Event: Flash Fiction Forum

Been enjoying The Loyalty of Water? Local to the Bay Area? Not local, but planning on being here on March 12th? Come out and see some of us!

Lita Kurth, she of the yin-yang tattoo, is a cofounder of a vibrant local reading series in San Jose, the Flash Fiction Forum. This time around, you'll be able to meet her in person and listen to both me and Allison Landa read from our writing.

Here's the official information:

WHAT: Flash Fiction Forum! (a bimonthly curated reading series)

WHERE: The WORKS/SJ Gallery, 365 S. Market St. in downtown San Jose (in the same building as the Convention Center parking lot). Parking is about $3/hour.

WHEN: This time, March 12th. Generally, the second Wednesday of the month from 7 to about 8:30 PM. 

HOW MUCH: Although the event is free, beer and wine are available for sale to help WORKS with expenses and they also ask a donation of $2 for those who are able.

WHO: As of today, 3/4, it'll be these beautiful people:

1.     Jan Berkeley “Double Fantasy”

2.     Donelle McGee, “Homecoming”

3.     Jessica Barksdale Inclan, “He Grabbed Me” published in KneeJerk magazine, Oct., 2013

4.     Celia Stahr, “Detroit: Independence Day, 1932” is drawn from a larger work in progress, Frida Kahlo in America: A Mexican Artist’s Cross-Cultural Journey Into the Unknown

5.     Emily Breunig, “For the Children,” an excerpt from her novel, A Ghost at the Edge of the Sea

 6.     Victoria M. Johnson, “Thirteen Things to Do on Friday the 13^th” 

INTERMISSION

7.     Marilyn Fahey, “Last Letter”

8.     Allison Landa “Creation”

9.     Leslie  Hoffman, “Cecile Street”

10.  Renee Schell “Suburban Fantasy”

All are welcome! Hope to see you there.

A West-Coastish Salon

I had the pleasure of attending a literary salon this past weekend at the home of the lovely Rashaan Alexis Meneses, where I met all sorts of new writers and reconnected with others whom I hadn't yet seen since returning to this side of the Atlantic. 

Jason Bayani read from his new book of poetry, Amulet. I've gotten about halfway through the copy on my desk, and if you like poetry at all, you really should check it out. And you should go watch him read on his own website.

Melissa R. Sipin recently won the Glimmer Train short story contest, and her list of publications is truly one to envy. I'm not a short story writer; I love listening to those who can pull it off, and Melissa's got it down. She read to us from both stories and poetry, most notably her untitled response to Typhoon Yolanda/Haiyan, which you can find on her website.

Gretchen Schrafft has maybe the best author picture I've ever seen. She writes about New England, toils at the San Francisco Writers' Grotto, and read us a piece of a short story with one of the most gorgeous images I've heard in a long time involving a child, a coat, a closet, and the sea.

Since I'm not teaching these days, I don't get to talk about reading and writing nearly as much as I'd like. And even when I WAS teaching, I didn't always get to talk about it with people who were completely willing to be a part of the conversation. Events like these are lifeblood.