"When I want to read anything,
I usually write it meself." - Flann O'Brien
About Mike
Mike writes stories in his Batman pajamas!
Michael McCormick's short stories have appeared in Arcanist, Braided Way, Daily SF, DreamForge, Frozen Wavelets, Grievous Angel, Metastellar, Talking Stick, and elsewhere. His award-winning poetry has appeared in numerous journals & anthologies.
Mike belongs to the Science Fiction Writers of America (SFWA), Science Fiction Poetry Association (SFPA), Codex Writers Group, Academy of American Poets, League of Minnesota Poets, and Loft Literary Center.
Mike & his wife Laura split their time between Saint Paul, Minnesota and Lake Superior. They enjoy travel, hiking, Tai Chi, and perplexing cats.
They have two grown daughters and a growing collection of books, vinyl records, ceramic owls, and other anachronisms.
Michael McCormick
Author & Poet
"Mike's gems are hard-edged and precise and that's a rare talent."
- Richard Thieme
author of Mind Games and Mobius
Published Works
Science Fiction
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Boy in the Giant Robot in Daily Science Fiction, reprinted in Metastellar
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Freedreamers in Summer of Science Fiction & Fantasy anthology
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A Glass Darkly in The Arcanist (hear it on Spotify!)
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Golden Chariot of Oswald Grade 3 in TC Science Fiction & Fantasy
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House of Cinders in Save the World anthology NEW!
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Immigrant in Flash Fiction Magazine NEW!
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Key South in Cease, Cows
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Our God is a Jealous God in Magical Crime Scene Investigation anthology
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Save the Earthlings in Crow Toes Quarterly
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Twelfth Pilgrim in Three Drops from a Cauldron, reprinted in Braided Way
Literary Fiction
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Book of Changes in Plaza Magazine
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Cass at 83 in Talking Stick
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A Dubliner's Return in Afterlives of the Writers anthology
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Shipwreck in Libido Magazine
Poetry
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Ancestors Like Corn in Hummingbird coming soon!
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Casino in Talking Stick
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Cathedral Rock in Moccasin
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Corona in Poems of Hope & Reassurance anthology
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Crickets in Martin Lake Journal
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Demonic Text in Moccasin
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Depression in Poetica Review
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DNA Tetragrammaton in North Coast Review
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Earthlings Among Us in Star*Line
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Ex-Poem in Talking Stick
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Farm Girl in Poetica Review
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Ghost Star in 47-16: Short Fiction & Poetry Inspired by David Bowie anthology
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Golden Hour in Hummingbird
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Green Lake in Roaring Muse
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Hummer Sunset in Plum Tree Tavern, reprinted in Moccasin
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Kryptonite Tea in Poetry Motel
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Large Hadron Collider in Scientific American coming in 2023!
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Life on a Planet in Frozen Wavelets
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Mahler's Dying Word in Loud Coffee
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Maxwell's Demon in Scientific American coming in 2023!
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Monkey No Monkey in Whistling Shade
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Mother Superior in Moccasin
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Music for the Heat Death of the Universe in Scientific American coming in 2023!
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Pulled Over by a Poem in Moccasin
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Revolution 9 in Poetica Review
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Sex Life of a Photon in Consilience
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Sounds of Himself in Hummingbird coming soon!
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What's So Great about Non-Orientable Manifolds? in Journal of Humanistic Mathematics
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Willow in Talking Stick, reprinted in Poetry Nook Anthology
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Wounded Sky in Writer's Digest 6th Annual Poetry Collection anthology,
Reprinted in Grievous Angel and Her Heart Poetry
Recognition
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Twelfth Pilgrim, nominated for Best of the Net award, 2022
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Poker Night, Honorable Mention, SFPA poetry prize, 2022
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Twelfth Pilgrim, considered for Pushcart Prize, 2021
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Lava Lady, Finalist, Opossum Prize, Flash Fiction, 2020
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Willow, Moccasin Award, Third Place, League of Minnesota Poets, 2019
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Large Hadron Collider, Short-listed, Multiverse, 2018
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Marigje, Winner, Poetry Nook contest, 2018
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Wounded Sky, Writer's Digest Poetry Prize, 2011
Select Non-Fiction
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Cracks in Facebook's Walled Garden in ISSA Journal
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Data Theft in Insider Attack & Cybersecurity (book chapter)
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Don't Forget I-35W Bridge Victims in Minneapolis Star Tribune (op-ed)
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I Ching in Ten Minutes (book contributor)
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Invasion of the Internet Impostors in Internet Underground Magazine
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Mickey's Drum Magic in Relix Magazine (book review)
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Programming Extremism in ACM Communications
Reprinted 4 times, translated in 3 languages
News & Events
Aug
2022
IMMIGRANT
Angels among us! Michael McCormick's "Immigrant" appears in Flash Fiction Magazine.
June
2022
SAVE THE WORLD!
Save the World: Twenty Sci_Fi Writers Fix the Planet is out, and includes Michael McCormick's story "House of Cinders."
June
2022
SUMMER OF SCI-FI
Michael McCormick's SF story "Freedreamers" debuts in the 2022 Summer of Sci-Fi & Fantasy anthology.
May
2022
MAHLER'S LAST WORDS
Inspired by the true story of composer Gustav Mahler on his deathbed, Michael McCormick's poem "Mahler's Dying Word" appears in the Spring issue of Loud Coffee.
April
2022
SAVE THE EARTHLINGS
Michael McCormick's first short story for kids, "Save the Earthlings," appears in the Wild issue of Crow Toes Quarterly.
Mar
2022
EARTHLINGS AMONG US
Michael McCormick's poem "Earthlings Among Us" appears in Spring 2022 issue of Star*Line, a magazine of science fiction poetry.
Feb
2022
ART MEETS MATH
Art meets math in the Journal of Humanistic Mathematics. Issue 12 includes Michael McCormick's whimsical poem What's So Great About Non-Orientable Manifolds?
Dec
2021
SEX LIFE OF A PHOTON
Michael McCormick's racy science poem Sex Life of a Photon appears in issue 7 of Consilience Journal.
Nov
2021
PILGRIM'S RETURN
A short story The Twelfth Pilgrim has been reprinted and handsomely illustrated in Braided Way.
Oct
2021
HOPE AND REASSURANCE
At the height of the 2020 pandemic, hopeful poems were posted on park trails in Minnesota, including Michael McCormick's Corona. Now the poems have been collected into a book Poems of Hope and Reassurance available free in stores and libraries.
July
2021
ROBOTS NEVER GET OLD
"The Boy in the Giant Robot", a favorite story first published in 2016, was reprinted by Metastellar.
May
2021
ALL IN THE FAMILY
For the first time, Michael McCormick's work appears in the same magazine as that of his mother, poet Jeri McCormick. Check out his "Golden Hour" (and her "Blue Puma") in the current issue of Hummingbird.
Sep
2020
OPOSSUM PRIZE
Michael McCormick's flash fiction story "Lava Lady" was announced as a finalist for the 2020 Opossum Literary Prize.
July
2020
A POETIC TRILOGY
A trilogy of three Michael McCormick poems appear in the Summer issue of Poetica Review: "Revolution 9", "Farm Girl", and "Depression".
June
2020
LIFE ON A PLANET
Michael McCormick's poem "Life on a Planet" appears in issue 3 of Frozen Wavelets.
June
2020
HEARING CRICKETS?
Just in time for summer, Michael McCormick's poem "Crickets" appears in the Summer 2020 issue of Martin Lake Journal.
Mar
2020
A GLASS DARKLY
Michael McCormick's dark fantasy story "A Glass Darkly" appeared in The Arcanist magazine.
Nov
2019
MOCCASIN AWARD
Michael McCormick's poem "Willow" was third-place winner of the 35th annual Moccasin Award, presented by the League of Minnesota Poets. As a bonus, Mike's whimsical new poem "Pulled Over by a Poem" is included in the latest issue of Moccasin Journal.
Oct
2019
HEAR MIKE READ
Hear Michael McCormick read aloud his poem "Marigje" on the Science Fiction Poetry Association's Halloween page!
Sep
2019
TALKING STICK
The 28th annual Talking Stick journal came out at a book release party on 9/21. It includes Michael McCormick's poem "Casino" inspired by a local Indian establishment.
Sep
2019
ANTHOLOGY TWO-FER
The new Poetry Nook Anthology includes not one but two of Michael McCormick's poems: "Marigje" and "Willow". On sale now in paperback and e-book.
July
2019
AFTERLIVES OF WRITERS
A new anthology Afterlives of the Writers includes Michael McCormick's short story "A Dubliner's Return". Find out what happened to James Joyce in the afterlife, along with Jack Kerouac, C.S. Lewis, Kurt Vonnegut, Emily Bronte, & others!
June
2019
LET IT SNOW
Michael McCormick's hopeful "cli-fi" tale "Snow 2562" appears in issue #2 of DreamForge magazine.
Mar
2019
STILL POWERFUL 20 YEARS LATER
A story Michael McCormick published twenty years ago in Japan is now available in USA as a free reprint! "Book of Changes" brought a perspective to 1945 Hiroshima that still moves readers today.
Feb
2019
FAIRY TALE
Michael McCormick's magical fairy tale "The Twelfth Pilgrim" appears in volume 25 of Three Drops from a Cauldron magazine.
Nov
2018
BOGO DEAL
Buy the latest issue of Moccasin journal and you'll get Michael McCormick's new poem "Cathedral Rock" plus a reprint "Hummer Sunset" as an added bonus.
Sep
2018
BOOK PARTY
A book release party was held in Osage MN for Talking Stick volume 27 which includes Michael McCormick's new poem "Ex-Poem".
Sep
2018
MAGICAL CRIME SCENE
Michael McCormick's spooky short story "Our God is a Jealous God" appears in the Magical Crime Scene Investigation anthology.
Aug
2018
CURIOUS FICTIONS
Michael McCormick joined Curious Fictions, a place where you can subscribe to authors, support their work, read stories and get news. Visit Mike's author page to check it out and subscribe.
June
2018
ECO POEM
Michael McCormick's poem "Hummer Sunset" appeared in Plum Tree Tavern, an "eco-poetry" journal that celebrates nature, environment, and ecology.
May
2018
CODEX
Michael McCormick was invited to join the Codex Writers Group for published science fiction & fantasy authors. Mike was already a member of the Science Fiction Writers of America (SFWA).
April
2018
WINNING POEM
Michael McCormick's poem "Marigje", previously published on Halloween 2016, won first place prize in the 176th Poetry Nook contest.
Dec
2017
TWO-FER
Two poems by Michael McCormick,"Mother Superior" and "Demonic Text", appeared in this year's annual poetry collection in The Moccasin journal.
Sept
2017
POETRY PRIZE
Michael McCormick's previously published poem "Willow" received Honorable Mention in the Poetry Nook 146th contest.
June
2017
A GLOBAL WARMING TALE
Days after the announcement the US is pulling from the Paris climate accord, Michael McCormick's flash fiction "Key South" appeared in Cease, Cows.
Feb
2017
A "HARD POEM"
Michael McCormick decided to share a poem written in grief and anger after the 2014 death of a close friend. "Green Lake" appears in the new issue of The Roaring Muse.
Feb
2017
RAY BRADBURY AWARD
Michael McCormick's nomination for the Science Fiction Writers of America Ray Bradbury award for best sci-fi film or TV show -- Westworld's "Bicameral Mind" episode -- made it onto the Nebula ballot.
Feb
2017
INSTAPOEM
Her Heart Poetry reprinted Michael McCormick's award-winning poem "Wounded Sky" in graphic form on Instagram.
Oct 31 2016
HALLOWEEN POEM
Michael McCormick's poem Marigje about a 1591 witch burning, appeared in Fickle Muses on Halloween.
Sep 17 2016
BOOK RELEASE PARTY
Jackpine Writers Bloc hosted a Book Release Party for Talking Stick Volume 25, which includes Michael McCormick's short story "Cass at 83".
Aug
2016
BOWIE ANTHOLOGY
An anthology of David Bowie inspired stories and poetry, including Michael McCormick's poem "Ghost Star", is now available on Amazon and elsewhere. Proceeds go to cancer care and research.
July
2016
DAILY SF
Michael McCormick's short story "Boy in the Giant Robot" was the featured story in Daily Science Fiction.
June
2016
INAUGURAL HAIGA
Electric Haiga launched with Michael McCormick's award-winning poem "Wounded Sky" as its first haiga. Haiga are like haiku paired with images.
Nov
2015
REVIEW
Black Gate Magazine reviewed the Fall/Winter issue of Whistling Shade, including Michael McCormick's poem Monkey No Monkey.
Oct 29 2015
HALLOWEEN READING
Michael McCormick read selected poems at Eat My Words bookstore in Minneapolis before an enthusiastic crowd at a "Spooky Basement Party".
March 2011
POETRY PRIZE
Michael McCormick's poem "Wounded Sky" selected in the 6th Annual Writer's Digest Poetry Awards.
Sep
2022
BEST OF THE NET
Michael McCormick's "Twelfth Pilgrim" was nominated for a 2022 Best of the Net award.
Oct
2022
HONORABLE DWARF
Michael McCormick's "Poker Night" won Honorable Mention in the 2022 Science Fiction Poetry Association Awards Dwarf category (short poems).
Feb
2022
ART MEETS MATH
Art meets math in the Journal of Humanistic Mathematics. Issue 12 includes Michael McCormick's whimsical poem What's So Great About Non-Orientable Manifolds?
Dec
2021
SEX LIFE OF A PHOTON
Michael McCormick's racy science poem Sex Life of a Photon appears in issue 7 of Consilience Journal.
Nov
2021
PILGRIM'S RETURN
A short story The Twelfth Pilgrim has been reprinted and handsomely illustrated in Braided Way.
Oct
2021
HOPE AND REASSURANCE
At the height of the 2020 pandemic, hopeful poems were posted on park trails in Minnesota, including Michael McCormick's Corona. Now the poems have been collected into a book Poems of Hope and Reassurance available free in stores and libraries.
July
2021
ROBOTS NEVER GET OLD
"The Boy in the Giant Robot", a favorite story first published in 2016, was reprinted by Metastellar.
May
2021
ALL IN THE FAMILY
For the first time, Michael McCormick's work appears in the same magazine as that of his mother, poet Jeri McCormick. Check out his "Golden Hour" (and her "Blue Puma") in the current issue of Hummingbird.
Sep
2020
OPOSSUM PRIZE
Michael McCormick's flash fiction story "Lava Lady" was announced as a finalist for the 2020 Opossum Literary Prize.
July
2020
A POETIC TRILOGY
A trilogy of three Michael McCormick poems appear in the Summer issue of Poetica Review: "Revolution 9", "Farm Girl", and "Depression".
June
2020
LIFE ON A PLANET
Michael McCormick's poem "Life on a Planet" appears in issue 3 of Frozen Wavelets.
June
2020
HEARING CRICKETS?
Just in time for summer, Michael McCormick's poem "Crickets" appears in the Summer 2020 issue of Martin Lake Journal.
Mar
2020
A GLASS DARKLY
Michael McCormick's dark fantasy story "A Glass Darkly" appeared in The Arcanist magazine.
Nov
2019
MOCCASIN AWARD
Michael McCormick's poem "Willow" was third-place winner of the 35th annual Moccasin Award, presented by the League of Minnesota Poets. As a bonus, Mike's whimsical new poem "Pulled Over by a Poem" is included in the latest issue of Moccasin Journal.
Oct
2019
HEAR MIKE READ
Hear Michael McCormick read aloud his poem "Marigje" on the Science Fiction Poetry Association's Halloween page!
Sep
2019
TALKING STICK
The 28th annual Talking Stick journal came out at a book release party on 9/21. It includes Michael McCormick's poem "Casino" inspired by a local Indian establishment.
Sep
2019
ANTHOLOGY TWO-FER
The new Poetry Nook Anthology includes not one but two of Michael McCormick's poems: "Marigje" and "Willow". On sale now in paperback and e-book.
July
2019
AFTERLIVES OF WRITERS
A new anthology Afterlives of the Writers includes Michael McCormick's short story "A Dubliner's Return". Find out what happened to James Joyce in the afterlife, along with Jack Kerouac, C.S. Lewis, Kurt Vonnegut, Emily Bronte, & others!
June
2019
LET IT SNOW
Michael McCormick's hopeful "cli-fi" tale "Snow 2562" appears in issue #2 of DreamForge magazine.
Mar
2019
STILL POWERFUL 20 YEARS LATER
A story Michael McCormick published twenty years ago in Japan is now available in USA as a free reprint! "Book of Changes" brought a perspective to 1945 Hiroshima that still moves readers today.
Feb
2019
FAIRY TALE
Michael McCormick's magical fairy tale "The Twelfth Pilgrim" appears in volume 25 of Three Drops from a Cauldron magazine.
Nov
2018
BOGO DEAL
Buy the latest issue of Moccasin journal and you'll get Michael McCormick's new poem "Cathedral Rock" plus a reprint "Hummer Sunset" as an added bonus.
Sep
2018
BOOK PARTY
A book release party was held in Osage MN for Talking Stick volume 27 which includes Michael McCormick's new poem "Ex-Poem".
Sep
2018
MAGICAL CRIME SCENE
Michael McCormick's spooky short story "Our God is a Jealous God" appears in the Magical Crime Scene Investigation anthology.
Aug
2018
CURIOUS FICTIONS
Michael McCormick joined Curious Fictions, a place where you can subscribe to authors, support their work, read stories and get news. Visit Mike's author page to check it out and subscribe.
June
2018
ECO POEM
Michael McCormick's poem "Hummer Sunset" appeared in Plum Tree Tavern, an "eco-poetry" journal that celebrates nature, environment, and ecology.
May
2018
CODEX
Michael McCormick was invited to join the Codex Writers Group for published science fiction & fantasy authors. Mike was already a member of the Science Fiction Writers of America (SFWA).
April
2018
WINNING POEM
Michael McCormick's poem "Marigje", previously published on Halloween 2016, won first place prize in the 176th Poetry Nook contest.
Dec
2017
TWO-FER
Two poems by Michael McCormick,"Mother Superior" and "Demonic Text", appeared in this year's annual poetry collection in The Moccasin journal.
Sept
2017
POETRY PRIZE
Michael McCormick's previously published poem "Willow" received Honorable Mention in the Poetry Nook 146th contest.
June
2017
A GLOBAL WARMING TALE
Days after the announcement the US is pulling from the Paris climate accord, Michael McCormick's flash fiction "Key South" appeared in Cease, Cows.
Feb
2017
A "HARD POEM"
Michael McCormick decided to share a poem written in grief and anger after the 2014 death of a close friend. "Green Lake" appears in the new issue of The Roaring Muse.
Feb
2017
RAY BRADBURY AWARD
Michael McCormick's nomination for the Science Fiction Writers of America Ray Bradbury award for best sci-fi film or TV show -- Westworld's "Bicameral Mind" episode -- made it onto the Nebula ballot.
Feb
2017
INSTAPOEM
Her Heart Poetry reprinted Michael McCormick's award-winning poem "Wounded Sky" in graphic form on Instagram.
Oct 31 2016
HALLOWEEN POEM
Michael McCormick's poem Marigje about a 1591 witch burning, appeared in Fickle Muses on Halloween.
Sep 17 2016
BOOK RELEASE PARTY
Jackpine Writers Bloc hosted a Book Release Party for Talking Stick Volume 25, which includes Michael McCormick's short story "Cass at 83".
Aug
2016
BOWIE ANTHOLOGY
An anthology of David Bowie inspired stories and poetry, including Michael McCormick's poem "Ghost Star", is now available on Amazon and elsewhere. Proceeds go to cancer care and research.
July
2016
DAILY SF
Michael McCormick's short story "Boy in the Giant Robot" was the featured story in Daily Science Fiction.
June
2016
INAUGURAL HAIGA
Electric Haiga launched with Michael McCormick's award-winning poem "Wounded Sky" as its first haiga. Haiga are like haiku paired with images.
Nov
2015
REVIEW
Black Gate Magazine reviewed the Fall/Winter issue of Whistling Shade, including Michael McCormick's poem Monkey No Monkey.
Oct 29 2015
HALLOWEEN READING
Michael McCormick read selected poems at Eat My Words bookstore in Minneapolis before an enthusiastic crowd at a "Spooky Basement Party".
March 2011
POETRY PRIZE
Michael McCormick's poem "Wounded Sky" selected in the 6th Annual Writer's Digest Poetry Awards.
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