Writing Update: June 2023
Poetry, short fiction, essays, oh my! Just some Salena C. writing news to start your summer.
Welcome to the June issue of my newsletter! Within, you’ll find the first story I’ve had that placed in a competition and even a children’s poem as well as a recommendation for your summer reading!
Also, I’ve officially jumped on the Threads train to decouple myself from Twitter. You can follow me here.
What was published in June 2023
Publishing for me picked up speed at the end of May through June. I’ve got quite an eclectic collection of pieces for your reading pleasure if you feel so inclined. You can find the links and descriptions below.
Bill’s Boogie - a children’s poem about a bumble bee published with Dirigible Balloon
Worth Her Weight In Words - a reimagined fairytale with Bitterleaf Books for their first anthology “Fate”
In the Red - a very dark and short prosetry piece with A-minor Magazine
For the love of a fries - a humorous flash fiction piece with Intrepidus Ink
There’s also an author interview on twitter if you’re interested in checking it out!
How to Carry Countries Inside of You - a 100 words story that received a second place award in Retreat West’s monthly competition
Loose - a short personal essay with HerStry
My favorite reads of June
Bernardine Evanston blew me away with her novel, Women, Girl, Other, which co-won the 2019 Booker Prize with Margaret Atwood’s Testaments. Written in similar format to Jennifer Egan’s Candy House, the work follows the lives of 12 interconnected women of color in Britain as they navigate their relationship to one another, their ancestors, and Britain’s colonialist history. The text is formatted into fragments and makes the novel read more like an incantation or prayer. Each voice Evanston writes from, whether it’s a high school student or a 93 year old farmer, sings with vibrancy of experience and thought. No two stories have the same tone but are all in conversation with one another.
Definitely a serious summer read if you want something to mix up your beach-side selections!
What I worked on
I had the absolute pleasure of continuing my foray into collaborative work with Ice Breaker Lit’s Spin the Bottle challenge, which paired me with a writer I hadn’t met before to write a piece for a 80s/90s fantastical nostalgia-themed call. It was SO fun. The genre we were assigned was creative nonfiction and we had a blast building off of one another to get a piece in under the wire.
My writing partner, R. Tim Morris, and I are in the process finalizing the last revisions of our 50 paragraph collaborative short story for Owl Canyon’s submission call. Just a few more editorial rounds and we’ll be good to send it in.
Otherwise, I’m looking to the end of July to get back into some CNF journaling and see what that yields.
The look-ahead
Two of my favorite pieces of the year will be published in July. I know, every piece I have is a favorite, but I can’t help it!
Three collaborative poems with Spark to Flame Magazine (July 1)
A longer science fiction piece with Metaphorosis Magazine in both digital & print (July 7)
This one has an audio recording and interview so get EXCITED!
Until next month! If you feel so moved, reach out! I’d love to hear from you. Have a wonderful week!