Published!

I have been published exactly twice.

The first time was all science, and quite expected.

The second time was less expected. A few months back I got an e-mail (which I must have deleted since, so I'm just going from memory here) from McSweeney's that said something like "We're about ready to print the next issue and we have some space to fill. Please send us a very brief description of yourself and it may be included in the next issue. Keep it simple - do not be creative."

As my place of work prevents me from viewing webmail, I had to wait until I got home to reply to the message. I never heard back from them, so I figured I took too long to reply.

In fact, I was so certain that nothing would come of it that I received the new issue, McSweeney's Issue 15, last week and didn't even give it a good browsing until this evening's carpool. Near the back I found "Notes on Contributors", and following that, on the very last two pages, "Notes on Subscribers". There I am, described in one uncreative sentence. Name. Job. Place of work.

It's nice to appear in McSweeney's, if only as a subscriber. Normally, all I get from them (aside from the top-notch prose) are polite rejections of my own work:

I thank you for letting us have a look, but I'm afraid that we're going to pass on this one.

Turns out they aren't interested in the adolescent superhunks.

I have loved McSweeney's for many years now, and I'm very pleased to be a part of this publication, which you can buy online or in person.

2005 is absolutely kicking ass (so far).