David

Somber sunset

I spent most of Super Bowl Sunday hiking in Finley Natl. Wildlife Refuge, avoiding having to watch the Packers win. The late winter cloud cover can be oppressive in this part of Oregon, but if you get a break in the weather between fronts moving in from the coast, you can witness some beautiful, somberContinue reading “Somber sunset”

A bullshit artist looks at forty

Here I am back in my hometown of Chicago, slouching toward the birth of the new year, the year in which I’ll hit the big four-oh. Maybe it’s too soon to start in with the hand-wringing that usually accompanies the reaching of the rough middle point of one’s journey across this great green and blueContinue reading “A bullshit artist looks at forty”

‘A Country Wedding’ screens this Saturday

Our short film, A Country Wedding, will be screening this Saturday, October 16 at the Salem Film Festival. It seems like ages ago that we wrapped production and eventually premiered at the Da Vinci FF, so I’m excited to get back and see it on a big screen again. Here’s the blurb from IMDB: InfatuatedContinue reading “‘A Country Wedding’ screens this Saturday”

Coast range sunset

http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=13125492&server=vimeo.com&show_title=0&show_byline=0&show_portrait=0&color=c96d0a&fullscreen=1 Best overlook near Corvallis for watching the sunset. Set the timer at 3-second intervals and captured about 1200 images over the span of an hour.

McDowell Creek Falls

Now that the rain clouds have lifted (at least temporarily), I’m reminded of some of the perks of living in Oregon. http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=11795492&server=vimeo.com&show_title=0&show_byline=0&show_portrait=0&color=00adef&fullscreen=1

“A Country Wedding” screening on Saturday

A Country Wedding will be showing this Saturday, March 13 at the Da Vinci Film Festival in Corvallis. Looking forward to finally seeing our hard work on the big screen, and a party with the cast and crew afterwards.

So long Sammy, 1994-2010

Sammy was cold when I found her this morning on the couch. There wasn’t shock or surprise…she’d been dying hard for the better part of a week. Mainly there was relief: I was thankful she was no longer suffering; I was grateful I didn’t have to watch her waste away any more; glad that IContinue reading “So long Sammy, 1994-2010”

Trailer

Our first trailer for A Country Wedding is now online: Check out the official site for the project at countryweddingfilm.com.

The Foster Child

She’s six years old and has three failed adoptions and suffered a number of smaller atrocities, but now she’s sprinting up the beach against the wind, clutching the pink leash of a borrowed Labrador, the wind swallowing the frantic shouts of her foster mother and the dog’s owner. She strains cold air through her teeth,Continue reading “The Foster Child”

The Eulogist in Development

Astrakan Films is developing my script, The Eulogist. William Olsson is a talented new director, and he’s got an amazing and ambitious vision for this story. William’s not the type of guy to shy away from big stories. I can’t wait to see him bring this project to the screen.

Why he writes: Part II of a Q&A with novelist J. Adams Oaks

Any reader who is also a writer understands that questions will rattle in your head as you wend your way through a work of fiction. Unlike regular readers, you can’t simply be subsumed by story, sinking into the world that the author has labored to create. Like a retired engineer you have to kick theContinue reading “Why he writes: Part II of a Q&A with novelist J. Adams Oaks”

Why he writes: a Q&A with novelist J. Adams Oaks

Don’t call me kiddo. I REALLY hate it. People been calling me that way too long. Fever and Ma and Uncle Spade all call me kiddo, and it makes me crazy. See how I ain’t smiling? People who know me, know that means trouble. So begins the new novel by J. Adams Oaks, Why IContinue reading “Why he writes: a Q&A with novelist J. Adams Oaks”

Valley Film Festival

One of my scripts took “best screenplay” honors at the SF Valley International Film Festival last night. It was a nice cap to my first trip to LA. Writing isn’t exactly lonely work, as much as it is isolating. Even when you’re working in the coffee shops with other presumptuous writers (where I am rightContinue reading “Valley Film Festival”

The Last Ramble of Wolf 18

A century after timberwolves had been officially declared extinct in Missouri, one wolf traveled 460 miles with hopes of recovering this lost frontier. This article originally appeared online in 2002. WHEN WALKING AT NIGHT, I’m tempted to howl. I have a feeling that a wolf might respond. That’s a strange impulse in central Missouri. HowlingContinue reading “The Last Ramble of Wolf 18”

Back from Ciudad Juarez

Spent a few days on the border. The border patrol didn’t believe me when I said that I was, “just walking around.” I suppose there aren’t many gringos who just wander the back streets of Juarez unless they’re looking for drugs or sex or some sort of nastiness. But the residential districts close to theContinue reading “Back from Ciudad Juarez”