Fiction Writing and Poetry

Fiction Writer and Poet with Poetry Blog

GEORGE SINGLETON ON “LET’S DECONSTRUCT A STORY”

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Hi!

I am so happy to share my podcast interview with the esteemed Southern writer George Singleton. We delved into some serious subjects: the legacy of racism in the South, gun control, and substance abuse, but despite all of that we managed to laugh every now and then because he is hilarious!

(And I said the word “interesting” about a gazillion times–Why? Why did I keep saying the same word over and over again as if I was malfunctioning?)

Anyway, George taught me a lot about persevering despite the fact that he (like many of us) gets sick of his own voice. He shared an anecdote about working with C. Michael Curtis of “The Atlantic Monthly” that shocked and delighted me.

We laughed about that too.

Please read his story, “I’m Down Here on the Floor,” before you listen to the podcast on Apple, Spotify, Audible, or wherever you get your podcasts.

My apologies to StorySouth. I forgot to mention where the story was published during the podcast, but this is actually the second story in a row from StorySouth. Check out Jason Ockert’s story “The Peoplemachines” from the September 1st episode as well. Thanks to Dan Wickett of Dzanc for these suggestions!

Also, here’s a link to The Atlantic Monthly story George mentioned called “Show and Tell.” I think the paywall might be down now (?) but I subscribe to that magazine so someone needs to let me know.

*Warning: There is some profanity on this episode, folks.

See you next month when I’ll be talking to Bonnie Jo Campbell about her story, “Boar Taint,” from The Kenyon Review.

Cheers,

Kelly

Bio: George Singleton has published eight collections of stories, two novels, and a book of writing advice. Over 200 of his stories have appeared in magazines such as the Atlantic Monthly, Harper’s, Playboy, the Georgia Review, the Southern Review, the Cincinnati Review, and elsewhere. He is the recipient of a Pushcart Prize, a Guggenheim fellowship, the Hillsdale Award from the Fellowship of Southern Writers, and the Corrington Award for Literary Excellence. He lives in Spartanburg, SC, where he holds the John C. Cobb Chair in Humanities at Wofford College. Please find his books on Bookshop or Amazon.

We are so grateful to sound engineer Elliot Bancel for his work on this episode. If you need help with your podcast, please find his contact information here.

CHAD B. ANDERSON ON “LET’S DECONSTRUCT A STORY”

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Chad B. Anderson

Chad B. Anderson’s story “The Kelley Street Disappearances” has been lodged in my brain for almost a decade, so I decided to track him down, and I was so grateful when he agreed to be on the podcast. I’m sure if you are an avid reader like me, you know how rare it is to have a story resonate for that long. I hope you feel the same way I do about this one!

Thanks also to LDAS-featured writer, Robin Martin, for sending me the story many years ago.

For the first time with this podcast, in the interest of fostering our community of writers, I sent the story to all of my previous guests. LDAS-featured writers, Desiree Cooper and Renee Simms, weighed in with a couple of really compelling questions for Chad. You can check out my interviews. with Desiree and Renee here as well.

Also, I’m grateful to Renee for mentioning the story, Recitatif by Toni Morrison, which I had not read, and the stunning New Yorker essay about the story by Zadie Smith.

Salamander Magazine has kindly removed the paywall for “The Kelley Street Disappearances.” Please find it here.

CHAD-B-ANDERSON-STORY-ONLYDownload

Thanks so much to the managing editor, Katie Sticca, for helping us keep this podcast accessible.

**Salamander runs a fiction contest every year that runs from May 1 – June 1, with results announced by early September. Anyone interested can find more information on the website salamandermag.org.

Please check out the Let’s Deconstruct a Story podcast on Spotify, Apple, Audible, or wherever you get your podcasts after you read the story, and if you have a chance to rate the show, I would really appreciate it.

On October 1st, I will be talking with George Singleton about his short story, “I’m Down Here on the Floor” in StorySouth. Thanks to Dan Wickett of Dzanc Books for suggesting George’s work.

On October 12th, I’m hosting a Zoom discussion of Jai Chakrabarti’s short story, “A Small Sacrifice for an Enormous Happiness,” sign up here.

On November 1st, Bonnie Jo Campbell visits to talk about her short story, “Boar Taint” in The Kenyon Review.

Chad has just finished editing this wonderful anthology. Check it out:

What’s Mine of Wilderness?

Bio: Chad B. Anderson has published fiction in Salamander Review, Black Warrior Review, Nimrod International Journal, The Best American Short Stories 2017, Clockhouse, and Burrow Press Review, and he has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize. He has had residencies at the Ledig House International Writers’ Colony, the Jack Kerouac House in Orlando, Florida, and the Carolyn Moore Writers House in Portland, Oregon. He has served as an acting managing editor for Callaloo: Journal of African Diaspora Arts and Letters and a guest editor for Burrow Press Review and is currently an associate fiction editor for Orison Books. He edited and penned the introduction for an anthology of art, poetry, and prose titled What’s Mine of Wilderness?, published by Burrow Press in 2023. Born and raised in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, he earned his B.A. in American Studies and English from University of Virginia and his M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Indiana University, where he served as fiction editor for Indiana Review. He currently lives in Michigan.

If you would like to donate the show (and even earmark it for transcription services) you can make a donation here on this page (see right hand column.)

Thank you so much! Kelly.

JASON OCKERT ON “LET’S DECONSTRUCT A STORY”

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Jason Ockert

Hi Everyone,

I’m happy to welcome Jason Ockert to show! We discussed his story, “The Peoplemachines” in storySouth Spring 2023. It blew me away! Who reminds me of a modern-day ⁠Agathocles⁠??…hmmmm….I can’t imagine.

Please read the story (available below) before listening to our discussion. Thank you SO MUCH to storySouth for publishing this thought-provoking dystopian story. It will stay with me.

Thanks also to Dan Wickett of ⁠Dzanc Books⁠ for recommending Jason’s work.

⁠The Peoplemachines by Jason Ockert ⁠

Afterward, look for the podcast on Apple, Spotify, Audible, or wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks to ⁠Elliot Bancel⁠, audio engineer extraordinaire for his meticulous work.

***

In other news…

Coming up in the near future: Interviews with Chad B. Anderson and George Singleton.

Also, I was thrilled to visit the podcast ⁠Homespun Haints⁠, where I tried hard but didn’t even make it through half of my Irish ghost stories. Saving a few for a later date! Becky and Diana are so fun–if you have any ghost stories, you should definitely contact them ⁠here⁠.

One last thing I wanted to mention, Susan Perabo (a past guest and extraordinary writer) is featured on Symphony Space here. This story is not to be missed.

Cheers,

Kelly

PSS: Looking for ways to support LDAS? Send us a one-time or recurring donation. We (meaning me…it’s just me) would ⁠really appreciate it! ⁠

Bio: Jason Ockert is the author of the novel Wasp Box and three collections of short stories: Shadowselves, Neighbors of Nothing, and Rabbit Punches. His fiction has appeared in Best American Mystery Stories, Granta, Oxford American, One Story, and McSweeney’s. He teaches at Coastal Carolina University.

You can purchase Jason’s books here on my ⁠Bookshop⁠.

Your Host: Kelly Fordon’s latest short story collection I Have the Answer (Wayne State University Press, 2020) was chosen as a Midwest Book Award Finalist and an Eric Hoffer Finalist. Her 2016 Michigan Notable Book, Garden for the Blind, (WSUP), was an INDIEFAB Finalist, a Midwest Book Award Finalist, Eric Hoffer Finalist, and an IPPY Awards Bronze Medalist. Her first full-length poetry collection, Goodbye Toothless House, (Kattywompus Press, 2019) was an Eyelands International Prize Finalist and an Eric Hoffer Finalist and was adapted into a play, written by Robin Martin, which was published in The Kenyon Review Online. http://www.kellyfordon.com Find her books here on Bookshop, Amazon, or Audible.

Read more: JASON OCKERT ON “LET’S DECONSTRUCT A STORY”
The Peoplemachines
The Peoplemachines

CAROLINE KIM ON “LET’S DECONSTRUCT A STORY”

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Hi Everyone!

I’m thrilled to welcome Caroline Kim on the podcast today! We will be reviewing her story “Motherhood” which is available for free from August 1st-31st on the Story Magazine website. Thank you, Michael Nye!

Caroline is also the winner of the Drue Heinz Literature Prize for her collection, The Prince of Mournful Thoughts and Other Stories. I was blown away by the whole book, and highly recommend it. Check it out at Bookshop here here or Amazon here.

Before listening to the podcast, please read “Motherhood” here.

Then please join us on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, or wherever you get your podcasts! Please follow the show to receive updates on upcoming episodes. We appreciate your support.

In September, I’ll be talking to Jason Ockert. Stay tuned for more information!

Happy summer to you all!

Kelly

PS: If you aren’t a member of George Saunders’ Substack, and you are a short story writer, you are missing out! It’s the ultimate master class with the master! Also, gazillions of his followers recommended stories last week on his site, and who was there? Claire Keegan (!!!) recommending this one: http://johnnyworthen.com/SharedResources/LLWRC780/TheLedge.pdf

CAROLINE KIM is the author of a collection of short stories about the Korean diaspora, The Prince of Mournful Thoughts and Other Stories, which won the 2020 Drue Heinz Prize in Literature, was a finalist for the Northern California Book Award, the Janet Heidinger Award for Fiction, and was long listed for both the PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize and The Story Prize. She has an MFA in Poetry from the University of Michigan where she was a recipient of a Hopwood Award and an MA in Fiction from UT Austin where she was a Michener Fellow. Her writing has appeared or is forthcoming in Georgia Review, New England Review, Story, TriQuarterly, Lithub, The Rumpus, The Millions, Pleiades, Porter House Review, MANOA, The Michigan Quarterly Review, Spinning Jenny, Meridian, Faultline, Pidgeonholes, The Bare Life Review, Santa Monica Review, and elsewhere. She has lived on the East Coast, Midwest, and Texas but now makes her home in Northern California with her family. ​

Upcoming Schedule

/ kfor24

Hi Everyone,

I am taking the month of July off to rest and catch up on some reading, and hope you have a chance to do the same. Before I go I wanted to let you know that starting on August 1st, “Let’s Deconstruct a Story” will be featuring some stellar writers.

Get ready to dive into fantastic work by:

Caroline Kim

George Singleton

Jason Ockert

Bonnie Jo Campbell

Katherine Vaz

Leigh Newman

Jai Chakrabarti

Sheila Kohler

Tim Tomlinson

Richard Butner

and more!

Please subscribe to the newsletter here and on Apple, Spotify, Audible or wherever you get your podcasts. I would also greatly appreciate it if you would let your fellow writers and creative writing instructors know about the podcast too.

Happy summer to you!

Kelly

ANNA CARITJ ON “LET’S DECONSTRUCT A STORY”

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Hi Everyone,

I’m thrilled to host fiction writer, Anna Caritj this month on “Let’s Deconstruct a Story.” The Sewanee Review has graciously taken down the paywall for Anna’s story for the month of June so you can read the story all month for free!

They have also offered readers/listeners of LDAS 10% off a subscription to The Sewanee Review with the code: SISTER. I am definitely going to take advantage of the offer, and hope you will too. We are so grateful to them!

Before listening to our discussion, please read the story “Ugly Sister” here at The Sewanee Review.

And then enjoy our discussion below on Spotify, Apple, Audible, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Spotify

Let’s Deconstruct a Story featuring Anna Caritj

Apple

In the coming months, I will be talking with Caroline Kim, George Singleton, Jason Ockert, and Bonnie Jo Campbell, so make sure to sign up for the newsletter here if you would like to be notified about upcoming episodes. I’m always looking for new writers, so if you have any suggestions, or a book coming out, you can reach me at kfrodon450@gmail.com.

Thanks!

Kelly

Bio: Anna Caritj is the author of Leda and the Swan (Riverhead, 2021). She holds a BA from the University of Virginia, where she studied English and Spanish literature, and an MFA from Hollins University. She received the Andrew Lytle Prize for her story “Ugly Sister” in 2022, the Wagenheim Fiction Prize in 2012, and was a winner of the AWP 2016 Intro Journals Project. She grew up in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, where much of her work takes place. She lives in Idaho, where she is an assistant professor in the MFA and undergraduate creative writing programs at Boise State University. https://www.annacaritj.com/

PS:

The audiobook edition of my short story collection I Have the Answer is out on Audible. I was thrilled to read four of the stories and the other nine are narrated by incredible voice actors. You can access the audiobook at the link above, but I also have a few free promo codes left. Feel free to email me if you are interested at kfordon450@gmail.com. Thanks!

AUDIOBOOK LAUNCH!!!

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Hi Everyone,

This month I’m taking a pause from Let’s Deconstruct a Story to launch my audiobook I Have the Answer.

The print edition of my short story collection, I Have the Answer, came out from Wayne State University Press (@WSUPress) in April 2020.

Not an auspicious time for a launch.

It was tough, even though I had a fantastic publicist, Gregory Henry, who landed many online gigs. I was very grateful to him, but it was not the same as launching a book in the real world.

In 2022, I decided I wanted to give the book a second shot at life, and WSUP generously offered me the rights to the audiobook. Now I have some intel on the process, and I’d love to share a little bit for the other writers out there who may be considering this route.

First, I have to say that with very limited funding–I had already paid for a publicist–I had to rely on ACX, which is an affiliate of Amazon (audible). I would have preferred to offer the book on libro.fm or through another independent venue, but honestly, for financial reasons, I had no choice. Signing an exclusive contract with Audible was by far the cheapest option.

On ACX, narrators post auditions and you can choose the narrator for your audiobook. Luckily I have a friend (shout out to Robin Martin) who introduced me to @DeniceStradling and she kindly narrated three stories. I met @GriffinPuatu, Simone Brooks and Tom Fria through the ACX auditions. I contacted Stacey Glemboski after listening to her reading a story from Lily King’s short story collection, Five Tuesdays in Winter (@lilybooks), and I recorded four of the stories myself.

The most important component? My new friend and sound engineer extraordinaire, Elliot Bancel! I was very fortunate that Paul Bancel, a fantastic writer I met at the Springfed Arts conference last fall, introduced me to his son, Elliot. Elliot had just moved home from Chicago and was willing to help me. He was kind and patient as I attempted to read the stories myself–yikes. He also sound edited and uploaded the entire collection and advised me on the purchase of a reasonable microphone and headset . In other words, without his help, the book would not exist.

If you are in need of any sound engineering help at all, I am including Elliot’s contact information below as well as samples of three of the narrators (more samples will follow in the June 1st newsletter) as well as the ACX link.

Here’s the scary part about this….

I hope after all of this, someone will purchase the book. As most writers know, we barely break even in this business, and if we do, we often consider that success. My goal is to just break even. In order to do that, I will have to sell at least 100 copies of this audiobook, which is a lot for an independent author.

Links to more information and three clips from I Have the Answer below. I’ll post the rest of the clips in June.

Let’s Deconstruct a Story returns on June 1st with a visit from Anna Caritj. We will be discussing her @sewaneereview story, “Ugly Sister.”

Cheers!

Kelly

Purchase the audiobook here.

ACX: http://www.acx.com.

You can reach sound engineer, Elliot Bancel at: elliotbancel@gmail.com

Reach out to Stacey Glemboski here.

Reach out to Griffin Puatu here.

Reach out to Denice Stradling here.

ROBIN LUCE MARTIN ON “LET’S DECONSTRUCT A STORY”

/ kfor24

Hi Everyone,

Robin and I have been good friends and writing buddies since we met at a writer’s conference in 2008. Since then, she has won numerous awards for her work and I am so thrilled to feature her brilliant writing here.

We did something a little bit different for this episode. We talked about two of her stories: “1969” featured at The New Orleans Review and “Through the Hole” a story up on PenDust Radio.

To get the most out of this podcast episode, it would be best to read and listen to these two stories first.

Many thanks to Elliot Bancel for his help editing this episode.

The podcast is available on:

Apple

Audible

Spotify

or wherever you get your podcasts!

Enjoy!

Kelly

Bio:

Robin Luce Martin’s honors for stories and novel excerpts include the Tennessee Williams Festival Story First Prize, San Francisco PEN John Keats Soul Awakening Story Competitions, Old Scores won the 2019 Novel Manuscript and Lizardmaid 2020 Eyelands International 3Rock prize. Out Like a Lion was short listed for the Dundee International Prize and the Del Sol First Novel Prize. In 2015 she co-founded the NY author reading series, https://yeahyouwriteevents.com/

Upcoming Classes:

The Poetics of Wrongness Essay One: Discussion and Generative Workshop April 8th 12-2pm

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$30.00

In her first book of critical non-fiction, The Poetics of Wrongness, poet Rachel Zucker explores wrongness as a foundational orientation of opposition and provocation. Devastating in their revelations, yet hopeful in their commitment to perseverance, these lecture-essays of protest and reckoning resist the notion of being wrong as a stopping point on the road to being right, and insist on wrongness as an analytical lens and way of reading, writing, and living that might create openness, connection, humility, and engagement. Expanded from lectures presented for the Bagley Wright Lecture Series in 2016, Zucker’s deft dismantling of outdated paradigms of motherhood, aesthetics, feminism, poetics, and politics feel prescient in their urgent destabilization of post-war thinking. In her four essay-lectures (and an appendix of selected, earlier prose), Zucker calls Sharon Olds, Bernadette Mayer, Emily Dickinson, Adrienne Rich, Alice Notley, Natalie Diaz, Allen Ginsberg, Marina Abramović, and Audre Lorde—among others—into the conversation. This book marks a turning point in Zucker’s significant body of work, documenting her embrace of the multivocality of interview in her podcasting, and resisting the univocality of the lecture as a form of wrongness in and of itself.

In this workshop, we’ll discuss the first essay in Zucker’s book during the first hour, and write a little bit ourselves during the second hour. People who would like to share their work are always encouraged to do so, but it is not required. Sign up here.

Poetry Pop-Up Workshop on April 19th: Sign up here.

Springfed Arts Six-Week Poetry workshop starts May 3rd. Sign up here.

Pick-Me-Up:

  1. This Centuries-Old Trick Will Unlock Your Productivity

Upcoming Classes: The Poetics of Wrongness Discussion and More!

/ kfor24

Hi Everyone,

I had some trouble with my store earlier this month, so I’m sending out this newsletter to let you know about some upcoming classes.

I’m offering three workshops on “The Poetics of Wrongness” in the coming months. For the first hour we will discuss one essay in the book and during the second hour we will generate some new writing and share work. See this link to sign up for one or more of these workshops. This workshop is limited to eight students.

I am also offering a Poetry Pop-Up workshop on April 12th. See this link for more information and to sign up. This workshop is limited to ten students.

The Poetics of Wrongness Essay One: Discussion and Generative Workshop April 8th 12-2pm

 / KFOR24 / EDIT

$30.00

In her first book of critical non-fiction, The Poetics of Wrongness, poet Rachel Zucker explores wrongness as a foundational orientation of opposition and provocation. Devastating in their revelations, yet hopeful in their commitment to perseverance, these lecture-essays of protest and reckoning resist the notion of being wrong as a stopping point on the road to being right, and insist on wrongness as an analytical lens and way of reading, writing, and living that might create openness, connection, humility, and engagement. Expanded from lectures presented for the Bagley Wright Lecture Series in 2016, Zucker’s deft dismantling of outdated paradigms of motherhood, aesthetics, feminism, poetics, and politics feel prescient in their urgent destabilization of post-war thinking. In her four essay-lectures (and an appendix of selected, earlier prose), Zucker calls Sharon Olds, Bernadette Mayer, Emily Dickinson, Adrienne Rich, Alice Notley, Natalie Diaz, Allen Ginsberg, Marina Abramović, and Audre Lorde—among others—into the conversation. This book marks a turning point in Zucker’s significant body of work, documenting her embrace of the multivocality of interview in her podcasting, and resisting the univocality of the lecture as a form of wrongness in and of itself.

MEGHAN LOUISE WAGNER ON “LET’S DECONSTRUCT A STORY”

/ kfor24

Hi Everyone,

This month I’m thrilled to welcome Meghan Louise Wagner to the podcast! First, because I love the story. Secondly, because I am from NE Ohio and she lives there! Yay! So happy to be promoting fellow Midwesterners.

Her story, “Elephant Seals” is available in these two places: Agni Online here or in Best American Short Stories 2022.

Please read the story first before listening to our discussion.

Please enjoy the podcast here:

Anchor

Spotify

Apple

Audible

or wherever you get your podcasts!

If you would like a written transcript of this discussion, please use the contact form to request a PDF. I have a rudimentary transcript provided by Otter (it isn’t perfect!) I can provide as an alternative to our recorded discussion.

Enjoy!

Kelly

Bio/Contributor Notes:

Meghan Louise Wagner lives in Northeast Ohio. Her work is forthcoming from or has appeared in such places as AGNI, Story, Cutleaf, Autofocus, Okay Donkey, McSweeney’s Internet Tendencies, X-R-A-Y Lit, and The Best American Stories 2022. She’s a graduate of the Northeast Ohio Master of Fine Arts program and currently teaches writing at Cleveland State University and the Cleveland Institute of Art.