The aforementioned elephant has left the room, and is nearly ready to be described in some detail. However, I know there have been some newcomers poking around Hidden City, so I thought I'd take a moment and show them around. If you've been here before you may want to tag along, anyway. I've been writing here for over ten years, so you can be excused if you've missed something.

First, hi. I'm Marc Kevin Hall. I run this place, and am responsible for everything that happens here, other than the comments made by the occasional wisenheimer. A relatively brief autobiographical statement can be found at this eponymous address, marckevinhall.com. If you are interested in a quick background check, go there.

When I tell people I'm a writer I am frequently asked "What do you write?" In general, I write what needs to be written. It was recently said of me, somewhat tongue in cheek, I hope, "Words are your bitch." (Grammatically I suppose they would be my bitches, plural, but the sentiment is nonetheless accurate.) I love language — the rhythmic ebb and flow of conversation, poetry's sinuous and sensuous winding, the vigorous verbal torrent of a good rant — and find it as essential to my life as food, water, air, and love.

I've selected a few pieces from the archives here to give you a flavor for what I do with words when left to my own devices. I hope you find them entertaining.

• Sometimes I talk with my cats. Sometimes they talk and I just listen. "Grey Wisdom" and "Climbing to the Moon" are two of the most popular stories.
• My dreams tend toward the highly structured and (frequently) apocalyptic. If they seem interesting enough I write them down. I know — no sane person wants to read another's dreams. Read "Value," "Walking North," and "Gluttony," and see how crazy I am.
• Where would we be without love? Well, I don't know about you, but I would have a lot less to write about, as "Prom Night" and "All Good Things" will show.
• When looking for a good subject it's always best to stick to what is close at hand: your own life. Not that I am claim to fully understand it, mind you. "Slow Learner," "Baton," and "Directions" lift the tent flap on the big top* of my world.

And there you go — a brief tour of what has left my skull and made its way into the world. Keep in mind that these are just examples of the product of my own creative impulse, and not what I can do for money. If you want to see that, let's talk.

Thanks for stopping by. If you have any comments I'll love to hear them.

*Well, it was "big top" or "freak show," and I didn't want to offend my father with the latter.