Search or browse below for Richard’s publication news, articles, writing tips, and reviews, or check the archives by date.
Reading at “Gay Dread”
Reading a selection of horror poems during a night of queer entertainment with other local horror authors and drag queens.
Tabling at Beaverton Local Author Fair
I’m tabling at the 2026 Local Author Fair at Beaverton City Library in Beaverton, OR on Saturday, May 16, 2026 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. I’m grateful to be included. I’ll have recent editions of Weird Fiction Quarterly available, several of which include my most recent flash fiction stories.
Apology and Website Update
If you receive notifications about my posts through email, I apologize for all the emails I inadvertently sent out tonight!
“Curious Cat”
A curious new A.I. quickly supplants previous generation avatars, in Weird Fiction Quarterly – Artificial Intelligence 2025.
Writing Milestones in 2025
Richard’s writing milestones in 2025.
COLD Themed Horror Reading
HWA Oregon hosts COLD Themed Horror Reading at Beaverton City Library on 31 Jan 2026 at 2-4 p.m.
“Los fantasmas en Su Boca”
“Los Fantasmas en Su Boca” poem by Richard Leis. In Poisoned Soup for the Macabre, Depraved, and Insane (Brigids Gate Press.)
My great-grandmother, ghosts, gratefulness, and grief.
Halloween Readings 2025
I’m joining other local horror authors, including members of the Oregon chapter of the Horror Writers Association (HWA), this weekend at two Halloween events.
“The Meter Reader”
Lethal Chambers fill the sky with smoke and ash while war returns to American shores in this alternate reality snapshot of the world after “The Repairer of Reputations” by Robert W. Chambers, in Weird Fiction Quarterly – Spring 2025: The King in Yellow.
Critiques, Speculative Poetry, Coffee and Conversation at 2025 Willamette Writers Conference
I’m excited to attend the 2025 Willamette Writers Conference, and this year I’ll be helping out at a few events, too
“Vibrant Voices” at The Writers Studio Tucson
The winners of the 2025 Write-to-Read Competition from The Writers Studio Tucson read their work on Saturday, June 14 at Stacks Book Club in Oro Valley, Arizona.
“The Bird is Not Heralding Itself”
A frightened bird caught inside behind the blinds serves as a harbinger. In Larina’s Lit Lounge, Issue 17.
“End the Beguine”
A popular online dancer finds the perfect spot to film an atmospheric tap dance for his channel, in Weird Fiction Quarterly – Winter 2025: Ghosts.
Joining the Willamette Writers Board
I am so happy to have been invited to join the Willamette Writers Board!
The Inca Weaver’s Tales by Katherine Quevedo
With an already impressive bibliography, Quevedo’s debut mini-chapbook The Inca Weaver’s Tales, part of Sword & Kettle Press’s New Cosmologies series, was published last year, collecting several poems “inspired by Ecuadorian and Peruvian folklore.”
Writing Milestones in 2024
Richard’s writing milestones in 2024.
Conquer Books’ “Developmental Edit” Series Tackles My Work
Authors Nicole Van Den Eng & Rebecca M. Zornow are also book coaches and editors at Conquer Books, and they offered to edit a sample from one of my short stories as the next installment of their helpful “Developmental Edit” series. As a fan of their newsletter, I look forward to their writing tips and…
“Offering to Empty”
Friends enter a café and order before objects begin to simplify and people begin to disappear, in Larina’s Lit Lounge, Issue 7.
“Plumage at the Bottom of the Deep Blue”
A traveler watches for signs her terrifying pursuer survived a motorcycle crash into a lake.
Your Vote for That Awful Man
I’ve decided as a writer to stay out of politics and debates. That’s a shift from how I used to behave online, but I think my poems and stories convey my convictions better than blogs, social media posts, or conversation ever will.
But…
Upcoming Appearances in October 2024
I’ll be readings some of my spookier poetry and fiction in October 2024 to help celebrate local writers, horror, and Halloween.
“City as Fairy Tale”
Having taken drastic measures to save herself from the end of the world, a transformed scientist recognizes signs of another disaster.
We Are Here to Hurt Each Other by Paula D. Ashe
Nothing is easy in these horrifying tales, including their endings, though Ashe’s beautifully crafted prose is clear, concise, and matter of fact or lyrical in turn.
Crowdfunding Pledges August 2024
I slowed down my pledges quite a bit in August after lots of donations in July and plenty of books and magazines on my physical and digital bookshelves still to read, but there are so many science fiction, fantasy, and horror anthologies and magazines out there to support, and I cannot pass up these two…
“Expiration Date”
Mystery and murder, but probably not love, leads to the back of a camper. Or is it love after all?
“Calling Down the Mountains”
A thing trapped in a mountain allows four gay men escaping summer heat and intolerance to partake in a little bullying themselves.
“After ‘Wave, North Shore of Oahu’ Photograph”
Imagine pulling a photograph out of a stack—say, of a wave off the north shore of Oahu—and deciding to respond to it with a poem.
Imagine a poetic voice that decides it can improve on perfection, on chaos, on nature.
This is that voice.
This is that poem.
Crowdfunding Pledges July 2024
A list of my recent Kickstarter and other crowdfunding pledges for magazines and anthologies in July 2024.
“The Handsome Men”
Death leads to something worse after a night out at the gay club transforms into a perilous journey.
“We Carry Our Ghosts to the Stars”
When someone dies, the right words can keep the generations going while traveling through space.
“Phantom Taste of Apricot on My Tongue”
An orchard demands its harvest.
“Waves of Grass”
Fleeing unknown pursuers through the woods, a panicked runner tries to remember who they are, what they’re running from, and what they’re running toward.
“How We Will Walk Through the Extremely Green”
An explorer contemplates multiple paths through lush landscape.
“You, Photographed”
New and old photographs suggest a reunion between old friends.
“Cities Through Telescopes”
A son shares news about the discovery of ruined alien cities with his dying father.
Write More in 2024! New Workshop About Clarity and Specificity in Poetry
Online Workshop “Oranges or Clementines? Clarity and Specificity in Poetry” Tucson Poetry Festival Winter Workshop Series 13 January 20246:00 p.m. MT Join me on Saturday, January 13, 2024 at 6:00 PM Mountain Time for a workshop on Zoom titled “Oranges or Clementines? Clarity and Specificity in Poetry.” You can register here and read more about…
SFWA Membership
I’ve reached a new milestone as a poet and writer, and this is one I’ve been dreaming about since I first heard about professional writers organizations as a science fiction and fantasy-obsessed kid: I’m now an associate member of the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA.) The purpose of the Science Fiction and Fantasy…
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“[animal revolt]”
Three short lines, one ferocious attack.
Black Tide by KC Jones
Black Tide by K.C. Jones My rating: 4 of 5 stars The Oregon Coast becomes the site for a spectacular and unexpected meteor shower, followed by a grueling struggle to survive by two people already struggling to survive their day-to-day lives. I grew to care about these characters as their story unfolds over an action-packed…
Girls From the County by Donna Lynch
Girls From the County by Donna Lynch My rating: 5 of 5 stars Haunting, heartbreaking, and highly accomplished. The razor-sharp poems in Donna Lynch’s latest collection mix the real and all-too-common with folklore as powerful commentary about the dangers women face, most often from men, but occasionally from themselves, too, especially while dealing with the…
Poetry and Pause: The 2022 Tucson Poetry Festival, April 23-24
The latest Tucson Poetry Festival will be held this weekend, April 23-24, 2022, at a variety of fantastic venues in the Tucson area. Our theme this year is “Poetry and Pause.”
“ad perficiendum”
You discover everything around you is falling apart and breaking down. And then, so are you.
Interview: CBS Sunday Morning Primetime Special “Forever Young: Searching for the Fountain of Youth”
I was interviewed for a segment on cryonics that aired in a CBS Sunday Morning primetime special titled “Forever Young: Searching for the Fountain of Youth” in November 2021.
“Pangaea Proxima,” “Panthalassa,” & “Juniper Tree, Boy and Bird”
Three poems about parents, children, and their fraught relationships.
A Guide to Workshops at The Writers Studio
It can be difficult to sort through all the offerings from the Writers Studio to pick which classes are best for you or the writer in your life to which you would like to gift a workshop. Here, then, is a guide to our offerings, depending on your writing goals and interests.
Cradleland of Parasites by Sara Tantlinger
Cradleland of Parasites might be Sara Tantlinger’s best collection yet, a sequence of frightening, gruesome, breathtakingly beautiful poems about the Black Plague and other very real pestilence horrors up through modern times.
House of Zolo’s Journal of Speculative Literature, Volume 3
The future is frightening, often radically different, sometimes bleak, sometimes hopeful, sometimes both in the beautiful poems and short fiction included in the latest volume of House of Zolo’s Journal of Speculative Literature.
Tucson Poetry Festival Fundraising Event on Saturday, December 4 at Fini’s Landing
Help raise funds for the Tucson Poetry Festival by dining in or ordering take out or delivery at Fini’s Landing restaurant in Tucson between 11:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. on Saturday, December 4, 2021. Mention it’s for “Tucson Poetry Festival (Ocotillo Literary Endeavors)” before ordering your meal. You can RSVP on the fundraising announcement site.
“From Them Prostrate I Flee”
A teenager finds an unexpected escape from trauma in the garage, and it will haunt him the rest of his life.
Reviewing & Ranking the Scream Franchise
My favorite horror franchise gets a fifth entry, so here is a quick ranking of the previous movies.
Reorganizing My Website, Reorganizing My Life
It’s time for a website reorganization that focuses entirely on writing and teaching while burying my past activities.
Fall 2021 Workshops and Free Writers Studio Class This Thursday
Free Writers Studio Tucson class this Thursday evening, September 23, and information about my upcoming Fall 2021 workshops
“Bird Chooses to Make a Habitat of Heart”
“Give me back / my heart, beautiful bird. Mistake me for an open window.”
“Goodbye to Rock”
Fleeing natural disasters, a couple travels across the continent to watch the launch of the first crewed mission to Mars.
“I Can’t Explain Love or Loss if the Only Language I Have is Geology or What I Watch on YouTube”
“The couple quit uploading to YouTube two years ago. / Their videos are something pitiful and earnest now, / something long buried, sand-scratched, rubbed raw. / Thumbs down, I think. None of my business.”
My Statement About Transhumanism, Life Extension, and Related Organizations and Movements
I am no longer involved with most transhumanist, life extension, singularity, and other futurist and emerging technology organizations and movements.
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“It Was Another Time”: James Bond and Andrew Cuomo
I love the James Bond films. This weekend, I finished the fourth in the series—Thunderball (1965)—in my latest rewatch.
I acknowledge, however, that most of the films in this franchise are filled with offensive and derogatory content, including racism, homophobia, transphobia, and misogyny. There are too many of these scenes. I don’t love these films…
Final Destination Film Franchise
I resisted watching the films in the Final Destination franchise for a long time because I was afraid of how extreme the gore might be. I’m getting a little braver and I kept hearing good things about the first one, so I finally watched the first film last night.
And then binge-watched the other four…
Free Writers Studio Class and Spring 2021 Workshops
Free Writers Studio Tucson class this Saturday, April 10 and information about my upcoming Spring 2021 workshops.
The 39th Annual Tucson Poetry Festival is Coming Soon
The 39th Annual Tucson Poetry Festival is coming up in two weeks! Registration is available on our website for poetry workshops taught by our featured poets on Saturday, April 17, 2021. They will also be reading that evening and there will be an open mic (would you like to read one of your own poems?!)…
Life Update: December 2020
The high anxiety I felt in March and again in the summer hasn’t materialized in the same way with the latest, even greater peak of COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths, which may reflect complacency and exhaustion during this never-ending pandemic. My outrage and despair that much of the Federal government, several state governments, and many…
Nightmare, Issue 93 (June 2020)
I really love every story in this issue. Everything had the right amount of tension, chills, and ambiguity. There’s an image of attendees at a party after the party is over in “Girls Without Their Faces On” by Laird Barron that will haunt me forever. As will the Dorset Ooser from “We, the Folk” by…
Fantasy, Issue 61 (November 2020)
Fantasy Magazine has been on hiatus for several years, but new editors Arley Sorg and Christie Yant have relaunched the magazine starting with Issue 61 and four short or flash prose pieces and two poems, along with interviews. In their opening editorial, Sorg and Yant discuss why they’re bringing the magazine back now; it’s a…
Lightspeed, Issue 126 (November 2020)
There’s a humorous tone to some of the stories in the latest issue of Lightspeed Magazine I don’t think I’m really in the right place emotionally right now to completely appreciate, which might explain why my favorite story in this issue is probably “Burn the Ships” by Alberto Yáñez. It’s dark, but also deeply satisfying…
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Friday the 13th Film Franchise
Know that this franchise is mostly awful and an embarrassment to horror. I honestly don’t know why this franchise is popular. Terrible. Just terrible.
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Flash Monster 2020 Short List
My flash fiction story “A Bird Watcher’s Guide to Malformed and Buzzing Things” earned a spot on the close-but-no-cigar shortlist shout-outs for the annual Flash Monster contest from The Molotov Cocktail!
Autumncrow by Cameron Chaney
I truly love Autumncrow by Cameron Chaney, a perfect-for-October and Autumn book, with fun and wicked, but frequently dark and troubling, stories that whisper to me about my own trauma and personal history, suggesting dark and light new ways for me to look at things. Chaney has a knack for seeing right into the soul.
“In Which I Invent a Man”
“I must / still look for / him. My constant / resentment.”
Stories We Tell After Midnight Edited by Rachel A. Brune
A mix of flash and short fiction, Stories We Tell After Midnight from Crone Girls Press and editor Rachel A. Brune is an uneven mix, with several gems.
RBG Memorial Challenge
To participate in the fight against fascism and bigotry and for social justice, as well as to manage despair, I’m going to need assigned tasks between now and the election. It looks like the RGB Memorial Challenge will provide some of that guidance and discipline.
“I See and It’s Not Nearly Enough”
“I see how police officers and forces and governments react when they are challenged for their violent policies and racist behaviors. I see how they empower and embrace white supremacy groups and vigilantes while targeting Black people, people of color, peaceful and agitated demonstrators. I see how so many Americans have opinions about rioting and…
True Crime by Samantha Kolesnik
True Crime by Samantha Kolesnik is a difficult book to read, for sure, but what’s so remarkable about it and why I continued reading is how the author navigates this brutal material.
Coppice & Brake Edited by Rachel A. Brune
One of the most exciting and enjoyable reading experiences I’ve had this year. I’m enthusiastic because in a year of great anthologies, Coppice & Brake from Crone Girls Press and Editor Rachel A. Brune is an absolute favorite. I love every single story, which I cannot say about most anthologies.
“In a Mirror, Dimming”
“Beyond the scarred surface, I saw the bones of the Moon, / the geology of a crime. He would not speak of it.”
K-12 Poetry Contest
The University of Arizona Poetry Center, Arizona Public Media, and the Pima County Public Library have launched a poetry contest for K-12 students in Pima, Santa Cruz, and Cochise County in Arizona, with submissions accepted between June 16 and July 16, 2020.
“What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” by Frederick Douglass
Professor Geta LeSeur at the University of Arizona introduced me to Frederick Douglass’s “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” speech, a speech I now read or watch being read every year on this day.
Harpy Hybrid Review
Editor-in-Chief Janel Spencer and Editor Lynn Finger have launched Harpy Hybrid Review, a new online literary magazine…
Free Writers Studio Tucson Class Online This Thursday
Tucson teachers Lela Scott MacNeil and I will be online for a free writing class this Thursday at 6:30 p.m. to provide a writing exercise, explain The Writers Studio method, and discuss how our program can support your personal writing goals.
2020 Rhysling Anthology edited by David C. Kopaska-Merkel
What bliss to read the latest Rhysling Anthology from the Science Fiction and Fantasy Poetry Association (SFPA) and edited by David C. Kopaska-Merkel, but what torture to select the best three short and long poems nominated for the 2020 Rhysling Award.
Summer 2020 Writing and Teaching
This summer 2020, I’m teaching both a Tucson Workshop and “Crafting Fantastic & Imaginative Worlds”, reading a lot of speculative poetry, and writing.
White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo
White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo is a great place for White people to start, learn a little humility, and start building stamina for grappling with race and racism. I learned a lot while experienced many head-smack moments and moments of shame while reading this…
Condemning J.K. Rowling and Her Transphobic Views
I condemn J.K. Rowling and her continuing transphobic views, including her recent social media posts and response to the backlash.
SFPA Poetry Contest
The 2020 SFPA Poetry Contest runs from June 1 through August 31, 2020 and is open to both non-members and members.
h+
Richard designed, developed, and maintained the original h+ Tucson website as well as the expanded h+ website for multiple chapters and new transhumanist-related content, including a gallery of transhumanist art, links, and other resources.
Painbow
Richard Leis created Painbow after he witnessed and experienced two incidents of discrimination. His idea was to briefly describe each situation, include the hurtful statement itself, and provide a short response.
Flashpocalypse Short List
My flash fiction story “The Canal” was shortlisted for The Molotov Cocktail’s latest quarterly flash contest: Flashpocalypse!
Lightspeed Issue 120 (May 2020)
Lightspeed’s May 2020 issue includes stories by some of my favorite authors, and some new favorites.
In the Scrape by James Newman and Mark Steensland
At 94 pages, In the Scrape by James Newman and Mark Steensland is a quick read, but be warned that the mounting tension might require an occasional break to catch your breath. You’re going to need the oxygen: the final third of the book, when the breathless pace escalates and characters become even more desperate,…
Cricket Hunters by Jeremy Hepler
Cricket Hunters subverts the usual tropes and nostalgia of coming-of-age horror by reaching for something even darker in this tale of friendship and rivalry
Midnight in the Graveyard Edited by Kenneth W. Cain
I have definitely been in the mood for ghost stories, and Midnight in the Graveyard, the first anthology from Silver Shamrock Publishing, delivers the ghostly goods!
Phreak by JE Solo
Phreak often worked against my narrative expectations with its fragmented, time-jumping, and vignette-style approach, and in the process delivered a singular character whose clear and deeply felt recollections warn us how close we are to delivering a similarly bleak future to the next generation. You’ll want to get your hands on this novel as soon…
How We Broke by Bracken MacLeod and Paul Michael Anderson
This little novella full of big revelations and emotions really got to me.
Snow by Ronald Malfi
The rapid pace doesn’t get in the way of good details and atmosphere; I felt the cold, eeriness, and rising tension along the way. What they encounter is creepy as hell and led to heart-pounding horror and heartbreaking deaths.
We Are Monsters by Brian Kirk
It took me several pages to adjust to the direction Kirk takes later in the novel, but I was rewarded with an unexpectedly humane, emotional, and satisfying ending. Despite its challenges, We Are Monsters left me with a lot to enjoy and think about.
On a Successful 2020 Tucson Poetry Festival
Thank you to members of the board, featured poets, and attendees for a successful and sustaining 2020 Tucson Poetry Festival.
Tucson Poetry Festival Featured Poets Reading and Open Mic, April 18-19, 2020
The 2020 Tucson Poetry Festival will include workshops, a reading by the featured poets, and an open mic.
“Witch House”
“Little girls in white dresses skipping rope / & chanting singsong in slow motion we stole / from an 80’s horror film.”
Poets and Workshops at the Tucson Poetry Festival, April 18-19, 2020
When Director Melanie Madden suggested the theme for this year’s annual Tucson Poetry Festival—”Poetry to Sustain Us”—none of us on the Board could have predicted how even more necessary this sustenance would become in 2020.
“Passage”
“I drove Pacific Northwest November numb / through trees like tall green drifts to the ocean / seething with chaos.”
A Submission Process
In this new post, I will provide tips and resources so that my workshop students and other writers can submit their best work to potential markets.
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