I went to Kaleidoscope Cafe in Point Richmond today to grade some papers.... and stumbled into an open mic! open mic at Kaleidoscope 7:30 on Thursdays So I read "Uprising," the prose poem that will soon appear in Writers Resist. Fun to share some words and listen to some more, here among [...]
Sea of Pink at Women's March. Photo by Brian Allen, Voice of America. Copied from www.pussyhatproject.com I am so excited to see so many artists, writers, musicians, and others raising their creative voices to resist the frightening unfolding of the current Administration. One of those expressions of resistance is WritersResist.com -- [...]
Just pickled pink to read with Grant Faulkner, Stace Budzko, R. O. Kwon, Britt Haraway, and Dan Moreau to celebrate the 2016 Best Fast Fiction anthology, at Flash Fiction Collective, hosted on Feb. 2nd by Kirsten Chen. Flash Fiction Collective puts on a great show, great writers and a nice vibe -- check them [...]
"The best of these fictional vignettes are like a splash of ice water in the face. Wake up, they shout, your life is unspooling. They create their emotional effects with a quick windup and a powerful release, often a final, lingering image." That's how Lisa Mulleneaux's review of Best Small Fictions 2016 concludes, and I [...]
So thrilled to learn that my flash fiction story "Marcus," a piece inspired by the writing prompt "crass" and perhaps by having grown up in the shadow of the 1960's, was nominated by KYSO Flash for the Best Small Fictions 2017 anthology. Thank you, Clare MacQueen of KYSO Flash, for your support of my [...]
On December 8, 2016 I was honored to be included in the line-up at the Sausalito institution, Why There Are Words. Peg Alford Pursell and her crew put on a fantastic event at the charming Studio 333 every month. The theme of the night was "Sugar" and there were plenty of bittersweet, tasty and even [...]
Melanie Westerberg reading at the Kimmel Harding Nelson Center for the Arts On Monday, April 11, 2016 I read from my novel-in-progress, Palomar, in the beautiful gallery at the Kimmel Harding Nelson Center for the Arts in Nebraska City, Nebraska. (That town is gorgeous in the spring!!) My fellow resident fiction writer, Melanie [...]
This fall two new pieces of “small fiction” of mine were published by KYSO Flash, in Edition #6. Very happy to share these with the world! “Marcus” was born of a writing prompt of “crass,” so, just letting you know… I combined it with the voice of a character I dreamed of, one of [...]
Best Small Fictions 2016 has been published and is available through your favorite bookstore, local and Indy or otherwise. I can’t wait to read it… But as I am travelling in Spain and my copies of the book are waiting for me at home, I have to wait one more week. It has been [...]
Stuart Dybek, the guest editor of Best Small Fictions 2016, which includes my story “Carnivores” just gave a terrific interview to The Rumpus. He talks about writing flash fiction and what makes it work, among other things. Check it out! http://therumpus.net/2016/08/the-rumpus-interview-with-stuart-dybek/