good as acceptance, and not nearly as good as being paid, but much better than impersonal forms, … Continue reading →

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Mountain Photo

Posted on 11/14/2010 by Jeff May

Colombia, South America December 1986, approximately 18,000 feet in the Northern Andes Share on Facebook

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