Sharon Knutson, the editor of Storyteller Poetry Review has generously re-published (most were published by other lit mags, although there might be one that is previously unpublished) some of my flash fiction stories. It’s quite a varied collection. Also, I wrote a “life history” (haha) as an introduction, and she included a photo I had forgotten I had of me getting my high school graduation gift. That hair!!!!
Filed under #amreading, #amwriting, #writingcommunity, Ekphrastic, Flash Fiction, Literary Journals
I had some really exciting news recently. Some of you might know that I started writing a memoir about my father (my story, how it relates to him) in 2008. Some of you might be sick of hearing about this mythical project haha. It took many many shapes over the years, but I ended up with a hybrid form of memoir-in-flash called Scrap: Salvaging a Family. I wrote at least 400,000 words over the past sixteen years, although the final manuscript has about 10% of that amount.
My book is finally being published by ELJ Editions in 2026. So grateful to ELJ and editor Ariana D. Den Bleyker and to the many readers who have lent their skills to help shape this story. It really is worth it to just keep on keeping on, in case you needed to hear that today.
Coincidentally, yesterday the stunning journal Your Impossible Voice published a new flash story by me—thanks to Managing Editor Keith J. Powell—inspired by my father.
https://www.yourimpossiblevoice.com/when-you-were-still-too-young-for-school/
This story is a sort of introduction to my memoir.
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I have had some publications I forgot to share here, including two collages by Raw Lit.
https://rawlit.weebly.com/5_5.html
https://rawlit.weebly.com/5_7.html
Wow, The Hemlock published two of my tiny stories–and I didn’t even know they were accepted. Great surprise today! A big thank you to the editors.
The link below will take you to the Summer Issue 2024 for downloading. My stories are on pages 35 and 36.
Here are the stories. The first one is very surreal, but I am very partial to its weirdness. The second one is much more realistic. Hope you enjoy them!
Filed under #amwriting, #AmWriting, #writingcommunity, Essay, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Microfiction
Colleen at #TankaTuesday suggested writing a syllabic poem for Part I, The Beginning of Summer, (May 5 – 19) Rikka 立夏. I tried an imayo.
Summer begins brilliant blue; sometimes clouds frame it
but mostly fresh greenery—saguaro seeks bliss
closer to heaven than earth, offering rare
gifts
as palo verdes erupt, showering sunshine
The hole in the saguaro is the entry to an occupied bird nest.
These palo verde blossoms end up all over the ground.
The duck in my pool yesterday.
Thanks to Christal Rice Cooper and Donna Biffar for editing an exciting poetry anthology. Volume 2 of The Power of the Feminine I is now available. Both volumes are jampacked with contemporary poetry that comes from a feminine perspective. The poetry is not written only by women either. I have two historical poems in volume 2 (and one in the first volume): A Lizzie Borden poem and one about European women in 1533. $3 for kindle version!!! My poems start on pages 90 and 309. https://www.amazon.com/Power-Feminine-poems-feminine-perspective-ebook/dp/B0D2WX6TY7/ref=sr_1_1?crid=16ESMVENBHW7U&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.lhKKLBk4OYONnpqAujXo1Ig50Do583AFm6JtVNC8EQ0_TaCv4F8ZAcJhxIsYfJQn.BMHoWPUTekccHF9OsWxgC4z41skHv5Enp5xpswPpXUk&dib_tag=se&keywords=the+power+of+the+feminine+i+poetry+anthology&qid=1714920222&sprefix=The+feminine+I+%2Caps%2C153&sr=8-1
Guess who tries to sleep in the baby’s bassinet when he’s not here? Perry, of course. The baby still ignores the cats. For now.
What a lovely surprise this morning. The fabulous EIC of MacQueen’s Quinterly, Clare MacQueen, has published three of my stories in the new journal issue. This is one of my favorite lit mags because Clare has a very eclectic taste, so the magazine offers so much variety, including funny stories and syllabic poetry.
Here are links to my stories:
Very micro humor story: http://www.macqueensquinterly.com/MacQ23/Castle-New-One.aspx
Surreal flash story: http://www.macqueensquinterly.com/MacQ23/Castle-Mountain-Painting.aspx
Creative nonfiction/memoir childhood story: http://www.macqueensquinterly.com/MacQ23/Castle-Haunted-Childhood.aspx
Filed under #amwriting, #AmWriting, #writingcommunity, Essay, Family history, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Flash Nonfiction, Memoir, Microfiction
I’m writing this blog post on Sunday, although I don’t intend to publish it until early Monday morning. I want to write about my walk this morning while it’s fresh, but I have stuff going on after I write it.
Now that it’s warmer in Phoenix, it’s more refreshing to walk in the morning, so I went out at ten, wearing a sundress and brimmed hat. It’s already getting too warm for long pants, and I don’t wear shorts. The temperature, slight breeze, and all-around perfection made me feel so grateful to be living in this climate at this time of year. Nothing more beautiful than April and October in Phoenix.
Green and purple hummingbirds were flying in and around the yellow-blooming sweet acacia trees. The palo verde trees’ blossoms are just wiggling out. A songbird slid into a little round hole in a giant saguaro to visit her nestlings. Everywhere I walked I heard various sections of the symphony of birds making music together. I recorded some of it on my phone so I can try to isolate what type of birds I was hearing. On my way back, a family of quail ran quickly across the street to safety, and on the wooden gate to my yard, a baby lizard sunned itself.
In my yard, the cacti are in flower. Each one is spectacular, but my favorite is the coral one. Of course, since coral is my favorite color!
I’ve been taking care of my baby grandson each week for four days of 9-10 hours each (with a wonderful baby sitter who gives me a short break in the middle of most days). It’s very confining and exhausting at my age, but I love knowing he’s safe and learning. Perry has grown to love him, and will nap with him on the baby’s activity gym (which is on the ground and where he also practices “tummy time,” a phenomenon that wasn’t around when my kids were little). Baby Hudson’s favorite activity is swinging in his little mechanical swing.
What really strikes me about the baby is that he only cries to communicate. Luckily, he doesn’t have any chronic issues that cause crying (like colic). If he cries, I need to figure out what’s wrong, remedy it, and the crying stops. So while I was a bit concerned ahead of time that he would cry so much it would annoy me or especially the cats, not so.
As it gets warmer out, I intend to go for my walk very early (right after I give the cats their breakfast) and take Hudson in his stroller.
I’m getting zero art done and not enough writing, but I wouldn’t miss this experience for anything.
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I have a flash of menstruation lit in the hilarious anthology Bloody Funny.” Thank you to Editor Sophia McGovern. Hope you like it!
Filed under #amwriting, Arizona, Flora, Garden, and Landscape
I’m blessed to have poetry and a few photos in this delightful collection, alongside these other wonderful poets.
Editor Jeff Harvey at the brand new really hot lit journal Gooseberry Pie published one of my stories. The journal only publishes six sentence stories. Try to write one if you haven’t. They are really fun.
Another thing going on is that Mad Swirl journal has published their annual anthology, and along with many stories and poems, they have featured the work of four artists. One of those is me, if you can believe it. Two of my collages. The anthology is available on Amazon.
It sounds like I’m busy, and I am, but mostly with taking care of my baby grandson all day! What a cutie. The only trouble is fitting in work, writing, art, and my daily walk. We’re working it out though, and he’s been so good today. However, yesterday, I typed a 100 word first draft with one hand while I held him!
I’m closing comments just because I it’s hard to respond one-handed–at least until I get used to it!
Editor Barbara Harris Leonhard has published my Remedios Varo inspired flash fiction story, “The Past Holds No Reality for Me,” at Masticadores USA. More surreal fun!!!
The famous-for-flash Flash Boulevard has published three of my flash fiction stories. A big thank you to Editor Francine Witte, who is a well-known flash fiction writer.
I’m very excited to have my stories published at Flash Boulevard because they publish the best flash fiction writers, so to think that my stories are keeping company over there is dreamy.
The first two stories are inspired by Remedios Varo stories. The third was written after seeing Frida Kahlo’s “Wounded Deer” painting, although the story is not itself ekphrastic. Instead, it is about living with a variety of illness and health conditions. They are all surreal and yet relate to matters of the human heart. Please feel free to comment at the site. I will close comments here.
