Subscriber News: June 2024
Recent Honors
Congratulations to Charlene Mossman. She won first prize in the 2023 Bardsy First Chapter Contest for the opening of her novel Fireheart. In this high-concept Young Adult fantasy adventure, Sagis, a boy with the gift of fire, must reclaim his stolen magic to save his family and his country from an invading empire. Her winning entry was published in Bardsy Spring Anthology 2024: First Chapters. The most recent deadline for this $1,000 prize was June 20. Charlene found this opportunity in the Winning Writers newsletter. She says, "Thank you for sharing these leads with writers!" Visit her website to learn more about her work. Bardsy's themes change annually. Their 2024 contest, with a $500 prize and June 24 deadline, is for short stories with compelling hooks.
Congratulations to Noah Berlatsky. His poetry collection Not Akmatova: Poems and Adaptations will be published in July by Ben Yehuda Press and is available for pre-order. National Book Award finalist Robert Jones Jr. (The Prophets) says of this collection, "Each poem has its own unique and shattering examination of the human condition and human relations. So many sublime gut punches. So many mouthfuls of truth." Read his essay in Cincinnati Review about the inspiration behind this book. In other news, Noah's chapbook SuperIntelligence: Superior Poetry for Book Haters is now available from LJMcD Communications. He describes it as "a collection of collage poems, including a villanelle of quotes from Dan Brown and a pantoum using bits of the Poetry Foundation website."
Congratulations to Lori D. Johnson. Her essay "Mama Say She Had a Dream" won NELLE Literary Journal's 2024 "Three Sisters Award" for creative nonfiction. The essay appears in Issue #7 of NELLE Literary Journal and is the first chapter of an unpublished work of nonfiction, MaDear's Memories (of Mart Road, Johnson Sub and More). The first chapter of Lori's novel-in-progress Blood Kin received an honorable mention in the 2024 Chapter One Prize of the Gutsy Great Novelist Contest. Lori's chapter is featured on the Gutsy Great Novelist website under Honorable Mentions 2024.
Congratulations to Soma Mei Sheng Frazier. Her debut novel, Off the Books, will be published by Henry Holt & Co. on July 30. Off the Books was named one of "8 New Bay Area Books Perfect to Pore Over" by the San Francisco Chronicle on May 24. It is an American road trip novel about a young woman who drops out of an Ivy League college to become a rideshare driver. It was also included in Bustle Magazine's June 3 article, "This Summer's 40 Most Anticipated Books".
Congratulations to R.J. Eastwood. His novel Megastar! won a gold medal in the 2024 Book Excellence Awards. Learn more about his work on his website. Megastar! is the story of a teen from a troubled home who struggles to cope with sudden success as a pop singer.
Congratulations to Joan Gelfand. Her latest book, Outside Voices: A Memoir of the Berkeley Revolution (Post Hill Press, 2024), won a Literary Titan Gold Award and was also a finalist in the International Book Awards. The review on the Literary Titan website says, "Gelfand's prose is notably rich and evocative, breathing life into her experiences with a flair that goes beyond mere storytelling...Gelfand's story is a blend of the personal and the historical, offering both an intimate look at her life and a broader reflection on a dynamic period of social change."
Congratulations to Lesléa Newman. She won the 2024 Golden Crown Literary Society Trailblazer Award for lifetime achievement in lesbian literature. Her 86 published books for readers of all ages include the groundbreaking picture book Heather Has Two Mommies and the poetry collections I Carry My Mother and I Wish My Father. Her latest picture books celebrating diverse families are Joyful Song: A Naming Story, illustrated by Susan Gal and published by Levine Querido, and Like Father, Like Son, illustrated by AG Ford and published by Abrams Books for young readers. Visit her website to learn more.
Recent Publications
Jack A. Ori's murder mystery Open Secrets was published this month by his imprint Impactful Words Books. Open Secrets is about a nonbinary college student who is determined to get justice for a murdered classmate despite the school administration’s opposition to the investigation. Jack thanks Winning Writers Managing Editor Anne Mydla for her helpful critique of his manuscript draft. Visit his website for more of his suspense novels with queer and neurodivergent characters, and for his Impactful Words Consulting business serving neurodivergent writers.
Robbie Gamble's poems "Cove" and "Ides" were published in Dialogist. "Sanctus" was published in Cagibi.
Sharon Vardatira's story "Dayan" was published in the Jewish feminist magazine Lilith (May 2024). It is a historical fiction piece reimagining the Passover story from a woman's point of view.
J Brooke's essay "The Name Dropper" was published in May in The Maine Review. This piece juxtaposes the author's gender-related name change and their wife's surname from her famous father, looking at the personal significance and occasional social awkwardness of both situations.
Maria Williams's poetry collection White Doe (Saddle Road Press, 2024) was BookLife's Poetry Spotlight title in the Summer 2024 issue of Foreword Reviews. White Doe will be published in September and is available for pre-order.
Gail Thomas will be reading her poetry on Saturday, July 20 at 6:30 pm at the Dream Away Lodge in Becket, MA. Two of her poems were published in Sheila-Na-Gig and Thimble Literary Magazine.
Duane L. Herrmann's poem "Luna One" was published in Write Bridge: Solitude and Solidarity. His poem "Abandon Houses" was published at Spillwords. The Wise Owl published his poem "Full Surprise" and accompanying audio reading in their April issue, and "One Special Day" with audio in their May issue. Lothlorien Poetry Journal published five of his poems, plus the short story "Felix and Ahmed: Conquaerere and Educare". Masticadores USA published his story "Missing Mother" on May 3. His poem "Delicate Operation" was published in the first issue of Baubles From Bones. "Dad Said" and "Surprise Connection" were published as responses to prompts on the Adirondack Center for Writing website. "Listen To" and "The Way" were reprinted in The Harnisch Acres.
LindaAnn Lo Schiavo and Angela Yuriko Smith have posted a new poetry reading video on YouTube, featuring dark verse for Walpurgisnicht. The 41-minute video includes work from LindaAnn's collection Always Haunted: Hallowe'en Poems, forthcoming from Wild Ink Publishing.
Published: June 8, 2024
