It’s been a fruitful few months for yours truly, in terms of publications and other stuff, so here’s a li’l update!
In the summer, I published my first personal essay, “My Great Hunger,” in the Cincinnati Review. The editors at the CR were wonderful to work with, especially the Nonfiction Editor, Kristen Iversen, who helped me navigate some nasty blowback from a couple of my family members after the essay was published. I’ve learned that dealing with people’s negative (read: spiteful/abusive) reactions to one’s writing is trial by fire in becoming a writer of personal essay or memoir. I came out of the experience stronger, with clarity about who in my family has my back (most of them, actually!), and incredibly grateful for my mom’s generous, loving response to the piece. And I feel even more committed to sharing difficult, true stories. So many people reached out to me to tell me that they related to some part of the essay, or that they shared it with their mother, sister, best friend. Those responses mean everything to me. If, through my writing, I can help someone else feel less alone, then it’s worth all the pain and pettiness from my family (including having one aunt tell me she “looks forward to ignoring my self-published novel!”).
More recently, I had a story come out in Water~Stone Review, another journal that was a dream to work with. This was my story “Nojento,” which I wrote in 2021. I really believed in this story, but struggled to place it, at first. It was one of those “always the bridesmaid” stories that does well in competitions, but not well enough to get published. But it was one of my favorites — unlike with children, you’re allowed to have favorite stories — and so I kept submitting it, and when Water~Stone Review told me they loved it and wanted to publish it, I was thrilled. The icing on the cake? WSR has nominated this story for a Pushcart Prize. In all my years of writing, I’ve never had a story nominated for a Pushcart, so this was a big deal for me. I realize that a LOT of stories get nominated and the odds of winning are slim, but the fact that the journal believed in my story enough to nominate it, for me, is a reward in itself.
I have another essay coming out in the spring of 2025 but I am keeping mum on that one for now, but more soon.
And, finally, not a publication, but even better: I got to go back on one of my all-time fave podcasts, Extra Hot Great, to talk about, among other things, Sister Wives, Married at First Sight, and Instant Hotel. Give it a listen and let me know if I manage to convince you to invest your precious time and energy in getting up to speed on the Sister Wives extended universe! As I said on the podcast, sometimes you really do need to Do. The. Work.
And, finally, MFA update: I’ve finished my fourth semester and am now cruising towards my fifth and final semester. I have a complete (if not totally *finished*) draft of my novel, which I’ve been working on for three years, so I’m feeling good about that. As some of you may know, my program is located in Swannanoa, NC, which was decimated by Hurricane Helene. Because of the extensive damage in the area and slow recovery process, our winter residency was cancelled and we’ll be having it online instead (big sigh). In the meantime, Western North Carolina is still very much in need of people’s money as they continue to rebuild. If you are able, please consider donating to local organizations like Samaritan’s Purse.
Well, that’s all from me. ‘Til next time!