ANNOUNCEMENTS

AVALON ACRES FARM WRITER’S RETREAT

Are you looking for a writer’s getaway? Some time “off grid” to polish up that last draft? Maybe you need some “distraction-free” time to finally start that new project…

Look no further! The Sweet Suite is ready! During the months of May and June, our solo retreat tiny home will be available for a low “beta-tester” rental rate* ($50/per night). You get to stay at Avalon Acres Farm in Hollis, Maine, in a quiet, cozy cabin built just for the “solo experience.” In exchange for the low rental fee, you’ll give us honest and clear feedback about what you liked, what you didn’t like and what could be fine-tuned.

What the Sweet Suite Is:

• A small, newly built ‘suite’ consisting of a bedroom, a sunroom and water closet. 
• Amenities include: Memory foam bed, writing desk, comfy wingback chair, coffee pot, tea pot (coffee and tea provided), fridge, heating and cooling (heat pump), composting toilet, fresh water 
• Access to: trails of Avalon, apple orchard, gardens, long dirt country road for walking, wildlife, and farm life. Easy 10-min drive to the Saco River, Little Ossipee Mountain, and other hiking trails.
• Add-ons: Shamanic healing session with MK; ceremonial fire; writing and editing workshop/feedback; breakfast [pricing varies for these add-ons; FMI, email Mary Katherine at the email address below]
• During May and June, there is an opportunity to do a work exchange for a reduced nightly rental fee. Gardening gloves included!

Please note: although there is electricity, there is no Wifi. If you need access to the internet, you’ll need to create a hot spot. *Alternatively, you could come to the farmhouse, patio or barn and work there, if internet is a necessity. 

The beta-tester rate of $50/per night will run throughout May and June of 2024. Have you been looking for a “Writers Shack”? Do you need to see green, smell pine, hear coyotes in the distance? Do you just need some rest, or a digital detox? The Sweet Suite beckons! 

FMI: please email Mary Katherine Spain (Fiction, S’16) at avalonacresofhollis@gmail.com or text her at (207) 939-6863.

PS. Pass the word!

ALUMS 

Elisabeth Tova Bailey’s(Creative Nonfiction, S’15) The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating has taken on a musical life. Ethan Grohe, a music student, was browsing in his local bookstore when he came across the title. He was inspired by the snail’s story and began to compose. A brass quintet (of course it would be a brass quintet) played two movements from his four-movement piece in April. You can hear a recital of the piece from Wichita, Kansas at this link, starting at 24 min, 30 sec in. Ethan’s piece lasts 14 minutes. He hopes to record the full four-movements this summer.

Carina Bissett (Popular Fiction, S’18) has two poems nominated for the Rhysling award: “Sleeping Beauties” (HWA Poetry Showcase X) and “Between Scylla and Charybdis” (The Future Fire). In addition, her poem “The Ephemera of Dreams” is featured in Weird Tales #368: The Occult Detective issue (April 2024). On the fiction front, her story “Water Like Broken Glass” is in the April issue of The Dark. This story was originally published in the anthology Into the Forest: Tales of the Baba Yaga (November 2022). It is also included in her debut collection Dead Girl, Driving and Other Devastations (March 2024). In other news, Carina and Nike Sulway launched the niche quarterly magazine The Orange and Bee. This project aims to take a then-and-now approach to fairy tales by republishing traditional and classic tales alongside new works by contemporary authors engaging—in a myriad of ways—with the fairy-tale tradition. They also hope to foster conversation and community around the writing, publishing, collecting, curating, and editing of fairy tales by publishing essays and reviews, and encouraging our readers to embrace fairy tales as consolation and inspiration. The first issue includes original poems by Jeana Jorgensen and Lee Murray and original stories by Lee Murray and Molly Olguín. It also features a craft essay Carina wrote titled “Your Life as a Fairy Tale.”

J Brooke (Poetry, S’19) has a feature screenplay (co-written with their film partner and spouse Beatrice Alda) that’s a Semi-Finalist in the Los Angeles International Screenplay Awards. Their short film, Roommates, continues along the festival circuit and just won Best Human Interest Film in the 2024 Toronto Documentary Feature and Short Film Festival.

Amy Burroughs (Creative Nonfiction, W’16) had an essay, “Blackout,” published in The Forge Literary Magazine.

Talking Writing featured Alan King (Poetry, W’13) on their podcast for National Poetry Month, where he discussed his Caribbean roots and how poetry influences his life as a husband, father, and communications professional. The episode explores his diverse inspirations, including music and literature, revealing the emotional depth of his poetry. A bonus track, usually exclusive to subscribers, focused on insights into Alan’s creative process with a growing family. You can listen to the episode here and the bonus track here.

Emily Levang (Creative Nonfiction, S’19) has a new essay, “Learning to Love the Sun That Shines in Minnesota,” published in Pensive: A Global Journal of Spirituality & the Arts. She will also have an article in Open Rivers Journal called “Rights of Nature and the St. Louis River Estuary.” In addition, she will be a writer in residence at Arteles Creative Center in Finland.

Two of Nadja Maril’s (Fiction, W’20) poems, “Recipe Fried Tofu” and “Red Tomato Harvest,” will be published this week in The Inquisitive Eater as part of their new Poetry Mondays. You’ll also be able to read both poems in Nadja’s forthcoming chapbook Recipes from Garden. 

Ellen Meeropol (Fiction, W’06) will be joining Kate Gale and DC Frost for a reading at Porter Square Books in Cambridge on Wednesday, May 15 at 7:00 p.m. Ellen will be reading from new work at the Festival of Women Writers in Hobart, NY, on June 7, 8, 9, and joining Breena Clarke and Dahlma Llanos-Figueroa to talk about History’s Forgotten Women: Researching and Telling their stories. Registration opens soon.

Marisca Pichette (Popular Fiction, S’21) is delighted to share that her debut poetry collection, Rivers in Your Skin, Sirens in Your Hair, has been nominated for the Elgin Award! The collection turned one year old in April, and is also a finalist for the Bram Stoker Award—in fantastic company with Christa Carmen’s The Daughters of Block Island. 

Bruce Pratt‘s (Fiction, S’04) poems “Catherine Blake’s Lament” and “Adam’s First Question” appear in the current issue of The Cafe Review.

Jacob Strunk‘s (Fiction, W’07) novelette “Sleep Now in the Fire” appears in the spring edition of Marrow Magazine. Additionally, his new show premiered April 24; Grave Conversations, hosted by David Dastmalchian, features interviews with your favorite celebrities, all while lying down… in caskets.

The Scent of Distant Family, a first novel by sid sibo (sidney woods, Fiction, W’19), will send 100% of author proceeds to animal welfare organizations, beginning in September with launch tour partners in the Rocky Mountain area. Anyone with connections to animal shelters or similar organizations—across the country—is encouraged to reach out via the author’s website for more information.

FACULTY  

Faith Adiele‘s (Creative Nonfiction) “BEGIN.AGAIN.” is featured in the new special “African Writing” print issue of the Michigan Quarterly Review, edited by Chris Abani (order here), and her piece about visiting Panama’s BioMuseo over spring break, “Panama for Indoor Cats,” is in the latest issue of Panorama (Theme Ecology).

Tom Coash (Scriptwriting) will be the final judge of the Famous For 15 Minutes New Play Festival in Bermuda, a festival which he co-founded more than 20 years ago and which creates a unique opportunity for Bermuda writers. The Fest is sold out every year and has raised almost $500,000 in scholarship money for island arts students.

Aaron Hamburger (Fiction, Creative Nonfiction) will be talking about Hotel Cuba online May 20 at 1:30 p.m. ET. Sign up here. He is also teaching a special “spotlight” class for Politics and Prose online, May 7 & 14: The Book that Made Me the Writer I Am—Ernest Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises. And Aaron will also teach a class on revision at The Writer’s Center called Tips for Revision from the Pros, also online May 8.