Strands longlist

Woke to the lovely news that my flash has made the longlist for the Strands International Flash Fiction Competition #9, thanks to Jose Varghese and the Strands team! Stoked to be listed with so many wonderful writers.

Overground underground

Chuffed to bits that my graphic memoir "Dance the Night Away" is included in this inaugural issue of Overground Underground - part of my New Shoes series (See 'Graphics Alley' on my side bar for other pieces from this series). It couldn't have found a better home! 

Submissions are open for issue #2, so if you have something, send it in.

Word city

Many thanks to Darcie Friesen Hossack and the international team of editors, especially Nancy Ndeke and Sylvia Petter , for including three of my poems and one of my stories in the inaugural issue of WordCity Monthly.

Story challenge

I was really happy Damyanti Biswas tagged me in a 100 word story challenge this week. I hadn't spontaneously written anything for a while, what with lockdown and writing to various deadlines, plus behind the scenes business of family life and better paying work, so it was good to write something simply for the pleasure of writing rather than with any specific purpose in mind. I had forgotten how enjoyable writing can be. Damyanti has written more about the exercise, the joys of writing for its own sake, and highlighted some of the pieces resulting from the challenge, which you can read on her blog. I'm grateful to her for the chance to take part.

Shortlisted

Stunned to learn that my poetry has been shortlisted for The Emma Press Poetry Pamphlet publication. Many thanks for the absolute labour of love that Editor Emma Wright has put into reading all of the hundreds of submissions. It's astonishing and humbling to me that my poems have made such a connection to have been selected among the final nineteen.  

Emma Press

I'm over-the-moon to have been notified that my poems made the longlist of 77 out of 413 submissions for The Emma Press Adults' Poetry Pamphlets call-out. 

Added to last week's news that my Childrens' Poetry Collections submission made the 'maybes' list of 75 out of 105, I'm feeling pretty lucky, and grateful to Emma Press Editor and namesake Emma, firstly for reading such a huge pile of submissions, but especially for connecting with my poems - poems I unreservedly put my heart into - which is the most affirming thing imaginable. 

Best of luck to all the other longlistees. As I fidget nervously to see if I make the shortlist of 15 - 30 pamphlets in the coming week, I'm certain that the published pamphlets will be worth the wait!

Journal of Graphic Novels and Comics

Every once in a while an incredible person will cross your path, someone who strives above and beyond your expectations and brings great things to you that you have done little to deserve and find yourself in gratitude for. I introduce Aswin Prasanth, who, along with Rajesh Panhathodi & Augustine George, interviewed me and placed the interview in the Journal of Graphic Novels and Comics (Routledge Taylor and Francis). Thank you, Aswin, thank you Rajesh, and thank you Augustine. You made a little dream of mine come true.