art by Josh Howard
COMICS WRITING WORKSHOP
Yesterday, I hosted a comics scriptwriting workshop at Eastfield College as part of their Literary and Fine Arts Festival. Eastfield was a gracious host--providing a great facility and sandwiches. The students were wonderful. (Thank you Iris for inviting me.) Unfortunately, I didn't do a good job keeping track of my time. I went over, which meant we had to skip the writing exercises (the thing that made the workshop a workshop). I could've easily gone another hour. Fortunately, it makes the audio more tolerable, because there isn't an extended period of nothingness while everyone is busy writing.
Let me know what you think. There's some useful information here. I'd recommend listening to the lecture and following along with the power point (saved as a pdf). I could revise and improve upon some areas of the workshop, and it would be exciting to adapt this into a longer seminar or series. But right now, I'm sharing it with you. Enjoy. Post in the comments section if you have any questions or feedback.
LECTURE
[podcast]http://thatdavidhopkins.com/media/eastfield_comics_workshop.MP3[/podcast]
Download the mp3
POWER POINT Download here
[tweet "Listen to this workshop for comic book writers #writingtips"]
CLAPPING AT THE END OF SONGS
I want to expand on something I said to April two nights ago. We drove to Lafayette, Louisiana, for our friend Leah's we-totally-got-married party (weekend via Instagram). Last November, Leah and Josh were married in a civil ceremony. I saw photographic evidence. It was simple, elegant, and beautiful. Then this past weekend, they hosted a Cajun dance party at the Blue Moon Saloon, inviting friends and family to celebrate the happy union. There was crawfish. There was beer. There was an incredible band Feufollet.
At one point in the evening, April and I sat on a bench, watching everyone dance. One older couple, who clearly took dance lessons, glided around the floor. Leah's sister and brother-in-law bopped around in a way that reminded me of this. Leah and Josh spun around in the center. It was a sweet moment.
I thought about Mark Twain's "The Lowest Animal," a scathing critique on the human condition, where he lists all the unique atrocities no other animal except humans commit. (Yes, I think about Twain in random places.) Then I leaned over to April and said:
"Some may say that humans are the only animals that commit murder and terrorist acts, that we're the only animals that torture our own kind. But I think it's worth mentioning that we're also the only animal that throws parties, that takes dance lessons, that places chocolate in small glass jars as wedding favors, that has art walks, and that claps at the end of songs."
The next day, two bombs exploded at the Boston Marathon, a horrific act that leaves us all angry and heartbroken. Whoever was behind it is a sick human being. But I hope we don't forget that the idiots and psychopaths don't get to define us as a species. There are so many more good people in this world. I saw some of them dancing at the Blue Moon Saloon, celebrating a wedding. It's a small but necessary comfort when confronted with a cruel, senseless world.
EASTFIELD LITERARY AND FINE ARTS FESTIVAL
Last year, I participated in an independent comics panel at Eastfield College This year, Iris Bechtol invited me to participate in the Eastfield Literary and Fine Arts Festival. I will be presenting a comics writing workshop on Thursday, April 19th at 12:30. We will be in either G-101 or G-102. I don't see any registration or fees listed on the website. So let's assume it's free and open to the public. Grab your lunch and come join us. I won't mind if you eat in front of me. The first thirty minutes will be an overview of how comics operate as a form of visual storytelling--what comics do well and what they don't do. The next thirty minutes will be about working with artists, script formats, tips and suggestions. After that, be prepared to write. I have several exercises designed to help you get comfortable with scripting comics. (Bring a laptop or pen/paper.) At the very end, I'll talk for ten minutes about getting published and what options are available.
I promise this workshop won't waste your time. I'm not going to ramble on and on about how I got into comics or where you can find my comics (uh, this website). I'm not going to eulogize the industry. This won't be a workshop thinly disguised as an egocentric Q&A. We're going to write, and we're going to learn something.
Next Thursday, skip work and let's level up on telling stories with pictures.
ANTIGONE EN ESPAÑOL
Álvaro Eduardo Lemos, a professor in the department of Ethics and Psychology at the University of Buenos Aires, contacted me about creating a Spanish version of ANTIGONE, the comic book by Tom Kurzanski and me, produced by Christian Beranek and Silent Devil. If you want to read Antigone in Spanish, here's a link to the pdf: thatdavidhopkins.com/preview/Antigone-SpanishTranslation.pdf
It's a Spanish translation of a comic book adaptation based off a modern translation of the ancient Greek tragedy. Such a twisted path. I'm glad his students will be able to enjoy what we've created, and I appreciate all the work Lemos has put into it.
Want to read it in English? Click here and scroll down.
LARRY BROWN STORY: INTERVIEW
Two days ago, I posted deleted scenes from my Dallas Observer story ("Larry Brown Just Can't Stop"). I gathered a lot of material during the research process that, while interesting, I wasn't able to use. Larry Brown is such an integral part of basketball history -- it would be a shame not to share what I was given. Here are some unused portions of my interview on February 13, 2013 with Coach Brown.
Your first pro-team was the Akron Wingfoots [sponsored by the Goodyear Tire Company in Akron, Ohio]?
Wasn’t a pro-team. I got drafted. I think I was the 54th pick in the draft [according to Basketball-Reference.com, he was the 55th pick], but at that time, if you tried out for a team, if you even went to one practice, you were a pro. And there were very few pro teams at the time. And then, there was a tremendous AAU [Amateur Athletic Union] program. You know, Goodyear, Phillips 66, Peoria Caterpillars, you could play ball and get a career, you know start a career. Coach Smith got me a tryout. He had me going to Phillips 66, but for some reason it didn’t pan out. I thought I had a job at Goodyear, and I ended up having to try out actually. I made the team. You played ball and then after work you got to practice. And then, if you had a game, the company gave you off to play games. We played like 50, 60 games. We ended up beating Phillips in the finals in the first tournament, which was a big thrill for me. But it was a great experience, and then four of us made the Olympic team from Goodyear. We won the Olympic trials. It was a great experience. And I probably could have stayed and played for a number of years, but Coach Smith asked me to come back after the Olympics and coach. Worked out great.
Where were you when you found out you’d be going to the Olympics?
I don’t’ know, but we had to try out. We tried out at Saint John’s which was at that time, they had the Olympics trials, they had three NCAA teams, they had two AAU teams, they had an armed forces team, they had an NAIA team, and I think they had a junior college team, and we played a tournament, but we ended up playing the three NCAA teams. They had twelve All-America, thirty-six guys, thirty-six best college guys, and we ended up winning the trials. And I remember, my coach at Goodyear was the assistant Olympic coach, and he told me after the second night that he thought I made the team, but don’t tell anybody. And then, I remember after the third game, we were all staying at a hotel, and they posted the names of the guys who made it. And that was maybe as big a thrill as I’ve ever had, being selected, that blew me away, because guys like Rick Barry, Billy Cunningham, Gale Goodrich, Jerry Sloan, Willis Reed, a lot of those guys didn’t even make it, and here I ended up making it. It was pretty amazing.
You defeated the Soviet Union in the final game. During the Cold War, was that a particularly sweet victory?
When I got selected, I got to go over to Russia to play. We played in Russia and played in four cities in Russia, and then we played in France, played in Czechoslovakia, and Poland. But the Russia team lost to that great team in 1960 and they had everybody back, and so it was kinda like we were playing against pros. They were a pretty incredible team. It was a huge victory. I got to play pretty significant role in the game, which was pretty neat. That was I guess the Cold War was at its height at that time, but I went over just prior to that, prior to the Olympic games, and I remember how talented the teams were, and how talented their team was, and what a rivalry it was going to be, so it was pretty amazing.
I got to take a team over in 1974 as a coach in a similar trip. It was pretty amazing as well.
When you entered the ABA, it was in its first year?
Yeah.
What were your thoughts about this new league that was starting?
The first thing is I wouldn’t have even been thought of as a player, but Doug Moe was playing in Europe and he was probably as good a player as there was in Europe, and he, I don’t know, if they had a draft or not but New Orleans had his rights and he told them that if he signed, he wanted me signed. I talked to Coach Smith about it. He thought I was crazy, because I was offered the Connecticut job at 26 after my first year at Carolina as a coach. The football coach Jim Hickey became the AD [athletic director] at Connecticut and he offered me the job. I didn’t think I was ready. Coach thought I was and wanted me to take it. But I came back and Coach, the ABA started, I guess New Orleans wanted Doug to sign. Doug said he’ll only sign if they would take me. I went to Coach he thought I was crazy. He thought I’m going to get a great job, this is the way I want my career to be, this will just be a road block, he thought I could move quickly. But I said I wanted to play. And he said, someday you won’t be able to play, so maybe this would be the right thing. I ended up playing. It was the beginning of the ABA.
You were the MVP of the first All-Star Game and also an assist leader in the league. What were some of the lessons you learned playing in the ABA?
I learn from every experience I ever had. I had a great coach in New Orleans. I had great coaches throughout the ABA, Babe McCarthy in New Orleans, Alex Hannum. I played with great players, played for great coaches. If you don’t learn from experiences like that, it’s kinda silly. I love to play, I love to coach so— to be paid to play was ridiculous to me. I felt pretty fortunate.
Look around our profession now. Everybody leaves. But I know everybody tries to—I was just on the Tim Brando Show. I love him. He’s always been great to me. He made a comment about people wonder why you leave, Larry, and I always thought you left because you wanted to go some place to win. And I said, no, I’ve had reasons to leave and they’ve all been different. Some were my choosing and some weren’t. But at the end of the day, I think that’s the nature of the profession. Guys change jobs. Yeah, I’d love to be like Coach Smith. I’d love to have spent 36 in UCLA, North Carolina, or Kansas. But every experience I’ve had has been pretty special. I’ve got a lot out of them, and I’ve hopefully made them better.
You led a freshman-dominated UCLA team to the NCAA title game and lost. But it was a tremendous accomplishment. But in sports, 2nd place is most scrutinized. How do you help your players keep a healthy perspective on what they had accomplished?
UCLA was different, because they went to ten Final Fours and won them all or something like that with Coach Wooden. I remember after the game. I had set a lot of records at UCLA. I lost the first home game there. I lost the first two in a row at home. I was setting these records. But I remember after that game, when have two freshmen guards ever played in the Final Four, were started? We had four freshmen, a 6’5” sophomore, and two seniors—basically making our first seven. I thought it was an amazing accomplishment just going, based on the way the season started, and the make up of the team, and what we lost the year before I got there. And I wanted the kids to understand that and appreciate that. And what really hit home for me was when we went to that practice before the Final Four, the first person I met walking into the practice was Ray Meyer and we beat them in a second round game and they were the number one team in the nation, only lost one game. I didn’t even realize he had never been to a Final Four and he’s one of the greatest coaches of all time. Then Coach Smith grabbed me, hugged me, and told me how great it was, and how proud he was of me, and he was a great a coach as there was, and he at that time, hadn’t won a national championship. That blew me away. And then I saw Coach McGuire and he had won in 1957, I remember how much he cherished that championship. And here I am, my first year, at the final game, the Final Four. I wanted to make sure I understood how we were, and the kids how special they were. I wanted them to know that.
Then coaching at the University of Kansas, you won the Final Four.
We went in 86. That was our best team, and we got caught up in the thunderstorm. We had three kids foul out, one of my kids torn his ACL in the game we lost, and we lost in the last seconds to Duke. I think Duke shot 35 free throws to our 11, and that was a special, special team and in 86 [88] it was so unexpected, we had lost five games in a row that season, and ended up winning it all. We had the best player, Danny [Manning]. We had a special group of guys. That was a pretty neat thing.
In the NBA, you were known for turning franchises around (Spurs, Nets, Clippers, Charlotte). How do you change the culture of a franchise?
The only team I took over with a winning record was Detroit. Carlisle and Dumas set that one up. Rick had great values and a lot of things I believed in were already in place, and then Joe put a special team together. But everywhere I’ve been, I just try to remember what I was taught by the players I got to coach, and the coaches I got to play for, and the coaches that sat next to me. Basically, play hard and play together, play unselfishly, try to rebound and defend. I’ve tried to do that. And I’ve found out kids want to be taught on every level, and guys want to play the right way generally. I haven’t met many who didn’t. And I’ve always surrounded myself with unbelievable coaches. If you look at my background, everybody who has coached with me has become a head coach. That’s the best achievement that happened to me in my life. I just try to share the values I was taught.
Allen Iverson referred to you as the “best coach in the world.” How difficult was it coaching Allen Iverson?
Yeah, but I think any time you coach a great player, a guy with an unbelievable gift, it’s not easy. My biggest things with Allen were more before we got between the lines. But his will to win, his competitiveness, those were some pretty amazing traits. When you coach great player, like him, David Thompson, David Robinson, Buck Williams, Rahseed, Reggie, all those great guys, the biggest thing as a coach, I always found, you want to make sure they play as great as they are capable of playing. I always felt a lot of pressure in that regard, because you want to make sure they play as well as they’re capable of playing. So when you are around great talent, you don’t want to screw that up. And Allen, Allen might be the greatest athlete ever. At the time, you coaching them, everyday is a challenge. And there were some days that were better than others. But the fact that he said that that’s as great a feeling as you can have.
You were inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2002? You won the NBA championship two years later. Did they induct you too early?
[laughs] That’s not for me to decide. I don’t think winning championships defines whether you are good at what you do or not. There’s a lot of guys that haven’t won championships, that aren’t in the hall of fame, that are pretty well deserving of that. But when you go in with the Globetrotters. And you realize the impact they’ve had on the sport. And I think Magic Johnson was in that class. You don’t think, I don’t know why I felt like I belonged. I don’t know, when you consider what the Globetrotters have meant to our sport and what Magic accomplished, and the other people, you feel like you fall way short of those.
What’s harder: winning the NCAA championship or winning the NBA championship?
I don’t even think about that. I mean just think how fortunate you are when things like that happen. Things have to be lined up pretty well. You gotta have coach, players, you gotta be with great coaches, you gotta be pretty lucky, when those things happen. I think I was always with great coaches and great players. You remember, I told you my 86 team was the best. We were a layup away from winning. Kiki had a dunk, tried to lay it in. We probably would’ve won in 80. I had some other teams with a break here or a break there, we might’ve won on both levels. That didn’t mean I was any better coach in 88 or 2004 than we were in 80 or any one of these pro stops. Just things gotta align themselves up.
Greg Popovich was the best man at your wedding?
Yeah.
I’d like to be a fly on the wall when you two get together. Is it basketball 24/7?
No. No, he’s a Renaissance Man, this guy. He’s as good a coach as we’ve ever had in this sport. He’s a better guy, but he’s so diverse. He goes to all these avant garde movies. He’s happy walking around New York City or San Francisco or going to the Hermitage in St. Petersburg. He’s an amazing guy. I mean, we talk basketball, but it’s something that doesn’t just dominate our lives. We talk all the time. I admire the hell out of him. And happy for his success.
What do you enjoy most about coaching?
Well, this is the least enjoyable part of coaching. I’m going to enjoy 2:30, being around the players and coaches. I’m not crazy about games. I love being at practice with the players and I love being around my staff. Being around these young coaches and hoping that someday they get the same opportunities that I’ve had. Being around these players and hopefully, make a difference. See them achieve what they want to achieve, and get an education. Take basketball everywhere it takes them.
You described Tim Jankovich as the coach-in-waiting.
They did. All my coaches are “in waiting.” Everywhere I’ve been, looked who coached for me, they’ve all become head coaches. It was his idea. He was interviewed for the job, and he called Bill Self. You know that’s our connection. Bill’s like family to me. And after my interview and his interview, Bill called me and said. You know, Larry, if they offer you the job, Tim wants to come with you. I’ve known Tim and admired him. So that’s how it happened. And I think SMU when they finally decided on me. They wanted a guy with head coaching experience, because of my “track record,” they figure it’d be nice to have someone there in place. But again, all my coaches, every time I go to practice, I want Eric Snow, George Lynch, Jerrance Howard, Ulric Maligi, Tim, Jay Duncan our video guy, Sean Stout our GA, I want them all to experience what I’m doing. Be in a position to be the head coach. There’s no better gift you can give to guys than that. I guess that’s way Steve wanted it, and I was happy to oblige him. Then I want all the guys to do this.
After the Southern Miss game, you said you were very proud of your guys, in fact, you said the “most proud.” I didn’t expect that reaction after having blown such a huge lead. How does a coach see the game differently than others?
I don’t know. My thing is you want to put your kids in the best possible situation to win, every game, and you want to go to every practice hoping to get better. But I’m realistic. There are some wins that are hard for me, because I don’t think we did the things you expect and want them to do. And there are losses, they’ve done everything in their power to give a chance to win. I don’t get caught up in results all the time. I get caught up in how we play—if we do the things necessary to make this program pretty special. Now, we’re so short handed, when I took the job, Matt and a couple kids weren’t going to come back, Matt had told me. When we took this job, I didn’t want kids to be in this program and not have the opportunity to play. Some kids left. They didn’t want to leave. I don’t want kids to come to college to sit on the bench. Their time is too precious here. We lost some kids. We’re short handed. I understood that. I knew this year would be real difficult. As long as we try, try to get better, come to practice everyday, respecting their teammates, I can handle want happens in the games. We’ve invented ways to lose games, but we’re in every game just about, and that’s something I’m proud of. I just know with our transfers and with our recruiting class, and our potential, we’re going to get better quickly. That’s our goal. I want us able to compete with anybody.
In the evenings, you sometimes go to high school basketball games. What do you enjoy most about watching basketball at that level?
One, I want us to be visible, because I think it’s important for kids around here or anywhere I go to see a head coach. A lot of kids don’t know my name, but they know I coached Allen. And then, they “google” me up they are aware of my background. I want kids to know that we care enough to go to the games. I want coaches to know that I want to be a resource for them. And I want to present SMU. I want kids to want to come here because they know we’re going to be great, they’re gonna be coached, and that they have a chance to fulfill their goal. You know, they all want to be in the NBA. My job is, hopefully, give them that opportunity, but understand it’s a pretty huge hill to climb. And hopefully, they have some other alternatives, and getting an education here, and playing in a great project is pretty special. But I love going to games. I learn a lot watching guys coach. And I love seeing the high school kids play. And I’m hopeful someday some of the great ones I’ve watched play feel like they could benefit by coming here.
Any advice you would give to people writing about basketball?
[laughs] I’ve had so many different people write about me that aren’t necessarily involved in sports, but as long as you have a passion for basketball that’s the big thing for me. Then your writing will probably be better. And you obviously have a passion.
Jalen laughed when I asked if he “googled” you. He said, “No, I know who he is.”
It’s kinda funny. The two years I was out of it, I didn’t go to any pro games because I thought if I walked into a pro game people would speculate, one way or another here. But I went to so many college practices. I was in Kentucky, and Kansas, and Maryland, with Ted Boyle, and Jay Wright everyday. I’d go all around. And kids would look at me, they weren’t sure who I was until a college would bring it up. They all wanted to know about Allen. I always used to tell Allen when I coached him. "You know Allen, you just don’t realize the effect you’re having on this sport and all these kids. You gotta be a lot more responsible in what you do and how you act." I don’t think he ever realized it, nor I realized it, until now everywhere I go. People stop me in airports. A lot of people don’t know who I am, but they know I’m connected with Allen. And everywhere I go kids, they can’t wait to talk to me after, and say "you know my favorite player." Then I always see these number threes with the sleeve, the hair. They all want to be like him. It’s amazing. And I’m connected with this kid forever. Pretty amazing.
Thank you so much for your time. I really appreciate it.
Thanks for coming by. Now I gotta figure out how to make us better. Take care.
[tweet "My interview with Coach Larry Brown #SMUBasketball"]
LARRY BROWN STORY: DELETED SCENES
My Dallas Observer story ("Larry Brown Just Can't Stop") took three months to research and write. The story should have been about 4,000 words. I overwrote the first draft by 2,000 words. As a result, a lot of stuff was cut in the name of focusing the narrative. I understand, but it's also a shame because I liked some of the deleted material. And then, I remembered that I have a blog, and I could post all the unused bits and pieces. Here it is, in its unfinished glory.
I.
Interview with Rick Carlisle:
“SMU pulled a coup at being able to get him here. He’s a friend of mine. I’m really thrilled that he’s here. There’s no doubt that he raises the profile of SMU basketball with his mere presence.”
“He’s a very unusual guy. The depth of his experience and the diversity of his experience is very special. It’s going to bring a lot to this city and to the SMU program.”
“Larry’s a guy who has always had great love and respect for the game, and a great enthusiasm for the game. I think this was a great opportunity for him to jump back in with SMU going to a new league, which is exciting and challenging. And they were able to put a great staff together over there too. It’s a really terrific working environment. And it’s a great city to live in obviously.”
II.
January 12, 2013 – The entire game against Tulane is being played on the ground. Players are diving, clawing around for the ball. Tulane’s sophomore guard falls, having hurt his knee. He’s rolling in pain and pulls his jersey over his head so no one can see him cry. It’s an ugly game.
During a time out, Larry Brown’s face turns a darker shade while talking with his players. Veins pop from his forehead. The whistle blows to resume the game and his normal color returns.
With nine seconds remaining, Brown winces when one of his players goes for a showy dunk when he should have run time off the clock. To prove the point, during the final possession, Tulane hits a three pointer. What had been a 14 point lead by SMU was reduced to a 6 point lead in the end. SMU still won, but not in the way Larry Brown wanted. Brown appeared more frustrated by this win than the two losses to Tulsa and Houston.
III.
Brown is pleased with another player, one of his bench guards who finally played defense. Brown opens his arms to the sheepish freshman. “Give me a hug!”
The move is thoroughly, embarrassingly dad-like. And when the player pretends to be unsure about the hug but yields anyway, it’s the playful dynamic of a million fathers and sons. For Larry Brown, basketball is not warfare. The court is not a battlefield. Basketball is family. Basketball is love. Basketball is devotion. Larry Brown, the young kid from Brooklyn who lost his father and was raised by a collective of men on his mother’s side and coach after coach, loves his vocation because he extends the definition of “family” to his wayward players. His love is so genuine. It spoils any attempt to be cynical about a season that’s slipping away from them.
IV.
Dean Smith hired Larry Brown to coach the freshman team. On Brown’s first day, he told Larry Brown and his associate Charlie Shaffer they need to cut the team down and to do it quickly, so they could focus on the recruits.
Brown and Shaffer took the baskets down in the gym and made the players run drills until they collapsed. It had the intended effect.
“Coach wasn’t an early riser,” Brown says, “but he came in early that next morning and said, you wanna hear the good news or bad news? I said, well, tell me the good news. We’ll probably only have about 30 kids at practice this afternoon. And I said, well, what’s the bad news? He said, I think we’re losing every scholarship kid. They all want to transfer.”
V.
February 6, 2013 – The theme is to “white out” Memphis. Everyone is supposed to wear white in solidarity, but the concept is missed on the fraternities who opt to wear their Greek shirts to the game instead. In the lower section, a few students wave oversized Xeroxed heads of Larry Brown… and Ron Swanson from Parks and Recreation. A student passes around a box of pizza to the others in his section. The two painted fans have returned.
The game is close. With a little less than five minutes left, Jalen Jones drives to the basket. Desperate for points, Jones goes for a dunk. A 6’9” forward from Memphis fouls Jones hard. The forward hits Jones at such a velocity, his arm sweeping across, that Jones is knocked head over heals. The crowd is on its feet before Jones hits the ground. Jones hunches his back to avoid landing on his head. The “thud” is heard throughout the coliseum. Jones rolls on his side in pain. Shawn Williams gets in the face of the Memphis forward. Nick Russell checks on Jones. Larry Brown looks terrified, angry, and concerned, reacting as a father might. Brown is on his feet, making sure none of his bench players take to the court, but his eyes stay on Jones who is still on the ground.
The Memphis forward is ejected from the game.
Jalen Jones gets to his feet. He is in pain and takes a few steps collect himself. Jones then walks to the free throw line to take his shots. He misses the first. Takes a deep breath and refocuses on the basket. He makes the second.
SMU loses to Memphis. Their winning record, from early season success, has caved against the other conference teams.
VI.
Larry Brown leaves the conference room to begin practice—down the stairs to the secret underground practice gym. His players are already there. Jalen Jones, Shawn Williams, Nick Russell, and everyone else, they’re running drills back and forth across the court. Going hard, preparing for the final games of the season, waiting for Coach Brown to make them great.
[tweet "Deleted scenes from my story on Coach Larry Brown #SMUBasketball"]
OUTLAW TERRITORY VOL. 3
It's a western anthology from Image Comics. It's available for pre-order in the Previews Catalog. It'll be in comic shops on June 19th. And it features a short story by me and Italian artist Luigi Cavenago. I've included a two-page preview of our story "Judge Roy Bean," based on the historical Phantly Roy Bean Junior, an eccentric saloon owner and Justice of the Peace. He would hold court in his bar, occasionally making false accusations against people passing through in order to extort bribes from them. Bean was obsessed with English actress Lillie Langtry. He named the town after her and wrote letters to her every night. To read the entire eight-page Wild West court drama, make sure to tell your favorite comic book shop about Outlaw Territory, Vol. 3.
(click to see the full-size image)
READER FOR LIFE
Today, we distributed copies of Fahrenheit 451 to the ninth and tenth graders at Trinidad Garza Early College High School. It was a great event. Mountain View College President Felix Zamora gave a few opening remarks, as well as Trini Garza principal Dr. Janice Lombardi. Dallas City Council member Delia Jasso was our keynote speaker. Best of all, the school's step team performed a routine based on the book.
When in doubt: step team. They make everything more fun.
I also had the opportunity to say a few words. I talked about my love of reading. And to my knowledge, it's the first time I've spoken publicly about my dyslexia. Certainly, it's the first time I've mentioned it on this blog.
Here's what I said, more or less:
First, I want to thank Dr. Lombardi for organizing this event with us. You’re a great school. You should be proud of your education here.
My name is David Hopkins. I taught English and Creative Writing at Martin High School for twelve years, and now I write for a living. I’m a member of D Academy, the group behind the Big Read Dallas. Our hope is that you would join us and the rest of the city in reading Fahrenheit 451. That’s why we’re here. We’re counting on you, the ninth and tenth graders of Dallas ISD, to lead this charge. We’re going to give every single one of you a copy of the book. Once you get them, you'll notice The Big Read Dallas logo and a note to you on the inside. This is a special edition of the book. And it's yours.
We’ve planned a lot of events for people to attend in April. We have a movie screening of the book; we’ve got a censorship debate; a sci-fi panel; events at the Perot Museum; and a Read In at Klyde Warren Park. Go to bigreaddallas.org to see all our events.
I’m only going to speak for a few minutes. I’m anxious to see the step team perform—and I never like getting in the way of awesome, talented people. But I do want to share something important with you.
The purpose of the Big Read isn’t just to get people to read; the Big Read wants people to enjoy reading, to put it in the center of their daily experience, to help shape their outlook on the world, to understand that reading is a uniquely enjoyable experience—and not just something that Mr. Lopez makes you do for homework.
It’s not enough to be able to read. To truly experience literature, you have to love it.
It was hard for me. I have dyslexia. It’s a learning disability that affects phonological awareness and decoding, it’s an inability to associate letter symbols with sounds—simply, your brain makes reading harder than it should be. I can look at a word, and I know what the word means, but something in my brain says it’s not really that word. As a kid, I had every kind of tutoring imaginable. I was held back in first grade—making me the oldest kid in my class. I thought I was an idiot.
The breakthrough came when my grandparents bought me a stack of comic books. The word balloons grouped the sentences in a way that made reading more digestible. The images reinforced the words, which sped up my comprehension. And I loved the stories.
From there, in junior high, I started reading Stephen King novels—terrifying, gruesome horror stories that I knew my parents wouldn’t approve of, which was part of the fun. In two years, I read 16 of his novels.
In high school, I met some other book lovers. They shared with me their favorite authors—Kurt Vonnegut, Ray Bradbury, Franz Kafka, J.D. Salinger, Douglas Adams. We’d talk about the books we loved. “You haven’t read Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy? Oh man, you have to read Hitchhikers Guide.”
And like that, I became a reader for life.
Reading and writing still take me a little longer than it should. (Yes, I notice the irony that I have dyslexia, and I’m reading these words to you. Hey, I practiced.) Even to this day, if I mean to write the word “want,” there’s a 1 in 3 chance I’ll write “what” or vice versa. So, let’s think about this for a second. Kid has dyslexia and he grows up to get a job where he spends all day looking at words.
What convinced me to not give up was when I found out that Pulitzer Prize winning author Richard Ford also had dyslexia. He saw it as a blessing, in that it forced him to approach books at a slow and thoughtful pace. If he could do it, I had to at least give it a try.
I love reading and writing too much to give up on it.
Fahrenheit 451 is about not giving up in the face of overwhelming resistance—it’s about a society that gave up on reading, that institutionalized their ignorance, and then a radical group that rediscovered the books their society had rejected. It’s a story about censorship and about the pursuit of knowledge, wisdom, and the courage to be different.
You love to read. Awesome. Share your love with others. Talk about the books you like. The same way you’d talk about a movie you just saw. If you don’t care for reading, I would encourage you to give it a second chance. Maybe you haven’t found that book yet. And maybe it’s this book.
I promise when you find that book—it’ll open up everything to you, every world, every opportunity. It’s yours. Thank you.
photo by Krista Nightengale
FACT CHECKING AND MEDIA GUIDES
As you might have seen on Twitter and Facebook, I've been going on and on about my feature story in the Dallas Observer: "Larry Brown Just Can't Stop." In fact, @TheKobeBeef told me to chill out ("Calm down, we'll read it"). Okay, point taken. I can't apologize for my enthusiasm. I've been working on this story for a little over three months. I'm glad it's finally in print. Three months. Enough time to get everything perfect, right? Two and a half months were spent attending practices and games, taking lots of notes. I interviewed players and a few other coaches, but I wasn't able to interview Larry Brown until February 13th. And at the time, I was juggling another feature with UTA Magazine and two stories about DFW Airport. Not an excuse. I'm just trying to set the scene. I was stressed. I overwrote the first draft of my Larry Brown story. What should've been in the 4,000 word range was almost 6,000 words. I worked on a new outline with my editor and then spent the weekend writing a second draft. By the third draft, we were really cutting it close, but I was happier with what we had. I appreciate the encouragement of Mike Mooney (name dropper in the house!) who reminded me to not give up towards the end, that those final rewrites are crucial. If my editor thought I was crazy, it's Mike's fault.
In the haze of editing and rewriting, I should've done a better job with the fact checking. And that's my fault entirely. I wrote, "A mere seven SMU alumni have gone on to play any sort of professional basketball." That's not true. Herman Hudson, SMU's athletics PR person, called to correct me on it.
Herman has been extremely helpful these three months. I should have gotten a media guide from him. Hell, I could've tried calling or texting him a few more times. Instead, I went with a fairly reputable stat site (i.e. not Wikipedia) and didn't double check. My mistake.
When you count the NBA, ABA, D-League, and the international leagues, there have been 30 SMU players in the pros. If you only count the NBA players, it's 10. There are other players who were drafted, but did not play.
To Charles Beasley, Brad Branson, Adrian Caldwell, Willie Davis, Papa Dia, Bamba Fall, Mouhammad Faye, Rick Herrscher, Denny Holman, Carroll Hooser, Bryan Hopkins, Jon Koncak, Jim Krebs, Gerald Lewis, Myles Luttman, Collin Mangrum, Tim Mason, Carlton McKinney, Robert Nyakundi, Ike Ofoegbu, Gene Phillips, Jay Poerner, Glenn Puddy, Roy Pugh, Jemeil Rich, Quinton Ross, Jeryl Sasser, Patrick Simpson, Ira Terrell, and Derek Williams, I apologize. While the idea that SMU's basketball program has been "mired in mediocrity" holds true, accuracy matters. And what sort of modern journalist would I be if I didn't post a long-winded retraction?
Thankfully, everything else is solid. I'm proud of this story. I'm proud of the work that Joe Tone (editor) and I put into it. Mark Graham took some great photos. I loved spending time with the team and Coach Brown. Great things await them.
And you should read the story... right here.
TRINIDAD GARZA SHOWS BRADBURY SOME LOVE
I'll be here on Friday.
The Big Read is giving free copies of Fahrenheit 451 to all ninth and tenth grade students in the Dallas Independent School District. It’s part of The Big Read’s mission to have the entire city reading and discussing Ray Bradbury’s classic science fiction novel during the month of April. To celebrate the book distribution, Trinidad Garza Early College High School is hosting a kick-off event on Friday, March 15th. Dallas City Councilmember Delia Jasso will be speaking, along with Principal Janice Lombardi and D Academy member David Hopkins. Trinidad Garza’s step team will perform a specially prepared routine inspired by Fahrenheit 451.
The event will be held at 3 p.m. on the Mountain View College campus in the outdoor foyer between buildings S and W. It is open to the public.
The Big Read is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts, designed to restore reading to the center of American culture. The Big Read brings together partners across the country to encourage reading for pleasure and enlightenment.
Trinidad Garza Early College High School, located at Mountain View College, is a unique public school that offers students the opportunity to earn an associates degree during their high school years. “Trini” Garza places a high priority on rigorous academic study and is a true success story in the Dallas Independent School District.
For more information about The Big Read visit: bigreaddallas.org
For more information about Trinidad Garza Early College High School visit: www.dallasisd.org/garza
ON ESPN 1660 AM
If you want to hear me ramble about the Dallas Mavericks, click the play button below (or the link). I was a guest on "Unnecessary Roughness" yesterday, the afternoon show for ESPN Central Texas 1660 AM. I give my performance a solid "B-". They invited me to return, so that's something. [sc_embed_player fileurl="http://thatdavidhopkins.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/David_Hopkins-1362608597.mp3"]
link: David Hopkins on ESPN 1660 AM (4 minutes, 12 seconds)
SHORT STORY FOR JANUARY 2013
It's not January. In fact, it's almost March. I know it. You know it. However, the January short story doesn't know about this small inconsistency. I would appreciate if you keep this secret between you and me. The short story thinks it's January, and I don't want it to be any more confused than it already is. Eventually, we'll get caught up. Maybe. We have three short stories left. Then I will start organizing everything for the print edition.
This January short story is a little different. I wanted to experiment with telling the story entirely through dialogue. The short story consists of three shorter stories, all organized around a basic concept: two people sitting at a booth, having a conversation. Yes, sorta like Jim Jarmusch's COFFEE AND CIGARETTES. I'm trying something new here, trying to grow as a writer. If you like it, you're welcome. If you don't like it, I'm sorry you've been victim to my explorations.
Oh, and I cannot stress this enough: this short story is fiction. It is in no way based on actual events or actual conversations, because that would be embarrassing. All fiction. All false. I'm totally making up this stuff as I go. I would prefer for you to believe that.
And don't tell the January short story that it's almost March.
Would you like to read this story? For only $10, you too can join the club. Right now, we have 129 subscribers. Here’s a preview of this month’s story:
"Conversations at Metro Diner" by David Hopkins
Mike and his friend Peter sit across from each other. It’s 2 a.m. They’ve been out drinking, not quite drunk, but hazy—if you can make such a distinction. They stopped for coffee and breakfast food before they head home. Mike is restless.
“The grand gesture is dead. It just is.”
“Like flowers and all that?”
“No bigger than that. Grand gestures. You read—what’s that book—with that wealthy dude, and that girl Daisy and those parties—Great Gatsby! You ever read that book?”
“We were supposed to in high school; I never did.”
“Well, it’s a book about grand gestures. The guy becomes a millionaire and throws these ridiculously expensive parties all to impress this girl, and what happens? That girl Daisy stays with her husband.”
“Spoiler.”
“Whatever. The novel has been out forever. Like, yeah, Daisy is married. She has a kid, and a life with this jerk of a husband. Gatsby tries to win her over with money and his grand gestures. Nothing.”
“But she was married. Why would we care about Gatsby?”
“Because the other guy is racist and an asshole. The writer tries really hard to make you hate the husband, Tom, I think.”
“Maybe the grand gesture doesn’t work with married women?”
“Nah. See. Here’s the thing. If Daisy truly loved Gatsby, it would’ve worked. Maybe. But if she didn’t love him, it’s just creepy. If the girl likes the guy, then throwing rocks at her window is endearing. If the girl doesn’t like the guy, she’s calling the cops.”
Would you like to read the rest? You should subscribe. I’ll send you this short story (available in pdf, epub, and mobi formats), the stories from June, July, August, September, October, and December plus a new story every month for the next three months. All artwork by April Hopkins.
REGARDING THE BEARDFUL
For this week's Two Man Game column (representing ESPN's TrueHoop Network), I got philosophical on the Mavs' decision to not shave until they are back to .500, meaning they have an equal win-to-loss ratio. I'll admit my sports writing doesn't always look like sports writing. I'm working on it. But hopefully, I can offer the readers something unique to balance out their diet of stats and play-by-play analysis.
I was particularly proud of these three paragraphs:
What does the beard actually accomplish? Charles Darwin suggested that the beard might have served an evolutionary role in attracting suitable mates, as an indicator of virile masculinity. In many religions, the beard symbolizes an act of holy submission. From the Bible, Leviticus 21:5 states that “They shall not make any baldness on their heads, nor shave off the edges of their beards, nor make any cuts in their flesh.” Throughout history, the beard has come to represent crazy, dedicated people who were too busy to shave. (Abraham Lincoln was the first bearded president.) In modern times, beards can symbolize that you are quirky and hip, or that you’re homeless.
For the Mavs, is this beard a daring statement of manliness over their emasculated foes? Is it an act of contrition before the basketball gods? Is it a statement that there’s work to be done? Does it just look cool? Or is it based on the idea that if the Mavs keep playing poorly they may be kicked to the curb?
In the end, anyone who loves sports, be it fan or athlete, is prone to a little superstition. They understand the fickle nature of a ball dancing along the rim with seconds remaining. They have felt the injustice of a call that could’ve gone either way. They have seen their best player on the ground, suffering from a torn ligament that would’ve been fine had he not landed just so. Beards, rally caps, lucky socks… if it works, it’s not weird.
MY HOMETOWN
Facebook played a dirty trick on me. Facebook removed my "Married to April Hopkins" distinction from the front page of my profile. This may not seem like a huge deal--but darn it, I work hard to be a good husband. I want the acknowledgment. Plus, I don't want to confuse all the lovely ladies who might get their hopes up. Instead, Facebook had the command "Add your hometown" where my marriage status was previously. Facebook was getting pushy because "hometown" was the one piece of my FB profile I've ignored for years. I did so on purpose. My hometown no longer exists.
I don't want to sound too dramatic. Yes, from 1983 until 1996, I lived in Mansfield, Texas. It is where I grew up, where I went to school, where I made my friends, and where I graduated. I probably devoted hundreds of hours to riding my bike around this small town. Given the right equipment, I could've "Google mapped" my town from my bicycle. My parents would be dismayed if they knew how young I was and how far I traveled. Living in Mansfield, almost every day, I would walk to the 7-11. I'd buy the largest Coke slurpee available and play Strider in the small arcade. At the drug store, I bought my first packet of comic books. I spent my summers playing in the woods behind our house--exploring, hauling junk around to building forts, and destroying other kid's forts. Yes, Mansfield was my hometown, but that Mansfield doesn't exist. Not really.
After I graduated, Mansfield went from being a small town with only one high school to having about five or six, all with such such tedious non-names, the kind of places that could be a mental institution, a golf course, or a gated community: Lake Ridge, Legacy, Summit, and Timberview. Mansfield grew and built row after row of identical houses (yes, like Weeds). Every intersection now has a CVS or Walgreens, a donut shop, and a nail salon. Mansfield has been blessed with a Home Depot, a Best Buy, a Cinemark, and all the other businesses that crowd around these businesses. The Waffle House that was built while I was in high school, the first 24 hour anything in Mansfield, now appears old. They finally, finally added a book store, which I could tell they had been resisting for a while. And maybe, this transformation happens to every hometown. I can't fault Mansfield for wanting to expand. CNN Money rated Mansfield as #30 on their "best small cities" list. Who am I to disagree?
It wasn't like Mansfield was all that wondrous while I lived there. It was a segregated town, a frightfully conservative town, with an actual "other side of the tracks." The blessed side received the country club and all the improved streets, shops, and sidewalks. The other side was allowed to falter and be forgotten. (Historical footnote: Mansfield once had a public swimming pool for "whites only." When legally forced to integrate, the city opted to shut down the pool. Not too long after that, the country club opened. They had a swimming pool and closed membership. To my knowledge, the thriving Mansfield still doesn't have a public swimming pool as part of their parks and recreation department.) When our elementary schools all converged into a single middle school, I saw how angry white kids, angry black kids, and angry brown kids did not get along. I heard the words shouted back and forth, words they learned from their angry parents and grandparents. So I wasn't surprised when I heard of the problems Mansfield encountered, a few years ago, when they built new schools and tried to draw lines for where the students would go. People elected into office knew how to look out for their own interests. The population boom in Mansfield could have been a blessing, if smartly and fairly managed. Instead, it's just a haphazard mess of shopping centers and housing developments. Despite its many faults, for a time, Mansfield was familiar. I could claim it. Now if you were to drop me into the middle of Mansfield, I may not be able to find my way out.
"You can never go home again... but I guess you can shop there."
Facebook wants me to claim a hometown. I'm sorry, but I can't claim Mansfield. People can renounce citizenship. Can I renounce hometownship? Instead, I'm claiming Dallas. Dallas is more familiar to me than Mansfield. Every time I approach this city, it feels like home. Sure, it's not entirely accurate--but it feels more true. Dallas was the metropolis of my childhood. Even with its faults, I love Dallas. I don't really understand Mansfield.
As soon as I posted a hometown to my profile, Facebook released the hostage marital status. I'm once again Facebook official.
UPDATE: I'll confess my history of Mansfield is based more on myth and folklore. I received a message from a friend with some details about the infamous public pool. "I moved to Mansfield in 1968. The population was about 1600. Jack Ball's pool closed because he and Madelyn (both alcoholics) couldn't afford the insurance they were being asked to pay. Never saw any racism at all."
If anyone else has comments or clarifications, by all means, post below in the comments section.
THE STORY ABOUT THE STORY BEHIND MY STORY
The talented Lyndsay Knecht wrote an article for KERA's Art & Seek blog about my experience with the Oral Fixation Show (click here to read it). The article also includes audio of me rehearsing "One Request Before You Leave." You can hear Nicole Stewart laughing in the background.
David is that universally known writer type, charmingly self-depreciating from his first email. He wrote that I’d know his house by the overgrown lawn in front. He wanted to tell his story on merit of its anti-drama.
“People have often complimented me on my divorce which feels really weird, that someone would say, ‘Wow, you had a great divorce.’”
He laughs, and then I get a glimpse at the story behind the story. “It’s like, ‘Thanks, I’m good at failing,’” he says.
Nicole’s early exchanges with David via Skype go something like this:
Nicole: You get to saying that your first baby step was acknowledging that [your wife leaving you] was happening, and I want to make sure that I see you before you acknowledged it.
David: Okay.
Nicole: Like right now, I see you as lonely, unloved and unable to provide –
So here’s David, sitting in his home office, being asked by a relative stranger on a computer monitor to take himself back to the couples counseling appointment when his wife said she no longer wanted to be married to him.
GOODBYE YEAR OF THE DRAGON. HELLO SNAKE.
2012 was different. Not bad, just different. After twelve years of teaching in the classroom, I left to become a full-time writer. There were a lot of mixed emotions involved in that process--fear, hope, anxiety, excitement, and an overall sense that it was simply time to move on. I'll miss my students and fellow teachers; I was overwhelmed by the encouragement they gave me once I announced my plans. Writing for a living hasn't been this daily creative euphoria, but I didn't expect it to be. Writing for a living hasn't been an easy financial decision, but I didn't expect it to be. It's been hard, and good, and hard, and I shouldn't be surprised. But even if you expect the hit, it still rattles you a bit. In 2012, I've worked with some incredible clients and publishers, and I'm confident for a good 2013. And of course, I couldn't have done any of it without April's support.
I'm ready to leave 2012 in the dust. While all these changes have been incredible in their own way, they can be exhausting. I'm looking forward to a new routine, a new pace, and new ambitions for 2013.
Previously: 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011
Memorable events for 2012:
* Left the classroom to become a full-time writer * Family road trip to Wisconsin * Anniversary at Spa Castle * D Academy leadership retreat * Nephew Alex is born. * Launched Short Story of the Month Club * Kennedy and I met Stan Lee. * Shared a story for the Oral Fixation Show
Favorite comic books I read in 2012:
* I'll Give It My All... Tomorrow * 20th Century Boys * Fantastic Four/FF (Jonathan Hickman) * Infinite Kung Fu * Harvey Pekar's Cleveland * Post Apocalyptic Nick * Drama
Favorite TV Shows I watched in 2012:
* Doctor Who * The Walking Dead * The Mindy Project * Downton Abbey * Parenthood
Favorite movies I watched in 2012:
* Marvel's Avengers * Sleepwalk with Me * Silver Linings Playbook * Moonrise Kingdom * The Hunger Games * The Raid: Redemption * Chronicle
Favorite food for 2012:
* The Tenderloin from All Good Cafe
Favorite music I listened to in 2012:
* Adventures In Your Own Backyard, Patrick Watson * The Heist, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis * Love This Giant, David Byrne and St. Vincent * A Thing Called Divine Fits, Divine Fits * Join Us, They Might Be Giants
To read April's account of the year that was, click here.
ESPN 5-ON-5
As a columnist for the Two Man Game, which is affiliated with the TrueHoop Network, which is affiliated with ESPN, I'm on a semi-regular rotation with ESPN's 5-on-5. I get to offer my pro-basketball opinions, and then commenters get to tell me why I'm wrong. Actually, it's a lot of fun. For December 28th, "Who's buying, who's selling?" Which teams will be the movers and shakers before the trade deadline? http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/page/5-on-5-121228/nba-which-teams-buying-selling-trade-deadline
For December 12th, "Oddsmakers: Mavs-Celts, Spurs-Jazz" Predicting 2012-13 outcomes based on each team's current Hollinger Playoff Odds http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/page/5-on-5-121212/nba-oddsmakers-mavs-celtics-spurs-jazz
ASTRONAUT DAD ON COMIXOLOGY
Today is the launch of Comixology's "Submit" program. ASTRONAUT DAD was included in the beta. For anyone reading this from a computer, tablet, or smart phone (I don't know how else you would see these words), congratulations! You can click here, and be among the first to purchase ASTRONAUT DAD via Comixology. http://cmxl.gy/XRiW04
Only $5.99 to download our 160 page graphic novel. It's a story about suburban life for three NASA families during the Cold War--art by Brent Schoonover (also artist for MR. MURDER IS DEAD, HORRORWOOD, and Surly Brewing Company's Darkness beer) and written by me (also writer for KARMA INCORPORATED, EMILY EDISON, and this blog post).
Why are you still here? Go here! And thank you for your support of independent and local (if you live near the Dallas and/or Saint Paul greater metropolitan region of this country) comics.
SHORT STORY FOR DECEMBER 2012
To my subscribers, I just send the December short story. The files should be waiting in your inbox. So, where did November go? Fear not. There's a reason why the Short Story of the Month Club promises "10 short stories in 12 months." I knew I would need to factor in some "off months" for the occasional delay. November was such a month. It happens.
I hope you enjoy this story. "Six Seconds Left" includes some fantasy, some time travel, and some basketball. In case you were curious, Dale Howard is loosely based on Dallas Mavericks point guard Derek Harper and this moment in the NBA playoffs (note the first 30 seconds of the highlight video).
Would you like to read this story? For only $10, you too can join the club. Right now, we have 128 subscribers. Here’s a preview of this month’s story:
"Six Seconds Left" by David Hopkins
On May 30, 1988, on a Sunday afternoon, Dale Howard dribbled out the clock. The entire arena groaned. Coach raised his hands to pantomime, “What the hell are you doing?” Dale was confused. He looked at the scoreboard.
They were tied.
In the fog of the final minute, he thought they were ahead by one point. Didn’t Joe make both free throws in the last possession? For a moment, Dale was mad at Joe. If only Joe had made both the free throws—but no, this was Dale’s fault. Dale Howard did nothing with the ball, and looked like an idiot. He could’ve penetrated for a mid-range jumper. He could’ve passed the ball to Mark, their best shooter, who was wide open. Instead, Dale Howard dribbled out the clock, forcing his team into overtime where they lost the game four and the playoff series.
He didn’t know it at the time, but that season was their best chance for the championship. The next season, key players would be traded. Their promising rookie would be banned from the Association for drug use. The management would set a precedent for bad draft picks and poor planning, tanking the team for the next decade. Dale would leave the Association without having won a championship. He would be known as one of the greatest players to never make the all-star team, and he would always be remembered as the player who dribbled the ball with six seconds left on the clock when he could’ve taken the shot.
In the following years, the press loved asking him about that last possession. It was the only thing they were interested in. Dale, always patient, would explain he made a mistake. He’d tilt his head and shrug his shoulders in an exaggerated fashion to indicate the comical severity of his error. He thought his team was up by one point. He thought Joe had made both free throws. The game had been so close, with so many lead changes. Sometimes players get into a zone, experience tunnel vision, and their mind plays tricks on them.
Fans were a little kinder. They would ask for his autograph or to pose in a photo, then after a minute of conversation they would inevitably venture to those final six seconds. They inquired with such sincerity as if they were the first person to get the real story.
The story never changed. On May 30, 1988, Dale Howard had a chance to win the game, and he didn’t.
Would you like to read the rest? You should subscribe. I’ll send you this short story (available in pdf, epub, and mobi formats), the stories from June, July, August, September, and October, plus a new story every month for the next four months. All artwork by April Hopkins.
