Workshop "Wanderlust: Distance and Intimacy in Poetry" at IWWG Sunday, March 3rd 12:00 EST / 18:00 CET

Join me online at the International Women's Writing Guild for a two-hour workshop at 12:00 EST / 18:00 CET where we'll wander and revel in poetry! Let's create some lustful metaphors, and use distance to create surprising emotional landscapes. We'll explore Lyn Hejinia's poetic theories, pieces from some of my favorite poets and dive into writing exercises. Hope to see you there! Register at: https://iwwg.org/event-5603029

Dogs! Revenge! 1st Person Plural! Story "Geraldine Foggs" published in Identity Theory

There's revenge! Dogs! Mysterious illness! Yuppies! Small town crimes! Revenge by dogs! "Geraldine Foggs" is now out with Identity Theory. It only takes 12 minutes and no cost at all to read here.

This story about a cleaning woman with a crooked son and an unexplained blindness is told from the perspective of the town. I've always loved the first person plural. Anthony Doerr's "For A Long Time, This was Griselda's Story" and Jeffrey Eugenides' Virgin Suicides are gorgeous examples. It took me several drafts over the years to get the point-of-view and magical realism atmosphere right. A good reminder to keep editing and don't give up on your favorite stories. 

Can't thank enough editor extraordinaire Sophie Newman who helped me land the ending, and Matt Borondy for bringing me into the Identity Theory community, and who found the perfect photo to go with this piece.

Dehumanization and How to Heal - Asian Women Writers Panel

For anyone who missed it, here's the recording of the Asian women writers panel hosted by International Women's Writing Guild.

The panelists had so many brilliant, heart-breaking and inspiring things to say, here is just a small sample:

Dr. Ada Cheng: "When you write yourself out of your own stories, there is no story to tell."

Sarah Lyu: "Dehumanization happens because we don't want to deal with complexity."

Usha Akella: "We couldn't wait around for the change we wanted to see. As poets and writers, it becomes inevitable that you're also an activist."

Michelle Liu: "The reason we remain complacent and silent is because of the privileges we have."

Watch here for more. Please share!

Writing Workshop at IWWG NYC Conference April 15th

What can Poetry and Fiction learn from each other? Join me at the International Women's Writing Guild Conference at Poets House this Sunday, April 15th, and find out!

Poetry and fiction are perceived as separate and opposing forms, governed by different values and objectives: fiction, as leading with narrative and characterization; poetry, as a more effective vehicle for abstraction and the aesthetics of language. In this workshop, we will examine how the structures and devices of one form can generate stronger work in the other and provide a framework for editing. We will look at how the characterization and logistics of fiction can sharpen the purpose of your poems, and how poetry can calibrate the voice and language of your fiction, and act as a catalyst for experimentation.

Register at: https://www.iwwg.org/spring-big-apple/