ANNOUNCEMENTS

STONECOAST ALUMNI SEMINAR SERIES BEGINS!

Conventional Creativity: Tropes as a Generative Tool
Tuesday, August 12, 2025
7:00-8:30 p.m. ET / 4:00-5:30 p.m. PT
Led by Beth Anderson (Popular Fiction, Summer ’23)

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Is it possible to incorporate tropes into your work without cheating the writing process, your imagination, or your readers? Absolutely. Tropes can be an endless source of inspiration—whether your goals are personal exploration, literary critique, social commentary, fantasy world-building, or linguistic experimentation. In this seminar, we’ll define what tropes are, explore intentional ways to engage with them, and study short works across multiple genres that bring these ideas to life. You’ll leave with a toolkit for using tropes in complex, flexible, and deeply creative ways.

About Beth: Beth Anderson (also publishing as A.E. Dethlefsen) is a writer and night person from Austin, Texas. Her latest story appears in Not One of Us (Issue 81), and previous work has been featured in Extrasensory Overload: An Anthology of Speculative Excess, Akashic, Beneath Strange Stars, Trembling with Fear, Furious Gravity, and more. She holds an MFA in Popular Fiction from Stonecoast, is a longtime film nerd, and has presented at film conferences across the U.S. and Canada. You can follow her at seebethwrite.com and @bethanderson.bsky.social.

CURRENT STUDENTS

Evan Young Weaver (Poetry) has a poem included in the forthcoming So Long: The Anthology of Poet Warriors: Volume III. This is an anthology of war poetry published by Dead Reckoning Collective that focuses on the end of the Global War on Terror. It will be released in late August 2025 to coincide with the attack at Abbey Gate, Kabul International Airport in 2021. It is available at Amazon and Barnes and Noble for pre-order. All proceeds benefit the non-profit Patrol Base Abbate.

ALUMS 

Nina Barufaldi (Fiction, S’24) is thrilled to have “Where the Armadillo Fades,” a Southern Gothic short, in the July ’25 issue of The Dead Mule School of Southern Literature.

Ed Boyle‘s (Fiction, W’10) story “The Whale in the Channel” has been selected as a finalist in the 2025 Tusculum Review Chapbook Prize. The winner will be selected in late July/early August.

Brenda Cooper‘s (Fiction, S’17) new collection, When Mothers Dream, will be published by Fairwood Press on August 12.  This is her fourth collection. It includes short stories and poetry that focus tightly around climate and the feminine. Vandana Singh says of the collection, “The intensity of climate grief is alive in these stories, along with a passionate yearning for better futures and the urge to realize them through action. A timely reminder that our way out of our current crises is through relationships, not just between mothers and daughters but, crucially, also between humans and nonhumans.”  Also, her short story “The Secret Cabal of Free Tinkers” will appear in Shawn Speakman’s anthology Grimoire, created for the Seattle Worldcon in mid-August. Other contributing authors include Zack Argyle, Sarah Darbee, Jason Denzel, Michelle J. Diaz, Matt Dinniman, Scott Edelman, Laura Anne Gilman, Mary Robinette Kowal, Fonda Lee, Megan Lindholm (Robin Hobb), Seanan McGuire, Kat Ogden, Andy Peloquin, Cat Rambo, Patrick Swenson, Carrie Vaughn, Lawrence Watt-Evans, Martha Wells, and Fran Wilde.

Renée S. DeCamillis (Popular Fiction, W’14)is thrilled to announce that her third book, titled Try Not to Die: By Your Own Hand, is set for publication on September 10, 2025, National Suicide Prevention Day. This is an interactive dark-fiction novel about the struggles of suicide ideation. This is not horror for entertainment. This is horror born of real pain. Renée and her publisher, Mark Tullius of Vincere Press, have partnered with Maine’s The Opportunity Alliance (TOA) to have all proceeds from the sale of this book donated to their Maine Mobile Crisis Unit and mental health services. To pre-order your copy, click here. The book description:

Some Wounds Are Invisible. But They Still Bleed.
Life doesn’t always fall apart in a single moment. Sometimes, it unravels slowly—through years of pain, buried trauma, and numbing habits that no longer work.

In Try Not to Die: By Your Own Hand, you become a 37-year-old woman fighting to keep your grip on a life that feels like it’s slipping away. You’re haunted by past abuse, strained relationships, and the growing weight of depression. Each choice you make will determine whether you find a path toward healing—or descend into one of the devastating endings that could claim your life.

This is not a typical Try Not to Die story. This is an unflinching, emotionally raw experience designed to confront the reality of trauma, addiction, and the struggle for self-worth. There are no zombies. No killers. Just the brutal truths so many live with every day.

Written with compassion and authenticity, By Your Own Hand is a story for anyone who’s ever felt like giving up—and for those who still fight not to.

This is your story.

This is your life.

And only one version of it ends in survival.

Reader discretion is strongly advised. Intended for mature audiences only. 

Elisha Emerson’s (Fiction, S’16) story “My Remotest Winter,” has been published by Wallstrait Magazine. You can find it here.

Veda Boyd Jones (Fiction, S’17) had an excerpt of the novel she wrote for her Stonecoast thesis accepted as a short story in Proud to Be, vol. 14, which will be published November 11. The first in her Lost Creek mainstream series, The West End of Main is available now on Kindle.

Death Valley Blooms by Sarah Mack (Popular Fiction, S’19; publishing as S.M. Mack) will release on August 5, 2025, from Neon Hemlock press and is available now for preorder at this link. The novella began life as Sarah’s Stonecoast thesis.

Acree Graham Macam (Fiction, W ’25) appeared in Electric Literature this month with the essay “These Carson McCullers Stories Are Haunted By Mothers Who Can’t Be Their Authentic Selves.”

Nadja Maril (Fiction, W’20) is pleased to share that her essay, “My Work Was Altered Beyond Recognition. Was AI the Primary Editor?” is in the current issue of Spare Parts Literary Magazine. The link to download a pdf of the publication is here. Her flash CNF piece “My Woods” (also read by Nadja) is in the Sanctuary theme issue of Instant Noodles Literary Review for summer/fall, live on August 1st. In related Alumni/Faculty News: Every year since their graduation in winter 2020, Fiction graduates Stephanie Loleng, Leah Siviski, Sandy Collier, and Nadja have gotten together in Maine for a few days to workshop and catch up. This month, in Surry, Maine, they will be joining Elizabeth Searle on Saturday, August 9th at 7:00 p.m. forStaring Down the Truth: A Literary Evening in the Surry Barn at 8 Cross Road. If you are in the area, please come. Elizabeth will be reading from her new book coming out this Fall, The Drama Room,and Stephanie, Leah, Sandy, and Nadja will also reading from their works in progress. The readings will be followed by a Q & A on the writing process. The event is free, but donations are gratefully accepted.

Laura Navarre (Popular Fiction, W’11) wrapped up her extra-queer, extra-spicy, extra-shifty Amazon bestselling Dark Witch Academy why-choose series for Ascendant Press with Gemini Hunted on July 29.Laura is currently entertaining her cats and her tolerant karmic mate Steven by recording the complete series for audiobook, in a Jane Eyre-like fashion, in a recording studio in her spooky fifth-floor attic.

Jenny O’Connell (CNF S’17) sold her debut adventure memoir, Wildheart, to Alexander Rigby (Fiction, S’23), Executive Editor at DK Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House. Previously titled Finding Petronella, the book was the subject of her thesis at Stonecoast. She has been writing it for ten years. Jenny is immensely grateful to all of her mentors and friends in the Stonecoast community for their support, guidance, and belief in her. Wildheart will be released in May 2027! 

Suri Parmar (Popular Fiction, W’17) is thrilled to announce her acceptance to StoryJoy Inc.’s Esperimento Sul Respiro residency for international Global Majority creatives and educators, which will take place in Como and Lucca, Italy, this fall. Suri is one of four recipients this year to receive a full fellowship.

Dave Patterson (Fiction, W’13) recently released Euphoria: Ten Maine Stories. He will be in conversation with Richard Russo to discuss the book at Print: A Bookstore in Portland on August 12th at 7:00 p.m. for the book launch party.

Marisca Pichette (Popular Fiction, S’21)had a wonderful time at Readercon in mid-July, with Stonecoast alumni faculty and students Julie C Day, Robert VS Redick, Jim Kelly, Jess Koch, and Liz Hand. In August, Marisca is heading to her first WorldCon in Seattle! She is looking forward to reuniting with many Stonecoast connections there as well.

Lisa Romeo (Creative Nonfiction, S’08) was glad to have helped her client, therapist Ariella Cook-Shonkoff, to edit and pitch an article featured in the July 15 issue of San Francisco Chronicle, “A Doctor’s Tips to Fight Trump Anxiety.” Cook-Shonkoff is the author of the forthcoming book (which Lisa worked on in the developmental stage), Raising Anti-Doomers: How to Bring Up Resilient Kids Through Climate Change and Tumultuous Times (Hachette, August 19, 2025).

As a fundraiser for local literary community at Jackson Hole Writers, sid sibo (sidney woods; Fiction, W’19) will host “From the Horse’s Mouth,” an online writing workshop, August 27, 12:00-1:30 p.m. MT. Read from favorite authors and practice using their diverse examples. Pay-What-You-Can: Register online  or scan QR code.

News from Lisa C. Taylor (Poetry, S’04): Thanks to the Stonecoasters who came to the Mesa Verde Writers Conference and Literary Festival July 9-12. It was great fun to meet people who graduated different years. One Stonecoaster was hampered by airport delays and couldn’t make it. Eugenio Volpe was missed! Denver area folks: Lisa will be at Douglas Library, 20105 Main St., Parker, CO, on August 16th for an author showcase from 1:00-4:00 p.m. She will be at the Tattered Cover Aspen Grove on 7301 S. Santa Fe Dr. in Littleton, CO, with Alyse Knorr at 5:30 p.m.; she’ll be reading from her novel The Shape of What Remains. Also, Lisa is the fiction editor for Wordpeace, a social justice and peace-oriented online journal. Submissions will reopen August 1st and the theme is displacement/home. All pieces that relate to social justice or peace will be considered. Wordpeace takes fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and art. 

Rhiannon J. Taylor/R. J. Howell (Popular Fiction, S’19) is excited to announce she will be attending Viable Paradise 2025.

Chortle recently published Lindsey Wells‘s (Creative Nonfiction, S’15; publishing under her maiden name, Lindsey Kemp) first satire piece, “For Parents Seeking Financial Compensation,” on its blog, which can be found here. Lindsey’s beta readers included fellow Summer 2015 graduates Bobbie Ford Bensur and Amanda Pearson Bieloh.

FACULTY  

News from Faith Adiele (Creative Nonfiction)

• Rethinking Travel Writing In this five-week generative course, award-winning writer Faith Adiele (Creative Nonfiction) guides participants in reimagining travel narratives through craft discussions, readings, and guest talks with Bani Amor, Noo Saro-Wiwa, Carey Baraka, and Pier Nirandara. Topics include voice, place, ethical representation, and decolonizing language and structure. Live on Zoom, Saturdays September 6–October 4, 1:00–3:00 p.m. EST

Elizabeth Searle (Fiction, Scriptwriting) has two events in Maine in August:

• Thursday, August 7th at Austin Street Brewery, 115 Fox Street, Portland from 5:00-7ish p.m.: Elizabeth and fellow scriptwriter Allen Baldwin (Popular Fiction, W’18) will be Special Guests featured at Maine Voices in Film & Media, an industry mixer sponsored by Women in Film & Video New England, hosted by Producer/WIFV-VP Wendy Wilkins. All welcome!  RSVP here.  
• Saturday, August 9th at 7:00 p.m.: Staring Down the Truth: A Literary Evening at the Barn. Elizabeth will read from her new book, The Drama Room, out this fall. Joining her for readings will be Stonecoast alumni Sandy Collier (a Surry resident; Fiction, W’20), Stephanie Loleng (Fiction, W’20), Nadja Maril (Fiction, W’20), and Leah Siviski (Fiction, W’20). Readings will be followed by a Q&A on the writing and publishing process. Surry Barn, 8 Cross Road, Surry, Maine.