I’ve just signed the contract, so I get to tell the world. My story “Re-stitched” has been accepted by Split Lip Magazine. It’s always a thrill when a story finds a home. But for me this particular acceptance is extra special. From 2012 through 2014, I wrote a series of six stories for the annual Art & Words Show. “Re-stitched” is the last story in that series to be published. Like many of those six stories, it has grown a bit since I first presented. In this particular case, the title has even changed!
Below are the six stories and their associated art work.
“Drinking Grandma’s Tea” Bartleby Snopes (free online)
Mourning Cup by Stacy Tompkins
Stone, glass, steel, bone, sisal, binding thread, cork, fabric, tea, ash, black pepper, cayenne paper
“Ghost Bubbles” Bartleby Snopes (free online)
Margarita con Iluvia by Maria Regina Ruiz
Oil on canvas
“The Faces Between Us” Interzone
The Faces Between Us by Brian Pierce
Acrylic on canvas
“Re-stitched” (originally “Cat Logic”) Split Lip Magazine
Cat Logic by Kris Goto
Pencils on paper
“Crash Landing” Flashquake (defunct)
Theater in the Mountain by Jose Luis Torres
Digital art
“Paradigm Shift” Electric Velocipede (more info)
Paradigm Shift by Trayce Cochrane
Ink, watercolor, acrylic on birch wood
The Art & Words Show is a special experience, both for participants and for attendees. Some years I’ve been a participant, others an attendee. It is always inspiring.
The show has been featured in Poets & Writers, and for good reason. To quote the curator, Bonnie Stufflebeam:
“I accept ten-twelve visual pieces of art and ten-twelve written pieces (poetry, flash fiction, and flash nonfiction). Each writer whose work I chose then picks, from the visual submissions, one piece of visual art on to use as inspiration to compose a new written work. Each visual artist then chooses one of the written pieces to use as inspiration for a second visual work. This silent collaboration produces about forty-four incredible, original works of art and words, which are displayed at Art on the Boulevard in Fort Worth, Texas, for one week. An opening reception is held the first night of the show.”
It’s an amazing experience.
Update: The 2018 show will take place on Saturday, September 29!