Chris Abouzeid's Blog, page 3

The Wisdom of Peace

Randy Susan Meyers “I speak not for myself but for those without voice… those who have fought for their rights… their right to live in peace, their right to be treated with dignity, their right to equality of opportunity, their right to be educated.” Malala Yousafzai “If you want to ...

A Gathering of Literary Holiday Cards – Redux

Illustration: iatsun – iStockphoto By Chris Abouzeid It’s that season again, when we not only get to use our favorite linguistic ring of power–holiday–to bind Christmas, Hannukah, and Kwanzaa together, but we also have a great excuse to show off the huge collection of holiday cards that pour into BTM’s ...

On Being Empty: When A Writer Isn’t Writing

  By Robin Black   I am empty right now. I have been empty for months. I have no stories inside me, none that are anxious or even willing to emerge. My imagination has taken on aspects of a phantom limb. Occasionally, I feel a twinge, but when I try ...

Top 14 Books of 2014

By Jenna Blum Dearest ones! It’s that time of year again–to FREAK THE F OUT BECAUSE YOU STILL NEED PRESENTS FOR PEOPLE ON YOUR EVER-LOVIN’ LIST! Never fear, stressed Santas. You may have heard that #BooksMakeGreatGifts, and since you no doubt do not have time to sit down and read ...

The Space Between

  By Marlene Adelstein A friend and I — both having finished writing novels close to the same time — found ourselves commiserating about the unsettled spot in which we found ourselves. We had sent our manuscripts out to agents and were waiting and worrying. Waiting for good news. Worrying ...

Living at The Intersection of Emotion & Creativity: Why I Document Infant Loss

by Aileen Reilly Processing truth and pain has always been an important part of self-expression to me. At a very young age, I lost my father. And it wasn’t as if he died, rather, he walked away and decided not to be a father any more. As I grew older, ...

The Little Hashtag That Could: #FridayReads

by Bethanne Patrick I began tweeting “What are you reading? #FridayReads” when I was confined to bed with a broken leg after a 2009 auto accident. The break in the bone wasn’t too serious, but the damage to my knee ligaments was so bad that my orthopedist advised me to ...

Your Lit Mag Starter Kit, Part III: Actively Seeking Diversity

By Becky Tuch In a recent open letter to The Paris Review, Shannon Barber wrote, “Dear Whitey and other assorted Whiteys…Right now just about every Black person I know is in pain. We have to see on social media how many of our sometimes beloved friends are racists. We have ...

Fifteen Bookish (& Arty) Gifts for the Holidays

  By Randy Susan Meyers Avoiding malls at holiday time can be your best treat. Small shopping, with artists & small shops—or library shops!—is a treat for all. Below, a sampling of ways to do good, gift friends and family with love, and do it all in your pj’s online. ...

Writing Sports When You Aren’t Sporty

By Nichole Bernier There comes a time in every writer’s manuscript when a character needs to do something the writer knows nothing about. A protagonist’s career is the the obvious thing—say, writing a character as a nuclear physicist, if you don’t happen to be one, yourself. The writer who tackles ...