I was walking my dog at dusk along our familiar path by the river when a porcupine waddled into view, a great gleaming surprise of flesh and quills. He filled the path, blocking our way, and forced us to turn across the rough, to scrape through unfamiliar territory of Russian olive and willow herb. When I write, something just as unexpected often rises on the page, demanding notice. It may be an unexpected character, slouching in the plot line. It may be that a character acts in an unexpected way. In either case, I am forced to explore unfamiliar territory, and in those moments, writers are open to wonder.

The act of writing is transformational. Putting words on paper, building that story, essay or poem changes the writer. As our thoughts take shape on the page, we begin to see our lives, and others lives, in a fresh way. Just as our characters sometimes surprise us as we invent them on the page, our reflections lead us in unexpected directions. Poet and essayist Thomas Lynch describes the process this way, “Every poem is an adventure. Every essay is an adventure in the same way. There is a sense that you’re launching yourself on the language and seeing how long it will keep you afloat.”

Sometimes it’s called magical realism, sometimes literature of the fantastic and there’s even a new label, “literature of the new weird.”  Call it whatever you like, this is lit and poetry with a touch of whimsey, with just a sprinkling of magic dust. Check out The Big Blog of Marvel for bloggers on magical realism.

So where to submit those quirky pieces filling your files?

Here are a few magazines from the not-well-known Shimmer to the hard-to-get-into Virginia Quartely Review that take ficiton and poetry with a fantastical edge–

Shimmer
http://www.shimmerzine.com/submission-guidelines/what-we-want
 
One Story
http://www.one-story.com/
 
A Public Space
http://www.apublicspace.org/submit/
 
Strange Horizons
http://www.strangehorizons.com/
 
Virginai Quarterly Review
http://www.vqronline.org/
 

I’ve never met him in person. I know him only by his work, some interviews and a few kind words I’ve received from him about my writing. Bret Lott is stepping down from his position as editor of The Southern Review, one of the finest literary journals anywhere, to return to teaching.  That he wants to return to teaching is no surprise. Mr. Lott says, “nothing compares with working with a student toward that instant of discovery.” One of the joys of teaching is making a difference in other people’s lives. Writers do this at a remove, teachers, first hand. Teachers are part of a living work in progress. And if C.S. Lewis is right, teachers never work with mere mortals.

Writers often lead cobbled together lives, and that may be a good thing. Writing full time or perching full time in the literary world can be restrictive. At least for me, it can lead to an excess of naval gazing. And really, my naval  just isn’t that interesting.The intrusion of daily life that forces us from our keyboards, is the very stuff that gives writers something interesting to say.

The literary world certainly is richer because of Brett Lot; I suspect many students are as well.  Read the excerpt from his new novel, Ancient Highway, in the spring issue of The Southern Review, you’ll see what I mean.      

THE YOUNKIN-RIVERA PRIZES FOR YOUNG WRITERS AT SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY
CARBONDALE
http://www.dce.siu.edu/youth/080205writersworkshop.htm

A nationwide competition for creative writers aged 15-18. Entries accepted
during the month of April in the genres of poetry and prose.

I’m getting excited about Arcs,  (advanced review copies), of The Travelers’ Market. They’ll be out soon and I’ll be able to see all of the new illustrations. John Murphy’s illustration style has changed a bit since Wolfproof came out in 2006 and  I like what I’ve seen so far. I haven’t had a peek at the cover yet, but thought I’d give readers something to look forward to by showing off one illustration.  

Expect a chapter “sneak peak” soon.

Hope you’re enjoying Wolfproof on Cover to Cover!