Nancy Stohlman's Blog, page 53
September 15, 2018
Oct 26: Madam Velvet’s Cabaret of Oddities performance tickets!
A curious new collection of flash fiction by Nancy Stohlman!
With all-new original music by Nick Busheff!
Book release and performance
Madam Velvet’s Cabaret of Oddities
October 26, 2018
Save the Date!!
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Did you like The Monster Opera? I’ve teamed up again with composer Nick Busheff and a cast of characters you will recognize along with some special guests (to be announced!) to launch my new book, Madam Velvet’s Cabaret of Oddities, into the world! Thank classic vaudeville, think weird carnival, think clowns, traveling medicine shows, ringmasters and sideshow barkers! With all new original music by Nick Busheff! Signed books will be available! Costumes encouraged!
Tickets $10 in advance ($12 at the door)–on sale now!
Mercury Cafe Ballroom (upstairs)
2199 California Street
7:00 pm
Friday, October 26, 2018
Need more than 4 tickets? Let me know and I’ll send you an invoice:
[contact-form]
**Don’t live in Denver? Madam Velvet’s Cabaret of Oddities books will be available online earlier in October, stay tuned!
“Here we are in a house of mirrors, where we meet the microfiction reflections cast by a host of intriguing characters with cracked sensibilities—and we meet the entertaining Nancy Stohlman herself, in all her guiles and guises, a word magician dancing us around the stage of her glittering cabaret. This book is brilliant performance art on the printed page.”~James Thomas, coeditor of the WW Norton’s Flash Fiction books
“Madam Velvet, Hah! This Cabaret of Oddities is pure Stohlman–wild world records, mothers as clowns, circus performers like the ape lady, the human pincushion, and dog-faced boy– topped by the Fantasy Hand Job Brothel. We will all be returning to this startling and outrageous collection for years to come. ” ~Pamela Painter, author of Ways to Spend the Night
“Nancy Stohlman’s writing is so damn sharp here. And each of these shards that make up Madam Velvet’s Cabaret of Oddities is connected by this silly-sad-hopeful-absurd-melancholic web that catches everything you do not want, and you’ll find yourself longing for what’s not caught. But you will end up caught in the web too, with all of that mess. I’ve never read a book like this, and I’m excited to hear all of the conversations surrounding it.” ~Steven Dunn, author of Water and Power and Potted Meat
“Madam Velvet’s Cabaret of Oddities’ is a work of irrepressible imagination, bawdy, dire, and endlessly appealing. It’s also a memoir by means of dissociation–an exercise that goes to the heart of fiction, and anyone alive.”~Robert Shapard, Coeditor W.W. Norton anthology series in Sudden and Flash Fiction
“Nancy Stohlman writes all of her stories with moxie and flare, and her singular verve vibrates through her latest collection. She takes the reader on a carnivalesque but touching ride through a hall of mirrors that includes misfits, eccentrics, and outcasts. Be careful to look twice through the mirrors in these stories because there is always more to see.” ~Grant Faulkner, co-founder of 100 Word Story and author of Fissures, a collection of 100-word stories
September 5, 2018
Thursday, Sept 6: New Micro Reading at The Bindery in San Francisco
New Micros San Francisco Book Launch:
Thursday, September 6, 2018
7:30pm
The Bindery
1727 Haight St, San Francisco, CA 94117
More info here
From their website: The Bindery hosts the San Francisco launch for the new W. W. Norton anthology New Micro: Exceptionally Short Fiction, featuring readings by local contributors. Save the date and join us!
Confirmed readers so far include: James Claffey, Gay Degani, Grant Faulkner, Thaisa Frank, Molly Giles,Cadence Low, Melissa McCracken, Lynn Mundell, Pamela Painter, and Nancy Stohlman!
Join the movement! Buy the book here:
I’d love you see you there!
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ALSO THIS WEEK:
New Micros NYC Book Launch:
Friday, September 7, 2018
7:00pm
The Red Room at KGB
More info here
85 E 4th St, New York, NY 10003
Hosted by Paul Beckman and featuring Roberta Allen, Sarah Freligh, Kyle Hemmings, Pedro Ponce, Damian Dressick, Randall Brown, Pia Z. Ehrhardt, Kim Chinquee, Francine Witte, Meg Pokrass, Tiff Holland, Dawn Raffel and Jeff Landon.
September 3, 2018
On LitHub: Very Short Stories From New Micro: Nancy Stohlman, Pamela Painter, and Kathy Fish
The following is from the collection, New Micro: Exceptionally Short Fiction. Edited by James Thomas and Robert Scotellaro, New Micro brings together 135 short stories from 89 writers, with each story having a maximum of 300 words. The three stories featured here are by Nancy Stohlman, Pamela Painter, and Kathy Fish.
Read original here
Nancy Stohlman
I Found Your Voodoo Doll on the Dance Floor After Last Call
It was squishy under my feet and at first I thought it was a wad of napkins. But as the crowds cleared, it became obvious. It looked just like me if I’d been made out of cornstalks and had button eyes. Is that really how you see me? I thought as I picked it up and smoothed the yarn hair.
My first instinct was to toss it into the dumpster but I had doubts—what if it landed on its head? Was stabbed by sharp cardboard? What if I woke in the morning and found myself buried alive or impaled on a U- Haul box?
The mantel was out of the question, too far to fall if the cat knocked it down. A cabinet wouldn’t work—there was suffocation, asphyxiation. Anything near a sink was out. Nothing near the fireplace, on the balcony, near a window.
A bird cage seemed the best solution.
One day I rushed home from work and the cage door was open, the voodoo doll missing. I stared a blank, button-eyed stare into its empty depths.
When I saw you at the bar later, voodoo doll on a chain around your neck, I collapsed to my knees in front of you. Thank god, I said.
I knew you’d be back, you said.
Continue reading
“Letting Go” by Pamela Painter
“Akimbo” by Kathy Fish
September 1, 2018
Sat Sept 8: Fbomb at the Denver LitCrawl with special guests Punketry!
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Once again The Fbomb Flash Fiction Reading Series will be closing out the LitCrawl evening, this time with special guests Punketry! Join us for our 3rd year at a new location!
Fbomb at the Denver Lit Crawl with special guest Punketry!
Host Nancy Stohlman
Readers and Performers: Kenning JP Garcia, Brice Maiurro, Matt Clifford, David S. Atkinson, Ahja Fox, Stina French, Sarah Rodriquez and Black Market Translation!
8-9 pm
Infinite Monkey Theorem
3200 Larimer St, Denver, CO 80205








Check out the entire evening of amazing performances and schedule!
Lit Crawl Denver
FREE!
September 8, 2018
5:00pm–9:00pm
RiNo Arts District, Denver, CO
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Lit Crawl Denver returns for a third year in a row! This year we’re partnering with CRUSH WALLS, Denver’s urban art festival. Catch the Lit Crawl in the RiNo Arts District 5-9 p.m. Lit Crawl Denver, is a project of the Litquake Foundation.
FREE GOODIES
GELATO BOY is giving free scoops for the first 25 attendees, thereafter it’s Buy 1 Get 1 Free! You must grab a tote bag from the bookmobile, parked on Blake Street between 33rd and 34th Streets. Show your tote bag for free dessert! Find Gelato Boy inside Zeppelin Station, 3501 Wazee St. The store closes at 10 p.m.
Check out the entire evening of amazing performances and schedule!
August 28, 2018
New Micros: Exceptionally Short Stories releases today!
A new collection of very short stories selected by Flash Fiction editor James Thomas and Robert Scotellaro.
Paperback: 192 pages
Publisher: WW Norton & Company
ISBN-10: 0393354709
ISBN-13: 978-0393354706
To say I cut my teeth on the Norton flash fiction anthologies would be an understatement. I remember reading Flash Fiction Forward in a hammock in Costa Rica circa 2008–as I was in the middle of an MFA and creating and editing my first anthology of flash fiction with Fast Forward Press–and just marveling at the scope and vision of editors James Thomas and Robert Shapard. I, of course, proceeded to read all their previous anthologies, then assigned them in my classes and workshops. Some of the stories in that book, like “Consuming the View” by Luigi Malerba (and reprinted in Flash Fiction International), continue to haunt me.
So, 10 years later, I’m not exaggerating when I say it was a dream come true and a full circle when New Micro editors James Thomas and Robert Scotellaro contacted me about including two of my pieces, “Death Row Hugger” and “I Found Your Voodoo Doll on the Dance Floor After Last Call”, in the latest anthology. Wow.
And New Micros might be my favorite of them all (without bias!). What sets this anthology apart is that all the stories are concentrated on the shorter end of the flash spectrum–300 words or fewer (traditional flash can reach up to 1,000 words). The Table of Contents alone showcases the heavy hitters of the flash fiction movement, writers who are actively writing, teaching and promoting flash fiction such as: Pamela Painter, Stuart Dybek, Joy Williams, Amy Hempel, Sherrie Flick, Meg Tuite, Tom Hazuka, Diane Williams, Roberta Allen, Steve Almond, Grant Faulkner, Meg Pokrass, Francine Witte, Jeff Landon, Christopher Merkner, Sophie Rosenblum, Tara Lynn Masih, Lynn Mundell, Kim Chinquee, Kathy Fish, Gay Degani, Robert Vaughan, Paul Beckman, Len Kuntz, James Claffey, Randall Brown and SO many others.
To call flash fiction a literary movement, in my opinion, is not hyperbole. And to be included in this book–as well as to be on the forefront of such a thriving movement with so many other inspiring writers–is a gift and a privilege.
It’s an exciting time to be a flash fiction writer and reader!
Join the movement! Buy the book here:
Come to one of the New Micro book launches and readings in NYC and San Francisco! (Details below)
[image error]On stage at the Fbomb Flash Fiction Reading Series, Denver
New Micros San Francisco Book Launch:
Thursday, September 6, 2018
7:30pm
The Bindery
1727 Haight St, San Francisco, CA 94117
More info here
From their website: The Bindery hosts the San Francisco launch for the new W. W. Norton anthology New Micro: Exceptionally Short Fiction, featuring readings by local contributors. Save the date and join us!
Confirmed readers so far include: James Claffey, Gay Degani, Grant Faulkner, Thaisa Frank, Molly Giles,Cadence Low, Melissa McCracken, Lynn Mundell, Pamela Painter, and Nancy Stohlman!
New Micros NYC Book Launch:
Friday, September 7, 2018
7:00pm
The Red Room at KGB
More info here
85 E 4th St, New York, NY 10003
Hosted by Paul Beckman and featuring Roberta Allen, Sarah Freligh, Kyle Hemmings, Pedro Ponce, Damian Dressick, Randall Brown, Pia Z. Ehrhardt, Kim Chinquee, Francine Witte, Meg Pokrass, Tiff Holland, Dawn Raffel and Jeff Landon.
August 16, 2018
Sunday Aug 19: At the Inkwell presents Flash Fiction Night!
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Join host Hillary Leftwich and readers Tara Campbell, Kathy Fish, Trent Hudley, David S. Atkinson, Brian Seeman and Nancy Stohlman for a night of flash fiction at Bookbar! Have some wine, hear some stories, leave with some books!
Sunday, August 19
5:30 pm
4280 Tennyson St, Denver, Colorado 80212
Join Facebook Event Page here.
August 15, 2018
Flash Fiction Books Online: Starts Sept 10
Sept 10: Oct 7
So you’ve been writing and editing–now you’re thinking about a book. But how do you put it all together?
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Whether you are an editor designing an anthology or journal, an author attempting a collection, or you are embarking on a flash novel or novella, there are new things to consider when you go from the micro to the macro view of a body of work. Learn strategies, avoid pitfalls, and gain new inspiration for how to package flash fiction for the world in this brand new class.
This will be a 4-week online workshop format class with limited availability.
Tuition $159
Other questions? Contact me below:
[contact-form]
Flash Fiction Books Online: $10 off for 1 week
Sept 10-Oct
$10 off until August 21! Use link below
So you’ve been writing and editing–now you’re thinking about a book. But how do you put it all together?
[image error]
Whether you are an editor designing an anthology or journal, an author attempting a collection, or you are embarking on a flash novel or novella, there are new things to consider when you go from the micro to the macro view of a body of work. Learn strategies, avoid pitfalls, and gain new inspiration for how to package flash fiction for the world in this brand new class.
This will be a 4-week online workshop format class with limited availability.
Tuition $159
$10 off until August 21!
Other questions? Contact me below:
[contact-form]
August 10, 2018
Reflections on Europe and Filling the Creative Well
I was so happy that so many of you joined me for my photo romp through France and England as I was teaching and reading this past July. And…I didn’t get much writing done. But I was “filling the well” and restocking the creative stores for winter, so here are some of the things I learned:
Meet Your Writing Colleagues in Person
It’s so so important, in the internet heavy reality of our careers, to meet colleagues in person whenever possible. There is nothing that can replace looking people in the eye, giving them a hug, or sharing a meal (or a round of karaoke!), especially if you have “known” them online for a while.
Eat Real Food
I’ve decided that’s the key to French food—it’s actual food. The dishes are deceptively simple but the ingredients are real—not processed, frozen, sugar added or factory farmed.
Walk and take public transportation
Europe does this really well—whether it’s trains crisscrossing countries or metros within the cities, you can walk and take public transportation almost everywhere. I do this already in a limited capacity in Denver; not only is it ultimately cheaper, better for physical health, better for emotional health, and better for the environment, it’s also better for my creativity. My morning journals and first handwritten drafts now happen during my work commute.
Dress up for no reason.
The French have this effortless chic style that I really dig—messy but beautiful and not overdone. But they put effort into looking nice for no reason. And when you look nice you feel nice.
Don’t spend all day on the internet
Duh, right? But in Europe I didn’t have an international roaming plan, so I was inaccessible much of the day unless I was connected to external wifi. No surprise: I was much happier checking in with my online friends once or twice a day rather than all day long.
Take more pictures
I’m a closet amateur photographer, and it was glorious to express myself visually for awhile rather than always with words. And It’s easy to take lots of pictures in an unfamiliar place. It’s good to take a break from your preferred genre and play a little.
Learn another language
Seriously. It’s proven good for your brain as you age anyway, but as writers it reminds us of the plethora of new words out there. I speak mid-level Spanish already but I stared learning French on the Duolingo app in the spring and I highly recommend it. Just 10 mins a day—10 mins not on social media—and I usually did it on the train while commuting.
Put away the phone.
Europeans have phones, and they will pull them out to text one another, but then they put them away. You do not see Europeans on their phones while sitting at cafes or on the metro. Even if they are alone they are watching the world go by. I felt self-conscious being on my phone in public there. I was happy putting it away.
Eat slowly
I tend to eat very fast, like a starving wolf. I’ve justified this my whole life. I also burn the roof of my mouth regularly. I am now consciously slowing down, lingering and enjoying more.
More cultural cross-pollination, please
Not only was I excited to read for new audiences, but I forgot the joy of also being a new audience member. Both in Paris and Bristol I discovered writers with different sensibilities, styles, and subjects. I felt for the first time ever like I was an “American” writer.
Consume more art
When you visit a place like Europe there’s the unnaturally high consumption of art—daily museums, architecture, music. I consume a lot of art already but I’m lucky to get in 1 artistic outing a week. Imagine how creative you would be if you did this as intentionally in your own town?
Traveling forces us out of what is familiar and makes our brains work differently. I think that keeps us young, vital, and full of creative juice and wonder. The trick is to be filled with wonder in the day to day, too. Working on that!
Happy end of summer! I hope to travel with you soon!
Xoxo
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August 7, 2018
“The Rapture” in Open: Journal of Arts and Letters
Artwork: “The Unknown God” by Gary Van Haas
The Rapture
by Nancy Stohlman
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When St. Joe, Missouri was announced as the Best Place Ever to watch the rapture, the people felt chosen. Not since Lady Gaga had come to Kansas City had they felt so special.
No one was exactly sure what would happen. Some thought it would be a fiery ball dropping from the sky, or ash blocking out the sun until they all choked, or floods, earthquakes, hurricanes or volcanic eruptions. As the day of final judgement drew closer, Motel 6 jacked up its prices to 800$ a night, the porn shop repaved the parking lot, and gun shops ran out of both guns and ammo. Red Lobster, the nicest restaurant in town, put gluten free items on the menu. Dunkin Donuts, overwhelmed by it all, just said fuck it and shut down.
Half a million people descended upon St. Joe. They came with rapture glasses, rapture t-shirts (prepare for the rapture with Pepsi!), and rapture key chains, booking out the KOA and every hotel room in town. When the grass was all claimed the people started pitching tents right on the concrete; rooftops became prime real estate. Dan Rather showed up in a RV. Matthew McConaughey and Jennifer Lawrence were spotted raving about “untouched Americana” and eating a hot dog for the first time ever.
The day of the rapture everyone was ready. Some had UV glasses, some had hazmat suits, some were naked and meditating. Some boarded up their windows and the tornado sirens sounded for good measure and everyone waited outside, watching the sky. Crowding the streets and waving fireball pompoms and trying to shove rapture pancakes in their mouths.
As the rapture was about to begin the sky became covered in thick black clouds. It will blow over they assured, twitching. Then a rumor swept through the town that Beatrice, just one hour north, was a much better place to see the rapture. People dropped their pancakes mid bite and fled to their cars and flooded the highways, which became gridlocked almost instantly for 40 miles in either direction, leaving St. Joe like an exhausted whore.
Some that remained put on their UV glasses anyway just in case and they were lucky because hundreds of people went blind without seeing a thing.
About the writer:
Nancy Stohlman is the author of the flash fiction collection The Vixen Scream and Other Bible Stories (2014), the flash novels The Monster Opera (2013) and Searching for Suzi (2009), and three anthologies including Fast Forward: The Mix Tape (2010), which was a finalist for a 2011 Colorado Book Award. She is the creator and curator of The Fbomb Flash Fiction Reading Series and the creator of FlashNano in November. She teaches college in Denver and Boulder. Her newest book, Madam Velvet’s Cabaret of Oddities, is coming in the fall of 2018.
Image: “The Unknown God” by Gary Van Haas. Van Haas was born in Los Angeles. In his paintings, he combines an illusionary vocabulary with non-objective subject matter as a way to impress color and collage, which instead of relying mainly on imagery, responds formally and expressively to the illusionist idea of surrealist space and time.