Issue 4 - Some Good News

Intro

Hello friends. I can’t believe six months has passed since my last update - if you remember I originally said that I was going to post a new issue every two weeks. That was a bit ambitious of me. I would still like to keep to a regular schedule, I am just not sure what that will be…

I as I wrote in the header of this post - I have received some good news.

Good News

I entered a 50-word memoir writing competition early this year, run by the artist/poet Micki Findlay, and out of 371 stories, 25 of them (including one of mine!) have made the long list. Here is the link to read them... mine is the first one.

CONTEST ANNOUNCEMENTS | mickifindlay

Details of the short list and the overall winner will be announced soon.

It was quite a challenge to write a memoir of exactly 50 words. You were allowed to submit five pieces, and my firsts drafts each averaged 89 words or more. There was much cutting required, and it was difficult. When something is already so condensed, each line, each phrase, felt important, as if it had to be there for the story to make sense. Still, the 50-word rule had to be followed, and working within such a constraint is a very good exercise.

It was interesting to read all 25 entries in the long list, to see how others tackled the 50-word limit, and I feel they all did a marvelous job. It will be interesting to see who makes the shortlist and who is chosen as the eventual winner. I think it is going to be a very hard decision to make.

An Interesting Find!

Sometimes you come across a poem or a poet by accident. I was browsing the virtual library at Chill Subs (a great market resource for writers) when I stumbled upon this poetry zine by Joe Nasta. It had a simple green cover with the word ‘work’ written on it in biro. It is poetry written by the author while working on a boat out of Chile.

I found the whole concept really innovative, and engrossing. I have taken two screenshots, but you can flick through the whole zine at the link below.

https://issuu.com/joenasta/docs/_22work_22/2

You can find more of the poet’s works at zir website: https://stonepacificmedia.wixsite.com/joenasta

Final Thoughts!

Thank you for reading this short substack. My fingers are crossed that I get through to the next stage of the competition, although I am honestly happy to have come this far. It has given me a much-needed jolt of motivation and encouragement to keep writing and submitting, and I promise the next issue will be sooner than six months.

Warmest regards,

Adam Nathan Wieland.