Remember that Antarctica story I was working on? It was picked up by Hobart, and you can now read it here. It’s one of the longer pieces I’ve written lately, but you can probably still read it in under half an hour.
Hobart is a journal I have like liked ever since I spent hours at an old internship reading back issues and looking for authors to solicit. I’m really happy to be a part of it.
Dear reader, let me tell you about some excellent happenings.
First and foremost, Unstuck #3 is out in the world and available for purchase. It is an absolutely killer issue full of weird fiction, nonfiction, interviews, and poetry. I’m really excited to see so many returning contributors in this issue, as well as brand new names. There’s one story in particular that really grabbed me when I was reading submissions last year, and I’m super happy that it made it all the way into print.
I’ve got a very short story forthcoming in Corium. It’s a little bit about lycanthropes and a lot about the anxiety of hereditary illnesses. Corium is a journal I’ve long admired. I’m looking forward to being part of one their future issues.
Also, I got myself a full-time job doing something I actually want to do. I started this week. I like it a lot. I don’t talk a lot about my working life in this space, though I did write that one semi-satirical piece about job applications for The Billfold. I’ve been cobbling together temp jobs, contract jobs, and part-time work for the last four years. I think that working one job, as opposed to working 2-4 jobs, is going to leave me with a lot more space in my life to do the things I enjoy doing. I am looking forward to dental insurance and writing on my lunch break.
I spend a lot of time thinking about video game narrative. So as soon as I found out that I would be writing regularly for the Unstuck blog, I knew that I wanted to interview the person who made A Dark Room. That person is Michael Townsend, and you can read our conversation here. The interview is spoiler-free, but I still recommend playing through the game before reading the interview. It’s a great game for a wintery day.
I am snowed in today, so I’m going to spend the afternoon reading for Interfictions, which is open for submissions for the next few days. Later, I’ll send out some of my own work. Later still? Well, probably some video games. I’m working my way through Closure right and thinking about light instead of narrative.
Much like a small rodent hoards nuts and seeds for the long winter, I tend to stash away lit journals for a rainy day. My unread journal hoard is starting to outgrow my bedside table, however, and winter is definitely here. I spent the last six years in the mild climes of Oregon and Texas. I left my Brooklyn apartment this afternoon to get groceries and I don’t think I will be leaving my apartment again until the sleet decides to stop doing whatever it is that it thinks it’s doing. Snow does not charm me. It just makes me want to huddle indoors. Good thing I have a bedside table full of lit journals and a cupboard full of tea. Here’s what I’ll be reading this week.
I’ve moved three times in the last six months, so my contributor’s copy of NANO Fiction 6.1 only just reached me. This is the first time I’ve seen my fiction in print outside of college art and lit mags. I’m a feckless youth who cut my writing teeth in undergraduate workshops, and it’s always wonderful to get positive feedback from people who’ve never met me and aren’t socially required to be nice and encouraging. NANO has given this story a lot of support, including making it one of their weekly features. Thanks, NANites.
I got a copy of PEN’s journal when I visited their offices recently, and I’m looking forward to reading some great fiction, essays, and interviews this week.
I’ve been carting my copy of Hobart #13 around for a while, saving it for a special occasion. As Hobart #14 has been out since December, I think it’s time to finally crack it open so that I can order the next issue.
I also received my editor’s copy of Unstuck #2, and I am very excited to curl up with this weighty collection of short fiction and read a journal I’m proud to have helped produced.
What journals are you reading right now?
I’m hunkered down in my Brooklyn bunker right now, avoiding the overflowing Gowanus canal. So I was very pleased to discover that NANO Fiction decided to make “Mars” their featured story this week. “Mars” will appear in print in next month’s issue of NANO Fiction, so consider this a pleasant preview.
Remember when I said that NANO Fiction was going to publish a story of mine? Luckily, they didn’t abruptly change their minds in the subsequent weeks. NANO Fiction Volume 6, Number 1 will be shipping next month. “Mars” will be in it, as will other stories by other wonderful people. If you would like a copy, you can preorder it.
I’m looking forward to receiving my own copy. The cover is absurdly gorgeous, and I can’t wait to stretch out on my couch with a cup of tea and read many sharp bits of small fictions.
In other news, a fine fellow I know created a website that allows you to comfortably ogle at the red planet from the comfort of your favorite chair. It is called The Mars Ogler, and it is very much worth a look.
Fresh off the heels of your successful Kickstarter campaign, we of Unstuck are already thinking about next year’s issue. (Keep an eye out for the voluminous Unstuck #2 this winter.) We’re pleased to announce the open submission periods for Unstuck #3. You may want to consider sending us some of your work. Too literary for the genre markets? Too genre for the literary markets? Unstuck is here to treat you right.
Two more author interviews! One is with Marisa Matarazzo, and the other is with Rachel Swirsky.
Also, wow, the Unstuck Kickstarter campaign has five days left on the clock, and we are only 500 dollars away from meeting our stretch goal. That’s pretty incredible. We are so close to an Unstuck fiction podcast. If you’ve been waffling over whether or not to donate, or if you’ve been thinking about upping your initial contribution, now’s the time to act.
I recently returned from two weeks abroad, which means I have a backlog of interviews to share with you.
The first is with Julia Whicker, and you can find it here. We talked about the space program, science magic, severed heads, and Aleister Crowley.
The second is with literary power couple John Maradik and Rachel P. Glaser. This one is especially interesting from a process perspective, as we spent a lot of time discussing how two people go about writing a story together. (Hint: it helps to be in love.)
The third is with Helen Phillips. We talked about wigs, sisterhood, and giant garter snakes. You can read this interview over here.
Have I mentioned the Unstuck Kickstarter campaign lately? I am contractually obligated to mention the Unstuck Kickstarter campaign every three words or so. It’s going swimmingly, thanks to people like you. We have a little less than a week left on the clock, and we are tantalizingly close to our stretch goal of $10,000. What happens if we meet our stretch goal? An Unstuck fiction podcast, that’s what. Let’s make it happen.
Yes, another one. Yes, already.
Here’s another one of the interviews I did for issue #1 of Unstuck. In this one, I talk with Lindsay Hunter about literary Voltrons, the feelings of inanimate objects, and what cat food probably tastes like.
Our Kickstarter campaign continues to thrill. Not only have we already reached our initial funding goal, but we’ve surpassed it by over a thousand dollars. And we still have 25 days left to go. Internet, you are the best! Depending on how far the campaign goes, we have a very neat new planned for the journal. I can’t say much about it until it’s officially announced, but if you’d like to stay on the bleeding edge of news about the journal, our campaign, and our future plans, you can follow us on Twitter.
A. Werner 