Mary Miller
As a subscriber to Hobart, I recieved a litte gift package, which included matches (thanks, I have yet to open up that box of nicotine patches I bought in September), a cute little coaster, and a “special sneak-peek chap for subscribers” of Big World by Mary Miller. Big World will be out this year by Hobart’s Book Division, Short Flight/Long Drive Books. The mini-chapbook has two stories in it: “Fast Trains” and “Even The Interstate Is Pretty“. The stories are very good. Very, very good. They also happen to be very much to my taste, as well as what I often try to do as a writer. After reading them, I went online and read most everything I could find of hers there. I loved her flash works on Storyglossia, which you can read here, or here.
I also read a great interview with her by the great Kelly Spitzer (who deserves her own htmlgiant piece, note to self), where she says something that explains the genuis of her work:
Humans are so complicated and damaged and I love them so much.
I love the simple brilliance of that statement. I love the truth of it. She has a collection of flash fiction out my Magic Helicopter Press which I now must purchase. One of you dudes, or other ladies who may like ladies, should write a WILF piece on her – she’s super lovely. Also, I like how her narrators often know they are beautiful, but it doesn’t help them in any way. I love the way something core in her work hints at the essential mystery that is our human existence and how she gets at what lurks underneath the minutia of our daily lives during our short time on this planet. I am, without a doubt, profoundly envious of her work: I wish it were mine. That said, I can still enjoy it. I’ll leave you with the opening paragraph to “Even the Interstate is Pretty”:
My sister is inside watching a movie and bleeding. I don’t bleed anymore. It’s not something I thought I’d miss. My mother refers to the whole situation as my apparatus. When I’m quiet she ask if it’s because of my apparatus, and sometimes, in the middle of a conversation, she’ll put her hand on my arm and say, just because you don’t have your apparatus doesn’t mean you’re not a woman.
Tags: hobart, magic helicopter press, mary miller
nice! she’s getting press all over the place lately. i just ordered her other collection, Less Shiny last night.
nice! she’s getting press all over the place lately. i just ordered her other collection, Less Shiny last night.
I turned up this biographical matter about Mary “Boo” Miller. She is a very interesting and unusual writer!
INDEPENDENCE BOWL: Tech’s stifling run defense anchored by Mary Miller
Louisiana Gannett News • December 27, 2008
Mary Miller is a big woman with an even bigger heart.
In fact, you could call “Boo,” as she’s known by her teammates and the Louisiana Tech coaching staff, the soul of a Tech run defense that is giving up less than 100 yards per game this season.
“Boo is the kind of kid that everyone wants to be around,” Tech defensive line coach Jimmy Brumbaugh said. “She is a great statement for our program.”
Born in Berlin when her now retired father was an officer in the U.S. Army, the 6-foot-2, 302-pound Miller grew up in Pickering and became a mainstay in Tech’s defensive line almost from the day she arrived on campus.
Although she was part of a 3-10 season in 2006 when Tech had one of the worst defenses in Division 1A, Miller has thrived under defensive coordinator Tommy Spangler’s defensive scheme designed to stop the run first.
“Our motto is that you stop the run and then you earn the right to rush the passer,” said Brumbaugh, in his first season at Tech. “We know if we can force you to throw, we can pin our ears back and come after you.”
While the Bulldogs haven’t been consistent in getting quarterback pressure, they have ranked near the top of the WAC all season in run defense. Tech is 11th in the country against the run allowing only 99.7 yards per game, the best mark by a Tech team since it joined the FBS in 1989. It was also an improvement of more than 125 yards from two years ago when the Bulldogs ranked dead last in the country.
A lot of that can be attributed to the leadership of Miller, a junior who has been forced to set an example for a mostly young Tech defensive line.
“It’s cool seeing all the young guys step up and produce by following the leadership of Boo,” said redshirt freshman Matt Broha. “We fed off each other. Every game we studied film and we learned.”
Brumbaugh said that one of the things that sets Miller apart is something she picked up from her father’s military background.
“I saw her dad recently and told him he did a great job with Mary,” Brumbaugh said. “Not only is she a good person, she listens really well. You don’t have to tell her anything twice.
“She’s a great athlete, but she doesn’t act like it. A lot of players with her ability think they know everything, so they’re very difficult to teach. That’s not the case with Boo. She wants to get better, so she’s willing to try things we suggest.”
With so many youngsters playing around her, Miller knew she would have to be a leader from Tech’s opening game against Mississippi State.
“I had some self goals, but they got mixed with the team goals,” Miller said. “The coaches asked me to be more of a leader and that was fine with me.”
And she feels getting a bowl berth is the fitting capstone for her junior campaign.
“This is a great accomplishment for our team,” she said. “Every day you see an improvement in this program and that’s a great feeling.”
I turned up this biographical matter about Mary “Boo” Miller. She is a very interesting and unusual writer!
INDEPENDENCE BOWL: Tech’s stifling run defense anchored by Mary Miller
Louisiana Gannett News • December 27, 2008
Mary Miller is a big woman with an even bigger heart.
In fact, you could call “Boo,” as she’s known by her teammates and the Louisiana Tech coaching staff, the soul of a Tech run defense that is giving up less than 100 yards per game this season.
“Boo is the kind of kid that everyone wants to be around,” Tech defensive line coach Jimmy Brumbaugh said. “She is a great statement for our program.”
Born in Berlin when her now retired father was an officer in the U.S. Army, the 6-foot-2, 302-pound Miller grew up in Pickering and became a mainstay in Tech’s defensive line almost from the day she arrived on campus.
Although she was part of a 3-10 season in 2006 when Tech had one of the worst defenses in Division 1A, Miller has thrived under defensive coordinator Tommy Spangler’s defensive scheme designed to stop the run first.
“Our motto is that you stop the run and then you earn the right to rush the passer,” said Brumbaugh, in his first season at Tech. “We know if we can force you to throw, we can pin our ears back and come after you.”
While the Bulldogs haven’t been consistent in getting quarterback pressure, they have ranked near the top of the WAC all season in run defense. Tech is 11th in the country against the run allowing only 99.7 yards per game, the best mark by a Tech team since it joined the FBS in 1989. It was also an improvement of more than 125 yards from two years ago when the Bulldogs ranked dead last in the country.
A lot of that can be attributed to the leadership of Miller, a junior who has been forced to set an example for a mostly young Tech defensive line.
“It’s cool seeing all the young guys step up and produce by following the leadership of Boo,” said redshirt freshman Matt Broha. “We fed off each other. Every game we studied film and we learned.”
Brumbaugh said that one of the things that sets Miller apart is something she picked up from her father’s military background.
“I saw her dad recently and told him he did a great job with Mary,” Brumbaugh said. “Not only is she a good person, she listens really well. You don’t have to tell her anything twice.
“She’s a great athlete, but she doesn’t act like it. A lot of players with her ability think they know everything, so they’re very difficult to teach. That’s not the case with Boo. She wants to get better, so she’s willing to try things we suggest.”
With so many youngsters playing around her, Miller knew she would have to be a leader from Tech’s opening game against Mississippi State.
“I had some self goals, but they got mixed with the team goals,” Miller said. “The coaches asked me to be more of a leader and that was fine with me.”
And she feels getting a bowl berth is the fitting capstone for her junior campaign.
“This is a great accomplishment for our team,” she said. “Every day you see an improvement in this program and that’s a great feeling.”
D’Anthony – you are nuts.
ive been reading mary’s stuff for awhile. ive read less shiny and big world. love them both. and her piece in the latest hobart, 9 i think, is my favorite thing in the issue. mary is absolutely one of my WILFs.
ive been reading mary’s stuff for awhile. ive read less shiny and big world. love them both. and her piece in the latest hobart, 9 i think, is my favorite thing in the issue. mary is absolutely one of my WILFs.
pr,
i wrote a story today and i think you’d enjoy it (i don’t know exactly why, i just get that feeling). i will try hard to get some place to take it. i will offer them lude pictures.
pr,
i wrote a story today and i think you’d enjoy it (i don’t know exactly why, i just get that feeling). i will try hard to get some place to take it. i will offer them lude pictures.
nice ryan! I think of you as a poet so I am delighted that you also write stories. I sent you mostly poetry in my package- hope thats OK. keep me posted on it.
nice ryan! I think of you as a poet so I am delighted that you also write stories. I sent you mostly poetry in my package- hope thats OK. keep me posted on it.
barry, i own hobart9. But I didn’t see her story in it (journal overload)? Now I’ll go read it. She’s smokin hot in the photos online.
barry, i own hobart9. But I didn’t see her story in it (journal overload)? Now I’ll go read it. She’s smokin hot in the photos online.
pr:
yeah, its in there, its called pearl. you’ll love it. and if you check out the hobart online feature that corresponds with the print issue, she gives an addtional “deleted scene” also, on the online feature, blake wrote an alternate ending to my story, and its pretty great. check it out. and everything else on the online features. its all pretty cool.
and mary aside. you are still my number one WILF
pr:
yeah, its in there, its called pearl. you’ll love it. and if you check out the hobart online feature that corresponds with the print issue, she gives an addtional “deleted scene” also, on the online feature, blake wrote an alternate ending to my story, and its pretty great. check it out. and everything else on the online features. its all pretty cool.
and mary aside. you are still my number one WILF
thanks barry! I managed to find the issue, read Mary’s great story, then i went and read Blake’s excellent alternate ending and Marty’s deleted scenes. Aaahhhh. What a nice time that was.
I am happy today cause you said i am your number one WILF. I feel like going and touching myself.
not marty- mary-but you know that.
you should touch yourself while you’re reading mary’s hobart story and send me pics to post to the dogzplot blog. or at least pretend and still send the pics…. no?
you should touch yourself while you’re reading mary’s hobart story and send me pics to post to the dogzplot blog. or at least pretend and still send the pics…. no?
that sounds more like a catzplot photo, no?
pr,
i’ve mostly published poetry, but most of my focus has been on fiction especially in my mfa. i’m working on cracking some more publications with my fiction and i’ve been sending out a fucked up novel so we’ll see.
pr,
i’ve mostly published poetry, but most of my focus has been on fiction especially in my mfa. i’m working on cracking some more publications with my fiction and i’ve been sending out a fucked up novel so we’ll see.
very cool, ryan.
very cool, ryan.
pr,
you’re sweet.
pr,
you’re sweet.
[…] HTMLGIANT profile of the author Storyglossia flash fiction by the author […]
[…] his goofy screen presence. Also appearing are science fiction author Steven Barnes, author Mary Miller, and Clint […]
I absolutely loved this collection. Thanks Aaron for turning me on to MM at the AWP LDM. Trying to track down a copy of Less Shiny right now, so email me people if you have a copy.
I absolutely loved this collection. Thanks Aaron for turning me on to MM at the AWP LDM. Trying to track down a copy of Less Shiny right now, so email me people if you have a copy.
[…] Mary Miller, fiction writer (age 32): I read about Mary Miller in HTML Giant, the “internet literature magazine blog of the future”. Then, I read her story […]
just read A Detached Observer and i liked it very much. thanks for the link!
just read A Detached Observer and i liked it very much. thanks for the link!
[…] nobody Lily Hoang, declare today National Prose Poetry Day. In celebration, here is a prose poem by Mary Miller, published in Rose Metal Press’s awesome collection of flash fiction chapbooks, They Could No […]