This has been, in many ways, one of the best years I can remember, both in my personal life and my writing life (and in the many places where the two intersect). I feel like I've accomplished a lot, exceeded my own expectations for the year, and hope to do the same next year. Of course, this is a web page for my writing, so most of what is here is about that, but everything I've done wouldn't be possible without the support of family and friends, both new and old, and so I've mentioned a lot of these people too.

I wrote about 600 pages of viable, submittable fiction this year, including two drafts of a (now) 400 page novel and twelve short stories, plus a handful of flashes and of course pages and pages of total throwaway stuff. I also wrote twenty-six book reviews, mostly for NewPages, but also one for the LA Times and two or three for my own website.

I published thirteen pieces in literary magazines in 2008, with four more stories coming out in print right after the new year. My story "Alex Trebek Never Eats Fried Chicken" won the Million Writers Award, two other stories were nominated for the Pushcart this year, and my new chapbook manuscript The Collectors is a finalist at the Keyhole Fiction Chapbook Contest. I can't thank all the editors who published these stories enough, or all the people who read them and wrote to tell me about it. Thank you.

I also have my first critical essay coming out in March in The Quarterly Conversation, about one of my favorite books I read this year. I'm really excited about how it turned out, and it's one of the publications I'm most looking forward to.

I read eighty books this year (and might finish up another two before midnight, if I keep at it). Some of the best include John Brandon's Arkansas, Deb Olin Unferth's Vacation, Brian Evenson's Last Days, William Walsh's Without Wax, Gary Amdahl's I am Death, Stanley Crawford's Log of the S.S. the Mrs. Unguentine, Eugene Marten's Waste, Michael Kimball's Dear Everybody, Steven Gillis's Temporary People, Adam Braver's November 22, 1963, Chris Bachelder's U.S.!, Michael Ondaatje's Coming Through Slaughter, Charles Jensen's The Strange Case of Maribel Dixon, Dave Housley's Ryan Seacrest is Famous, and Don Pollock's Knockemstiff.

I also got to edit the book reviews section at NewPages for seven or eight months, which was a fantastic experience, both working with Casey and Denise and also with the very talented writers who volunteer their efforts to put together the month's reviews. Most recently, I started working with the Hobart team as one of their web editors, and put together my first issue for them, which will come out in February, with some really great stories that I can't wait for everyone to read.

I returned to Dr. Sherry Murphy's fourth-grade classroom as a member of the Dzanc Books Writers-in-Residence Program, teaching creative writing once a week to thirty of the brightest and most interesting people I know. So far this year I've seen stories about magical, fish-stealing hamsters, plastic cup children who are depressed about their recycled parents, a re-imagining of the Odyssey, and a planet ruined "by a plethora of rainbows and unicorns." Seriously, these are very cool kids. I'm very grateful to Steve Gillis and Dan Wickett and everyone else at Dzanc for giving me this opportunity, and look forward to working with them next year as well.

My parents will be happy to know that for the first time, I actually made a significant portion of my income from writing-related activities. While it's cool to have made a little money writing/editing/teaching, it's worth noting that only by going to grad school and taking a 80% paycut was it possible to have my writing income be more than a drop in the bucket.  Still!

I would never have written my novel--or, perhaps, recovered from my severe 2007 funk, in which I read almost nothing and wrote even less--if it hadn't been for my fantastic writing group here in Ann Arbor. Working with Aaron Burch, Elizabeth Ellen, and Barry Graham was a great pleasure, and our group's dissolution as Aaron and I went off to school is one of my few regrets for the year. We're getting together to share work for the first time in a few months next week, and I'm sure it's going to be great. Big thanks to each of these three people for the influence they've had on my work this year.

For the last month or two, I've been working with the excellent Molly Gaudry on my chapbook How the Broken Lead the Blind, which will be the first release from her new Willows Wept Press in January. We're putting the finishing touches on it now, but it's been a pleasure working with her, and an honor to be her first release. We've also been lucky enough to get the truly amazing Christy Call to do cover and interior art, and getting preliminary sketches from her has been very exciting. I should get to see the final art tonight or tomorrow, and I can't wait.

I just finished the first semester of my MFA in fiction at Bowling Green, and couldn't be happier (possibly because the alternative is working 50 hours a week in a restaurant, but that can't be all of it!) I'm lucky to get to work with some really great classmates and instructors, and to have made some new friends there. Anne Valente and Callista Buchen (and her husband Noah) have become especially good friends, and impressive writers to spend time with. Seriously: Great things are coming from these women soon. I know because I've already read them.

Also, Wendell Mayo at BGSU did a brilliant job of showing me some tics of mine that slow down every single one of my stories while line-editing my story that's upcoming in Meridian. It was probably an hour's worth of work on his part, and has made everything I've written since better. So thank you.

Michael Czyzniejewski's been great to work with at Mid-American Review, and I'm excited that he's going to be my thesis advisor for the upcoming semester. I've loved his stories since I first read them, and he's part of the reason I wanted to go to BGSU in the first place. I can't wait to start bothering him constantly over every little thing.

I've gotten to know a lot of people far better than I had before this year, and that, as always, is perhaps the best part of all of this. Without naming too many people--which, inevitably, means leaving out someone I shouldn't have--it's worth saying that beyond everyone mentioned above, there are a number of writers who I've gotten to know better than most, both through their work and through e-mail.

Ryan Call, whose story in the new Caketrain is even better than his story in Hobart 8, which was one of my favorite stories I read this year.

Blake Butler, who has two books coming out next year, and whose "The Gown From Mother's Stomach" in the latest Ninth Letter is, again, one of the best things I've read this year. Go read it now.

William Walsh, whose Without Wax was among my favorite novels, and whose Questionstruck is one of the books I'm most excited about in my to-be-read pile.

Peter Cole at Keyhole, whose enthusiasm is infectious and whose magazine is absolutely top-notch.

Michael Kimball, who wrote both my life story and one of my favorite books of the year.

Scott Garson at Wigleaf, who not only edits one of my favorite web zines but also is the person's whose iPod I most want to steal.

Kyle Minor, who not only wrote the excellent In the Devil's Territory but also sings a badass piano version of "Happiness is a Warm Gun" with only a few beers under his belt.

Aaron Burch, who shared a bed with me in Kentucky without once trying to take advantage of me, even after I broke all the dry county beer we had stashed in that garbage bag.

Elizabeth Ellen, who continues to be both the best line editor for my work and the best poker host in town.

Barry Graham, who has organized more readings that I've been a part of than anyone else, and whose upcoming collection The National Virginity Pledge has a fantastic cover that I can't wait to hold myself.

Dan Wickett, who keeps me up on all the indie lit gossip while ensuring that review copies keep piling up outside my door.

Josh Maday, whose daughter Olivia I finally got to meet for the first time last week, and whose project-in-progress interests me more and more every time I hear him talk about it.

Jeff Vande Zande, who I haven't seen nearly enough of, but who has a new novel coming out next month, the only book he'll tell you about--yet.

Steven McDermott, whose prodding rejection pushed me into writing my third story for his magazine, and one of my own favorite things I wrote this year.

Sean Lovelace, whose blog is the best place for both nacho reviews and grudge matches between emerging writers and long dead ones.

Steve Gillis, who is always there when you need to e-mail someone else who's working on their book on Thanksgiving morning.  Seriously, I've worked more consistently than ever before in my life, and I'm not even close to this guy's ethic yet.

The Barrelhouse guys, who continue to support me in every way possible: Dave Housley, for writing endless letters of recommendation whenever I needed them, and for sharing my continued excitement in all things Hold Steady.  Mike Ingram, for editing my story "BeautyForever" into fighting shape, something I'd been failing to do for too long.  Joe Killiany, for telling me about the band Wintersleep, whose last album I now listen to at least once a week.

Again, there are some many people in my writing community--both online and in real life--who have made me feel like I'm part of something bigger, that we're all working and writing in conversation with each other.  That's a great feeling, especially for someone who grew up isolated from anyone else who read, much less wrote, and it's a part of what makes writing so enjoyable to me.  So thank you, all the people I mentioned, and especially all those I forgot to.  I'm bad at making lists, and shouldn't be trying, but suffice it to say that there are so many people who made my year what it was, and I'm grateful to all of them.

Most important to me is the person who never really gets mentioned here, but who I couldn't get anything done without.  My wife Jessica has been increasingly more supportive and helpful to my writing as the years have gone by, and this year I felt her backing me more than ever.  Our plan had been for me to stay working while she finished her own graduate degree, but my complete misery at work led to me wanting to go back to school myself, and she's definitely had to sacrifice financially for me to do so.  She's also understanding of when I do crazy things, like trying to sneak down early on Christmas to write just a little bit before we open presents, even though I know better than to try to write on holidays.  She puts up with a lot of crazy from me, and I really appreciate it.  She's also the hardest working person I know, and sets a good example by working fourteen hour days every day in the lab and the classroom.  So sorry to end on a gushy note, but she's pretty great, and definitely deserves the thanks.  2009 will be our fifth anniversary, and it's been an amazing five years.  Thanks, Jessica!

To recap: It's been an amazing year for me, and I hope for you as well.  Hopefully 2009 will be even better, with great new writings and readings, and also great new friendships.  I can't wait to find out.