Publication WHAT?

I just realized today through fortune and fancy that my short story "Red Lights" was accepted for publication by Foliate Oak Literary Magazine! The magazine uses a submission manager and I received a brief email simply stating the status of my work had been updated. Well, I didn't directly remember the password for the manager and didn't check it right away. In fact, I didn't check back on it until I received an email from the magazine asking contributors to proof their galleys for errors before the end of the month. And I thought to myself.... what? Contributor? Wait.... WAIT! *scurry scurry* Logged myself in and lo and behold!

Accepted.

That's a major win any day of the week and I am especially excited because I quite liked my little story and worked hard at the revisions. Quite pleased indeed. This is my 3rd short story publication -- hopefully the first of many, yes? Stay tuned for the November, 2011 edition of Foliate Oak Literary Magazine!

Red Room Profile

After long neglecting my Red Room profile, I've returned to it and updated and refreshed all my info, as well as adding a couple stories on my page.

Check me out!

I'm really trying to ramp up my writing online presence especially with how much I've been reading lately about how authors are now having to shoulder more responsibility in promoting and marketing their work. So I am developing my networking savvy and trying to learn more about how to promote and market my own work/blogs. Up to this point, my blogs have served more for myself to document things of importance but now I will pay more attention to sharing my blog and general online presence. Yay!

Super Productive Woman!

Okay, I've done it. I have finalized my MFA application list. For real.

1. University of Wisconsin at Madison
2. University of New Mexico
3. University of Idaho (only 4 hours away from my love!)
4. Hollins College
5. Arizona State University
6. Rosemont College
7. Mills College

See? I got it down to 7 schools and it'll only cost me, oh, $376 to apply to them all. Piece of cake, right??

Yeah.

On a cheerier note, I finished my Statement of Purpose (SOP) for Mills College. Mills and UW's application deadline is December 15th so for obvious reasons I'm doing them first. Sadly, my SOP for Mills is way better than the one for UW. I'll have to look at the UW SOP again and try and determine why it is so lackluster. It may have something to do with the fact that Mills allows up to 5 PAGES while UW is 500 words. Which makes sense considering how many applications UW receives. But in any case, it feels good to have completed a second SOP. Only 5 left to go!

I even got all fancy and organized by creating a MFA filing system of sorts. They're just regular file folders, one for each program. In each folder I've included an instruction sheet or checklist for the paper applications. For the online applications I'm just going to print the confirmation emails I receive when I submit them. I slapped a page on the front folder specifying due dates and app fees for each program and inside each folder I attached an index card so I can document the dates I submit materials -- a double check system to make sure I didn't forget anything. If that sounds hyper organized, that's because it is. I usually am not so meticulous but it's the only way to alleviate a lot of the anxiety I feel about forgetting something or keeping all the programs straight.

OY!

Oooo, I also e-mailed a UNM student asking if she would be willing to answer some questions and got a positive response. I'm hoping she'll let me do an interview format for the blog here -- since it seems so difficult to get insider information on MFA programs, it would be great to have some of that info made public so other potentials can see it. We'll see how it goes!

For Love of Show

I wrote this silly little story after thinking about all the movies I've seen about showing animals of one sort or another. "Best of Breed" is one of those comedies so I took the idea and gave it a twist. Feels good just to write something for sheer fun.

----

            “I really think I’ve got a winner this year,” said Blabberhash, waving a tentacle forearm. He was particularly large and boasted a fine variety of warts across his stout middle. Tibbins shook his dome, unconvinced. He was as thin as Blabberhash was rotund and was lacking in the warts department. However, he was a fine breeder and knew a good thing when he saw it.

            “It won’t be like last year will it? Your specimen’s conformation was terrible,” he gurgled. Blabberhash punched the code of his front door and nothing happened. Blabberhash swore and banged the console. The door finally disintegrated as it should and they entered, their tentacles leaving a satisfactory trail of slime behind them.

            “No, no – just wait, I think this year the award will be mine. ‘Course, maybe I shouldn’t be showing a fellow competitor,” Blabberhash said, regarding Tibbins suspiciously. His big gelatinous eyes bulged with indignation.

            “You’ll need this ‘competitor’ to stop you from making a fool of yourself,” Tibbins said. Blabberhash chuckled. They both knew Blabberhash did not care what other people thought of him. As was evidenced by his previous year’s specimen entries.

The door whooshed behind them and a robotic Sani-Bot popped out of a small side cupboard, quickly collecting the slimy trail with a squeegee and bucket. Ever since the Bleebens had begun recycling their slime waste, odor had decreased significantly in the cities and they were able to cultivate a new strain of riverweed using the slime fertilizer. The weed was called Thittle and it was quite delicious.

            “Wait until you see it, I’ll be ready to accept apologies,” Blabberhash said, leading the way down the front hallway. His home was a highly polished chrome color and every surface gleamed. The reliable team of Sani-Bots he had hired made sure every inch was spic and span. Ever since the Sani-Bots had unionized, many Bleebens couldn’t afford them but Blabberhash insisted that their work had greatly improved since the award of repair-care benefits. And the economy had improved with the opening of several Bot Healer Clinics in the Downtown Sector.

            “Indeed,” said Tibbens, unconvinced. They slimed their way through the front room and down another hallway. Another door disintegrated and they entered a fine courtyard, overgrown with lush Beels and a blooming Tantacle plant, who’s angry and thorny branches reached out to them as they passed. Blabberhash batted it away with a grumble.

            “Don’t those Bots tend to your plants?” said Tibbens, feeling nauseated in the overpowering stench of raw meat. The Tantacle’s blossoms quivered, heavy with fizzy flies.

            “It’s not in their contract but I’ll be sure to include it next year. I don’t quite care for gardening as I thought. And anyway, with my concentration on my excellent breeding program this rotation, I haven’t had the time,” he said. They exited through a side door in the courtyard and Tibbens was glad of it. The smell was not quite so terrible and now he could sense the faint stench of the specimen’s waste. Blabberhash was not known for having the cleanest of operations and his specimens were not very well trained. Why, just last year one of his males had defecated on the judge’s lap. The horror! Blabberhash had laughed and had also finished in final place. Tibbens ached with the thought of it. Sometimes the work of feeling embarrassed on behalf of Blabberhash was quite exhausting.

            This hallway (as Bleebens were quite fond of labrynthian designs cluttered with various hallways) led directly to the “Breeding Barn” as Blabberhash affectionately called it. Tibbens thought it was a terrible name. What was wrong with the standard “Specimen Facility” name?

            “Here we are, the contestants from last year,” Blabberhash bellowed, flapping his tentacle toward the specimen habitats which were stacked two high and five side by side.

            “Don’t remind me,” Tibbens said as they passed them. Tibbens shuddered as he looked over the specimens Blabberhash had entered last year. The same ill-trained specimen that had performed the defecating feat stuck his tongue out at Tibbens and made a rude gesture with his pink, naked hand. In fact, all the specimens were mostly naked but with a faint patch of fur between their scrawny legs and under their scrawny arms. But for the gorgeous locks that grew out of their rounded heads, the specimens would be quite ugly indeed. And most of Blabberhash’s specimens were. One was far too thin and picked at its privates with relish, while another was far too fat and if it had six tentacles it would have looked very much like Blabberhash itself. All of them had lackluster locks, mostly the color of dirt, one of a disgusting orange color. Tibbens had begged Blabberhash not to enter that one but Blabberhash had, to the horror of everyone in attendance. Which was, of course, everyone who was anyone. No one missed the annual “Specimen Performance and Confirmation Exhibition.”

            “But here we go, a fine female,” Blabberhash said, spreading three tentacles for emphasis. Tibbens sighed and peered into the exhibit. Then he gasped.

            The female specimen was of good form, with swelling shapes at the chest and hips. But, although this was quite a feat for Blabberhash in itself, the female had the most beautiful yellow hair flowing from her head. Her eyes glimmered, two faint blue orbs in its fleshy face. It was one of the most beautiful things Tibbens had ever seen. He felt a strange stirring in his vascular organ.

            “It’s amazing. How – how did you produce this?” Tibbens finally said. Blabberhash brushed away a tear of pride and blubbered his fat lips to signal his approval of Tibbens response.

            “I went to the archives and began researching origins of the specimens. I happened across an especially old text that detailed how two particularly ugly specimens could produce beautiful offspring. So I decided to take Oogoo over there and cross him with Heehoo over there and see what would happen. I discovered through my research that Oogoo was of some strange tribal lineage that was known for its savage nature, so it was one of the last lines to be collected. Heehoo was of one of the docile first specimens, so I was curious what kind of offspring they would turn out,” Blabberhash said, gazing at the female with pleasure.

            Tibbens scoffed.

            “That was your method of producing her? How simpleton. You know as well as I do that the American lineage is not yet recognized by the Council because they are too savage and disgusting. No wonder Oogoo put you at last. Have you told anyone you are breaking code?” Tibbens said, feeling disgusted at his association with Blabberhash.

            “Well, the American lineage is soon to be accepted and if I can demonstrate that such a nice specimen can be produced, I’m sure I’ll win the organs of the Council. Especially if Teena here wins First Place,” he said with a snort.

            “And Heehoo is of the Norweigan line? How interesting. But I think you will be made a fool of if anyone finds you out. And it would hardly be fair for me to let you enter her knowing you’ve been unscrupulous,” Tibbens said.

            “Dear friend, you know I’m not the first to dabble in the illegal crosses. Don’t deny that your own Viking stud was not of the most legal acquisition,” Blabberhash said, beginning to feel annoyed with Tibbens.

            Tibbens waggled his tentacles in frustration.

            “Fine! Make a fool of yourself. Maybe I’ll just make a trip to Terra next rotation and bring back the finest stock you’ve ever seen!” snapped Tibbens. He was tired and turned away, sliming his way out of Blabberhash’s ridiculous Breeding Barn.

            “Feel free to try!” Blabberhash bellowed after him. He turned his attention back to Teena, who was staring at them fearfully, her big blue eyes wide with surprise. He punched a number into the console positioned next to her exhibit and the front pane disintegrated. Teena ran to him, scurrying on her two small feet. He produced a handful of pannas, the sweet fruit that grew in his courtyard, and she took one, devouring it with two bites.

            “Do you think they would ever suspect the truth?” he whispered to her. She looked up into his bulging eyes curiously, as though trying very hard to understand him. Blabberhash felt a surge of warmth in his vascular organ.

            “If they knew, I’d probably be run out and sent to Terra myself as a traitor. Forced in live in one of your bodies,” he shuddered at the thought. “But you are the finest looking specimen ever. You even have my eyes.”

            She placed her small hand on his tentacle as though trying to comfort him. Tears welled up in his huge gelatinous blue orbs.

            “I’ve always wanted a daughter,” he said. She giggled then and Blabberhash almost swooned with pride. Yes, she would win him the organs of everyone in attendance. That much could be counted upon.

Syracuse University

Since I am in New York visiting my brother, I thought it would be convenient to make the hour and a half drive from Rochester to check out Syracuse University. Since it is on my list of MFA potentials, "seeing is believing" I thought as I arrived on campus. What I encountered was internet frustration translated to reality. Just as many MFA websites are extremely vague, there wasn't really much "hook" in the Creative Writing department at SU. And by department I mean one office tucked into the Language Arts building. The secretary informed me most of the information was available online since they are being environmentally savvy and not printing information. Okay, fine. But when I mentioned talking to faculty or students she made it clear that she had nothing to do with their scheduling and I would have to contact them and hope someone would have time to talk with me. I understand that MFA programs are often inundated with applications -- but it seems they would be well-served to provide students who actually take the time and care to show up at the school some more information and consideration. That's just my opinion I suppose but it's hard to believe that an extremely small program made up of 10-15-20+ students can't seem to pull together someone who can sit down for a conversation. That being said, the secretary was very cordial and friendly. I don't mean to imply I got the cold shoulder during my visit -- just that I was generally unimpressed with the enthusiasm to attract inquiring students. Then again, I guess if you're not hurting for applicants, why put the money into promotion or recruitment considerations.

That said, visiting SU gave me little idea of what the program is, what I might expect, and what the writing community is like. Disappointing I'm afraid. I did walk around the campus and was generally impressed with the beautiful architecture (apparently, Hogwarts is there) and historic buildings. But there was little electric. Very little "zing" about being on campus. Maybe my standards are too high but when I went to Evergreen for the first time, I remember distinctly thinking "this is it. This is where I need to be." I guess I'm just hoping for a similar experience with an MFA program. In all fairness, this is the first MFA program I've actually visited so I'll use this as a learning experience if I am able to visit other MFA programs.