When I got home from Hawaii, I had a message about this acceptance on my machine. Trying to figure out which was better was a total toss-up - tropical paradise or publication is always a tough call.
Shark Reef is a local online literary journal, part of the Writers Guild on Lopez Island. I was especially excited that my piece made it in for two reasons.
The first is, I've heard that Shark Reef is difficult to get into, that they're pretty choosy with what they publish, so it felt pretty good to get in.
The second reason is, this piece is in some ways, highly inappropriate. I'm still sort of stunned anyone agreed to publish it, lol, in a good way. I was at that artist residency a few weeks ago, and during the last night there, we all shared something with the group, and I read parts of this chapter and laughed so hard tears were pouring down my face, but other parts of it are pretty sad. I like mixing the two.
Anyway, less talk, more rock.
Here it is:
Shark Reef
All the pieces are listed on the right-hand side. Mine is first under non-fiction.
I'd also highly recommend checking out the previous issue (scroll down on that list of pieces and you'll see the linkey link for that), and especially the pieces by Agnes Vadas and Janet Thomas.
Happy Reading!
Currently Listening:
"What I Know Now" - Dog's Eye View - from the album Happy Nowhere, an album I absolutely adore. It has sentimental meaning to me. The first time I met my friend BlueShine, almost 8 years ago, she wanted me to get this album so she gave me this thing she had typed up with a list of all the songs, and some commentary on each of them and what they meant to her, and snippets of her favorite lyrical passages. I always thought of that as one of the COOLEST gifts anyone ever gave me, a little roadmap of how an album touched her. It doesn't hurt that there are some really great lyrics on this CD, so there were a lot of lines and turns of phrases just waiting to be written about.
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6 comments:
YAY! Chrys!!
I love reading your writing. I identify with your experiences in school and since I know some of the players, it fills in some missing pieces. I really like the way you describe your feelings.
" It was dark out and I had this swelling feeling like there were other dimensions, pictures in my mind like memories of an ancient world, and the sense that if I just let myself go I could touch intangible mystery. Music connected me to this big feeling, to myself. I didn’t know how I would survive my life if it wasn’t for rock music."
Congrats on getting published! Can wait to see more.
I always used to listen to Love Phone while I was doing my homework. (And I distinctly remember learning about "varts.")
And I love how you call her "Lissa", lol. I can totally picture a scene like that back then.
YOU ROCK! (No pun intended, of course.)
Fabulous, dear friend.
Congratulations.
I love this excerpt, and remember the magic I felt reading it the first time, after you'd tightened up the first draft you ever honored me with.
Beautiful piece, and I loved your bio. Perfetto mundo. Peace...
Congrats on getting published in Shark Reef! I read and loved your piece. Makes me want to read the rest when it comes out in a BOOK!
Thanks everyone!
Lee - I so appreciate your comments and support : ) I'm sure you will see more soon, at least I hope so.
Tara - "Lissa" and I sort of arrived together at her pseudonym in the story. Fits though, doesn't it?
The last time I was at my parents house, I went through a pile of notebooks I had in my closet and I actually found one where I had taken notes from Love Phones, OMG it was too fucking hilarious to read.
Thanks Linda - I feel tons of magic reading your manuscript too. I definitely do think this version of it is stronger than it originally was. Oh, the journey. Remember when I didn't even have scenes in the "before college" section at all and it was just one very long prologue/summary of early life?
Janna - well, thanks in part to you, this may actually one day see the light of day as a book (fingers crossed).
I so appreciate you guys reading my chapter! It means a lot to me : )
CONGRATULATIONS, li'l sis! I was so impressed by both your skill and courage in creating this piece. The value you place in being authentic and true to yourself is perfectly embodied in every word of what you wrote. It was both delightful and painful to read -- lots to relate to here. You absolutely deserve to have gotten this published, *especially* in a publication that's "hard to get into." Keep it up!
And I'm so glad to hear how much you enjoyed Hawaii, and how invigorated and inspired you felt by your trip. I could use a little of that myself...
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