May, June, and July

It’s summer again and this summer for Bread Loaf School of English I am staying in New Mexico. I will certainly miss the green towns in Vermont where I was last summer (I must say, Vermont is one of my favorite states, and I will miss my educator friends who are there “at the mountain” but some of them are coming to the Santa Fe campus and I can’t wait to catch up!).

 

 

 

I still think about my Oxford summer in 2016 too, absolutely magical. So grateful to Middlebury for so much! I am hopeful to return back there for my final summer next summer.

June: I have a creative non-fiction piece at 300 words in ellipsis. I received news of the piece’s acceptance Friday. I am very excited. It’s called: “The Centre for Examining Memories, Visions, and Insomnia during Full Moon”.  The magazine is based in U.K. While you there, might as well pre-order this gem, Three Sisters of Stone, a novella-in-flash.

July: I also have some other exciting news. I sold my first story! It will be available in the July issue of The Tahoma Literary Review! It took several revisions and cycles of edits* based on suggestions offered by their brilliant and astute editor, Yi Shun Lee. While there, I can’t recommend enough that you purchase a copy of Your Country is Beautiful, a book of 10 flash essays and hand-drawn maps. Each provides a front-row seat to disaster relief through her work for ShelterBox and half the proceeds go to an international disaster relief agency.

*Last year one of the most important online courses that I took to more deeply learn about the craft of writing was a course offered by One Story . It was a behind-the-scenes editing/revising workshop with editor Will Allison. There I learned that it can take 6 to 8 months-months!-of back and forth between writer and editor after something is officially accepted!. By the way, I highly recommend subscribing to One Story if you enjoying reading short stories and would like a single short story in your mailbox once a month.

Anyway, I didn’t imagine it was possible to be paid for 800 words nor that something that is already short at 972 words could be further trimmed, each word’s existence debated. So much goes into publishing—I can’t even imagine the work required when I am done with the first draft of a novel. Years before it hits the shelves. A writer friend’s novel just sold and it won’t be available till 2020!

Trust you me, I will send another email in July about picking up your copy of Tahoma Literary Review!

Meanwhile, if you are so inclined, I have two short “experimental” fiction pieces published online and available to read for free.

“Laboratory for Fixing Broken Dreams” at Former Cactus.

And Blue Fifth Review‘s Spring Issue.My piece is titled “Colors of Reincarnation.” I encourage you to explore the other pieces in the issue as well; they are spectacular. I am truly honored to be in such talented company.

It’s the last week of teaching (finals, grading, graduation, wrapping up so many loose ends). Then I get to see my brilliant baby niece!