March 2022 is ending here in Los Angeles with both rain and sunshine, which feels like a hopeful sign. Another hopeful sign: our WWS members are, as always, consistently sending out their work and publishing in fantastic markets.
I’ve included an excerpt from published pieces (if available) or a blurb if the publication is a book, and a link (if available) to where the pieces can be purchased and/or read in their entirety.
Please join me in celebrating our members who published in March!
Congratulations to Ashley Perez, whose personal essay “Our Bodies, Our Grief” appeared in Air/Light Magazine.
The day I went to pick up my papa’s ashes, I didn’t know what I was supposed to do. The box was surprisingly small, and when I touched it, the tips of my fingers pulsed as if with a live current. I put the ashes in the complimentary tote bag and held it to my stomach; I absorbed the weight of the mahogany-colored plastic box and felt it sit there like a heavy stone. After dropping it off with my dad, I stopped at a burger place near the house where I used to live. I ate as if the world was ending in five minutes. I wanted to throw up. I couldn’t understand why people were walking in slow motion, why there were no sounds coming from them, even when I could hear the birds. Everything smelled rotten. Everything looked like a desaturated photo.
Congratulations also to DĂ©sirĂ©e Zamorano, whose blog post “The Art of Rumination” appeared in Women Who Submit’s Breathe and Push column.
How do you deal with your emotional wounds? For me, as a writer, telling what I hope are emotionally engaging stories, doesn’t that mean the wounds need to be examined from all angles? Prodded, to see where the most tender parts are, and returned to, over and over again, even if the wound has healed?
Kudos to Wendy Van Camp, whose poem “Cats Are Not Allowed in Paradise” appeared in The Junction.
entering the garden
coffee cup mist wafts
as daybreak warms my face
the cast iron chair is cold and sturdy
the grit of dust polishes my legs
in pools of light, splashes of color engulf me
A few months ago, my friend was talking about tall, lanky white guys having a moment — think Pete Davidson (6’3″) and Machine Gun Kelly (6’4″). Maybe Kim Kardashian and Megan Fox onto something, she mused.
A shout out to Maylin Tu, whose article “Are Tall Skinny Dudes the Best Cuddlers?” appeared in InStyle.
I instantly thought about my ex-boyfriend from college who was 6’4″ and very skinny. I don’t always go for tall guys, but he was the most amazing cuddle I have ever had. (For reference, I’m 5’4″, so the height difference was significant.) He would wrap himself around me like Gumby, all arms and legs, as we cuddled for hours watching the Evil Dead trilogy. He was the unicorn of cuddlers — we could spoon and his arm wouldn’t fall asleep. I still think about him to this day.
Congrats also to VK Lynne, whose poem “Still/Preservation” appeared in Acid Verse.
Kudos to Carly DeMento, whose poem “Lithium Valley” appeared in San Diego Poetry Annual.
At the end of the San Andreas,
we make grapefruits out of dust,
cantaloupes from sand.
Our dreams pour into the desert
to pound For Sale signs onto
beach front lots.
Congratulations to Donna Spruijt-Metz, whose poem “I Find This in My Mother’s Effects” appeared in Tab Journal. To listen to Donna read her poem, please click here.
Congrats also to Laura Sturza, whose personal essay “You Always Signed Your Letters, ‘Love, Dad'” appeared in Lunch Ticket.
Hi Dad,
When you died, I figured there wasn’t any point in writing to you. But since the world broke down last year, everything has shifted, including how I want to communicate with you. I know it’s been a while since I last wrote to you. Yes, I know—15 years. You value precision.
A shout out to Tisha Marie Reichle-Aguilera, whose short story “Flaming Dreams” appeared in Rabid Oak.
After Patrick’s Pub closed, Leticia pulled all her curls into a thick rubber band and scowled at her reflection in the beer mirror. A large grease stain smeared across the middle of her green t-shirt. Damn potato skins. And the customer who ran into her. She wiped the worn wooden tables, fantasized about college in California. She’d rather be there instead of here under the growling yellow lights. But Dad couldn’t afford to pay another server right now. And she still hadn’t heard from the summer program or the financial aid office about her appeal. She saved her tips but worried her dreams were going to disintegrate like the cheap laminate finish of the bar’s ancient furniture.
Kudos to Jenise Miller, whose article “Enjoy Nature With Your Kids at These 4 Outdoor Spaces in the Compton Area” appeared in PBS SoCal.
With 16 parks across the City of Compton — many equipped with community centers, swimming pools and water slides, gyms, a skate park, a par 3 golf course and the largest Dodgers Dreamfield — almost 60% of Compton residents live within half a mile of a park.
That percentage is slightly higher than the L.A. County average of 49%. There are at least six additional parks and green spaces right outside of the Compton city border. These spaces, such as Earvin “Magic” Johnson Park, are considered part of the Compton community because of their proximity and accessibility to Compton neighbors.