Welcome to all readers, old and new. Felt it was high time to send out an update, since we now have over 300 followers and more than 30 registered writers.
As before, if you receive this only via email you may see some rather boring text links below. Whereas if you find the “open in browser” option you can see the title pictures too (well, that’s how it was supposed to work — can’t seem to make it happen, so enjoy those boring text links!).
Let’s dive right in with a warm hello to new writers since the last newsletter, no fewer than twelve of them!
I was delighted to welcome Michael Stang to the publication. I’m sure I found him via a Starkey introduction, and was pleased I had. He has quickly become one of my favourite poets on the platform, and is no slouch with his fiction contributions either. Top qualities? The density of meaning he packs in and the adventurous construction of every phrase and sentence. See for yourself.
A.M.E brings with her a varied back-catalogue of fiction and personal experience. One of the most effective pieces was her account of an eighteen-month struggle with a heinous landlord.
Ben Youlten has a refreshing and original voice, always an interesting read across the range of topics he covers. I was especially moved by his heartfelt tribute to a departed childhood friend.
Ha ha ha, Mark Starlin, one of my favourite Medium and Twitter wits, branched out with a thoughtful poem on the “glass half empty” theme. Hoping to see more of Mark’s alternative side soon.
Quirky and engaging, Julia Kantic’s first, and so far only, contribution had a higher aphorism count than I can ever remember seeing in a three-minute read. It seems like she read and absorbed wisdom from sacred texts across the globe, and then resolved not to take any of them too seriously.
https://medium.com/grab-a-slice/how-to-climb-a-tree-to-catch-a-fish-6dc7d419fe2f
Laura Johnson is a long-time supporter of Grab a Slice and its contributors, so I was thrilled when she started to submit as a writer too. She has an understated sense of humour and real perception, never more in evidence than when she navigates the roller-coaster of her personal history.
Carefully constructed and beautifully illustrated, Gayumi Wijewardana’s poems will lift you up or open your eyes to new insights. Be sure to follow her feed, as not everything she writes goes into any publication.
https://medium.com/grab-a-slice/beautiful-hunger-4ac952a0a8cd
Just making it through the day and keeping your head above water can be challenging in today’s crazy times, and mental health issues are among the principal themes running through Grab a Slice submissions. Caroline Stewart’s well-thought-out contributions are a welcome addition to this topic.
https://medium.com/grab-a-slice/mental-illness-is-not-a-choice-4920bf00a111
An accomplished humourist, Matt Youth was lured our way from his regular spots in Muddyum and The Haven to give us his take on the incomprehensible blindness of burglars to what is truly of value.
https://medium.com/grab-a-slice/please-steal-my-novel-bddfcd9f9470
There’s so much to appreciate in Thalia Dunn’s delicate verses. I have never before seen the technique of weaving another poet’s lines into your own unique homage. But the standout poem for me is this melancholy reflection of marital disconnection (at least, that’s how I read it).
Jayzel F. writes very convincingly on the craft of writing, but I’m a sucker for very short stories with a hint of mystery, so the piece I’ll highlight is exactly that.
https://medium.com/grab-a-slice/too-late-to-tell-8c68472e6008
Any reader of my fiction output knows that I just love stories on the outer bounds of possibility, delivered in a deadpan way that leaves people wondering whether the event really happened. Well, I’ve met my match in Craig King, who has already submitted a few pieces which fit that mould entirely, and moreover have remained as images etched on my consciousness. Check them all out, but start here.
https://medium.com/grab-a-slice/perpetual-storm-4446f642f5ea
It’s all about the writers
Yes, we are privileged to have collected such a distinguished stable of authors here at Grab a Slice (though unstable might be the better collective noun in some respects).
And the door hasn’t yet been bolted. The rigorous selection process is basically just you sending me an email at mkelly@regulatoryadvice.co.uk and asking to be added. The universe is ensuring that the right people get to send that mail!
Writers who have contributed nothing yet, or a single piece — remember we are still here and eagerly awaiting your submissions. I have eased back on my own writing for a few reasons. I’ve exhausted all the picaresque tales from my earlier years, and haven’t yet started creating those of my twilight phase. And I don’t feel like commenting on world events until I know which puppetmaster is pulling my strings.
But that hasn’t stopped me being parked at least twelve hours a day in front of my laptop, ready to give you a prompter publication than you’ll find anywhere that you don’t personally control.
So, give us a(nother) whirl.
And please, please, go and max clap your fellow writers when you see them appear here. If all writers supported each other in this way, then every article would join the 1k club right off the bat. I might even reach those dizzy heights myself for the first time.
Take care and stay safe — just kidding about this being the last newsletter, in case you were worried.
