1. Panther City Review Issue #4
Curated and edited by local publisher Sleeping Panther Press, this fourth issue of the Panther City Review is a compilation of authors and poets sharing their works reflecting on the theme of focus. Short stories and poems are a great way to fit thoughtful reading into a hectic schedule.
2. Olive, Again by Elizabeth Strout
This sequel to the 2008 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Olive Kitteridge reads as much like a collection of short stories as it does a novel. Olive is a retired schoolteacher in the small town of Crosby, Maine, and as she grapples with relationships, problems — both big and small — and the ripples of change, we glimpse an authentic snapshot of life and what it means to “bear the burden of the mystery with as much grace as we can.”
3. What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions by Randall Munroe
If you enjoy pondering the hypothetical, like “How much Force power can Yoda output?” and “What would happen if you tried to hit a baseball pitched at 90% the speed of light?,” then Randall Munroe, creator of the webcomic xkcd, has written the book for you. Each chapter tackles answering a different ridiculous question with complex math and science, research and simula-tions, as well as wit and humor. This book will both stretch your brain and make you chuckle.
Five Questions: Rachel Pilcher, founder of Rachel Pilcher Writing Workshops and publisher at Sleeping Panther Press.
1. What part of the writing process do you enjoy most and why? The most enjoyable part of the writing process for me is that moment after finishing that first draft and the start of the second, where I can see the potential for all that I’ve already written and know that it can only get better from there.
2. What are the advantages of short stories to the reader? Since so many people are short on time now due to either overscheduling their lives or spending more time looking at screens than reading, short stories offer a wonderful opportunity to read a story from beginning to end in a short amount of time. I know that I personally have to get either a short story or a chapter in before going to sleep at night, and that feeling of success that I get when I am able to read the whole story before falling to sleep is great.
3. What are some lessons you’ve learned from editing?
- Pick three to five issues to work on per draft so you don’t get overwhelmed by the editing task.
- Writers always miss an error or two in their own work that seems glaringly obvious to other readers. Always have others read your work, even if you think you are an awesome editor.
- Don’t be embarrassed when you make mistakes or others suggest an addition that may sound better than what you originally wrote. If everyone was perfect, editors wouldn’t have jobs.
4. Are you working on anything currently, whether for eventual publication or for enjoyment? I am working on a collection of short stories set in a high school, all told from the perspective of the faculty and staff in the school. As an 18-year veteran in public schools, there may or may not be a smidge of truth to some of the stories. It is tentatively titled “Other Duties as Assigned.”
5. What book have you read recently that you would recommend? I recently read Southern Lady Code by Helen Ellis. She is hilarious, the structure is so unique, and definitely on my comp list for the collection I’m currently writing.