Before we get to the poetry announcements, first a couple online fiction readings for your calendars:  Story Hour will have my friend Maggie Slater reading this coming Wed., June 26^th, with Annika Barranti Klein, and then the following Wed., July 3^rd, I’ll be reading with Brandon Crilly.  Both readings will be at 7pm PDT.  I had a fabulous time on Story Hour last year, and this time I’ll be bringing some fantasy. 

Speaking of fantasy, my poem “Stained Glass Dragon” is part of the new anthology Here There Be Dragons from Hiraeth Publishing.  I wanted to approach the idea of dragons from a new angle for me, and the vision of sharp wings created an image in my mind that resulted in this poem.  This anthology includes a variety of stories and poems—a treasure hoard, if you will—for the dragon enthusiasts out there! 

Also, my poem “Super Emeralds” appeared in Sidequest.  It’s the first in some recent concrete poetry (or visual poetry) I’ve been dabbling with.  This one is based on Sonic 3 & Knuckles, in which the titular gems appear as larger and more powerful versions of the Chaos Emeralds from the earlier Sonic games (and if you like this one, you might enjoy my poem “Lava Reef Cooldown”).  I’m honored that Critical Distance once again included my work in their weekly roundup of critical writing on games! 

Coming up in the next few weeks, a non-speculative poem, a story acceptance announcement, and my panel at the Willamette Writers Conference.

My new story “In Defence of Plant Life” is part of On Spec Magazine Issue #128, Vol. 34, No. 2. I’m excited to be part of the longtime Canadian magazine of the fantastic.  “In Defence of Plant Life” is a story about a terrarium on a train.  How did it come about? 

For Mother’s Day five years ago, I went with my middle sister, our mom, and my mother-in-law to Roosevelt’s Terrariums in Portland. The place was enchanting. 

We had such a fun time each making our own terrarium, from selecting the vessel (I picked one with a very narrow neck—definitely limited my options, rather like a writing constraint I guess) to arranging soil, stones, and plants inside.  I madly scribbled notes throughout, fascinated by the process. 

I cast about right away for a chance to use the inspiration in a story.  I combined it with a longtime interest I’d had in setting something on a train, specifically a private rail car.  A few months later, my mom and I went to a local plant nursery, Farmington Gardens, for a presentation called My Alien Plant (I couldn’t resist a title like that), which gave me the exact research I needed.  The month after that, I went to a one-day writing retreat and started the first draft.  I’m so excited the final version is available to readers at last! 

By the way, I’ll have some more poetry news to share later this month.

A couple months ago I attended the Terroir Creative Writing Festival for the first time.  Omar El Akkad kicked things off with an amazing keynote speech that got me thinking about the privilege of having distance from violence.  Kim Stafford led a poetry workshop in which he challenged us to think of poems in broader terms, such as outpourings, manifestos, and meditations.  Then in the afternoon I went to a session on ekphrastic poetry which focused on paintings and sculptures.  I stubbornly, though, decided to write another video game poem instead.  The day’s inspiration mixed in my mind with memories of playing the various Super Smash Bros. games.  

The result, “Meditations on Super Smash Bros.,” is included in the second issue of Y2K Quarterly.  I enjoy this publication’s themes and aesthetics, all rooted in the 1997-2007 time period. 

Also, my poem “Pumpkin Ash and Cypress Knees,” first published in Boudin by The McNeese Review, has been reprinted in The Hyacinth Review in keeping with their Night theme. 

Coming soon, a new short story… 

StokerCon was fantastic!  Highly recommended.  I’ve long thought that horror writers are, if you’ll forgive a generalization, some of the nicest people you could hope to meet.  Throughout the convention, there was a real sense of friendliness, supportiveness, camaraderie, whether it was a brief interaction in the hotel elevator or the rapport among panelists.  I think it may have something to do with the fact that we get a lot of our darkness out on the page (I’ve heard that mystery writers are, typically, also lovely people). 

Thursday evening included a poetry open mic hosted by Linda D. Addison, and it knocked my socks off.  Then I ventured to the inaugural StokerConcert, offsite at The Casbah, where I discovered that I really enjoy dungeon synth (makes sense, given the genre has some serious video game vibes).  Thanks to Nate Carson of Nanotear Booking for making that event happen. 

Friday kicked off early for me with a reading alongside John Langan, Erika T. Wurth, and P.M. Raymond.  The fabulous Laura Blackwell organized a fun lunch meetup.  I sat next to Rachel Unger, and we discovered we both have stories coming out in On Spec Magazine (not the same issue, sadly, but that just means you’ll have to check out both when the time comes).  I also enjoyed running into my friend Richard Leis at various panels, as we had interest in a lot of the same topics. 

Saturday afternoon was my panel “Ancestry as Source: Writing with Deep Authenticity.”  Somehow I’d forgotten it was going to be livestreamed, but I guess that means I had less time to freak out about it.  L. E. Daniels was our wonderful moderator, and the panel included Douglas Gwilym (one of the editors who gave me my second ever story sale, 7 years ago!), Kristy Park Kulski / K.P. Kulski, Rhonda Jackson Garcia / RJ Joseph, Shane Hawk, and Geneve Flynn.  I’m not going to lie, it’s tough for me to be that open and vulnerable about family history to a public audience.  I’m a very private person.  (Have you noticed I don’t do social media?  And that I like to add layers of fictionalization and speculative genre onto anything personal that makes its way into my writing?)  Anyway, this felt like a really important topic, so ultimately I was happy to get out of my comfort zone and be part of the conversation. 

I had a wonderful time at the Beaverton City Library’s Local Author Fair this past weekend. 

I got to talk to so many people about what they enjoy reading, and I met some lovely fellow authors from the area.  Elizabeth Beechwood and I had side-by-side tables, and one highlight was when Mindy Hardwick, one of the other participating authors, came over to tell us she had taken our workshop Creating Nonhuman Characters while writing one of her children’s books, The World Is a Sniff—which features a dog narrator!  We also got to say hi to the always fabulous Frances Lu-Pai Ippolito as we visited each other’s tables. 

Later in the weekend, I finally visited Next Level Pinball Museum in nearby Hillsboro.  Several folks had told me how much I’d love it, and they were right!  It’s room after room of arcade games and pinball machines, with collectibles displayed over every inch of the walls. 

That was a lot of excitement for me in one weekend.  At least I have some time to recover before StokerCon… 

It’s another smorgasbord of updates! 

I had a wonderful time joining two classes at my alma mater, Santa Clara University, as a virtual guest speaker over the past couple weeks.  One of my professors, Kirk Glaser, whom I’d run into at the AWP Conference, invited me to speak to the Genre Writing and Literary Magazine Production classes.  We covered a range of topics (rather like this blog post), from special considerations in speculative fiction worldbuilding to contract negotiation.  I really appreciated the students’ engagement and thoughtful questions.  I also attended a virtual poetry reading Kirk did last weekend with Kimiko Hahn and Vijay Seshadri, and I was blown away by all three! 

Meanwhile, the lovely folks at The Hyacinth Review reprinted my poem “The Devil with the Golden Hairs Earns His Sleep,” a retelling of the Grimm fairy tale “The Devil with the Three Golden Hairs” in which we hear from the perspective of the poor unsuspecting monster. 

Later this month I’ll be participating in the Beaverton City Library’s Local Author Fair, along with my frequent partner in crime workshop co-leader, Elizabeth Beechwood.  If you’re in the Portland metro area, come out to my hometown and say hello! 

I’ve got a couple of StokerCon panels in the works, one for the virtual version of the conference and one for the in-person version in San Diego. 

And one last quick update, the Kickstarter campaign for Phantoms from the Sky is wrapping up soon, so if you want a copy of this science fiction anthology (along with some themed poems I wrote as a bonus), show your support now! 

Do you enjoy stories about aliens?  I have a story in the upcoming anthology Phantoms from the Sky, fourteen tales of first contact, and our Kickstarter launches today! 

My contribution, “Growing Up Under Ominous Skies,” takes a sideways approach to the topic, putting the focus where you might not expect.  You’ll have to read it to find out.  As a stretch goal, I’m offering a mini-collection of several new science fiction poems about UFOs to backers at $5 and above—expect a mix of traditional form, free verse, and perhaps even a video game poem in there (you know me). 

This is a rare chance to directly influence how much I—and all the contributors—receive in exchange for our art.  Please help spread the word!  I mean, just look at this awesome lineup: 

• Elizabeth Beechwood
• Shawna Borman
• Joseph Carro
• Paul Carro
• Shane R. Collins
• Renee S. DeCamillis
• Devin Gaither
• Derek B. Hoffman
• Rebecca McKenna
• Karen Menzel
• Katherine Quevedo
• Bonnie Jo Stufflebeam

Wyldblood Press has included my newest story, “The Sphynx’s Blind Date,” in their Wyld Flash series.  This story surprised me when I sat down to write it, because I initially thought it might be a poem.  Nope, it came right out as flash fiction, and I’m so delighted it took shape that way and became part of Wyld Flash. 

This story taps into my love of mythological creatures, as well as hot chocolate (although it’s one of my sisters who likes the spicy variety, whereas I prefer mine quite sweet).  I also wanted to write a character with a stronger voice than I’m used to using.  I hope you enjoy it!

I’m feeling very behind on things at the moment, so here’s my attempt to get more caught up. 

On the fiction front, I’ll have a science fiction piece, “Growing Up Under Ominous Skies,” included in an upcoming anthology of first contact stories, Phantoms from the Sky from Rogue Owl Press.  We’re launching a Kickstarter campaign later this month, but for now you can sign up to follow this project for updates.  

I’ll also have a fantasy story, “The Sphinx’s Blind Date,” coming out later this month as part of Wyldblood Press’s Wyld Flash series and am excited to share the link when it’s available to read.

On the poetry side, I have a free verse poem in the Winter 2024 issue of Old Moon Quarterly, “What They Don’t Tell You About Training to Slay.”  I like editor Julian Barona’s introduction about the role of death, not only in the sword & sorcery and dark fantasy of the issue but in the act of creating in general, with the influences of those who came before us. 

Also, The Hyacinth Review reprinted my poem “The Bowsprit Mermaid and the Stemhead Dragon,” originally published in Heroic Fantasy Quarterly. 

And here is the link to the recording of my Speculative Sundays StarBurst poetry reading.  By the way, in answering Akua’s question about sonnets, I was referring to an interview response from poet Shane McCrae in The Writer’s Chronicle. 

Okay, that’s all I’ve got for now.  Onward! 

I’m so excited to share that my mini-chapbook of poetry, The Inca Weaver’s Tales, is available for purchase from Sword & Kettle Press!  These seven all-new poems cover mythology, beginnings and endings, and female-centered themes, all inspired by my Ecuadorian and Peruvian roots on my dad’s side of the family. 

The Inca Weaver’s Tales has been two years in the making—I wrote the original draft back in March 2022, then I worked with the amazing editorial team at Sword & Kettle Press over the next year or so to get everything polished up.  Special thanks to Monica Robinson for her careful editing and for creating the lovely cover, to Naseem Jamnia for their stunning work on the layout, and to founding editor Kay Allen for overseeing the New Cosmologies series and including my work as part of it.  They’ve put in hours of work stitching each chapbook by hand. 

I’ve dreamt of having a physical book consisting of my own work, and I couldn’t be happier that this is my single-author debut! 

If you’re curious about more of the background that went into this—my research and family connection—I spoke about it on the Into the Looking Glass podcast, and also on last week’s Speculative Sundays StarBurst reading.  When I have a link to the latter recording, I’ll be sure to share it.