Speed Not Always Virtue in The Writing Life; Tornadoes (Sort Of) at Thurs. Spoken Word

So the time to acceptance was not bad at all. The story, a science fiction reprint, “Final Entry,” originally published in FANTASTIC COLLECTIBLES way back in February 1992, went out to Burial Books for a not-yet-titled science fiction anthology on March 22, with the acceptance zipping back only weeks later on April 8. We loved your story “Final Entry” and hope that it is still available for our anthology. However. . . .

The “however” was: [I]t is going to take a us a bit longer than anticipated to get enough stories for this science fiction anthology. Therefore, would you be willing to sign a contract and receive payment now knowing that the anthology will likely be next year (Fall of 2026) before it’s published? It looks like it will take that long to get enough quality stories. Would that work for you?

A worthy goal in any event! And besides, a wait of a year and a half for a book to be released is hardly a record, so back my reply went — in effect, Why not?

And then this evening (well, yesterday, probably, when this gets published — is there maybe a lesson here?) came the Bloomington Writers Guild’s “Second Thursday Spoken Word Series” (cf. March 14, et al.) with first featured reader, 2024 Speculative Play & Just Futurities Scholar-in-Residence and 2022 Frontier Poetry Global Poetry Prize finalist Thomas Kneeland, author as well of WE BE WALKIN’ BLACKLY IN THE DEEP, Founding Editor-In-Chief of THE ELEVATION REVIEW, and an armload of publication credits, presenting selections from “a manuscript looking for a home,” along with another still in progress on reminiscences and other takes on life, often with an Afro-Cuban perspective, on childhood memories, coming of age, his mother, and other such reminiscences.

He was followed by Indiana author of IN CELEBRATION OF THE DEATH OF FAERIES and THE GUY: PRIVATE EDITION, many-time published in poetry anthologies, and currently an editor of THE HOWLING OWL as well as Director on the Board for Indiana Writers Center, Marilyn Wolf, with readings from THE GUY, followed with CELEBRATIONS, in a somewhat less contemplative style, a bit brasher, louder — one even composed of short 1-line rhymes — with a faster, more “modern” tone, although with a feeling of wisdom as well.

Then after the break, including a musical interlude by guitarist/singer Jack Carl, it was “Open Mic” time with me fourth of nine readers with two shortish poems, the somewhat cheeky “Tornado Warning” (it’s a tough life out there, even for wind storms), itself from a recent Writers Guild “Third Sunday Write” prompt albeit one turned a bit on its head, and to be more serious (as well, I hope, more literary) an American sonnet with jazzy flavorings, “Erato in Shades.”