This summer, for NANO Fiction’s blog series The State of Flash, I surveyed some of my writer friends about why they write prose poetry or flash fiction. The responses I got were thoughtful, funny, insightful, sometimes frightening, and even lyrical.
The short essay was featured online yesterday, and you can read it HERE.
Thanks Kirby Johnson & NANO Fiction!
My article “State of Flash (and Prose Poetry): Why We Write ‘Em!” is going to be featured at NANO Fiction in September, and I’m so excited. For this, I called up a handfull of writer friends and asked them why in the world they write prose poems or flash fiction. The answers I got were wonderful. Also funny, insightful, sometimes frightening, and even lyrical.
Check out Adam Peterson’s “Bylaws of the State of Flash,” the most recent post in NF’s State of Flash series. You may not have known it, but in the State of Flash there are fifty bylaws. And they’re not to be sniffed at.
Reviewer Aimee Nicole graciously singled out my prose poem “No, I Will Not Be Your Girlfriend” in her review of NANO Fiction Volume 5 Number 1 published a couple days ago at the wonderful New Pages.
Some stories left lingering thoughts behind that I found myself being reminded of for days after reading. Christopher Citro’s story “No, I will not be your Girlfriend” discusses the mirror-like setup of the human body. Everything is either centered (nose, bellybutton, mouth) or placed evenly on each side (arms, legs, nipples). Except the heart, he points out. Apparently when the heart was smack in the middle of our rib cage, it was at a “structural weak point.” After evolution, the heart now lies securely and safely on the left side of our chest. Citro writes: “It illustrates the innate ability of the human heart to get out of the way of danger.”
You can read the rest of her review HERE.
You could watch me jumping up and down with joy, if you happened to be in my living room right now, HERE.
I recently received my contributor copy of NANO Fiction Vol 5 No 1, and it’s a beauty, complete with the sexiest honey bees you’ve ever seen. This journal contains a ton of amazing flash fiction and prose poetry, all within a sleek, aesthetically pleasing trim volume. This journal really is a pleasure to read, not least because of its size, layout, font, and general look. If you’re interested, you can buy a copy here — but do not delay as their issues invariably sell out.