Summer 2020 Playlist: Annotated
Summer is here, which means it is time, once again, for some jams. Some themes: 1960s France, modern disco revival, Black indie artists.
Read MoreCoffee's not my cup of tea
I do miss writing in coffee shops, though—which is why, when Atlas and Alice put out a call for micros for their special GLOBAL PANDEMIC x THE THING I TOOK FOR GRANTED issue, I knew exactly what to write about. They were kind enough to publish my first-ever creative nonfiction piece “I don’t miss coffee, but” earlier this week.
Read MoreMy spring in reading (continued)
Did April truly exist? It felt like no time at all, but it must have happened—I read so many books! So. Many. Books.
Read MoreMy spring in reading (so far)
Holy quarantine, Batman! Since I’ve been stuck inside so much, my reading has picked up considerably. Last time I went two months before giving you a reading update, but that’s not going to work this time—unless I want it to be the longest blog post in history. Let’s just cover what I read in March, shall we?
Read MoreSpring 2020 Playlist: Annotated
It’s a jam-packed QUARANTINE EDITION of the Spring Playlist this year—couldn’t seem to edit myself down to 20 songs no matter how hard I tried. Some themes: songs I listened to as an undergraduate, obscure folk music, the 80s.
Read MoreConferences and quarantines
On March 4th I flew to San Antonio for the Association of Writers & Writing Programs (AWP) Conference. Afterwards, I took a bus to Austin for a few days, then flew back on the 11th—which was only a week ago. But thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, it seems like a year since then.
Read MoreMy year in reading (so far)
I must have fantastic literary taste, because I’ve read some great books since 2020 swept in! Here are some very brief reviews.
Read MoreCrack an egg into the frying pan...
Last Friday, Jellyfish Review was kind enough to publish my flash “A Whole Breakfast”—a charming story of near-miss incest. Near-miss! I write happy stories, okay? Happy.
Read MoreNew book review in Split Lip Magazine
Normally my involvement with Split Lip Magazine is limited to running its social media accounts—finding GIFs that fit with the work we publish, mostly. But this month I had the good fortune to review Incoming: Sex, Drugs, and Copenhagen, a collection of essays written by United States veterans.
Read MoreNominations and preparations
I’ve been nominated for Best Small Fictions by Longleaf Review! I also attended Courtney Maum’s “Getting Ready for a Book Deal” master class, which provided lots of insights about preparing manuscripts and drafting letters to agents. Here are some statistics and resources from my own querying experience.
Read MoreIn which I remember what I forgot...
I remember what Spooky Season book I forgot to review! It is, of course, Carmen Maria Machado’s brilliant short story collection Her Body and Other Parties, which, as usual, I read several years after its heyday. I knew I was missing one!
Read MoreWinter 2019/20 Playlist: Annotated
Here’s a winter playlist to brighten those cloudy days.
Read MoreUncanny Florida
Years ago, when I was still in my MFA, I drafted a flash story about a woman who was haunted by her late husband’s bleak and brutal thoughts, with trivia as her only coping mechanism. I’m pleased to say that “A Woman Possessed” was finally published by Passages North last Friday!
Read MoreThree Spooky Season Reads
I know we’re long past spooky season at this point, but in my defense, I caught pneumonia. I’ve spent the past few weeks laying on my couch, pale, feverish, and coughing like some Edgar Allan Poe character. Fortunately, the antibiotics have kicked in, and I’m feeling much better.
Read MoreWriting at the Oregon Coast
Recently I had the privilege to attend Tin House’s inaugural YA Fiction Workshop, held at the Sylvia Beach Hotel in charming Newport, Oregon. I took in the fresh ocean breezes, I pet the resident cat, I made new friends—and I worked on my writing, of course.
Read MoreSix Autumn Reads
Finally bothered to clean my room yesterday, and while I was removing all the books off my bed and floor, it reminded me that I ought to share what I’ve been reading these days.
What—half of your bed isn’t constantly filled with books?
Read MoreFall 2019 Playlist: Annotated
Here are some songs to accompany the falling leaves. Created the playlist last week, but I haven’t had a chance to write about it until now. Story of my life.
Read MoreSix books reviewed in three sentences
2019 has been a banner year for my anxiety, and I feel like I’ve been scrambling to get everything done. But as usual, I have been reading—I just haven’t been telling you about it. Let’s play catch up, shall we? This time it’s mini-reviews: three sentences each.
Read MoreMysterious sea creatures of the Netherlands
I’m pleased as punch that Longleaf Review published my flash “The Loosening Grip” on their site this week! I was at Riot Fest when I got the news, so I was unable to share more broadly at the time due to limited cell reception. Gosh darn all you punk kids swarming Douglas Park!
Read MoreFive Books for the Height of Summer
As you may have noticed, I’ve become terrible at blogging in a timely manner. But I’m still pretty good at reading in a timely manner! I’ve devoured five books since I last wrote.
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