I've been taking a lot of fiction writing classes, both before and during the pandemic, in the hope that maybe one story will not suck so badly that it could be revised into a publishable thing. So far that hasn't happened, but it has produced a lot of printed out/marked up drafts that I look … Continue reading Recycling drafts
Dirt Bike Memories of Richie the Boot
This interview originally appeared in Issue #43 of Weird NJ. The Livingston/Roseland area of the 1970s wasn’t quite what it is today. Where there are now office parks and pricey developments, there were once woods, trails, farms and open space—enough for the local kids to partake in long rides on dirt bikes. Among them were … Continue reading Dirt Bike Memories of Richie the Boot
Talking to Paranormal Prowlers
Yesterday I was on the Paranormal Prowlers Podcast, which is the first podcast I've done in ages. I talked a little about how I came across Weird NJ, the Weird Ghosts book, Clinton Road, and my experiences with sleep paralysis. And I did this while managing what is either the worst allergy season I've ever … Continue reading Talking to Paranormal Prowlers
Mr. Vester’s Safety Coffin
I originally wrote this story for Last Exit: Travels with Death in the Garden State, a special issue of Weird NJ that was published in 2009 and has long since been out of print. Seeing a reference to safety coffins on social media the other day prompted me to dust it off and share it … Continue reading Mr. Vester’s Safety Coffin
The Shove Boat
In the seventh grade I wrote a parody script of the television show The Love Boat. It was unsurprisingly called The Shove Boat and was heavily influenced by years of reading MAD Magazine. Since MAD is supposedly no longer going to publish issues filled with original content, I wanted to share the fledgling efforts that … Continue reading The Shove Boat
The vans of Newark
I worked in Newark, NJ full time from 1997ish through 2000. I took the train from Dover--the NJ Transit line that started in Netcong and ran through Morris and Essex Counties to the Newark Broad Street Station and then beyond to Penn Station in NYC (though now I’m sure it stops in Secaucus). People always … Continue reading The vans of Newark
Movies that reduced me to tears
Every so often someone poses this question on Twitter: What movie makes you cry every time? I was going to reply, but I'd need to create a thread to capture all of them. I am very weepy when it comes to movies and TV shows. Books, too, but the focus here is the screen. ET … Continue reading Movies that reduced me to tears
My not-Ted-Bundy experience
Not too long ago my social media feed was filled with people making fun of a young woman who anonymously wrote about her realization that she, had she been alive in the 1970s, could have been a victim of the serial killer Ted Bundy. This was based on her watching the Netflix documentary about him … Continue reading My not-Ted-Bundy experience
Death of a Clown
Sometimes you find a song you like under good circumstances. Sometimes you find one you like under completely sucky circumstances. This song comes from the latter--not from a direct personal concern but still something that saddens me. I think it will become an odd addition to my regular playlist. For those who are playing at … Continue reading Death of a Clown
My parents’ record collection
These are the record albums my parents had in their (sadly defunct) collection, as I remember them. Neither of my parents were rabid audiophiles and we were kinda poor in my early years, so the collection wasn't extensive. But it's what I had available to me as a kid and is the basis for some … Continue reading My parents’ record collection
joanne m. austin 
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