CURRENT STUDENTS

Miles Meth (Fiction) published an op-ed in The Boston Globe about their friend Cata “Xóchitl” Santiago, an amazing person and powerful community organizer who was detained by ICE with no warrant/cause while traveling domestically for work. Her case is significant, because Xóchitl is a DACA recipient/legal resident, meaning this is yet another awful escalation in this country’s attack on immigrants, similar in nature to the detentions of Rümeysa Öztürk and Mahmoud Khalil.

Some announcements from Wyrd Oldner (Poetry):

• If you’re a fan of Heaven’s Official Blessing, you may have heard of the new anti-queer laws the Chinese government is implementing, forcing queer writers through threats to write false confessions that queer writing = pornography. Wyrd is a part of a campaign to raise awareness. Here is a translation from interviews with one of the authors afflicted by this censorship. If you’d like to find more details, the central account is @savedanmeiauthors on Instagram. There’s also a petition below to put pressure on the publisher that’s outing these writers to their hostile government.
• Tara Singh, one of Wyrd’s friends and coworkers, is having a launch party (with another poet) for their contest-winning chapbook. They are disabled and, as we’ve learned last minute, there is an ableism problem. An editor had to fight to get Tara published because the head honcho doesn’t see value in publishing authors who are unable to attend in-person events. In response, we’re trying to fill in as many virtual seats for this hybrid event to show that people will show up and support. Wyrd will be hosting the virtual space while a mutual friend will be taking care of the technical details in the physical space. The publisher is not doing anything for the virtual portion in which Tara will debut, so we’re taking it upon ourselves to create the Zoom room, make the tickets, and flyers. The time is September 29th at 1:30 p.m. CST(USA). Attending even as “iPhone” would be helpful. If you’re a poet, it’s a fantastic opportunity to talk to experienced poets. (Tara is genuinely really, really good. Wyrd has an ARC of their manuscript and can confirm you will enjoy their poems!)

ALUMS 

In Colgate Magazine, Sarah C. Baldwin (Creative Nonfiction, S’15) wrote about Elizabeth DeWolfe, a historian of ordinary women and her new book about a Gilded-Age tale of secrecy and suspense.

Lindsey Barlow‘s (Popular Fiction, W’19) research article “Every Other Thing Is Me: Wordsworthian Romantic Transcendence in the Postmodern Possession” was accepted for publication by Popular Culture Review. An early draft/version of this article was Lindsey’s third semester research project, which was completed under the mentorship of Liz Hand in early 2018.

Peter Adrian Behravesh (Popular Fiction, W’18) is excited to introduce Iran+100, a collection of stories from Iranian writers all over the world, including former Stonecoast faculty mentor Porochista Khakpour. This anthology examines what life in Iran might look like in 2053, 100 years after the US-backed coup that overthrew Mosaddegh and led to the Iranian Revolution. Iran+100, which Peter co-edited with Fereshteh Ahmadi and Leila Elder, is available now from Comma Press.

LitBreak Magazine has published an excerpt from Kathy Briccetti‘s (Creative Nonfiction, W’07) novel manuscript. Whether They Be is a novel about race and relationships in 1968 middle America. Kathy has also had two pieces published this year in Five Minutes. She’s currently helping read for the next issue of Passager, a lovely journal for writers and artists over fifty. 

J Brooke (Poetry, S’19) is excited to share the news that their full-length themed poetry collection I Can Tell You the Version That Will Make You Take My Side was acquired by Driftwood Press and will be released in 2026. J (in their continued role as Editor of Prose Reviews for The Rumpus) would like to remind writers who have an interest in reviewing a book that they can contact J at J.Brooke@therumpus.net.

Renée S. DeCamillis (Popular Fiction, W’14) has her third book, Try Not To Die: By Your Own Hand, releasing on September 10^th—World Suicide Prevention Day. This is a charity novel, with proceeds going to support Maine’s Crisis Mobile Hotline run through The Opportunity Alliance. Paul Tremblay, NYT Bestselling Author of Horror Movie and Cabin at the End of the World, says, “Try Not to Die By Your Own Hand is a harrowing, disturbing, honest, deep-dive into all-too-real horrors ably demonstrating that the right choice isn’t always so easy to make. Renee DeCamillis pulls no punches and writes with integrity and a survivor’s hope and heart.” Renée has several related events in September.

• Thursday, September 11th at 7:00 p.m. at Novel Book Bar & Café in Portland, Maine. Renée is hosting a Book Launch Event for Try Not To Die: By Your Own Hand. She will perform a reading, followed by a Q&A and Suicide Prevention Discussion with Carrie Swarthout, Director of Crisis Services at Maine’s The Opportunity Alliance. Audience participation is encouraged.
• Saturday, September 13th, 11:00–5:00 p.m. Renée will be a guest author vendor and panel participant at the Spooktastic Book Fair at the Framingham Public Library, 49 Lexington St. in Framingham, MA. Renée’s panel discussion, Punk Drunk Horror, takes place at 2:00 p.m. in the Beer Garden, with moderator Christoph Paul, EIC of Clash Books. This is a free, family-friendly event, with 60 horror authors, lots of KidLit, food, drinks, and over a dozen oddity vendors. Come on out and enjoy some spooky fun this fall!
• Sunday, September 28th at 11:00 a.m. at Barnes & Noble South Portland, Maine.Renée is doing a Book Talk and Suicide Prevention Discussion with Carrie Swarthout, Director of Crisis Services at The Opportunity Alliance.
• Also, Renée has several Podcast Interviews and Instagram Live Events happening throughout the month of September—National Suicide Prevention Month—with release dates TBD. You can find updates of the schedule on Renée’s social media sites: BlueSky, Substack, Facebook, and Instagram. (Renée wants to make it clear: she only uses Facebook and Instagram to promote her work and to spread information about local protests, The Resistance, Indivisible, and the 50501 Movement, and sharing ways of how to work together to stop the takeover and destruction of the United States government and our democracy. She does not support Big Tech or billionaire organizations.) 

Josh Gauthier (Popular Fiction, S’17) was selected as one of four winners of Michael Whelan’s creative writing contest for his original piece of art Efflorescent. You can read all four winning pieces here. 

For the eighth year, Mike Langworthy (Creative Nonfiction, W’11) is continuing his role as cowriter of the annual jukebox musical produced by Magic Moments, an inclusive musical theater company in Denver, Colorado. The shows feature a large cast (125-175), including many special needs performers (30-50). This year’s show is a sequel to A Night at Nick’s, which depicted a typical night in a popular dive bar. Ten years have passed and the bar has been voted a top club in Pensacola. Nick and his wife are interviewed by a local blogger who spends the evening with the club’s quirky family of regulars. Rehearsals start in January; performances the last week of March 2026.

Nina B. Lichtenstein (Creative Nonfiction, S’20) had an essay published in HuffPost about being diagnosed with ADHD as an adult, and was also interviewed by Creatively ADHD in a piece called “Her Body as a Wonderland.” Also super excited about an upcoming event at PRINT: a bookstore in Portland, on September 25, where she will be in conversation with Susan Conley about Body: My Life in Parts, Nina’s memoir-in-essays which was released in May. In the fall, Nina will teach “Your Body, Your Story” a 3-week workshop offered by MWPA (in person in Portland)

Nadja Maril (Fiction, W’20) is pleased to share that her Micro fiction piece titled “Underwater Adventure” has been published in the quarterly print journal Blink-Ink Issue #61. This season’s theme is “Phones” and it will be arriving in subscriber’s mailboxes the first week of September.

John Christopher Nelson‘s (Fiction, S’15) short story “There’s a Word for That” was accepted as Empyrean Literary Magazine’s August Full Moon Special and will also be featured in both print and web editions of Empyrean’s forthcoming Issue 15: Vol 4, No 3. Also, John’s flash essay “Grotesque, yet Quotidian” will be featured in the forthcoming Freedom issue of BE ABOUT IT Zine. In more significant news, John’s debut novel, Shadowplaying, has been accepted for publication with High Frequency Press. John has been working on this modern western from before he was accepted to Stonecoast. As of now, the intended release date for the novel is spring 2027.

Suri Parmar’s (Popular Fiction, W17) short documentary Flat will have its world premiere at Calgary International Film Festival this month, followed by screenings at Edmonton International Film Festival, Newport Beach Film Festival, Out on Film, and others soon to be announced. She also received a Best Writing nomination at SIMI Film Festival for Killing Off Connor, a feature film she co-wrote.

Marisca Pichette (Popular Fiction, S’21)had a wonderful time at her first WorldCon in Seattle! Stonecoast was well-represented: with a table in the dealer’s room, multiple book giveaways featuring titles by alumni and faculty, and a host of programming spots including Dyani Sabin (Popular Fiction, S’21), Alexis Kaegi (Popular Fiction, S’21), Mur Lafferty (Popular Fiction, W’14), and more.

Bruce Pratt (Fiction, S’04) has a story, “A Hockey Name,” in the current issue of Aethlon: The Journal of the Sport Literature Association. He has poetry forthcoming in future issues of the same journal.

Richard Squires (Fiction, S’14) recently published his third book review in American Book Review. Titled Cybill Unbound, the novel follows a middle-aged divorcée as she embraces her sexual awakening and embarks on bold new adventures. You can read part of the review and purchase the journal here. 

J. Stephen (Steve) Rhodes’s (Poetry, W’11) fifth poetry collection, Earthen Vessels: A Family Memoir in Poetry, was brought out by Pine Row Press on August 30th.

R.M. Romero (Popular Fiction, S’15) has sold her next YA novel, The Mermaid of Warsaw, to Ashley Hearn at Peachtree Teen. Her first YA novel in prose, The Mermaid of Warsaw merges the real history of the Warsaw Uprising with Polish folklore and centers on a Jewish boy living under false Aryan papers who teams up with a legendary mermaid to fight the German occupation. Publication is set for summer 2027.

On September 27, sid sibo (sidney woods; Fiction, W’19) will be in conversation with fellow author Maria Kelson about Mysteries and Misfits in the West at the free all-day Jackson Hole book festival, full of nationally known thinkers and writers. Tiffanie DeBartolo, another creative attracted into this welcoming western Wyoming community, will moderate.

FACULTY  

News from Faith Adiele (Creative Nonfiction):

• Rethinking Travel Writing. Faith Adiele leads a five-session Zoom course, held Saturdays, September 6–October 4, 1:00–3:00 p.m. EST, exploring voice, place, ethics, and decolonizing language, with insights from guest authors Bani Amor, Noo Saro-Wiwa, Carey Baraka, and Pier Nirandara.
• Lone Glen Presents: A Garden Reading and Book Launch. Faith will join writers Valerie Witte, Sarah Rosenthal, and Jennifer Hasegawa for a reading and book launch at 1409 Derby St., Berkeley, on Saturday, September 13 at 7:00 p.m., celebrating their new works with conversation, connection, and community.
• Remembering Shay Youngblood. Panorama magazine features Faith reflecting on Shay Youngblood’s life and legacy, celebrating her groundbreaking novel Black Girl in Paris and her enduring influence on Black women writers and artists worldwide.
• What If Your Memoir Could Fly? Join Faith for a four-week Zoom workshop (Wednesdays, October 15–November 5, 7:00–9:00 p.m. PT) where adult writers experiment with speculative nonfiction to reimagine memoir and essay in bold, transformative ways.

JJ Amaworo Wilson (Fiction) has been voted in as Chair of the board of New Mexico Writers. New Mexico Writers is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to supporting and connecting the state’s literary community through its grants program, career development initiatives, and monthly newsletter. JJ will serve for three years.

Aaron Hamburger (Creative Nonfiction, Fiction) is teaching an online class via Politics and Prose called “Poking at the Ivory Tower: Academic Satire.” In this class, we’ll look at three classics of academic satire from different time periods that take on different forms and styles: Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis, The Human Stain by Philip Roth, and Dear Committee Members by Julie Schumacher. While having a few good laughs, we’ll also consider how the literary tradition of knocking the professorial set has become a vehicle for examining gender relations, politics, and much more. The class meets three Mondays, biweekly: September 15, 29, and October 13 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET online.

Elizabeth Searle’s (Fiction, Popular Fiction, Scriptwriting) new book is out in October and will be available for pre-order in September.  The Drama Room: A Collection in Three Acts is being released in both paperback and hardback by Pierian Springs Press. MA Stonecoasters, mark your calendars: Book Launch reading and party is October 19 at 2:00 p.m.; Newtonville Books in Newton Centre, MA: Elizabeth will read from The Drama Room ‘In Conversation’ w/ author Jessica Treadway. Some pre-publication quotes:

“Lust, violence, love and grief—if there is an edge, Elizabeth Searle will push it and if there is a pulse, she will put her finger right on it.  The stories in her latest collection, The Drama Room, showcase an enormous range in awareness and understanding of the human condition and the author’s skillful gift to surprise and deliver.” ~Jill McCorkle

“A surprising, edgy and original writer” ~Jayne Anne Phillips

Also, September 18, Elizabeth will be in conversation with Marianne Leone about her new book Christina the Astonishing at the bookstore An Unlikely Story. For updates on The Drama Room and more, see www.elizabethsearle.net