Michael Farrell

(Author's note: Last fall, I welcomed the release of my second novel, When the Lights Go Out. From its earliest stages, drafted throughout two years in grad school and edited after an unexpected return to Buffalo, it took six years to finish.

But as personally momentous of an occasion as this was, the novel  Read More 

(Author's note: When I originally conceived this story, it was rooted in the idea that, sometimes, life isn't about celebrating the best of times. It's about survival, overcoming the worst of times and the strength you can summon in those moments. This message seems appropriate in the wake of the political events of the  Read More 

(Author's note: In the six years I spent writing, editing and rewriting this story, I spent a lot of time amid live music. Not only did I see a lot of performances on my own time, but I also worked for three years as a bartender at three different music venues in Boston, Massachusetts--including  Read More 

(Author's note: This a piece of flash fiction I've had sitting around for years, with bruises of rejection from various lit mags and websites across the country. It has nowhere else to go, so here it is, free for you if interested. Enjoy.)

Denny Dobson awoke and rolled to his left, smiling.

It was the same dream he'd had on Tuesday, the same dream he'd had on Monday. She had the same dark hair and dark eyes, the same white woolen sweater as the nights before. He took a walk with her down a darkened neighborhood street,  Read More 

(Author's note: With my second novel now making the rounds, figured I should re-post the following essay. It discusses my relationship with my hometown of Buffalo and the need to write about it, both pertinent as my Queen City-set When the Lights Go Out starts to find its way to the public.  Read More 

This past Sunday, displaced Buffalonians in cities such as Chicago, Seattle, Boston, Charlotte, Phoenix, Fort Lauderdale, Washington, D.C., and Manhattan gathered at tavern tables, stared at flat screen television sets, and engaged in a pastime that’s become as comforting as a Bills win (albeit amid a Bills loss). Over an afternoon full  Read More 

(Author's note: This is a holiday-themed piece from my old site, so just pretend the published date doesn't matter. Other than that, carry on.)

Black Friday is over. Cyber Monday has passed.

Both have come to stand as the holiday season’s starting pistol. Now, we’re knee-deep in the December action, full of  Read More 

The job of freelance writer sounds pretty sexy, right? The vocational title alone generates an aura of apparent mystery and nonconformity, and it’s also an occupation that generates commotion amongst people who have never freelanced anything.

If you spout the line “I’m a freelance writer” within mixed company, you’ll easily pique  Read More 

I’ve always connected with music and film better than I have with literature. It’s a bond I formed as early as I can remember anything. (As I type this sentence, I can recall, in detail, sitting at Rich Stadium in Buffalo, waiting for Michael Jackson to take the stage. I was five  Read More 

What does ‘Bona’ mean?

It’s a question a lot of now out-of-state St. Bonaventure graduates have had to answer. The letters adorn baseball caps and hooded sweatshirts, bumper stickers and coffee mugs. Back in the summer of 2009, my North Carolina-born graduate professor stopped his lecture mid-sentence when he was distracted by these confusing  Read More