Sunday, November 28, 2010

The Editors at Bananafish

...have incredible taste. And a damn-fine journal.

A piece I wrote, entitled "Dandelion Ghosts" won first place in the 2010 Bananafish Short Story Competition. Click the image below. (Note the personalized image by Michael Alesich! Have I mentioned this journal is awesome?) I'm humbled and honored, in that order.



(Curious about the journal's title? Click here.)

Thursday, November 11, 2010

NaNoWriMo

I signed up for NaNoWriMo this year, despite the fact that I have no time. I've thought about it before only to second guess myself. But, surprisingly, I've stuck with it this time, and a story I've been wanting to tell for sometime is beginning to emerge. In the true spirit of NaNoWriMo, I had no idea what I would write, and then it just happened.

To clarify, I'm no advocate of writing an actual novel in one month. Thirty days time is far too little to create such a multi-faceted piece of art; and I doubt I could share a manuscript that was written in a month. But, this is an excellent way to get a draft: a good, strong start on something that later could be quite great. So this book, which I haven't titled nor desire to, might not be realized for years. But the challenge of testing my limits and pushing myself to write so many words in so little time is nothing short of exhilarating.

I finally see, first hand, why so many people get excited about this event.

Thursday, November 4, 2010

New Pub

I have an essay out this month in Annalemma Magazine. This is an interesting publication in that there's a message to it... Not a preachy, in-your-face, do-it-my-way message, but a message. This issue's theme is Endurance.

It's print, so you can hold it in your hands and dog-ear it and write in the margins and hug it, if you'd like. Though it's lovely, visually, so you might not want to do all that... Anyway, check 'er out. Click the pic.

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

A Body in Motion: A Post for Writers

In the past two weeks, I've started four stories, and I haven't finished one. I only when it's dark: early in the morning before class; late at night, if I can't sleep. It's no easy business when a writer is in the transition phase of her career. Between grading papers, reading and reviewing books, revising accepted works for publication, thinking (obsessing) about Absurd Hunger, and maintaining a happy home, my writing time is limited. So what do I do? I sign up for NaNoWriMo and begin a wholly new book based on my grandmother's life. This book has been a seed, planted deeply in the back of my mind for some time now, and on the advice of a student (an extremely talented writer whose work I will no doubt be promoting in the near future), I have begun to revisit the story that's been germinating for so long. So, here I am faced with another project, and I can only hope to get a good start, and eventually to do my grandmother's remarkable story justice.

So, am I overdoing it? Yes. Yes, I am. But as long as I have it in me, I'll continue.  Who knows, maybe the time will come when I begin finishing things again. In the meantime, I'm in that all-too-familiar place we writers find ourselves in. I'm in transit. And it's driving me crazy, in a pleasant way. To the writing life!!!

Chapbook release

"As our children walked in circles, their children shook their heads and made their way toward another life; new ghosts remained. And w...