Reading Angie Thomas
“I only rise when Pops do. This time, he don’t hesitate to wrap me up in his arms. His hugs got power. Nothing else exist beyond them. Eventually, he have to let me go. He hold my shoulders. ‘Take care of yourself, a’ight?’ ‘You too, Pops.’ He turn around real fast. I catch a glimpse of tear in his eyes.”
Angie Thomas , Concrete Rose
Happy Pride 🏳️🌈, Happy Summer 🌴, Happy Juneteenth and Happy Father’s Day 🧔👨🏼🦳!
There’s much to be grateful for this month. The hydrangeas are blooming, the sun is shining and we can take off our shoes, sit outside and enjoy the breeze and the sun. Though there is still plenty to stress about, give us our books, laptops and pads of paper, and we can still revel in writing, reading and sharing our work together.
This month, we celebrate Pride, summer, Juneteenth and Father’s Day. We read two great books this past month, Concrete Rose and The Hate U Give, both by Angie Thomas. (The Hate U Give became a movie.) The stories feature the character Maverick Carter, a young man who becomes a father at 17. Maverick’s own father is in prison and his mother is gay. Maverick eventually has three kids; The Hate U Give is told from the point of his daughter, Starr, whose childhood friend is killed. These two novels are two of the best books we’ve read, about how to father successfully, despite the odds being stacked against you. We also read 1185 Park Avenue, Anne Roiphe’s memoir about growing up with her frequently philandering, often cruel and occasionally loving father. Roiphe’s story is wildly different than Thomas’s, but both deliver a similar message: Family life is challenging, complicated and worth writing about.
We’re thrilled to share that our clients continue to get published. We’ll be writing and editing this summer and will return to teaching via Zoom in September. We look forward to seeing you then!
Every month, we share a special list of essays, stories and books that will keep you happily absorbed and hopefully set you up to write your own great piece. For more, check out Reading Recommendations on Sweet Lab.
J. M. Holmes, Children of the Good Book (fiction)
John Matthias, Living With a Visionary (non-fiction)
Imbolo Mbue, The Case for and Against Love Potions (fiction)
Elizabeth McCracken,It’s Not You (fiction)
Thomas McGuane, Balloons (fiction), The Casserole (fiction)
Anne Roiphe, 1185 Park Avenue (memoir)
Angie Thomas, Concrete Rose (novel), The Hate U Give (novel)
Students and Clients getting published:
Sarah Gundle, Wishbone (Visible), What I Gained From an Awkward Failed Marriage Proposal (Scary Mommy), Sharon Was My First Patient and I’m Heartbroken That She’s Gone (Scary Mommy); A Stranger’s Gift to Me in the Phoenix Airport (Motherwell)
Barbara Trommer, Kitchen Ballet (Still Point Arts Quarterly: The Art of Isolation)
Submissions opportunities:
The Coachella Review: We welcome creative nonfiction of all kinds. Submissions should not exceed 6,000 words. Please submit only Word documents. We welcome short stories, novel excerpts, and experimental forms. Both literary and genre works are invited.
Crows Feet Journal: Closes: July 11th, 2021. Theme: Cryptids, Local Urban Legends & Monsters. Think Big Foot, Moth Man, and the Jersey Devil. Word Limit:500 – 2,000 words. Multiple Submissions:Max of 3 acceptances per author (please submit them in separate emails)
Good River Review Prose writers should submit one story, one longer-form essay, memoir, or immersive journalism (no more than 5000 words typically), or two shorter stories or essays (less than 2000 words).
Gulf Coast Magazine/Barthelme Prize for ShortFictino:The 2021 Barthelme Prize for Short Prose is now open to flash fiction, prose poems, and micro-essays of 500 words or fewer. Established in 2008, the contest awards its winner $1,000 and publication in the journal. Two honorable mentions will receive $250, and all entries will be considered for paid publication on our website as Online Exclusives.This year's Barthelme Prize will be judged by Molly McCully Brown. All entrants to the Barthelme Prize receive a one-year subscription to Gulf Coast, beginning with the year in which the corresponding prize winner is published.The contest closes on August 31, 2021
Vanishing Point Magazine, Fiction: We’re looking for stories in the range of 1500 to 6000 words. Please don’t test the boundaries of this! We may have a lot of work to read but we still don’t enjoy auto-rejecting an author’s hard work. Non-Fiction: We’d love to publish interesting articles related to publication, horror/sci-fi/fantasy in popular media. Please query first so we can determine if the work will be a good fit.
