Fiction/Poetry
Essays and Reflections
Nonfiction Features
Judge
- "We Cast Our Own Curses," Latin American Shared Stories, ed. V. Castro. Flametree Press (Forthcoming)
- "Rush Hour," Austin Noir, ed. Hopeton Hay, Molly Odintz, Scott Montgomery. Akashic Books.
- Finalist, Best Short Story, ITW Awards
- Cited in Best American Mystery and Suspense
- "Stubborn Pride Submits to Light and Fire" in The Smoking Poet
- "Something Bad and Stingy" in Dr. Hurley's Snake Oil Cure
- "Ryder's Mom's Porch" in Floodwall
- "The Need for Other People Faded" in Kill Author
- Pushcart Prize Nominee
- "Membrane" in Bartleby Snopes (Story of the Month!)
- Pushcart Prize Nominee
- Best of the Net Nominee
- "Charles and Irma" in Nimrod Fall/Winter 2009 (Honorable Mention in The 31st Nimrod Awards. Selected by Anthony Doerr)
Essays and Reflections
- "The Regular Kids," Sandra Cisneros Portraits of a Writer, Texas A&M Press, ed. Reyna Grande (Forthcoming)
- Texas is a Majority Minority State. Does it Matter?, Texas Monthly
- Millinocket: Economic Devastation, Sobriety, and a Frozen Marathon in Maine, Like the Wind Magazine
- Print Only
- The Haunting Cross Country Journey of Austin FC's Gun Violence Banners
- Rolando Hinojosa-Smith: Chronicler of the Borderlands, Texas Monthly
- On One Hundred Years of Solitude, Post Road
- Austin FC and Los Verdes Preserve Latinidad in a Changing City, Texas Monthly
- Everything My Mom Left Behind, Texas Monthly
- Pandemic Media, Awst
- Dylan's Apocalyptic Visions, Crime Reads
- The Real Problem with American Dirt" Texas Monthly
- A Partial List" (My Bowie tribute) in Barrelhouse Online
- Hospital Food, Cosmonauts Avenue
- This site is now down, so if anyone wants to reprint an essay about cancer and cafeteria food let me know!
- The Gambler, The Morning News
- Mexican Enough, The Rumpus
- The Last Book I loved: The Perfect Spy, The Rumpus
- The Show From Another Place: Twin Peaks and Grief" Criminal Element
- What Is A Literary Thriller, Anyway?, Criminal Element
Nonfiction Features
- Are High End Writing Retreats a Scam, Slate
- Craft Breweries' Plan to Combat Closures? Playgrounds, Texas Monthly
- Texas is Now a Majority Minority State, Why Haven't Our Politics Changed?, Texas Monthly
- Meet the Texas Transplant Behind Allaster McKallaster, Soccer's Newest Viral Sensation, Texas Monthly
- Searching for My Inner Scot at Salado's Scottish Festival, Texas Monthly
- Who's Left to Blame for Austin FC's Disappointing Season, Texas Monthly
- Roadtrip to the Horror Bookstores of Texas, Texas Monthly
- Sergio Troncoso, Texas Monthly
- Sandra Cisneros, Texas Monthly
- Cristina Rivera Garza, Texas Monthly
- Hector Rodriguez, El Peso Hero
- Marlon James, Black Leopard, Red Wolf
- Cherríe Moraga, Native Country of the Heart
- Fernando Flores, Tears of the Trufflepig
- Dina Nayeri, The Ungrateful Refugee
- Daniel C. Guiet, Scholars of Mayhem
- Tomás González, The Storm
- Dubravka Ugresic, American Fictionary
- J.M. Holmes, How Can You Save Yourself?
- Jean Guerrero, Crux
- Raymond Villareal, A People’s History of the Vampire Uprising
- Kevin Powers, A Shout in the Ruins
- Mark Eisner, Neruda: The Poet’s Calling
- Luis Alberto Urrea, The House of Broken Angels
- Francisco Cantú, The Line Becomes A River
- Stefan Merrill Block, Oliver Loving
- Daniel Alarcón, The King Is Always Above the People
- Rodrigo Hasbún, Affections
- Juan Rulfo translator Douglas Weatherford, The Golden Cockerel
- Joseph Scapellato, Big Lonesome
- Mariana Enríquez, Things We Lost in the Fire
- Edmundo Paz Soldán, Norte
- Guadalupe Garcia McCall, Shame the Stars
- Mauro Javier Cardenas, The Revolutionaries Try Again
- Joe McGinniss, Jr, Carousel Court
- Dan Zak, Almighty
- James D. Walsh, Playing Against the House
- Alvaro Enrigue, Sudden Death
- Bill Clegg , Did You Ever Have a Family?
- Sam Quinones, Dreamland
- Sandra Cisneros, A House of My Own
- Mark Z. Danielewski, The Familiar Vol 1
- David Mitchell , The Bone Clocks
- Alice McDermott, Someone
- Doug Dorst , S
- Marisha Pessl, Night Film
- James McBride, The Good Lord Bird
- Lev Grossman , The Magician’s Land
- Rolando Hinojosa, The Valley
- Michael Helm , City of Refuge
- Tom Rachman, The Rise and Fall of Great Powers
- Domingo Martinez, The Boy Kings of Texas
- Bruce Wagner , The Empty Chair
- Anna Stothard, The Pink Hotel
- Matthew Specktor, American Dream Machine
- Alain de Boton, How to Think More About Sex
- Charles Dubow, Indiscretion
- Malas by Marcela Fuentes is The Next Great Texas Literary Epic, Texas Monthly
- The Bullet Swallower, The Turtle House, The Blueprint, Texas Monthly
- Lost in South Texas, The Texas Observer
- "Toni Morrison: Building An American Home" Huffington Post
- Growing Things by Paul Tremblay, Criminal Element
- Into the Black Nowhere by Meg Gardiner, Criminal Element
- Decoded by Mai Jia, Criminal Element
- People Who Eat Darkness by Richard Lloyd Parry, The Rumpus
- "New Mexico: Crime From the Land of Enchantment"
- Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk, Huffington Post
- "When Poker Was Dangerous: Al Alvarez and The Biggest Game in Town", Criminal Element
- "Horace McCoy: Reality and Beautiful Risks"
- "The Nothing Man: Jim Thompson in Hollywood Parts One and Two"
- "Michael Caine: The Very Model of a Modern British Thug"
- "Street of the Lost: David Goodis and Philadelphia"
- "Dancing Around The Scene of the Crime"
Judge
- John Lescroat's Maurice Prize, UC Davis, 2024
- International Thriller Writers Award, Short Story Prize, 2023
- Kallisto Gaia Book Prize, 2021
- Board Member, National Book Critics Circle, 2020
- VP Membership, 2020
- Critic judge for the 2019 Nonfiction Kirkus Prize
- Winner: Saeed Jones How We Fight For Our Lives
- Seven-time Writers League of Texas Manuscript Contest Judge
- Categories judged: General Fiction, Mystery/Thriller, Science Fiction/Fantasy