All of the titles mentioned in this blog post (with the exception of out-of-print books) can be found here: http://astore.amazon.com/wileymag – Look under the category, “2012 List” (I know. Some of you don’t like Amazon. That’s fine. You can buy these books anywhere you choose to buy them. Thanks.) * * * It is Christmas Eve Day and if you haven’t finished buying gifts for the special writer in your life (or, yourself) then it’s too late! This isn’t one of those, “Hurry, it’s

I was privileged to hear today’s guest, Dominique Traverse Locke, read from her graduating thesis. I remember very clearly that I was inspired to laugh and moved to tears by her words. <img class="size-medium wp-image-1116 lazyload" title="DSC_0093a" src="https://ericswyatt.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/dsc_0093a.jpg?w=261" alt="" width="261" height="300" /> Poet Dominique Traverse Locke is the author of the chapbook, The Goodbye Child, available now, and the forthcoming book,

My friend and fellow Queens University of Charlotte MFA writer, Kelly Fordon, has a poetry chapbook available for purchase. Those of you who know me well know that I’m not GREAT with the poetry slice of the creative writing pie. It is one area where I feel least-able to offer critique or even respond beyond a, “Hey, I kinda like that one.” But, this is a book of poetry that I’ll be ordering. Why? For one, Kelly is a friend, and I want to support her work. Beyond that, though,

January is quickly coming to a close. While I pursued my MFA, I kept a reading log. It was a requirement of the program, and it was interesting to look back at the end of two years and realize how much literature I had consumed. As I make the transition into the post-MFA writing life, I feel the freedom to read the long list of books I’ve accumulated, the books I want to read, but I also want to be sure I am able to maintain a diverse balance of literature to fuel the creativ

The Front Porch Journal is an online literary magazine published by Texas State University in San Marcos. They publish three or four times a year, with a mixture of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, book reviews, and interviews, including audio and video features from time to time. They’ve been publishing since 2006 and the current issue online (as of this writing) is Number 18. This issue has two fiction pieces, Louanne’s Baby by Jacqueline Doyle, and Moth by Zoe Miller. Check t

There is some fine fiction (and poetry and non-fiction) at storySouth, and this week I’m highlighting the headliner short fiction story for Issue 31 (Spring 2011): And the Rain Fell Through Her Fingers, by Richard E. Dansky (story link below). First Lines: “I miss you,” she told me, and the phone crackled static into my ear. “I miss you too,” Really, it was all I could say. “Is the hotel room nice, at least?” “There’s no cable. For two hundred bucks a night, you’d think there