Wow, it’s June in New England, which is two whole season changes since I’ve sent out an update. Lots to discuss so let’s dive in.
What was published since January
The flash genre just wouldn’t let me go these past few months, so I have three pieces of flash and one longer piece below!
On Lying Down and Looking Up - Westword
Read time: <2 minutes (200 words)
This piece placed second in their monthly micro competition featuring the word “Lie.”
Photo by Austris Augusts on Unsplash
Maybe We Can Be Just Two People Talking - The Colored Lens
Read time: <20 minutes (2,500 words)
I’ve been submitting to TCL since 2013 and I was absolutely honored to have this sci-fi piece picked up for their spring issue. It’s about a society in which we pay people, as a form of reparative justice, for trauma they suffered over the course of their lives. The piece follows a session between a recent applicant and their reparations officer as they navigate the space between humanity and governmental process.
Testimony - Icebreakers Lit
Read time: <10 minutes (1000 words)
This started as a collaboration for Ice Breakers Lit’s Haunters & Architects call. My writing partner, Leigh Loveday, and I decided to augment the piece and submit for a future call. Check out our interview here and enjoy the fantastic collaborative energy of our shared voice in this exploration of the paranormal.
it was never just about swimming - Eunoia Review
Read time: <10 minutes (1000 words)
Here’s some creative nonfiction reflecting on my swimming journey. It’s amazing sometimes to look back and only vaguely recall the countless hours and laps and competitions over the years. What remain are parts of myself I recognize some days and don’t recognize at all others.
My favorite reads from the past few months
Non-fiction: Under the Bridge by Rebecca Godfrey
Confession: I started watching the Hulu show before realizing this was a book. I put the adaptation on pause and finished the written piece first before returning to the episodes. They are both fantastic, if slightly different, versions of a horrific murder of a high school girl by her peers that rocked Canada in the 90s. Everyone has compared the work to Capote’s In Cold Blood and I do think the comparison stands. Fair warning, it’ll keep you up at night, but it’s all worth confronting the messy membrane of humanity.
Fiction: The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
You probably know James McBride from The Color of Water or Deacon King Kong. His most recent release was a rich look at a Jew storefront owner, his family, and the Black community in Pennsylvania that they live alongside in the 1920s - 1930s. While the book is billed as a murder mystery, it’s more about connection, relationships, and selflessness of a few that benefit many.
A favorite from the archives:
You Can Barely Keep A Plant Alive, Sharon, a satire about work trainings from Defenestration Magazine circa 2023.
Other things of note & the look ahead
I spent most of February and March writing and revising five new pieces (hopefully to be published soon!) in Smokelong Quarterly’s Winter Fete workshop. I didn’t write every day - though the opportunity to do so is definitely there - but it was such a fresh way to open up the writing dam and create without guardrails or judgement. Highly recommend their “Smokelong Fitness” journeys that they host across the year; I will 10/10 do it again.
April was spent mostly traveling while May was focused on my own professional product management development so I’m excited to spend June getting back into writing with all of you! Hopefully there won’t be such long intervals between now and the next newsletter, but I make no promises.
Until next time!