On "He Did and He Didn’t" by J. A. Tyler (1063 words) ***

The work of J. A. Tyler, the editor of Mudlucious, that I've read has always been extremely well written and very lyrical. This piece is no exception to that. What stands out here, though, is the way he's able to turn that language to his advantage in telling the story of one man's obsession. Even as he feels himself falling apart in the face of his responsibilities, he also finds himself falling apart in the face of another human being. I've had a few times where women managed to do this to my head--one's feelings about it are, well, complex and contradictory, and that comes through in Tyler's piece. Read the story here at MFA/MFYou (an interesting journal devoted to comparing MFA writing and experiences to non-MFA writing and experiences).