First things first…a super-short story of mine that was published in Camera Obscura has now been posted online:
From “Ghost, 1899”
You stand at the edge of the river.You’re not sure how it happened. It could have been that rigid knot growing inside your chest that you ignored. It could have been staring blankly into emptiness or shooting deep into darkness. It could have been stepping into the street at the wrong moment when the streetcar rattled by. It could have been bad drink at the hotel, or too many, and wandering here, to the edge of the river, and walking forward into the splash, the cold, the black. It could have been your baby. It could have been anything. When you were alive, you thought these details of dying would matter, and now you discover that they don’t. You’re dead. You must now find a way to believe that.
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The Washington Post speaks to an array of people at all points of the writing/publishing world, asking for t heir thoughts on what’s going on in this industry rife with change:
From novelist Jennifer Miller: “My debut novel, “The Year of the Gadfly,” received the kind of reviews that a young novelist dreams of. But with over 60,000 titles published each year, it’s a basic fact that if your book doesn’t achieve “Gone Girl” status within a month or so, then it’s simply gone.“Which is why I’ve spent the last year fighting to keep my book relevant. I produced a book trailer that featured famous journalists like Brian Williams and Christiane Amanpour. I organized an out-of-pocket three-month book tour last fall, and I invented the Novelade Stand: a lemonade stand for books, in which I set up a sidewalk table with colorful signs, homemade cookies and copies of “Gadfly.”From Richard Peabody, speaking as a writing teacher: “One thing hasn’t changed — a solitary writer plays with words in a room somewhere. If you understand that nugget, then you may have a future in this crazy biz.”
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Submit! There’s a fee, but you get a subscription to a great journal…plus, who can resist this prompt?
The Potomac Review announces a flash fiction themed contest: “Brackish”
--Fresh water and salt water like Chesapeake Bay
--Oil and vinegar
--Chocolate ice cream and fried onions
--Bugs Bunny meets Freddy Krueger
These ideas aren’t prompts, just nudges to your imagination. The concept behind our theme, Brackish, is to take two things or ideas, like fresh and salt water, that shouldn’t work together or mix well, but do anyway.
In the spirit of the Potomac Review’s watery origins, we will celebrate this phenomenon by asking talented writers to participate in our first themed writing contest: a flash fiction contest. Contest dates: February 28st—April 5th. Enter online and check the website for further details: http://cms.montgomerycollege.edu/EDU/Altsub1.aspx?id=24421
The winner will receive publication in the Potomac Review, a year’s subscription to the Potomac Review, and $1,000!
To enter, submit a compelling piece of flash fiction of up to 1,500 words that combines any two (or more) subjects or genres with at $20 fee per entry. You can pay online via the website. Submissions will be judged by Drue Heinz and Pushcart Prize winner Kirk Nesset. This contest adheres to all CLMP Contest Guidelines.
The Potomac Review is an award winning internationally and nationally known literary magazine, based in the Mid Atlantic, along the Potomac River.