Together Again
In this issue: Spooky the dog goes exploring, Five South Lit Mag, upcoming Zine Fest, some writing advice, love and lava, more Jane Eyre, and finally some SIBLING SHENANIGANS!!
What have we been making?
Anna
This July I ventured back East to visit family and force Spooky the dog on many adventures (most of which he enjoyed), so not much “making” was done, but there were many shenanigans to go around.
Grand Rapids Zine Fest!
One update is that I will be tabling with my partner Matt Griffin at the Grand Rapids Zine fest!
August 27th, 6-12pm
Fountain Street Church
Grand Rapids, MI
So if you’re in the area at that time, come say hi! We will have plenty of zines and some fun new earring designs.
Rachel
A short piece of mine, “Scars,” has been shortlisted for Five South’s 2022 Flash Fiction Contest. I am honored to be on this list with all these other great writers and am so grateful to Five South for their enthusiasm and support. It means the world to me, and I’m sure many others as well, that the team at Five South is committed to storytelling and sharing compelling, beautiful, and honest writing from writers of all backgrounds. In their own words, “Five South is an online, biannual, literary journal where storytelling counts,” and it shows.
In July, I have been participating in several workshop groups to connect with other writers, get feedback on my own work, and learn what I can about craft and creation. In this spirit, I would love to share with you some of my favorite ideas, advice, etc. from these workshops.
Favorite Readings/Craft Talks:
Architecture of Light by Philip Gerard
“From First Draft to Plot” with Alexander Chee
A Short Story Theory by Robert Olen Butler (Butler’s discussion of yearning reminds me of Anne Carson and her theories of desire in Eros the Bittersweet - read my response, Lessons from Desire)
Favorite Writing Exercise:
Think of a place you know well--your hometown, or perhaps some other neighborhood in which you once lived. Now, think of that place on a Friday night. For ten full minutes, write about it, using lots of specific detail to bring the place to life. Feel free to do anything you want--you can write in third person, first, or a combination. You can follow a bug up a lamppost or explore the thoughts of a kid stealing Slim Jims from a convenience store. There is just one rule: You may not end the sentence (no cheating with semicolons, either!)
Favorite Advice:
“Suspend judgment.”
“Be careful not to confuse inciting incident with climax.”
“A good story is not so much about having a full plate than having a balanced meal.”
“If you are uncertain of anything in your story, write them into the story and thoughts of the characters to explore them in the narrative.”
“A short story is the moment after which nothing with be the same.”
“Every story needs an internal logic.”
“A good ending should either bleed or float away.”
“You can’t think a story; you have to write it.”
What Have We Been Enjoying?
Anna
On to the shenanigans…
This month Rachel and I were in the same place at the same time, many times in fact! Here’s one such instance, documented with a selfie of a bad selfie:
We enjoyed ice cream, board games, and hikes. And I enjoyed Rachel’s ability to make delicious food out of anything on hand!
Spooky appreciation time!
TODAY - August 1st - is Spooky the dog’s three-year adoption anniversary!
This month he has had many firsts - his first off-leash forest walk (his new favorite thing), his first time hiking a mountain (he definitely liked it), his first time swimming (he mostly enjoyed it), his first kayak ride (he can’t decide if it was fun or stressful), and his first canoe ride (his least favorite activity ever).
Rachel
As Anna said, sibling shenanigans have been afoot! She shared a selfie of a bad selfie, so I thought I would share one of the bad selfies in question:
SOOOOOOOO, you know I love Jane Eyre almost uncontrollably. In an effort to share my enduring passion for this weird old book with the world, I have started a Jane Eyre Twitter, entitled All Day Eyre Day (I know, I’m hilarious), where I will tweet, in sequential order, a line from Jane Eyre every day until I have posted the book in its entirety. I have estimated it will take me about 12 years, so strap in!!
This month I watched a poetic, beautiful, and moving documentary called Fire of Love. It follows the lives of volcanologist couple Katia and Maurice Krafft as they explore how deep into the earth and into ourselves love and fire can take us. It reminded me of my short story, “Volcano,” if only for all the images of lava exploding and cooling and running in great red rivers to the sea.