Holly Walrath's Blog, page 23

Enter to Win: GlimmerGlass Girl Goodreads Giveaway!

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Giveaway ends August 22, 2018.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway
What what! I'm giving away 10 signed, limited edition copies of #GlimmerglassGirl on Goodreads! 

While details are still being finalized, my publisher is planning on printing gorgeous hardcover versions of my chapbook, Glimmerglass Girl. If these are available in time, I'll be signing 10 copies for Goodreads readers! 

Enter to win!

If you just can't wait, be sure to download a free ARC version from NetGalley. 

New Interview at Literary Orphans

I was interviewed by the kind editors over at Literary Orphans about my new book of speculative poems, Glimmerglass Girl, which is due out in August! Scott Waldyn has been nice enough to publish two of my pieces in the past, In the Dark World, a tiny microfiction about adolescence, and Peony Red, a poem which appears in my book and is about living a childfree existence as a woman. 

Read the whole interview here...
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New Poem Up at Really System

I have a new poem up at Really System today called "Orbital Debris," about one of my favorite subjects - Space junk!

Read it here

Review: Tyler Robert Sheldon's Consolation Prize

I've started doing reviews of poetry books, mainly because I wanted to read more contemporary poetry and I, being a writer, need a deadline. Here's one I wrote for a fellow Finishing Line Press writer, Tyler Robert Sheldon, on his new chapbook Consolation Prize. 

"Reading Consolation Prize by Tyler Sheldon was a bit like that, waking from a dream in an empty house and not being able to remember what happened exactly, but knowing that something terrible was there in your consciousness and that thing reached out and touched you."

Continue Reading at Entropy Magazine. . . 
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Interview with Charles Christian of Weird Tales Radio

I was interviewed by Charles Christian, editor of Grievous Angels who has been kind enough to publish my work in the past, about Glimmerglass Girl, witches, ghosts, and other weird things! Weird Tales Radio Show is available on iTunes and other podcast apps and also streams as an internet radio webcast on the Paranormal UK Radio Network Thursdays fortnightly.

Readercon 2018 Schedule

I'm delighted that this year I'll be paneling at Readercon in Boston July 12-15!

Here are the panels where you can come see me (Please say Hi if you do! I love meeting other writers and making new friends!): 

Anti-Worldbuilding Workshop
Friday, July 13, 12:00pm - C

Holly Walrath will present an alternative worldbuilding method called worldconjuring. Drawing on inspiration from fairy tales and ancient myths, worldconjuring creates liminal space or gaps in the world that the reader may fill in with their own imagination. Participants will explore contemporary authors who are using this method in short fiction and novels to create immersive worlds without the use of complex worldbuilding such as language creation or magic mechanics, and will get started worldconjuring with some creative prompts.

In Memoriam: Ursula K. Le Guin
Friday, July 13, 1:00pm - 6

Ursula K. Le Guin (1929–2018) was a powerhouse in American literature for over 50 years. She won countless awards, including the SFWA Grand Master Award and World Fantasy Award for Lifetime Achievement. Her Hainish sequence, Earthsea novels, and Orsinia stories remain benchmarks of speculative fiction. Her feminist and utopian visions influenced generations, as did her essays, criticism, and educational writing. We were thrilled to make her a guest of honor at Readercon 7. Join us in celebrating her life and work.

Speculative Poetry Deathmatch! 
Friday, July 13, 4:00pm - A

​This entertaining and interactive panel on science fiction, fantasy, and horror poetry will teach attendees a little about speculative poetry. Poets will read some of their works and then participate in a lyrical death match in which audience members decide which poet walks away with a tin foil crown and bragging rights.

Nancy Stohlman Reviews GlimmerGlass Girl

Glimmerglass Girl was reviewed by Nancy Stohlman of Flash Fiction Retreats. I'll be a member of the flash fiction retreat in Breckenridge this August and I CANNOT wait to join the amazing writers who are in attendance! 

"This dichotomy of delicate and strong, girl and woman, power and power distorted comes through beautifully in this debut chapbook of illustrated poems."

Thanks to Nancy Stohlman and Kathy Fish for their continued support of the writing community and for this lovely review. 

New Audio: Confessions of a Tree Nymph

Artist Lydia Tomashevskya approached me last month about doing another art collaboration and I could not resist her offer! So I've added a new story to my website for your reading and listening pleasure:

Confessions of a Tree Nymph

This story first appeared in 365 Tomorrows in June 2015. I hope you enjoy listening! Please let me know if you liked the audio version and remember that all my audio stories are available on Soundcloud, which has a lovely listening app for your car ride! I've been debating expanding to a podcast, but in the meantime it's fun making audio for you. 

If you like what I'm doing and want to support more of my content, leave me a tip at Curious Fictions!

5 Poetry Books from Female Voices that Need to be Heard

Glimmerglass Girl was featured on That Bookshelf Bitch, a blog by a lovely writer who is doing the hard work of supporting women writers through reviews! I am beyond honored to be listed among the names of Rupi Kaur and one of my favorite books of 2018, Women of Resistance. 

Manifestos: Six Principles of Flash Fiction

I have an article up at Cotton Xenomorph today which lists the six elements of flash fiction for me. 

Writing advice is tricky. I struggled approaching this article because some part of me was adverse to the idea of the word "Manifesto." It seems so apart from what I understand flash fiction to be. So let me just say that this is just how I read and write flash fiction and not some grand set of rigid rules. 

We are all humans and we write in our own ways. I know this especially from working as a freelancer. I work with authors and I have to come into their space of writing gently because everyone is different. Some writers wake early in the morning to write before taking their three kids to school. Some stay up late chatting with friends online while revising. We fit writing into our lives, but we rarely sit down and think: What am I really doing here? How does this fulfill me and how can I nurture that feeling? For me, this list is how I nurture my writing of flash fiction and how I understand the genre. But it's just my own experience and understanding. 

The most important rule on this list to me is #1: Empathy. ​I think this also applies to our own work. I see so many emerging writers, marginalized writers, women writers, who are afraid to put their work out into the world. I wish I could say to all of you, your voice matters. Because putting your own vulnerabilities on the page creates empathy. We are humans who need to live in a shared world of experience.