Michael Hemmingson
Encyclopedia
Michael Hemmingson is a novelist, short story writer, literary critic, cultural anthropologist, qualitative researcher, playwright
, and screenwriter
.
As an independent scholar, Hemmingson has written the meditation, Gordon Lish
and His Influence on Twentieth Century American Literature a short TV studies monograph on Star Trek (Wayne State Univ. Press), and an ethnographic research project, Zona Norte (Cambridge Scholars). He is working on a biography of Raymond Carver
, set for publication in 2011 by McFarland & Company.
He was a staff writer at the San Diego Reader
from November 2004 through December 2009. Many of the photos that accompany his articles there have been taken by San Diego's iconic brand photographer, Chris Morrow
. In 2010 he joined the staff of Pacific San Diego Magazine.
, was directed by Brad Mays
and produced by Lorenda Starfelt
at LightSong Films.
He wrote the screenplay for the 2007 film Aliens, based on a one act play
. Maxim Dashkin produced and directed.
Real Ideas Studio produced a short documentary, "Life in Zona Norte," that was screen at Cannes Film Festival
's Short Film Corner May, 2009.
He was selected as the toastmaster
for the Death Equinox
2001 convention.
Recipient of two Everett Helm Research Fellowships at the Lily Library Indiana University for research on Gordon Lish, Raymond Carver, and William Vollmannn.
He has written multiple auto-ethnography
articles for Denzin Qualitative Research.
, Raymond Carver
, Gordon Lish
, and William T. Vollmann
for literature, Wim Wenders
, David Lynch
, David Mamet
, and Stanley Kubrick
for film.
Hemmingson has been called “Raymond Carver
on acid” by literary guru Larry McCaffery
and “a disciple of a quick and dirty literature” by the American Book Review.
His one-act play, Iraq, was produced in the 2000 Samuel French, Inc. One-Act Play Festival in New York.
His one-act, Milk, has been widely produced and is published in the book, The Art of the One-Act. It has been produced in Seattle, Los Angeles, New York, and San Diego.
His full-length play, Erotic Scenes in a Cheap Motel Room, has been produced by dozens of theaters and is available as a radio drama from Walcott & Sheridan Audio Library. Its debut was on March 11 at the Fritz Theatre.
Fritz Theater original productions: Driving Somewhere, Iraq, Bosnia, Erotic Scenes in Cheap Motel Room.
Alien Stage Project original productions: Erotic Scenes in a Cheap Motel Room, Milk.
Actor's Alliance Play Festival original productions: Milk, NASDAQ, The Aliens, Happiness.
Compass Theater (San Diego) production of full-length, Stations in Summer 2009. Stations was directed by David Meredith and performed at the Resilience of the Spirit Fesitval.
and William T. Vollmann
, and the methodologies of critifiction and autoethnography
. He has published extensively in these areas of study, as well as critical monographs on Star Trek
, Barry N. Malzberg
, Charles Bukowski
, blogging and micro-blogging
.
In 2009, at the National Communication Association convention in Chicago, Hemmingson was awarded, by the Carl Couch Center, the Norman K. Denzin Qualitative Research Award for his paper of auto/ethnography, "Fragments of my Grandmothers."
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
, and screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
.
Publishing History
Michael Hemmingson has been writing for over 20 years and his work has ranged from erotica to literary to horror. His zombie novella "Hardboiled Stiff" has been praised with "this story is cooooooooooool daddy-o. Zombies, hippies, orgies and a private eye with a necrophile secretary". Another critic stated that "I won’t go so far as to say that Hemmingson transcends or embodies his genre, but he offers a satisfying take on it. His protagonists are neither he-men nor whiners, and his women are, well, women—smart and motivated and rounded out. (You know, human beings.) He never guts stuck in props or proselytizing—no trench coats and no impassioned speeches about how awful poverty is. The characters get it done and live their lives; they don’t try to make a big thing about it."As an independent scholar, Hemmingson has written the meditation, Gordon Lish
Gordon Lish
Gordon Jay Lish is an American writer. As a literary editor, he championed many American authors, particularly Raymond Carver, Barry Hannah, Amy Hempel, and Richard Ford.-Early life and family:...
and His Influence on Twentieth Century American Literature a short TV studies monograph on Star Trek (Wayne State Univ. Press), and an ethnographic research project, Zona Norte (Cambridge Scholars). He is working on a biography of Raymond Carver
Raymond Carver
Raymond Clevie Carver, Jr. was an American short story writer and poet. Carver is considered a major American writer of the late 20th century and also a major force in the revitalization of the short story in the 1980s....
, set for publication in 2011 by McFarland & Company.
He was a staff writer at the San Diego Reader
San Diego Reader
The San Diego Reader is the largest alternative press paper in the county of San Diego, distributed free in stands and private businesses throughout the county, funded by advertisements...
from November 2004 through December 2009. Many of the photos that accompany his articles there have been taken by San Diego's iconic brand photographer, Chris Morrow
Chris Morrow
Chris Morrow , is a footballer who currently plays for Irish League side Crusaders.Chris has played for Crusaders as a midfielder since making his debut in 2003, and was voted Ulster Young Footballer of the Year in 2003/04...
. In 2010 he joined the staff of Pacific San Diego Magazine.
Film
As a screenwriter, his first indie feature, The WatermelonThe Watermelon
The Watermelon is an independent feature film penned by Michael Hemmingson and directed by Brad Mays. It is produced by Lorenda Starfelt at LightSong Films in North Hollywood.The Watermelon is Michael Hemmingson's first produced full-length screenplay, and director Brad Mays' fourth feature...
, was directed by Brad Mays
Brad Mays
Brad Mays is an independent filmmaker and stage director, living and working in Los Angeles, California.-Background and education:...
and produced by Lorenda Starfelt
Lorenda Starfelt
Lorenda Starfelt was an award-winning independent film producer, as well as a committed political activist and blogger who famously dug up president Barack Obama's in an August 1961 edition of The Honolulu Advertiser while researching her documentary on the 2008 presidential election...
at LightSong Films.
He wrote the screenplay for the 2007 film Aliens, based on a one act play
One act play
A one-act play is a play that has only one act, as distinct from plays that occur over several acts. One-act plays may consist of one or more scenes. In recent years the 10-minute play known as "flash drama" has emerged as a popular sub-genre of the one-act play, especially in writing competitions...
. Maxim Dashkin produced and directed.
Real Ideas Studio produced a short documentary, "Life in Zona Norte," that was screen at Cannes Film Festival
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
's Short Film Corner May, 2009.
Awards and Honors
Hemmingson won the San Diego Book Awards Association's first Novel-in-Progress grant for The Rose of Heaven and SDBAA’s Best Published novel for Wild Turkey. His media study monograph, Star Trek: A Post-Structural Critique of the Original Series, was a 2010 finalist nominee for General Non-fiction Book.He was selected as the toastmaster
Toastmaster
Toastmaster is a general term, prevalent in the United States in the middle 20th century, referring to a person in charge of the proceedings of a public speaking event. The toastmaster is typically charged with organization of the event, arranging the order of speakers, introducing one or more of...
for the Death Equinox
Death Equinox
Death Equinox was a series of four conventions held in Denver, Colorado in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Sponsored by CyberPsychos AOD, and organized by Jasmine Sailing, they focused on alternative culture and art. An usual aspect was that they combined both the transgressive aspects of writing...
2001 convention.
Recipient of two Everett Helm Research Fellowships at the Lily Library Indiana University for research on Gordon Lish, Raymond Carver, and William Vollmannn.
He has written multiple auto-ethnography
Ethnography
Ethnography is a qualitative method aimed to learn and understand cultural phenomena which reflect the knowledge and system of meanings guiding the life of a cultural group...
articles for Denzin Qualitative Research.
Influences
Hemmingson has acknowledged influences Harlan EllisonHarlan Ellison
Harlan Jay Ellison is an American writer. His principal genre is speculative fiction.His published works include over 1,700 short stories, novellas, screenplays, teleplays, essays, a wide range of criticism covering literature, film, television, and print media...
, Raymond Carver
Raymond Carver
Raymond Clevie Carver, Jr. was an American short story writer and poet. Carver is considered a major American writer of the late 20th century and also a major force in the revitalization of the short story in the 1980s....
, Gordon Lish
Gordon Lish
Gordon Jay Lish is an American writer. As a literary editor, he championed many American authors, particularly Raymond Carver, Barry Hannah, Amy Hempel, and Richard Ford.-Early life and family:...
, and William T. Vollmann
William T. Vollmann
William Tanner Vollmann is an American novelist, journalist, short story writer, essayist and winner of the National Book Award...
for literature, Wim Wenders
Wim Wenders
Ernst Wilhelm "Wim" Wenders is a German film director, playwright, author, photographer and producer.-Early life:Wenders was born in Düsseldorf. He graduated from high school in Oberhausen in the Ruhr area. He then studied medicine and philosophy in Freiburg and Düsseldorf...
, David Lynch
David Lynch
David Keith Lynch is an American filmmaker, television director, visual artist, musician and occasional actor. Known for his surrealist films, he has developed his own unique cinematic style, which has been dubbed "Lynchian", and which is characterized by its dream imagery and meticulous sound...
, David Mamet
David Mamet
David Alan Mamet is an American playwright, essayist, screenwriter and film director.Best known as a playwright, Mamet won a Pulitzer Prize and received a Tony nomination for Glengarry Glen Ross . He also received a Tony nomination for Speed-the-Plow . As a screenwriter, he received Oscar...
, and Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick was an American film director, writer, producer, and photographer who lived in England during most of the last four decades of his career...
for film.
Hemmingson has been called “Raymond Carver
Raymond Carver
Raymond Clevie Carver, Jr. was an American short story writer and poet. Carver is considered a major American writer of the late 20th century and also a major force in the revitalization of the short story in the 1980s....
on acid” by literary guru Larry McCaffery
Larry McCaffery
Lawrence F. "Larry" McCaffery Jr. is a literary critic, editor, and retired professor of English and Comparative Literature at San Diego State University...
and “a disciple of a quick and dirty literature” by the American Book Review.
Theater
From 1995-2000, he was Literary Manager of The Fritz Theater in San Diego, where he directed, produced, and wrote many plays there, as well as for his own company, The Alien Stage Project, that still produces theater in San Diego and Los Angeles. His full-length play, Driving Somewhere, won the 1997 Ventana New Play Award in San Francisco. It was first produced in 1995 by The Fritz Theater.His one-act play, Iraq, was produced in the 2000 Samuel French, Inc. One-Act Play Festival in New York.
His one-act, Milk, has been widely produced and is published in the book, The Art of the One-Act. It has been produced in Seattle, Los Angeles, New York, and San Diego.
His full-length play, Erotic Scenes in a Cheap Motel Room, has been produced by dozens of theaters and is available as a radio drama from Walcott & Sheridan Audio Library. Its debut was on March 11 at the Fritz Theatre.
Fritz Theater original productions: Driving Somewhere, Iraq, Bosnia, Erotic Scenes in Cheap Motel Room.
Alien Stage Project original productions: Erotic Scenes in a Cheap Motel Room, Milk.
Actor's Alliance Play Festival original productions: Milk, NASDAQ, The Aliens, Happiness.
Compass Theater (San Diego) production of full-length, Stations in Summer 2009. Stations was directed by David Meredith and performed at the Resilience of the Spirit Fesitval.
Independent Scholarship
As an independent scholar, Hemmingson focuses his studies on Raymond CarverRaymond Carver
Raymond Clevie Carver, Jr. was an American short story writer and poet. Carver is considered a major American writer of the late 20th century and also a major force in the revitalization of the short story in the 1980s....
and William T. Vollmann
William T. Vollmann
William Tanner Vollmann is an American novelist, journalist, short story writer, essayist and winner of the National Book Award...
, and the methodologies of critifiction and autoethnography
Autoethnography
Autoethnography is a form or method of social research that explores the researcher's personal experience and connects this autobiographical story to wider cultural, political, and social meanings and understandings...
. He has published extensively in these areas of study, as well as critical monographs on Star Trek
Star Trek
Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
, Barry N. Malzberg
Barry N. Malzberg
Barry Nathaniel Malzberg is an American writer and editor, most often of science fiction and fantasy.-Overview:Initially in his post-graduate work Malzberg sought to establish himself as a playwright as well as a prose-fiction writer. His first two published novels were issed by Olympia Press...
, Charles Bukowski
Charles Bukowski
Henry Charles Bukowski was an American poet, novelist and short story writer. His writing was influenced by the social, cultural and economic ambience of his home city of Los Angeles...
, blogging and micro-blogging
Micro-blogging
Microblogging is a broadcast medium in the form of blogging. A microblog differs from a traditional blog in that its content is typically smaller in both actual and aggregate file size...
.
In 2009, at the National Communication Association convention in Chicago, Hemmingson was awarded, by the Carl Couch Center, the Norman K. Denzin Qualitative Research Award for his paper of auto/ethnography, "Fragments of my Grandmothers."
Anthologies - Edited by Hemmingson
- Expelled from, Eden: A William T. Vollmann Reader New York, co-edited with Larry McCafferyLarry McCafferyLawrence F. "Larry" McCaffery Jr. is a literary critic, editor, and retired professor of English and Comparative Literature at San Diego State University...
: (Thunder's Mouth PressPerseus Books GroupPerseus Books Group is an American publishing company founded in 1996 by investor Frank Pearl. It was named Publisher of the Year in 2007 by Publishers Weekly magazine for its role in taking on publishers formerly distributed by Publishers Group West and acquiring Avalon Publishing Group.In January...
, 2004) ISBN 1560254416 - The Mammoth Book of Legal Thrillers New York: (Carroll & Graf, 2001) ISBN 0786707135
- The Mammoth Book of Short Erotic Novels New York: Co-edited with Maxim JakubowskiMaxim JakubowskiMaxim Jakubowski is a crime, erotic, and science fiction writer and critic.Jakubowski was born in England to Russian-British and Polish parents, but raised in France. Jakubowski has also lived in Italy and has travelled extensively...
(Carroll & Graf, 2000) ISBN 0786707135 - What The Fuck: The Avant-Porn Anthology New York: (Soft Skull PressSoft Skull PressSoft Skull Press is an independent publisher founded by Sander Hicks in 1992, and run by Richard Eoin Nash from 2001 to 2009. In 2007, Nash sold Soft Skull to Counterpoint LLC, where it continues to function as a division of the press...
, 2000) ISBN 1887128611
Novels
- Time Lust NY: (Tor BooksTor BooksTor Books is one of two imprints of Tom Doherty Associates LLC, based in New York City. It is noted for its science fiction and fantasy titles. Tom Doherty Associates also publishes mainstream fiction, mystery, and occasional military history titles under its Forge imprint. The company was founded...
, 2012) - Judas Payne: A Weird Western / Webb's Weird Wild West: Western Tales of Horror (double book with Don Webb, Wildside PressWildside PressWildside Press is an independent publishing company located in Maryland, USA. It was founded in 1989 by John Gregory and Kim Betancourt. While the press was originally conceived as a publisher of speculative fiction in both trade and limited editions, it has broadened out somewhat since then, both...
, 2010) ISBN 143441194X - The Trouble with Tramps: An Orrie Hitt Homage Rockville, MD: (Black Mask Books, 2010) ISBN 1596548592
- Shabbytown. Rockville, MD: (Black Mask Books, 2009) ISBN 159654869X
- The Yacht People (The Borgo Press, 2009) ISBN 1434477657
- In the Background is a Walled City. San Bernardino, CA: (The Borgo Press, 2008) ISBN 1434402428
- The Naughty Yard San Francisco: (Permeable Press, 1994) ISBN 1882633024 reprinted in The Mammoth Book of International Erotica (Carroll & Graf, 1996) ISBN 0786703733
Fiction Collections
- This Other Eden: Three Novellas and Three Stories. Brooklyn, NY: (The Dybbuk Press, 2010) ISBN 0976654660
- Poison from a Dead Sun/The Chronotope (Wildside Press, 2010) (Novel + collected science fiction stories)
- Pictures of Houses with Water Damage New York: (Black Lawrence Press, 2010)
- Desperate Women. Rockville, MD: (The New Traveller's Companion/Olympia PressOlympia PressOlympia Press was a Paris-based publisher, launched in 1953 by Maurice Girodias as a rebranded version of the Obelisk Press he inherited from his father Jack Kahane...
, 2010) ISBN 1596548312 - How to Have an Affair and Other Instructions. San Bernardino, CaliforniaSan Bernardino, CaliforniaSan Bernardino is a city located in the Riverside-San Bernardino metropolitan area , and serves as the county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States...
: (The Borgo Press, 2007) - Seven Women and Other Stories New York: (Venus Book Club, 2002) ISBN 0739421719
- My Dream Date with Kathy Acker Portland, OR: (Eraserhead Press, 2002)
- Snuff Flique Denver, CO: (CyberPsychos AODCyberPsychos AODCyber-Psychos AOD is a book and magazine publishing venture based in Denver, Colorado, focusing on avant-garde and unusual art, culture, and writings...
, 1997) ISBN 1886988048 - Nice Little Stories Jam-Packed with Depraved Sex & Violence Denver, CO: (CyberPsychos AOD, 1995) ISBN 1886988005
Poetry Collections
- Ourselves or Nothing Rockville, MD: (The New Traveller's Companion/Olympia Press, 2010) ISBN 1596548606
- Rwanda (Yellow Bat Press, 2003)
- Moving in on the Conservatives Detroit, MI: (Planet Detroit Press, 1995)
- Reaching Into the Wet Darkness. Stow, Ohio: (Impetus Press, 1986)
- Nowhere is Safe (Samizdat Press, 1985)
Plays
- Milk Kalamazoo, MI: (New Issues in Poetry and Prose, 2007)
- Driving Somewhere San Francisco: (Vantana Productions, 1997)
Literary Criticism
- Women in the Short Fiction of Raymond Carver Jefferson, NC: (McFarland & CompanyMcFarland & CompanyMcFarland & Company, Inc. is a book publisher of primarily academic and adult nonfiction based in Jefferson, North Carolina. Its president and editor-in-chief is Robert Franklin, who began the enterprise in 1979...
, 2011) - William T. Vollmann: An Annotated Bibliography Lanham, MD: (Scarecrow PressRowman & LittlefieldRowman & Littlefield Publishing Group is an independent publishing house founded in 1949. Under several imprints, the company offers scholarly books and journals for the academic market, as well as trade books. The company also owns a book distributor, National Book Network...
, 2011) - Gordon Lish and His Influence on Twentieth Century American Literature New York and London: (RoutledgeRoutledgeRoutledge is a British publishing house which has operated under a succession of company names and latterly as an academic imprint. Its origins may be traced back to the 19th-century London bookseller George Routledge...
, 2011) - William T. Vollmann: A Critical Study and Seven Interviews. Jackson, NC: (McFarland & Company, 2009) ISBN 0786440252
- The Dirty Realism Duo: Charles Bukowski and Raymond Carver on the Aesthetics of the Ugly. San Bernardino, CA: (The Borgo Press, 2008, The Milford Series: Popular Writers of Today No. 70) ISBN 1434402576
Anthologies - Appeared In
- Morbid Curiosity Cures the Blues (Simon and Schuster, 2009) ISBN 1439124663
- The Urban Bizarre (Wildside Press LLC, 2004) ISBN 193099740X
- The Mammoth Book of EroticaThe Mammoth Book of EroticaThe Mammoth Book of Erotica is an Erotic literature anthology edited by Maxim Jakubowski that was originally published in 1994, with a revised edition published in 2000...
(Carroll & Graf, 2000) ISBN 0786707879
Reviews
- Wild Turkey review by Tim W. Brown
- 5 reviews of Nice Little Stories Jam-Packed With Depraved Sex & Violence
- This Other Eden reviewed by Romie Stott
- BADASS HORROR featuring Michael's story "Hardboiled Stiff" reviewed by Garry Charles
External Links
- Bibliography on Fantastic Fiction
- Internet Movie Database Filmography
- Michael Hemmingson interview from Raw Dog Screaming
- Michael Hemmingson interview from Cuauhtemoc's Celebrity Interviews
- Larry McCaffery's Avant-Porn anthology preface from the McCaffery Archive at Spineless Books