Publications and End of Year

Howdy readers! 2024 is almost to a close, so I have some final updates and some reflections of the year.

First update is that Cursed Cooking: A Horror Community Cookbook and Food Horror Anthology by Cat Eye Press was released! And….it sold out fast!! I believe more hardback cover books are going to available in the future based on an update I saw from the publisher but super cool! I hope readers also get a chance to make my ube cookie recipe! The publication is also looking for slush readers, so apply if you want to read some horror!

Next, I had a poem published with Opal Age Tribune: Performance. I really liked the theme of “performance” and the various ways it could be interpreted. The poem that got accepted was “A Closet Waltz” which explores my LGBT identity and ways I perform (and don’t) this identity. I used stage cues throughout the piece to show times when I feel comfortable being “out” and times when I feel uncomfortable. Living in Indiana, I don’t always know who I can trust with my identity and if I will be accepted or accosted. After my local library had book bans on mostly LGBT+ books, I felt even less sure in my community. You can read the digital issue on their site: https://www.opalagetribune.com/performance/#melinda-waltz

Next, I had my poem “Are You There, Godot? It’s Me, Speck” published in Underbelly Press Issue #2. Underbelly Press publishes “raw works that capture the gritty, everyday struggles and realities of ordinary lives.” I really liked resonated and enjoyed this concept so I decided to submit a few things. My poem that was published has been rattling around the editing block for a bit, poor thing! The title is a play on two references: the play “Waiting for Godot” and “Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret.” I really enjoyed “Waiting for Godot” but I’m gonna be honest, I don’t think I ever read a single Judy Blume book but the title is snappy, so there we are! (if the book is good, let me know, I can add it to my to-read list!)

Anyway, my poem explores the human polarity of self-importance versus straight up nihilism. Nihilism is a world where you are most valued by what you can produce (a.k.a how much money can be squeezed from and out of you) but also nihilism in the realization in how completely unimportant we are in an ever-expanding, timeless universe. Sometimes I find relief that no matter what mistakes I make, I know that literally nothing matters on an universal scale. Although, a single human making ANY mistake that would impact something on a galactic level would be one hell of a fuck up! You can read the entire digital issue here: https://heyzine.com/flip-book/c6ed482270.html#page/1

This afternoon I received my Goodreads 2024 In Review which was fun! I had set out a goal to read one book a month to help me get back into reading. I was obsessed with reading as a kid and teenage, but after college and graduate school, I found it difficult to focus. With young kids at home, focus, uh, is still really hard! But I’ve learned that graphic novels is the perfect medium for me in this phase of life. It is so much easier to jump back into a book after I’ve been interrupted a few times to open a snack, or helping to reach something, or tending to a boo-boo. I also discovered that non-fiction graphic novels are my jam! I read 76 books this year!! So, I definitely met my goal this year and then some!

I really was interested in books about war and various international conflicts and I learned so much this year! I also really got into history documentaries, mostly about WWII, Ancient Rome, ancient Mesopotamia, and early Native American history. If you told me ten years ago I would enjoy unwinding by running on the treadmill and watching a documentary about the Catholic Church’s role in WWII, I would tell you that I’d lost my mind.

Upon reflecting on my books read this year, I also notice a lot of representation from various populations across the globe. I personally have mixed feelings when people read books solely for the purpose of “check marking diversity.” I’ve seen readers ask “Can any recommend a book by a ____ author so I can add it my reading list this year” or I’ve seen reading challenges that say “Read one book by a ___ author this year.” As someone who, I guess, meets some diversity check-marks, I would feel weird about someone reading a book of mine for the main purpose of crossing something of their list instead of genuinely being interested in my writing. The lumping of representation together also ignores the various aspects and facets of diversity. For example, my experiences as a third generation Mexican-American are very different from someone who just immigrated from Mexico or someone currently living in Mexico. Although Latino, someone from Mexico will have different ideas and experiences than someone from Guatemala or Argentina. This concept also applies to the LGBT+ community and neuro-diversity and I’m sure other life facets. Lastly, I also find it a little surprising that people need to even ask for recommendations for diverse books and authors. I’m currently reading a book about Che and I didn’t set out to read a book from a Mexican illustrator or about an Argentino. Instead I saw the book at the library and thought, “That’s cool. I somehow went through my liberal arts college without learning much about Che so I should check this out.” It’s an organic experience and an organic curiosity to learn more, not a groomed check-list.

Now, I’m probably being a curmudgeon on this topic, so you can let me know how you feel about these kinds of lists yourself and tell me to shut up and quit shaking my fist and shouting at clouds.

As for submissions this year, my list was a bit smaller this year. Last year I submitted to 101 publications and this year I submitted to 75. Out of 75, 24 were acceptances, with 26 rejections and the rest are still pending or are probably defunct/in hiatus hell. (I also still have a pending submission from the New Yorker from last year. No surprises here!) I’ve tried to be more mindful of where I’m sending my pieces because time is precious and I want the limited time I have to submit to be fruitful for both myself and the editor/publisher. My acceptance to rejection ratio has improved from last year, so I think this is showing some good progress.

This year had a lot of growth for me. A lot of expanding into my local writer community and performing gigs. The release of a new poetry book and the upcoming release of a new one in 2025! I look forward to what next year will bring and I hope it brings you, as a reader or writer or both, good tidings as well!