“Resetting Alexandra” is up at Every Day Fiction
This was the rewrite request I mentioned in my last blog. I wrote this story a year ago, and have been submitting it since April 2012. It received several form rejections, but also a handful of personal rejections during that time. The personal ones were promising, and I felt that if I didn’t give up on this story someone would give it a shot. That turned out to be the fine folks over at Every Day Fiction, who requested some rewrites. The story changed dramatically during that process, with a completely rewritten beginning and ending. It was a real challenge getting such a short story to work, but I learned a hell of a lot during the process, and I am very happy with how it turned out. Give it a read over at the Every Day Fiction website.
“Compassion, During and After the Fall” in the June issue of Niteblade
Very soon the June issue of Niteblade will be out, and it features one of my favorite short stories I’ve written to date. “Compassion, During and After the Fall” went through quite a bit of changes before becoming the story you’ll find in the upcoming issue. It began as a novel, with an entirely different main POV. The novel sputtered out around the 10k word mark, but I didn’t lose faith in the idea. So, I tried condensing the story to a short, but from that same character’s POV. It wasn’t working how I’d like, so I tried a draft from the POV you’ll find made the final draft, and thought it worked rather well. I’m excited for people to give this story a read. I hope you enjoy it.
Livia Erwin’s Paintings
Livia Erwin – Barriers: Glenn Dale, oil on canvas, 66” x 43.75”, 2013
Every May MICA hosts the annual Senior Thesis exhibition on campus, turning every building into a gallery and displaying the work of graduating seniors. I too had work in this show back in 2007, the year I graduated. It’s one of those moments that you look forward to your entire undergraduate career at the campus. I like to take time away from work and see as much of the show as I can, and this year I came across some paintings that moved me more than any I’ve seen in the show in years. They were a series of works by Livia Erwin, one of which I’ve included above. Her entire body of work was extraordinary. Beautifully composed oil paintings that captured the heart and decay of these forgotten buildings. Abandoned buildings as subject matter is not a particularly original idea. It’s a common theme around the MICA campus. That said, I have never seen it handled with such care and raw skill. These paintings drew me in and left me feeling something I hadn’t in a long time when it comes to artwork; jealousy, inspiration, and above all, awe. The spaces live under her brush, and the objects are characters in a strangely touching narrative. I can’t get enough of “Barriers: Glenn Dale”, and if you find this digital image of it impressive, you’ve got to see it in person. It’s really something special. Do yourself a favor and check out her portfolio on her website, liviaerwin.com