Debra Di Blasi

Resume / C.V.

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS (selected)
•  2021 ENTROPY MAGAZINE'S "BEST NONFICTION BOOKS OF 2020-2021"  for Selling the Farm
•  2021 Big Other Book Awards finalist for Selling the Farm: Descants from a Recollected Past. 
•  2020 Big Other nomination of “Every Fly’s Ascendant” for Pelekinesis Best Microfictions anthology.
•  2019 Dzanc Book Award Finalist for Selling the Farm: Descants from a Recollected Past.
•  2019 C&R Press Nonfiction Award winner for Selling the Farm: Descants from a Recollected Past
•  2019 The Hunger Magazine nomination of “The Eaters” for Best Small Fiction.
•  2018 Triquarterly Review nomination of “Five Descants from a Violent Species” for Sundress Publications 2018 Best of the Net Anthology.
•  2018 Pleiades’ The Robert C. Jones Short Prose Book Award semi-finalist for TODAY IS THE DAY THAT WILL MATTER: An Oral History of the New America: #AlternativeFictions.
•  2018 Big Other nomination of “Otherwise (Eulogy for Diane)” for Sundress Publications 2017 Best of the Net Anthology.
•   2017 Four Way Books Levis Prize in Poetry finalist for early version of Selling the Farm.
•  2017 Seneca Review Deborah Tall Lyric Essay Award semi-finalist for early version of Selling the Farm: Descants from a Recollected Past. 
•  2009 Arts Innovator Award Finalist. Artists Trust, Seattle, WA. 
•  2008 &NOW Award for “The Incomplete but Real History of The Jiri Chronicles Illustrated by The Real Jiri Cech” and “Products.” 
•  2008 Innovative Fiction Award for “Quell the Mayhem Night.” The Diagram. 
•  2003 Inspiration Grant from Kansas City Metropolitan Arts Council for BLEED educational literary and art videos.
•   2007 Best of the Web Fiction for “Personal Effects.” Web del Sol magazine.
•  1998 James C. McCormick Fellowship in Fiction sponsored by the Christopher Isherwood Foundation.
•  1997 Thorpe Menn Book Award for Literary Excellence for Drought & Say What You Like. Sponsored by American Association of University Women.
•  1997 Cinovation Screenwriting Award for Drought screenplay. Kansas City Filmmakers Jubilee/Kansas City Film Festival.
•  1996 Austin Screenwriters Competition finalist for The Walking Wounded

PUBLICATIONS
:: BOOKS IN PRINT
•  Birth of Eros. KERNPUNKT Press. November 1, 2022,
•. Selling the Farm: Descants from a Recollected Past. Memoir. C&R Press. September 2020
•  You Are What Is Written introductory essay, "Glasswing Raptured." Book co-authored with National Book Award Finalist H. L. Hix. Greta Oto Books: Laramie, WY. August 2020
•  TODAY IS THE DAY THAT WILL MATTER: An Oral History of the New America: #AlternativeFictions. Flash Fictions. Black Scat Press: San Francisco, CA. August 2018
•  Dirty : Dirty. An anthology of writing and art. Editor. Jaded Ibis Press: Seattle, WA. 2012 •
•  What the Body Requires. A symphonic novel. First edition. Jaded Ibis Press: Seattle, WA. 2008. Second edition POD: December 2018
•  The Jirí Chronicles & Other Fictions. Short stories. University of Alabama Press/FC2: Tuscaloosa, AL. March 2007
•   Prayers of an Accidental Nature. Short stories. Coffee House Press: Minneapolis, MN. May 1999
•  Drought & Say What You Like. Two novellas. New Directions Books: New York, NY. March 1997
•  Skin of the Sun: New Writing. Mixed media fiction and nonfiction (illustrated; color, BW paperback and ebook editions). January 2017
•  Ugly Town: The Movie. A novel (illustrated; print and ebook editions). June 2016
• Chinese Brush Painting: Volume 2: Birds in the Wild. (illustrated; full-color in hardback or paperback)
• Chinese Brush Painting: Volume 1: Bees & Wasps. (illustrated; full-color paperback)

:: ANTHOLOGIZED WRITING
•  "Prayer for Saint Fiacre."  Healing Visions Anthology of Art and Writing. Fine Art Photographer Meg Boscov. (Randall Brown, Foreword). February 2023
•  "Czechoslovakian Rhapsody Sung to The Accompaniment of Piano.” Notre Dame Review 50: The Anniversary Issue. Notre Dame, IN. 2021
•  “Moon Dog" excerpt from the novella. Conceptualisms The Anthology of Prose, Poetry, Visual, Found, E- & Hybrid Writing as Contemporary Art Edited by Steve Tomasula. University of Alabama Press. February 2022.
•  Song of the Monkey King.” Excerpt from the novel, Anything Now Gone. Litscapes: Collected U.S. Writings 2015. Caitlin M. Alvarez and Kass Fleisher, eds. Steerage Press: Normal, IL. June 2015
•  “Somewhere on the briny deck’s a boy.” Poem. Ley Lines anthology of image and text. H. L. Hix, ed. Wilfrid Laurier University Press: Waterloo, ON Canada. October 2014
•  “Olbers’ Paradox.” Mixed media hybrid memoir. Wreckage of Reason II: XXperimental Women Writers in the 21st Century. Nava Renek, ed. Spuyten Duyvil Press: Brooklyn, NY. February 2014
•  “The Republic for Which It Stands.” Mixed media short story. Theoretical Perspectives on the Substance Preceding [nothing]. Janice Lee and Joe Milazzo, eds. [out of nothing] Press. 2012
• “Excerpts from The Jiri Chronicles.” I’ll Drown My Book: Conceptual Writings by Women. Carline Bergvall, Laynie Browne, Vanessa Place, eds. Les Figues Press: Los Angeles, CA. 2012
•  ”Products from The Jiri Chronicles and Other Fictions” and “The Incomplete but Real History of the Jiri Chronicles.” The &NOW Awards: Best Innovative Fiction of 2004-2008. Robert Archambeau, Davis Schneiderman, Steve Tomasula, eds. Lake Forest Press/&NOW Books: Lake Forest, IL. October 2009
•  “Glauke’s Gown.” Forms at War: FC2 1999-2009. R.M. Berry, ed. FC2/University of Alabama Press: Tuscaloosa, AL. Mar. 2009
•  “Oops. Sorry." Notre Dame Review: The First 10 Years. John Matthias and William O’Rourke, eds. Notre Dame Press: Notre Dame, IN. January 2009
•  “Sprung Up in the Years Since.” Wreckage of Reason: XXperimental Women Writers in the 21st Century. Nava Renek, ed. Spuyten Duyvil Press: Brooklyn, NY. 2008
•  “Rape.” Excerpt from Drought. The Why and Later. Carly Sachs, ed. (Deep Cleveland Press: Cleveland, OH. December 2007
•  “Bohemian Beasts and Their Buttery Buxom Brides” (writing as Jirí Cêch). Brothers and Beasts: An Anthology of Men on Fairy Tales. Kate Bernheimer, ed. Wayne State University Press: Detroit, MI. Fall 2007
•  “Czechoslovakian Rhapsody Sung to the Accompaniment of Piano.” Notre Dame Review: Anthology of &NOW Festival of Innovative Writing. Notre Dame, IN. Winter 2005
•  “Snapshots: A Genealogy.” Show + Tell Anthology of Writers & Artists, Potpourri Publications: Kansas City, MO. June 2000 
•  “An Interview with My Husband.” Lovers: Writings by Women. The Crossing Press: Freedom, CA. 1992

:: SHORT STORIES & EXCERPTS
•  “Bent." Excerpt from the novel-in-progress A Gifted Creature. Black Scat Review #26: Crime Wave. August 19, 2022.
•   “Pricks: 1951." Excerpt from Birth of Eros novel. The Exacting Clam.  Autumn 2022.
•  "Prayer for Saint Fiacre." Healing Visions anthology of micro prose and fine art photography. Matter Press. March 2023.
•  "Premeditated Acts of Kindness." Age of Inside premier issue. May 2022.
•  "Every Fly's Ascendant." Big Other. May 21, 2019
•   “Her Father, Reclining,” “Swamp,” “Foreign Relations,” and “The Alchemist Bleeding.” (from TODAY IS THE DAY THAT WILL MATTER: An Oral Report from the New American History: Alternative Fictions). Heavy Feather Review. May 2018
•  “The Eaters." (from TODAY IS THE DAY THAT WILL MATTER: Oral Reports from the New America: #Alternative Fictions) The Hunger Literary Journal. January 2018
•  “Manatee County.” (from TODAY IS THE DAY THAT WILL MATTER: Oral Reports from the New America: #Alternative Fictions) Saw Palm Literary Journal. 2018
•  “Tuesday in the Park.” (from TODAY IS THE DAY THAT WILL MATTER: Oral Reports from the New America: #AlternativeFictions) New South Journal. December 2017
•  “Horror Comics Aren't Funny at All.” (from TODAY IS THE DAY THAT WILL MATTER: Oral Reports from the New America: #AlternativeFictions). Wayne Literary Review. December 2017
•  “Bone Chapel" and "Report from the Church of His Lady of Mercy." (from TODAY IS THE DAY THAT WILL MATTER: Oral Reports from the New America: #AlternativeFictions) Wigleaf. August 2017
•  “Moondog: The Funeral." (excerpt from Moondog: a novella). Notre Dame Review. Issue 43; Winter/Spring 2017
•   “Waiting for the Americans.” The Literarian. Spring 2013 (Pushcart Prize nomination)
•    “Machine Ghosts.” An excerpt from The Jiri Chronicles. Dead Sheep. March 2013
•    “The Republic for which It Stands.” [out of nothing] online journal. October 2012
•   “Nothing to Report from Africa.” No News Today. Robert Lopez Books. April 2011
•   “Mud Cookies of Haiti.” Andrei Codrescu and Mark Spitzer, eds. Illustrations by R. Crumb. Exquisite Corpse annual #2: Culture Shock Foundation: Poland. February 2010
•   “Morning Star, My Father, Mine.” Ragazine: Online Magazine of Art, Information & Entertainment. Fall 2009
•   “Quell the Mayhem Night.” The Diagram: New Michigan Press. 2008
•   “It’s Okay to Stare.” Exquisite Corpse online. Spring 2008
•   “Anonymous Children of Martin Luther.” Clackamus Literary Review: Oregon City, OR. Spring 2007
•   “Personal Effects.” Mad Hatters’ Review. October 2006
•   “Machine Ghosts.” Drunken Boat. Spring-Summer 2006
•   “A Bird Does Not Understand the Concept of Glass.” Kansas City Voices: Kansas City, MO. Summer 2006
•   “King of the Jungle and Rock and Roll.” Zygote in My Coffee: San Jose, CA. Winter 2005
•   “Sister Sister Sister Sister.” Chelsea: Cooper Station, NY. Spring 2005
•   “Snapshots: A Genealogy in Flight.”  First Intensity: Magazine of New Writing: Lawrence, KS. Fall 2004
•  “Sparrows.” Rhapsoidia: Riverside, CA. Summer 2004
•   “Seed.” Big Ugly Review: San Francisco, CA. Online literary journal. Summer 2004
•   “Oops. Sorry.” Notre Dame Review: Notre Dame, IN. Summer 2003
•   “Translation.” Juniata Voices: Juniata College, Huntingdon, PA. Literary journal. Spring 2003
•   “Haunted.” Notre Dame Review: Notre Dame, IN. January 2003
•   “Thaw.” The Kansas City Star Magazine: Kansas City, MO. December 8, 2002
•   “Glauke's Gown.” The Iowa Review: Iowa City, IA. April 2002
•   “Czechoslovakian Rhapsody Sung to The Accompaniment of Piano.” Notre Dame Review: Notre Dame, IN. Dec. 2000
•   “Recollection” and “Blue.” Clay Palm Review: Oxford, CT. February 2001
•   “Blue,” “Recollection,” and “Exiles.” The Prague Review: Prague, The Czech Republic. Winter 2000
•   “The Buck.” Potpourri: Kansas City, MO. Fall 1996
•   “Blind.” New Letters: University of Missouri, Kansas City, MO. Spring 1996
•  “Drowning Hard.” Cottonwood: University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS. 1995
•   “I Am Telling You Lies.” Sou'wester: Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville, IL. 1995
•   “An Interview with My Husband.” New Delta Review: Louisiana State University, LA. 1991 •   “Delbert.” AENE: San Francisco, CA. 1991
•   “The Season's Condition.” Colorado-North Review: University of Northern Colorado, CO. 1990

:: POETRY / PROSE POETRY / HYBRIDS
•   "The Coal of St. Lawrence." Big Other Magazine. Fall 2022.
•   "Spines Thin & Thick” and “Prayer for Every Need & Situation” Cimarron Review. 2021
•   “What the Word Delivers.” [out of nothing] online journal. June 2009
•   “What the Crow Delivers.” Sleepingfish: New York, NY. Literary journal. Spring 2007
•   “Diptych: Petroleum and God.” The Melic Review. Spring 2006 and presented at Poetry Slam sponsored by Missouri Center for the Book and Kansas City Public Library. September 2004
•   “Ways a Father Dies.” The Melic Review. Summer 2004
•   “The Last Mare.” Poetry Midwest. March 2004

:: PUBLISHING as “The Real Jirí Céch™”
(Fictional character interacting in the real world. A 13-year conceptual literary project culminating in over 500 individual works of poetry, video, music, consumer products, interviews, etc.)
•   “4 Robots Sing the Singularity” An erasure. Devouring the Green: Fear of a Human Planet: An Anthology of New Writing. Sam Witt, ed. Jaded Ibis Press: Seattle, WA. April 2015
•   “Seven Poems: By the Moravian Sea, Time Ago, Thirst to Eat, A Fine Field, Mid-day, Playing, Notes to Myself.” Other Voices International Poetry Anthology. Spring 2007
•   BOOK: Comes Life: New Poetry. Limited edition poetry collection self-published by Jirí Cêch™. Part of The Jiri Chronicles. 2005
•   “It’s A Man’s World.” Poem. Poets Against the War. Spring 2004
•   “Run” and “Bullocks.” Poems, with an introduction about Jiri Cech's debut by poet H.L. Hix. Pleiades Journal. Summer 2004
•   Guest Editor. In Posse Review. 2004
•   “Refugees.” Poem. The Melic Review. Spring/Summer 2003
•   BOOK: Whither: Poems of Exile. Limited edition poetry collection self-published by Jirí Cêch. Part of The Jiri Chronicles. 2002

:: NONFICTION
•   “Playlist for Birth of Eros." Largehearted Boy. November 8, 2022.
•  "Raising the Dead: An Interview with Aimee Parkison." Full Stop Magazine. October 2021.
•   "Four Descants from Selling the Farm." Laurel Review special section on Missouri Writers. Spring 2021
•   “Lawn." Creative nonfiction (from Selling the Farm: Descants from a Recollected Past). Juxtaprose. March 2020
•   “Six Descants from Winter.” Creative nonfiction (from Selling the Farm: Descants from a Recollected Past). Copper Nickel. October 2019
•   “Otherwise.” Creative nonfiction (from Selling the Farm: Descants from a Recollected Past). Big Other. March 2019
•   “Turncoats." Creative nonfiction (from Selling the Farm: Descants from a Recollected Past). The Collagist. February 2018
•   “Buzzards." Creative nonfiction (from Selling the Farm: Descants from a Recollected Past). Entropy Magazine. January 2018
•   “Five Descants from a Violent Species." Creative nonfiction (from Selling the Farm: Descants from a Recollected Past). Triquarterly. January 2018
•   “Gap." Creative nonfiction (from Selling the Farm: Descants from a Recollected Past). Gravel magazine. December (Spring) 2017
•   "Postcard: Sam Shepard Died.” Nonfiction. Wigleaf. September 2017
•   “Dead Languages." Creative nonfiction (from Selling the Farm: Descants from a Recollected Past). Kestrel. November (Fall) 2017.
•   "Bullfrog." Creative nonfiction (from Selling the Farm: Descants from a Recollected Past). Virga Magazine. October 2017.
•   "A Dead White Pony." Creative nonfiction (from Selling the Farm: Descants from a Recollected Past). The Los Angeles Review. September 2017.
•   "Preface" to Devouring the Green: Fear of a Human Planet: An Anthology of New Writing (ed. Sam Witt) April 2015
•   "Beautiful Collider.” American Book Review. Sept.-Oct. 2011.
•   “Author Fail #13: Regarding the Memoir” Big Other (bigother.com) August 2011.
•   “Publishing as Mashup Jaded Ibis Press” Audio essay. Inside Higher Ed (AWP online journal) February 2011.
•   “Time Now.” Boulevard Magazine. Summer 2005
•   "Gass Pain: a hypertext." The Center for Book Culture (www.centerforbookculture.org) casebook on William H. Gass's The Tunnel, H. L. Hix, ed. November 2000
•   "Why It's Important to Tell Your Story." Published online at 1,000 Stories (www.kcstories.com). 2000
•   "Millennium Garden: Paintings by Jim Sajovic." Published in art catalog. September 1999
•   "What Three Cheers Everywhere Provide." Anthologized in Exposures: Essays by Missouri Women. Woods Colt Press: Kansas City, MO. March 1997

:: Contributing Editor: The Age of Inside literary journal. Produced by students at NOVA Universidade, Lisbon, Portugal. David Swartz, supervising editor. Fall 2021.

:: Guest Editor: 
Review arts magazine, Kansas City, MO. Spring 2005 Writing as a Conceptual Art, special feature. “The label-less-ists and the inevitable ism to come: An Introduction.”

:: Art Columnist: The Pitch (a Village Voice Media publication), Kansas City, MO. March 2001
- May 2002
•   “Age Before Beauty? The Nelson's Egyptian art is 'old' news." May 1-7, 2002
•   “Clay Money: the Belger Center understand the economics of art" (part 4). April 18-24, 2002
•   “Minority Majority: Artists of color rule in Shades of Clay"(part 3). April 4-10, 2002
•   “Burnt Offerings: Stoneware potters make art the rite way" (part 2). March 14-20, 2002
•   “The New Evolution: At the H&R Block ArtSpace, ceramics artists play God" (part 1). Feb. 28-March 6, 2002
•   “Pop Smart: The Dirt Gallery throws a pop hilarity contest." February 14-20, 2002
•   “Souls for Sale: May Tveit gives the money changers a dose of Retail Therapy." January 24-30, 2002
•   “Screen Play: Bruce Yonemoto's work produces special effects." January 10-16, 2002
•   “Memory Tricks: At the Opie Gallery, life goes by in a flash." Dec. 13-19, 2001
•   “Paradise Lost: Nature is here today, there tomorrow." Nov. 29-Dec. 5, 2001
•   “Shelf Life: Judge these books by their covers." Nov. 15-21, 2001
•   “Story Look: The Late Show has multiple views on the Present Tense." Nov. 1-7, 2001
•   “Dirty Laundry: Marcie Miller Gross comes clean about life and death." Oct. 4-10, 2001
•   “Refuge: Ke-Sook Lee's Garden offers a moment of silence." Sept. 20-26, 2001
•   “Miller Time: Tim Miller's hope chest springs eternal." Sept. 6-12, 2001
•   “No Escape: Lucinda Devlin and Stephen Tourientes rattle some cages." Aug. 2-8, 2001
•   “Writing on the Wall: The Dirt Gallery's Time Travelers have something to spray." Jul.19-25, 2001
•   “Art Works: The Kemper suggests that beauty is in the hands of the holder." Jul 5-11, 2001
•   “Lesson Plan: Ouida Touchón figures things out." Jun. 21-27, 2001
•   “Last Word: Jesse Howard, Jenny Holzer and Jack Pierson say it loud." Jun. 7-13, 2001
•   “Artist, Heal Thyself: Joe Gregory pears down his psyche." May 24-30, 2001
•   “Young Blood: Artist-curators pump new life into the city." May 10-16, 2001
•   “Virtually Art: Artists untangle the Web of a new medium." Apr. 12-18, 2001
•   “Face Value: Artside Out gives poverty a face – and disadvantaged children a voice." Apr. 26-May 2, 2001
•   “Breaking the Surface: These photographs are more than skin deep." Mar. 29-Apr. 4, 2001
•   “Everybody's A Critic: Homer's pictures painted a thousand words." Mar. 15-21, 2001
•   "Dirty Work: Sculptor James Croak Gets Down to Earth…Literally." Mar. 1-7, 2001

:: Contributing Writer (1987-1994) and Contributing Editor (1989)
SOMA arts magazine, San Francisco, CA.
•   "We've Got Joe Montana." 1994
•   "I Am Writing to You from the Middle Of Nowhere.” 1990
•   "James Rosenquist: Seeing/Not Seeing." 1990
•   "Diamanda Galas: Honesty Inside A Clenched Fist." 1989
•   "Rising from the Ash Heap of Performance Art, Rinde Eckert Takes Off." 1988
•   "Otto Hitzberger: Cutting Away." 1987
•   "Miró." 1987
•   "Jonathan Barbieri: Missiles Across the Border." 1987

:: Contributing Art Reviewer: The New Art Examiner, Chicago, IL. 1984-85
•   "Jane Ashbury" short review. 1985
•   "Marilyn Propp" short review. 1984

REVIEWS & INTERVIEWS received
•  The Temz Review review of Birth of Eros. December 2022.
•  Heavy Feather Review review of Birth of Eros. November 18, 2022.
• The Exacting Clam review of Birth of Eros. November 2022
•  Largehearted Boy introduction to Birth of Eros.. November 8, 2022
•  The Millions  review of Birth of Eros. October 31, 2022
•  Hippocampus Magazine review of Selling the Farm. April 5, 2021
•   Brevity magazine review of Selling the Farm. February 2021
•   Heavy Feather Review review of Selling the Farm. February 2021
•   Manhattan Book Review review of Selling the Farm. November 2020
•   Grab the Lapels blog review of Selling the Farm by Melanie Page. September 2020.
•   New York Journal of Books review of Selling the Farm. September 2020
•   Full-Stop Magazine review of Selling the Farm by Charles Holdefer. August 4, 2020
•   The Brooklyn Rail. Conversation with Joe Milazzo. March 2019
•   The Big Other podcast, Jamming Their Transmissions. Episode 2. Interviewed by John • • Madera. January 2019
•   The Collagist (now The Rupture). Review of TODAY IS THE DAY THAT WILL MATTER by Charles Holdefer. December 2018
•   Grab the Lapels. Interviewed by Melanie Page. October 11, 2018
•   The Collagist. “Grief Was a Stone in My Gut.” Interviewed by William Hoffacker. July 9, 2018
•   Entropy Magazine. Dennis Sweeney interviews Debra Di Blasi. “Small Press.” February 10, 2015
•   Best American Poetry. “Meet the Press: In Conversation with Debra Di Blasi & Sam Witt of Jaded Ibis Press.” July 5, 2014
•   Ploughshares. “People of the Book.” Debra Di Blasi interviewed by Gretchen Henderson. July 30, 2013
•   Ordinary Madness. Audio interview of Debra Di Blasi by Steve Barker. January 9, 2013
•   Lit Bridge. Interview with Debra Di Blasi Regarding Jaded Ibis Press. December 20, 2012
•   The Brooklyn Rail. “In Conversation: Debra Di Blasi & Sam Witt.” interviewed by Liz Axelrod. December 10, 2012
•   HTMLGiant. “What is Experimental Literature?” Christopher Higgs interviews Debra Di Blasi. March 7, 2011
•   Forbes. “21st Century Mashup.” Michael Humphrey interviews Debra Di Blasi. February 11, 2011
•   The Art of Dismantling. Chris Richards interviews Debra Di Blasi. December 2010
•   The Stranger. “Show Me Something New: Jaded Ibis Press is Dragging to Book Back Into the Future.” Featured Books article by Paul Constant. November 11, 2010
•   Flash Fiction. Review by Randall Brown about Drought. August 2010
•   Writers Resource (formerly Writester.net). “Interview with Debra Di Blasi.” February 4, 2010
•   Word Riot. David Hoenigman interviews Debra Di Blasi. January 15, 2009
•   Madhatters' Review. “Marc Lowe Interviews Debra Di Blasi.” 2008
•   Experimental Fiction, Poetry & Jazz. Jefferson Hansen Interviews Debra Di Blasi. October 5, 2008
•   Review of Contemporary Fiction. The Jiri Chronicles & Other Fictions book review. Summer 2008
•   The Kansas City Star. Steve Paul interview of Debra Di Blasi. 2006
•   Mad Hatters’ Review. Marc Lowe Interviews Debra Di Blasi. Issue 6, October 2006
•   The New York Times Book Review. "Sex and Oxygen" review of Prayers of an Accidental Nature. August 15, 1999
•   Trinidad Plus. Prayers of an Accidental Nature article & review. August 3, 1999
•   Library Journal. Prayers of an Accidental Nature book review. May 1999
•   ForeWord. Prayers of an Accidental Nature book review. June 1999
•   Feminist Bookstore News. Prayers of an Accidental Nature book review. February 1999
•   The Kansas City Star. Prayers of an Accidental Nature book review. May 1999
•   Publishers Weekly. Forecasts: Prayers of an Accidental Nature book review. February 1999
•   Kirkus Reviews. Prayers of an Accidental Nature book review. February 1999
•   Voices in Italian Americana. Drought book review. Spring 1998
•   Review of Contemporary Fiction. Drought book review. February 1998
•   Fallon News. "Soundings": Drought book review. February 1998
•   Kansas City Star magazine. Feature article & interview. April 20, 1997
•   In Print. Drought book review. May 7, 1997
•   Book Lovers. Drought book review. May, June, July 1997
•   Publishers Weekly. Drought book review. January 6, 1997
•   Kirkus Reviews. Drought book review. December 1996

PRESENTATIONS / PANELS
•   2020 Truman State University, James D'Agostino's Creative Writing Class. Video conversation. November 5
•   2018 Illinois State University, Ricardo Cruz’s Graduate Creative Writing Class, Video conversation. November 12
•   2017 Lisbon Book Club: Death & Literature (with poet Sam Witt). Bookshop Bivar, Lisbon, Portugal.
December 8
•   2017 Fundaçao Cidade de Lisboa: Big Ideas in American Literature: A Collision of 21st Century Technology & Literature (with poet Sam Witt). Lisbon, Portugal. December 7
•   2017 Creative Xchange: Travel and Creativity Panel.(with Peter Murphy and Timothy Basi) Lisbon, Portugal. October 28
•   2014 Associated Writing Programs Conference. My Peculiar Yesterday: The Memoir Today panel Moderator (with Jaded Ibis Press authors Jane Rosenberg LaForge, Cris Mazza, Dawn Raffel, and Anna Joy Springer). Seattle, WA. February
•   2013 California Institute of the Arts. 21st Century Publishing. Panel. Valencia, CA. November 8
•   2013 Swissnex/San Francisco / Transmedia SF Meetup. Books of the Future. panel (with Jan Millsapps, Etienne Mineur, Martin Zimper). San Francisco. October 22
•   2013 &NOW Festival of Innovative Literature & Art. “In the Voice of Men, Blacks, Afrikaners and Nancy Grace.” Writing Across Race and Gender panelist (with Laird Hunt and Peter Grandbois). University of Colorado at Boulder, CO. September 28
•   2013 &NOW Festival of Innovative Literature & Art, Moderator and Presenter. “Tetragametic Chimerism as the A Metaphor for the Literary/Tech Collision.” Where’s Your Head At: Literary Technology, Immersion and Interactivity. (with Alexandra Chasin, Aron Efimenko, Carla Gannis+Justin Petropoulos and Janice Lee) University of Colorado at Boulder, CO. September 26
• 2013 Auburn Days Poetry Festival. “Publishing, Poetry, and Innovation.” Panelist. Auburn, WA. August 11
•   2013 Associated Writing Programs Conference. “Gorgeous Transparency: Literary Architectonics of the Fabulous Plastic Surgery of Dr. Harold W. George,” by Debra Di Blasi. Dancing about Architecture: Writing at the Intersection of Language, Art, and Music panel (with Michael Mejia, Gretchen Henderson, Katharine Whitcomb, Jeffrey DeShell) Boston, MA. March 4
•   2012 Sorbonne University / &NOW Conference of Innovative Writing. Moderator and Performance: “If You Cut Me Do I Not Bleed Magnetorheological Fluids?: Literature Beyond Human Beyond Literature.” Paris, France. June
•   2012 Publications Unit Professional Speaker Series: Illinois State University. “Braver Newer World of Literary Publishing” Skype presentation. Online at http://vimeo.com/40734561 April 18
•   2012 Associated Writing Programs Conference. “Pigeon” multimedia presentation. Fata Morgana: Literature Spread Thick as a (Re)flex(i-on) of Technology and Time. Panelist (with Anna Joy Springer, Janice Lee, Jane Carman, Steve Tomasula). Chicago, IL. February
•  2012 Associated Writing Programs Conference. “The Novel as Siphonophore.” The Geometry of the Novel: Making ‘Shapelier’ Fiction. Panelist. Chicago, IL. February
•  2021 49th Anniversary Louisville Conference on Literature. Multimedia Presentation: “Braver Newer World: The Convergence of Technology, Human & Literature.” Louisville, KY. February
•  2011 &NOW Conference of Innovative Writing. Moderator and Presenter: “21st Century Publishing as Mashup:” Moderator/Lecturer. University of California, San Diego, CA. October
•   2011 &NOW Conference of Innovative Writing. Lecture: “Make You Cry: Technology, Human, Literature.” University of California, San Diego, CA. October
•   2011 Associated Writing Programs Conference. Panelist: "Fiction’s Future.” (with Tom Williams, Roy Kesey, M. Evelina Galang, Lance Olsen.) University of California, San Diego, CA. February
•   2010 Associated Writing Programs Conference. “Ellipsis as Art: Crafting omission of information in a text." Panelist. Washington, D.C. Denver, CO. April
•  2009 &NOW Conference of Innovative Writing. Panelist: "Cut Culture: Innovative Collaboration for the Digital Age." Panelist. University of Buffalo, NY. October
•  2009 New Letters Weekend Writers Conference. Fiction Faculty and Presenter: “Having a Great Time. Wish You Were Here.” University of Missouri-Kansas City, MO. June
•   2009 Mark Twain Literary Conference. Co-lecture (with Hilda Raz): “On Publishing.” University of Missouri-Kansas City, MO. June
•   2009 Society for Literature, Science and Art Conference. "Insidious: Fiction as Virus.” Fiction In/And Literature. Charlotte, NC. November
•   2008 New Letters Weekend Conference & Workshops. Presenter: “Nonfiction Factions: Essays, Memoirs & Histories in the 21st Century.” Kansas City, MO. June
•   2008 &NOW Festival of Innovative Literature & Art. Panelist: Going Commando. Chapman University, Orange, CA. April
•   2008 &NOW Festival of Innovative Literature & Art. Panelist: "Science In/And Literature." (with Jennifer Calkins, Vanessa Place) Chapman University, Orange, CA. April
•   2008 Truman State University Writing Conference. Keynote Speaker: “Quell the Mayhem Night” Presenter: From Homer to Simpson: A Symposium of Critical, Creative and Cultural Writings. Truman State University, Kirksville, MO. April
•   2008 Associated Writing Programs Annual Conference. Panelist: 1000 Words: Picturing Fictions. New York, NY. January 30-February 2
•   2008 Associated Writing Programs Annual Conference. Panelist and Reader: Kitsch and Pop Culture as Social Critique. January 30-February 2
•   2007 Omaha Nebraska Lit Fest. Panelist: Fairy Tales as Literature and Liquor, Junk, Madness, and the Underwood Portable: The Portrait of the Author in Film. Panelist. September
•   2007 PEN/Faukner Writers in the Schools. Presenter: "Reading Fiction.” Paseo Arts Academy, Kansas City, Missouri. May 3
•   2007 Truman State University Writing Conference. Presentation: "If You’re So Goddamn Nice Then Why Does Everybody Hate You?" Shake your TABOOty, A Conference of Critical and Creative Texts. Truman State University, Kirksville, MO. April 5
•   2006 Society for Contemporary Photography. Panelist. Technology and the Soul. Kansas City, MO. April 2006
2006 &NOW Conference. Panelist. Sexual Textual Experiments: The Avant-Garde Laid Bare. Lake Forest College, Lake Forest, IL. April
•   2005 Belger Arts Center, Kansas City, MO. “Lying in The Interstice” Lecturer. February
•   2004 &Now Writers Conference. In Case You Haven’t Noticed, I’m Not Wearing Any Clothes. Keynote multimedia performance, Notre Dame University. Spring
•   2003 Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. Lecturer: "Being God: The Urge to {re}Create." Kansas City, Missouri. May 2
•   2002 Belger Arts Center. Moderator: Renee Stout Symposium. Kansas City, MO. October
•   2000 Image and Text: American Creativity and the Relationship Between Writing and The Visual Arts, Wichita, KS. “Unbroken View: A Panorama of Image + Text” presentation with visual artist Sharyn O’Mara. January
•   1999 Celebration of the Book Conference. "Hypertext and Fiction." Columbia, MO. November
•   1998 15th Annual Maple Woods Community College Writers' Conference. Panelist: "The Art of Fiction Writing." Lecturer: "Vision & Revisions: Revising Literary Fiction." Kansas City, MO. September
•   1997 45th Annual Conference on Composition and Literature. Panelist: "The Influence of Place on Culture and Identity in Literature." University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS. October

VISITING WRITER / LITERARY READINGS
•   American Book Review Reading Series. University of Houston-Victoria. March 22, 2018
•   Ukranian Institute, New York, New York. (with Alexandra Chasin, Dawn Raffel, Yuriy Tarnawsky, Rick Whitaker). November 8, 2013
•   Sidewalk Café Stage, New York, NY. (with Carla Gannis + Justin Petropoulos, Yuriy Tarnawsky and Sam Witt). 2013
•   Kansas City Film Festival, Panel Moderator on New Narratives in Film and Short Screenplay Judge. April 2012
•   In(ter)ventions: Literary Practice at the Edge, The Banff Center, Alberta Canada. February 2011
•   Sacramento State University, Sacramento, CA. April 2008
•   Lake Forest College, Lake Forest, IL. February 2008
•   Truman State University, Kirksville, MO. April 2008
•   Independence Academy. Independence, MO. May 2007
•   Kansas City Art Institute: Modernism & After. November 2001-03; 2006
•   Stephens College, Columbia, MO. October 2006
•   Northwest Missouri State University. Kirksville, MO. Spring 2006
•   Flash Fiction Workshop. Independence Academy, Independence, MO. Spring 2006
•   Warren County Community College, New Jersey. March 13, 2003
•   Baker University, Kansas City, MO. November 2002
•   Elon University, Elon, North Carolina. March 17-22, 2002
•   School of the Art Institute of Chicago Ballroom, Chicago, IL. I’ll Drown My Book: Anthology of Conceptual
•   Writing by Women (Les Figues Press). March 1, 2012
•   APRIL Literary Festival, Competitive Storytelling, Seattle, WA. March 2012
•   Festival of Language, Chicago, IL. February 29, 2012
•   Unnameable Books, Brooklyn, NY. October 2011 An Apparatus for Finding Unfamiliar Shapes: Literary Reading (with Rob Stephenson and Lance Olsen).
•   Ukrainian Embassy literary reading, Washington DC. With Michael Martone, Davis Schneiderman and Yuriy Tarnawsky. February 6, 2011
•   Cullom Gallery: Three Women Writers, Seattle, WA April 2011
•   Medaille College, Buffalo, NY. The Write Thing Reading Series, February 2009
•  Truman State University, Kirksville, MO. From Homer to Simpson: A Symposium of Critical, Creative & Cultural Writings. Reading: “Quell the Mayhem Night” April 2008
•   University of California at San Diego literary reading, with Laynie Brown, Amina Cain and Cris Mazza. November 2008
•   KGB Lit Bar literary reading with Samuel Delaney and Ron Silliman. New York, NY. September 2007
•   “Liquor, Junk, Madness, and the Underwood Portable: The Portrait of the Author in Film.” Panelist, with Ron Hogan, Rivkah Sass, Gerald Shapiro, Timothy Schaffert. Omaha Nebraska Lit Fest. September 2007
•   Moe’s Books literary reading, with Paul Vangelisti. Berkeley, CA. January 2007
•   “Technology and the Soul.” Panelist, Society for Contemporary Photography. Kansas City, MO. April 2006
•   Nuyorican Poets Café literary reading. New York, NY. October 1999
•   Barnes & Noble at Lincoln Center, literary reading. New York, NY. October 1999
•   The Writers Place: Kansas City, MO Prayers of An Accidental Nature Book Release reading. 1999

MULTIMEDIA
•   "Every Fly's Ascendant" video reading for Big Other magazine Book Awards. March 2021.
•   “The Republic for Which It Stands.” Out of Nothing Anthology of New Writing. Audio.
•   The Jirí Chronicles. Multimedia project: poetry collections, CD-ROM audio interviews, websites, videos, music (includes Ûmlaut death metal), art therapy drawings, consumer products (tee shirts, posters, neckwear, postcards, etc.), Over 500 individual works, to date.
•   "Personal Effects.” Mad Hatters’ Review. Audio Online: http://www.madhattersreview.com/issue6/fiction_diblasi1.shtml
•   “Haunted.” Notre Dame [re]view. Audio Online: www.nd.edu/~ndr/review
•   Drought. 16mm, 28 min. 1997 (film premiere) 1993 (written) Based on the novella of the same title by Debra Di Blasi. Screenplay by Debra Di Blasi, Lisa Moncure, and Michael Leen. Directed by Lisa Moncure. Produced by Breathing Furniture Films. Selected Screenings: Independent Film Channel,1999-2002; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, DC. 2000; One of only 6 US films selected for Universe Elle, at the 53rd Cannes International Film Festival, France; Göteborg Sweden Film Festival,1999; Festival Internacional de Cine de Bilbao Spain,1998; Sao Paulo Mostra Internacional de Cinama,,1998; Figueira da Foz International Festival of Cinema: Lisbon Portugal (Best Medium Film)1998; Sarajevo International Film Festival, Bosnia,1998; Recontres Cinemágraphiques Franco-American D'Avignon, France (Best Cinematography),1998; Toronto Worldwide Short Film Festival (Best Drama, Best Director),1998; New York/Avignon Film Festival: New York, NY. April-May, 1998; New York Women's Film Festival: New York, 1998; American Film Institute Film Festival: Los Angeles.
•   Finnish Broadcasting Corporation (YLE). Helsinki, Finland. Radio adaptation of Czechoslovakian Rhapsody. Radio adaptation from the short story. Broadcast premiere October 1998 Art Radio.
•   Kansas City Fiction Writers: Vol. 1. Short stories ("The Season's Condition" and "Chairman of the Board") recorded for double CD set, limited edition, featuring Kansas City fiction writers. Kansas City, MO. Release date December 1998
•   Finnish Broadcasting Corporation (YLE). Helsinki, Finland. Dreamless Dream. Includes radio adaptation of short stories “Blind,” “Stones” and “Our Perversions.” Broadcast premiere October 1998
•   Finnish Broadcasting Corporation (YLE). Helsinki, Finland. Drought. Radio adaptation of the novel. Broadcast premiere May 1998

PERFORMANCE / ART EXHIBITION / THEATRE
•   Li Na Portrait: 'Amid the thick bamboo hides a butterfly with strong wings.' Chinese brush painting with sumi ink, watercolor on raw mulberry paper. Portrait commissioned by David Linebarger for his "Tennis Writings." Also published at National Senior Men's Tennis Association. May 9, 2020 6
•   4 Bird Paintings: Chinese-style, watercolor and sumi ink on xuan paper. Nostos (Longship Press): Poetry, Fiction, and Art. 2019
•   Columbia City Art Gallery. Hand2Hand: The Book as Art. Juried exhibition. Columbia City, WA. November 2010 Mainsite Gallery.
•   Gloss & Grime. Group exhibition. Oklahoma City, OK. November 2010 Unit 5 Gallery. Unit 5 Artists Exhibition. Kansas City, MO. February 7-28, 2009 Unit 5 Gallery.
•   Patterns of Behavior. Group Exhibition. Kansas City, MO. December 1-29, 2008 Greenlease Gallery.
•   Beasts. Group Exhibition. Rockhurst University, Kansas City, MO. January 2007
•   The Late Show. Bend: An exhibition of new paintings by Debra Di Blasi and Anne Austin Pearce. Kansas City, MO. June 24-July 31, 2005
•   Northwest Art Center. 20”x20”x20” National Juried Compact Competition. “muons, gluons, pions & strings: Homage to Edward Witten No. 70.” Minot State University, Minot, ND. January 12-22, 2005
•   Upstream People Gallery. "Gorgeous #15: The Fabulous Plastic Surgery of Dr. Harold W. George." Digital print. 7th Annual Faces Juried Online International Art Exhibition, sponsored by www.upstreampeoplegallery.com, Omaha, NE. April 2004-Present.
•   H&R Block ArtSpace. Making Meaning: Artist Books. Kansas City, MO. January 2004
•   Urban Culture Project. Alias. “It’s a Man’s World: The art of Jirí Cêch.”, Kansas City, MO. January-March 2004
•   H&R Block ArtSpace. Artist as Collector. "Ad Fictions" for group exhibition. Sept. 2003
•   The Writers Place. Intruder. One-act play. Premiere performance at Project T, Kansas City, MO. April 2002 Elon University.
•   Elon University. Glauke's Gown. Performance-reading. Elon, NC. March 2002
•   Juniata Museum of Art. Translation. Multimedia installation; collaboration with visual artist Sharyn O'Mara; assisted by sound designer Chris Willits. Juniata, Pennsylvania. November 2002 - January 2002
•   Edwin A. Ulrich Museum. Unbroken View. Multimedia installation; collaboration with visual artist Sharyn O’Mara; assisted by sound designer Chris Willits. Wichita, KS. November 2000-January 2001.
•   Ragtag Cinema. Czechoslovakian Rhapsody. Multimedia performance based on the short story of the same title by Debra Di Blasi. Written/produced/performed by Debra Di Blasi. June 2000
•  The Writers Place. An Interview with My Husband. Chamber theatre adaptation from short story of the same title by Debra Di Blasi. Produced and adapted by Stephen Booser. Directed by Art Suskin. Stage management by Nancy Madsen. Kansas City. October 1997

TEACHING EXPERIENCE
•   2021  NOVO University Journal Editing Lecture. (via Zoom) Lisbon, Portugal. May 6
•   2021   NOVO University Experimental Writing Workshop: Meaning from Randomness. (via Zoom) Lisbon, Portugal. March 9, 2021
•   2019  Deja Lu Books Writing Workshop. Cascais, Portugal. February 2019
•   2013  Cornish College of Art – Summer Arts Program. Introduction to Art History. July
•   1995-2003. Kansas City Art Institute – private, accredited fine arts college, Kansas City, MO.  Courses listed here were designed, developed and taught by me for Liberal Arts curricula:
      – Writing Foundations I & II (highly successful curriculum for students with learning and/or writing disabilities); Experimental Writing; In the Darkness: War Short Stories; Magazine Publishing; Mixed Media Fiction; Hyperfiction; Ceramics Critique Seminar; Truth or Dare: The Art of the Personal Essay.
      – Kansas City Art Insitute – Additional Teaching: Portfolio Preparation, Goal Setting, Continuing Education; Creative Writing, Experimental Writing and Art-Writing for High School Summer Program
      – KCAI Academic Committees: Chair: Mobility (Overseas Study); Faculty Sponsor; Scholarship Selection Committee
•   2010   Summer Arts Program, California State University. Lecturer/Workshop Instructor: “Hybrid Fictions,” Fresno, CA Summer
•   2009   Avila College. Workshop Instructor: "The Art of Writing Fiction," Kansas City, MO. March
•   2007-2009  Advanced Course for Teachers, University of Missouri. Lecturer/Instructor: Kansas City, MO. Summers
•   2003-2009   PEN/Faulkner Writers in the Schools, Kansas City Greater Metropolitan Region. Instructor. 
•   2007 & 2004   Avila College. Workshop Instructor: "The Art of Writing Fiction," Kansas City, MO. October
•   2007   Independence Academy. Workshop Instructor: "Flash Fiction," Independence, MO. Spring
•   1999   The Writers Place. Workshop Instructor: "The Art of Writing Fiction," Kansas City, MO. Summer 
•   1999   Maple Woods Community College. Adjunct Instructor: “Inventing the Truth: The Essentials of Fiction Writing,” Kansas City, MO. Spring

OTHER EMPLOYMENT HISTORY
•   Lecturer. Specializing in 21st Century Narrative Forms: Literature, Art & Technology. 2003-Present
•   Founder and Owner. Jaded Ibis Productions, LLC,* Seattle, WA.  (*formerly Jaded Ibis Productions, Inc., a multimedia company) 2003-2015
•   Managing Editor. Jaded Ibis Press, Seattle, WA. 2008-2015
•   Learning Specialist. Academic Resource Center, Kansas City Art Institute. (See also Teaching Experience)
•   Secretary (including graphic design, technical writing). Asia-Pacific Region, Sprint, Kansas City, MO 1992-1996
•   Executive Assistant, Accessible Arts, Inc., Kansas City, KS. 1990-1992
•   Advertising Production Manager. MacWeek Magazine, San Francisco, CA. 1988-1989
•   Advertising Manager. Robert Half of Northern California, San Francisco. 1986-1988
•   Administrative Assistant (including graphic design, technical and promotional writing), Oppenheimer Industries, Kansas City, MO. 1980-1985
•   Range of part-time and full-time jobs, from waitressing to clerical. 1979-1991

EDUCATION
•.  BFA. Kansas City Art Institute. Kansas City, Missouri. Major: Painting. Magna Cum Laude. Fall 1982-Spring 1985
•.  San Francisco State University. M.A. Novel Writing Program.  Spring 1989 (no degree taken)
•.  University of Missouri-Columbia. Journalism major / Creative Writing minor.  Fall 1975-Spring 1979 (no degree taken)
•.  Truman State University (formerly Northeast Missouri State University), Kirksville, MO. Summer: Economics I & II (no degree taken)

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