Tag Archives: flash nonfiction

Introducing Kathi Crawford and CONSIDER THE LIGHT

I’m introducing a new poetry-slash-flash nonfiction book by a debut writer, Kathi Crawford. I had the honor of writing a blurb for the back of the book.

Kathi Crawford’s debut chapbook Consider the Light, hybrid memoir in poetry and flash, shines a beam into the liminal spaces of a woman’s life. The collection examines transition periods and disruptions as Crawford recreates herself and her future at each of these junctions. As the child of working-class parents, she muses, “I need to save my family,” but as she grows older and must deal with her own problems, she takes what she can learn from others, such as self-discipline from her beloved Nanna, while forging a fierce independence. Crawford’s distinctive voice and story take the reader on a unique journey while offering whispers of familiarity to many who have faced similar hurtles. You won’t want to miss this engaging new voice.

Here’s the Amazon link. What a gorgeous cover, am I right? CONSIDER THE LIGHT – AMAZON

The cover artist is Brooke Summers-Perry. Here’s her Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/brookesp_studio/

I think you will really enjoy this one, even if you tend not to read poetry. Here’s the book description:

consider the light is a hybrid memoir in poetry and flash nonfiction that traces one woman’s journey from her 1960s Rustbelt upbringing to a life of creative and professional fulfillment in Texas. Born into a working-class family shaped by grit and sacrifice, Kathi Crawford navigates decades of transformation-personal, cultural, and emotional-while forging her own path toward career success and lasting love.

Through moments of grief, reinvention, and unexpected grace, this collection illuminates the resilience required to see the best in each situation and in each other. With language that is spare, evocative, and deeply felt, Crawford invites readers to reflect on what it means to belong, to endure, and to choose light even when the shadows linger.

This debut book speaks to anyone who has wrestled with identity, loss, or longing-and found, in the struggle, a deeper kind of beauty. It’s a testament to the power of memory, the strength of women’s voices, and the healing potential of story. A compelling read for fans of women’s memoirs, personal transformation, and poetry about grief, hope, and resilience.

And you can read a little about Kathi here:

With a career spanning decades in organizational development, Kathi Crawford founded People Possibilities, LLC in 2008. She is an IAC-certified master coach who has worked with hundreds of clients one-on-one through leadership, career, and life transitions.

Alongside her business career, Kathi actively writes poetry and flash creative nonfiction. Her work has been featured online and in print in a variety of literary journals. Her chapbook, consider the light, is available from Finishing Line Press. This mini-memoir invites readers to embrace their flaws, honor resilience, and cultivate empathy for themselves and others, offering yet another avenue for Kathi to foster understanding and connection.

You can find Kathi on Instagram or LinkedIn @kathicrawford and subscribe to her blog @ kathicrawford dot com.

Leave a comment

Filed under #amreading, #poetrycommunity, #writingcommunity, Flash Nonfiction, Memoir, Poetry, Poetry Collection

Sixteen Years and Done

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.

###

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

46 Comments

Filed under #amwriting, #writerlife, #writerslife, #writingcommunity, Books, Creative Nonfiction, Flash Fiction, Flash Nonfiction, Memoir, Writing

Mama Isn’t Always Right: 2-minute podcast

Gosh, it’s been a month or more since I’ve posted on here. That’s because it’s now been five months that I have been taking care of the baby like a full-time daycare :). I am dropping down to part-time in a week (also :)) because he’s getting heavy for me, and I need to catch up on stuff.

Before I’m back to blogging regularly, I thought you might enjoy hearing me read a two-minute flash memoir story on Guerrilla Podcast. There are two other writers reading as well, Ethan Goffman and John Stanizzi. My story is in between theirs. Hope you like them all!

https://thesongis.blogspot.com/2024/07/podcasts-bite-sized-nutrition-for-mind.html

In case you’re in doubt of where to go, once you click the link you should see this view (my screen shot). The podcast is right below the titles of the stories and the author names.

The image is from a later era than my story, but it’s the same park as in the story. About ten years after the events of this story occurred, Kalamazoo was hit with a tornado that took out a lot of the gorgeous old trees that had been there in Lincoln’s day. Since this photo was taken at a date after the tornado, you can’t see how thick the trees were “back in my day.”

27 Comments

Filed under Flash Nonfiction, Memoir, Nonfiction, Podcasts and readings, Writing

Prose Garden Reading on June 29

Curious or passionate about Flash Prose and Prose Poetry? Join us on zoom this Saturday, June 29 at 2PM Eastern time to hear some engaging and very brief stories. I’ll be reading two or three of my own. A big thanks to Meg Pokrass and Francine Witte for hosting these Prose Garden readings. Hope to see you there!

Here’s the zoom link: 

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0lcuGqpz0jH903sZlmZbuON6MxM6uv8eEy?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR3zUiFbHpI2ENtwraaEgaKUJaSzOfRNC6qpUxP8sWcqNHsz-xbzxtLCMvQ_aem_vNZzafOYRve1oNjboNPUxg#/registration

 

Leave a comment

Filed under #writerlife, #writerslife, #writingcommunity, Flash Fiction, Flash Nonfiction, Reading

Three Stories in MacQueen’s Quinterly

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

34 Comments

Filed under #AmWriting, #amwriting, #writingcommunity, Essay, Family history, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Flash Nonfiction, Memoir, Microfiction

When the Family Home Burned Down, 1902

I’m so jazzed to have an article about the aftermath of the fire at my relatives’ home in 1902 up at the wonderful creative nonfiction magazine, Broad Street! It’s week 4 of the 6 week series. This is the only piece featured that is flash nonfiction, rather than poetry, although I am hoping you can find some “poetry” in it.

12 Comments

Filed under Family history, Flash Nonfiction, History, Kin Types, Poetry, Publishing, Writing

What’s Past and The Promise of What Lies Ahead

Today begins the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah, the beginning of the new year. I’m wishing you a good (and sweet) year, whether you celebrate or not.

 

If you were reading my blog three years ago, you might remember that spring and summer were the seasons of the hummingbird mother and babies, my father’s illness and death, and the passing of my oldest cat Mac.* These events swirled together, as life’s events often do, and I ended up writing a lyrical essay called “Ordering in Four Movements.”

That fall the essay was published in Phoebe (45.1), a beautiful print journal. If I ever put together a collection of prose pieces, maybe this one will find a “book” home. In the meantime, though, I wanted to share it with more readers via an online journal, so I submitted it as a reprint to Ginosko Literary Journal where it was subsequently accepted. This weekend the journal went live. I hope you will enjoy this piece. It means a great deal to me since it covers emotional issues that preoccupied my mind at the time.

Ginosko Literary Journal — “thumb through” to page 33

* The links in the first paragraph are to the original posts I wrote about these events. The one about Mac tells his life story ;).

I’m still working on my gun essay, but I was challenged to try it from a different angle, which has taken me down a muddy and tangled garden path. Oh boy.

May you have a sweet week ahead. And a happy birthday to poet Mary Oliver!

 

31 Comments

Filed under #amwriting, #AmWriting, #writerlife, #writerslife, Cats and Other Animals, Creative Nonfiction, Essay, Flash Nonfiction, Literary Journals, Memoir, Nonfiction, Writing, Writing Talk

Exciting News about Kin Types

After Monday’s post was published, I learned that Kin Types was a finalist for the prestigious Eric Hoffer Award. It’s in stellar company. This recognition validates the work I did on the book and on my family history blog, too. Best of all, the book gets a gold foil sticker for the cover ;).

It will kind of look like this when the sticker is put on the book (only not such a large sticker).

If you click through the link to the Amazon page, the book can be ordered for a real deal right now; check it out. To order through Barnes & Noble, try this link.

If you want a sticker for your copy, send me a selfie of yourself with Kin Types that I can use on this blog or social media (in case I decide to do that) with your address, and I’ll mail you a sticker when they arrive.

My father passed away three years ago this past Monday. My first book, Doll God, had just been published so he was able to read it (and be very proud) before he died. He never got to see Kin Types, although his mother and grandmother are featured in the book.

I’m closing comments because I don’t want you to feel you need to send me congratulations; I just wanted to let you know about the exciting news!

Leave a comment

Filed under #AmWriting, Book Award, Book contest, Books, Creative Nonfiction, Doll God, Family history, Flash Nonfiction, History, Kin Types, Nonfiction, Poetry book, Poetry Collection

An Interview about Poetry and Genealogy

Jorie at Jorie Loves a Story interviewed me on the topics of genealogy, poetry, and Kin Types. Her questions were so thought-provoking, and I really enjoyed where they took me!

Check it out if you can.


Also, Amazon has 19 reviews up for Kin Types if you’re still on the fence about reading it.

16 Comments

Filed under #AmWriting, #writerlife, #writerslife, Book Review, Family history, Flash Nonfiction, History, Interview, Kin Types, Memoir, Nonfiction, Poetry, Poetry book, Poetry Collection, Writing

Fall Book Review: “Kin Types,” by Luanne Castle

Hope your Thanksgiving holiday has been a lovely one, if you celebrate.
Robin gives Kin Types 4 out of 4 stars!!! Check out her review.

7 Comments

Filed under #writerlife, #writerslife, Book Review, Family history, History, Kin Types, Nonfiction, Poetry, Poetry book, Poetry Collection, Writing