Urban, Righteous, and Contemporary
Courting controversy
Hi Friends:
Because writer’s block isn’t a standard metaphorical connection, this issue includes:
A sip…
The muse contends that there is little difference between a white lie and nonsense… either way, one should not call Horsefeather…
“I’m probably a little silly, perhaps, about the banning of my books. I tend not to pay an awful lot of attention to it; most of the instances I know about fall into the category of the absurd.” — Toni Morrison
A shout out…
Versatility suggests that one be chosen or selected... having work included as a Book of the Month pick, Good Morning America buzz pick, Target Book of the Month,
New York Times Editors’ pick, and as an Indie Next, is an excellent indication of why Erika T. Wurth is among the select group of Good Housekeeping’s 20 Best Native Writers.
An urban descendant of several Native Nations, she is a creative writing professor well known for her intentional efforts to include writers from Black, enrolled, unenrolled, urban, and reservation backgrounds in the Native American fiction writing community.
Lauded for her ability to chronicle poverty with compassion and respect, she is a vocal critic of the publishing industry who deliberately writes beyond stereotypes and respects the rights of other Native writers to incorporate autobiographical background.
An alumna of Fort Lewis College (B.A., English) and the University of Toledo (M.A., English), she is the author of four standalone novels, including White Horse, three novella/short story collections, two poetry collections, and a picture book.
A narrative artist and a Kenyon and Sewanee fellow who writes across genres, her work is incorporated within Meow Wolf Convergence Station, and also appears or is forthcoming in several anthologies and journals.
A chaser…
B&N #PouredOver: Erika T. Wurth on White Horse:
A sentence…
Prompts inspired by White Horse:
“And that’s when I sensed something. Something unnatural.”
“I wish I could cry, but I can’t, I’m broken that way. Just fucking broken, like a clock on the wall. Stopped in time.”
“Daddy was brittle. His mind was like a boat lost at sea. Sometimes it came close to the shore, only to push back. I didn’t want to make it so it never made anchor again.”
“What was it with married people, especially ones with kids? They always thought they had it harder than everyone else, and they always thought that having kids meant they were doing something heroic.”
“I thought of my mother, her life taken by a man who, if not a literal beast, nonetheless, someone shaped by the shape of someone else’s pain, who only knew to take that pain and try to give it to someone else, thinking it would take the pain away from himself.”
“I am healed. But I don’t realize that healing requires scars, and I am still rough beneath them; I still have pain locked behind that ropy skin. And there is weakness there, there is vulnerability, a thing I have always been terrified of. A thing that has festered. A thing that can take me down into the dark. And feed. And feed.”
A snack pairing…
Known for prioritizing locally sourced food, Denver’s diverse food scene is also well-known for Rocky Mountain Oysters, and despite the name, they are not seafood.
A sweet melody…
Denver Sound is often described as melancholic, gothic, country-punk, which incorporates massive dubstep, bass, riddim, and jazz; you be the judge:
A book list…
A few more with characters haunted by the past:
Play Nice, by Rachel Harrison
Lone Women, by Victor LaValle
Model Home, by Rivers Solomon
Victorian Psycho, by Virginia Feito
Diavola, by Jennifer Marie Thorne
Indian Burial Ground, by Nick Medina
The Eyes Are the Best Part, by Monika Kim
When the Wolf Comes Home, by Nat Cassidy
Witchcraft for Wayward Girls, by Grady Hendrix
Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng, by Kylie Lee Baker
Killer on the Road / The Babysitter Lives, by Stephen Graham Jones
A literary listicle…
Because of its altitude, Denver is called Mile High City. One of the first in the nation to have a Black business district, formally called the Harlem of the West; it is Erika T. Wurth’s hometown, and its inspiration includes:
The living Japanese American legacy known as Sakura Square;
The continuum of Jewish culture housed at the Mizel Museum;
The rich and poignant history of the Little Saigon Business District;
The galleries, shops, and restaurants located in the Art District on Santa Fe;
Museo de las Americas, the only museum in the region devoted entirely to Latino culture;
The extensive collection documenting Black history in the West at the Blair-Caldwell African American Research Library;
The Black American West Museum & Heritage Center detailing the contributions of Blacks to the settlement of the West; and
The vast representation of Indigenous cultures and tribes on display at the Denver Art Museum’s Indigenous Art Collection.
A few useful tips…
On writing horror and mystery blend:
Foreshadow;
Distort perception;
Build suspense slowly;
Create a sense of violation;
The stakes must be realistic;
Create a chilling atmosphere;
Remember, fear is subjective;
Maintain a pensive sense of fear;
Balance the unknown with the dread;
The protagonist can be unsympathetic;
Push the envelope beyond perceived rules and reality;
Establish compelling and escalating dread from the start;
Make readers question reality and the character’s sanity; and
This is the genre in which the antagonists can be anything other than human.
A few contests…
The African Poetry Book Fund Sillerman First Book Prize for African Poetry
After the End Poetry Competition
Neville Dawes First Book Prize for Emerging Caribbean Poets
Robert J. DeMott Short Prose Contest
Four Tulips Cozy Writing Contest
The Hudson Review Short Fiction Contest
Inspot Inaugural Short Story Competition
McGovern Center Writing Awards in Fiction
W.S. Porter Prize for Short Story Collections
JF Powers Prize for Short Fiction
Servicescape Short Story Award
A creative reset…
November 25th
November 26th
November 29th
November 30th
December 1st
Multi-Date Options
A critique opportunity...
Murphy Online Writing Critique
A fee-based accountability/retreat/workshop opportunity…
Single Session
November 29th
The Art of Revision: Small Lines, Big Moves w/ Kimberly Garza ($59 - $119)
December 3rd
Your World as Character: Creating Worlds That Feel Expansive, Unique, and Lived In w/ Ehigbor Okosun ($59 - $119)
December 6th
Craft as Conjuration: Hybrid Work and Sound w/ Lidia Yuknavitch, Katie Guinn, Jun Maruyama & Leigh Hopkins ($50 - $250)
Write the Perfect Ending: How to Leave Readers Satisfied and Wanting More w/ Samantha M Clark ($59 - $119)
December 7th
It Builds Character: Find the Heart of Your Story, a Masterclass w/ NK Jemisin ($50)
A few fellowship/grant/scholarship opportunities…
Assets for Artists (Massachusetts)
Kenyon Review Developmental Editing Fellowship for Emerging Writers
The Martha’s Vineyard Institute of Creative Writing Fellowships
Poets & Writers Grants (New York)
Southarts Creative Practice Grants
We Need Diverse Books Emergency Grants
A retreat & residency opportunity…
The Hugo Burge Foundation Residencies
A few freelance opportunities…
Balls & Strikes is accepting pitches of critical, progressive, and bullshit-free commentary about courts, judges, and the legal system they uphold.
The Bold Italic is seeking freelance reporters interested in contributing reported or personal articles celebrating the free-wheeling spirit of the Bay Area.
Compose.ly seeks talented freelance writers passionate about manufacturing content.
Little White Lies is always seeking pitches from film writers.
New Scientist seeks freelance journalists who write about health and medicine.
The Oval Update is seeking track-and-field article pitches for its opinion, interview, and coaching sections. h
A few submission opportunities…
Folding Rock seeks new creative fiction and non-fiction in, from, and connected to Wales.
Kismet Magazine seeks book reviews.
McSweeney’s seeks flash fiction, translations, and other formats.
NonBinary Review seeks speculative work from unexpected angles.
A few sessions & workshops…
November 25th
50+ HangOuts - Creative Writing: Creating a Character
Contemporary Creative Writing: Poetry: Rhyme, Repetition, and Reason
November 26th
November 27th
November 28th
November 29th
November 30th
December 2nd
Multi-Date Options
Coping Through Creative Writing
Friday Evening Shut Up & Write! Session
National Novel Writing Month Saturday Shut Up & Write! Sessions
Open Book Neurodivergent Creative Writing Group
Open Book POC Creative Writing Group on Zoom
A few virtual artist/author/creative events…
November 24th
The Radical Imagination of Octavia E. Butler w/ Imani Perry and Tananarive Due
November 26th
November 28th
December 2nd
December 4th
December 6th
A few virtual book/script clubs and discussions…
The Black Writers Book Club: J.A. Mensah’s Castles from Cobwebs
Binding of Black Voice Book Club
The Book Sanctuary – a Wellness Book Club
Lit&Lovely, a Book Club for Women
Spooky Book Club: Eat the Ones You Love
A virtual conference/festival…
December 4th – 5th
WGFestival 2025 ($95)
And a final thought…
Hi there,
From December 22nd to January 4th, I will pause your subscription payments while I take a publishing break.
Since I plan to completely detox from social media and other sources of external chaos during that same time period, please don’t take my silence on your quality writing personally.
As usual, this one has tons of embedded links, and if you purchase a book through one of them, I will earn a small commission.
Happy Holiday, in advance!
Take it easy,
Thank you. I'm always grateful for these resources.