November Updates

It's strange to be writing a blog about my successes, especially in a year as psychotic as 2020. After years of not publishing a single word, 2020 has been a real whirlwind for my fledgling career. This surge of minor but very real success makes me so...

...uncomfortable.

Don't get me wrong, it's an absolute thrill to publish work. I get so excited every time I get an acceptance email, especially after being pelted with ten times as many rejections. But then comes the time for me to spread the word, and I'm torn. I want to shout from the rooftops that I've got a new piece of art available or soon to be available for all to see.

Even so, I feel a little bad telling people about my success. I can't help worrying that I might come off as one of those self-absorbed writers who has their head shoved up in certain unsavory places. I really don't want to be that guy...

If you congratulate me, I will accept it with deep gratitude and humility. But I want to keep this about what I want to say to you, the reader. It's about the stories I want to tell, the messages I want to deliver. The images in my head that are so poignant that I had to put them in writing to keep from going crazy (see what I meant in the previous post about writing being magic and insanity?)

So, it gives me great pleasure (and a little anxiety) as I announce my latest upcoming titles:

• Yesterday, my nonfiction article "Move Past the Speeches" was released in digital format with Utopia Science Fiction! I wrote this to combat "climate fatigue". You know, all that gloom and doom talk about the death of the planet (I HATE doom talk, can't stand it!). I hope it gives you a little hope, and inspires you to help save nature in your own way. You can find it HERE.

• Today, my second haiku with Frogpond Journal was released! You can find it in their Fall 2020 Issue. I love the ocean, and I'm so happy I was finally able to publish a haiku about it! You can order a copy HERE.

• Also just released are my latest poems with Scifaikuest! A magazine run by Hiraeth Publishing, they run two simultaneous publications with different sets of poems and authors in each, one in print and one online. You can spot my work in both! I'm thankful for Scifaikuest because they provide an outlet for a wonderful collection of talented poets whose work might not be well-received in more "traditional" poetry venues. I'm honored to be counted among their ranks. You can find the print issue HERE and the digital issue HERE.

• Look out for more haiku coming later this month with Modern Haiku and Presence!

• Lastly, I just received word this morning that my flash fiction "One Thread" will be published with Fudoki Magazine! Release date to be announced. Fun fact: this was one of the first short stories I ever wrote. I spun the yarn WAY back in my college years and it was the first story I tried to actively submit to publications. I'm so thankful that Fudoki chose to take it in.

If you can, please purchase copies of these issues. Not for me (I won't get any extra money haha), but for the publishers who make poetry and fiction magazines possible. It's dedicated venues like these that help keep fiction and poetry alive, and help many aspiring authors have a space to speak. You're doing good every time you buy from a small, independent publisher, and if nothing else you'll get a lot of entertainment.

Thanks for reading. Until next time!