Rejection 333

Silver tuna. 

Black Warrior Review rejected another story of mine. Someday! I've been really trying to match what I think they want, but still no luck. Good to have a goal!

Rejection 332 and New Story In Funhouse

New Issue on Conflicted Bodies!

I received a rejection from Salamander this week.

I also have a story in the newest issue of Funhouse, a new-ish magazine out of East London focused on the body. 

Rejection 331, Residency Rejection & Essay Published

The essay equivalent of Banksy's Dismaland.

Slice Magazine let me know the story I sent them wasn't the perfect fit for their upcoming "Corporeal" issue. I thought the story was a good fit. It's about an orthopedic surgeon's ego, but oh well. 

Amtrak rejected me for their train residency this year. I am ok with that. I am still skeptical of their terms, if I'm being honest. 

BUT! An essay I started working on a year and a half ago, about a trip I took to Disney World 2 years ago is live at the Fanzine. I'd be honored if you read Doing Too Much: Death and the American Vacation.

Rejections 329 and 330

I hate endings, but I love coming to the end. 

Granta didn't want the story I sent them and n+1 sent what I believe to be an encouraging rejection?

No matter. I'm here in Denmark with amazing writers from around the world and I've made it through two passes through my next novel, so that's terrific. And I'm working on a new story as well. 

And this afternoon I'll be in conversation with Amanda Michalopoulou, a Greek writer whom I greatly admire and who has proven an excellent companion for the past few weeks, at the King's Chamber in Viborg. 

Tak.

Bread Load Rejection

Slices falling like dominos. 

If I'm being honest, I'd always been curious about applying to a conference like Bread Loaf, but never took steps to actually apply until I received a note saying a former fellow had recommended me. I took this vote of confidence and applied to be a fellow (fully funded, not like a general contributor who pays their own way). I found out this morning that I wasn't admitted, but this means I can attend a friend's wedding that fell in the middle of the conference, so it's all meant to be, it seems. Maybe some other year!

Residency Rejection

I was not chosen as one of four writers-in-residence for the Jack Kerouac Project in Orlando. This seems acceptable. Their response was kind and complimentary, if not specific, so I don't know if it's just a generous form rejection, but either way, I liked reading it. 

Recently, a slew of people have expressed supportive jealousy for the residencies I've been going on. I agree I am in a privileged position to be able to take this time and actually attend the residencies these past few months and to economically secure enough to pay the application fees that accompany many of them (I've spent close to $700 by my estimates and this has forced some thriftiness in other areas of my life, but the residencies I've gone on have been almost entirely fully funded), but the way I've come by these residencies has not been without quite a bit of effort. I applied to A LOT of residencies this year. To paint a really realistic picture of how many I've applied for and how those results break down, here are the numbers:

Accepted: 5 (14%)

Accepted, but not given enough funding to attend: 3 (9%)

Waitlisted: 7 (20%)

Declined: 16 (46%)

Still waiting to hear back: 4 (11%)

Total Applied: 35

As always, I'm embarrassed by how high the percentage is for how many have declined my applications, but it's reality. I'm not interested in convincing you I'm fancier than I am. I'm not sure what can be gathered from these numbers--if my results are a lot higher or lower than average, what the results would be if I made my application stronger--but I do feel ultimately satisfied with the results. Because of some other life events, I'm only attending 3 of the 5 I was accepted to this year, but one organization allowed me to delay my acceptance until next summer, so I've got one lined up for next year, which might actually be a lovelier result than attending all 4 this year? All sorts of anecdotal evidence points to the idea that applying more than once to a particular residency improves your chances of being accepted, and I'm happy there are lots of other residencies to explore in the future. If those rejections were good for nothing else, it was lovely to research all of these places and dream about attending. For now, 91% of the applications are a dream deferred.

P.S. I just want to add a note that this is NOT a typical representation of my residency application habits. Some years I've applied for none and sometimes I apply for 2-3 and am rejected from all of them and feel heartbroken. These numbers are representative of an application cycle for which I had saved up for years to take time off and focus on writing for a few months, and I wanted residencies to be a significant part of that experience. Just FYI, so you don't think I'm applying for 35 every year. But these numbers is helpful in thinking about how many I should apply for if I want to get ONE residency in a future year, assuming my percentages stay about the same.

P.P.S. Monster shout-out to the three wonderful people who wrote me recommendation letters and sent those puppies off whenever an application wouldn't allow an interfolio upload.

Accepted as Conference Contributor and Rejection 328

I would have loved to continue my Southern spree in Tennessee, but it's probably for the best I stay home for a while!

I applied to the Sewanee Writers' Conference for the first time and was accepted as a Contributor, but I've opted not to go because of the lack of funding, and look forward to applying again in the future! I've barely been home this year, so I'm actually just fine with staying in Chicago in July. Summer is really the only reason to live in Chicago. 

A story received a kind rejection from Gulf Coast. 

Headed out to the residency in Denmark at the Danish Center for Writers and Translators next week with notes from my editor at FSG in hand! I feel so lucky to have her on my side, and eager to dive in and get to work making her suggestions a reality!

Rejected for 2 Residencies, Magazine Rejection 327 and 1 Story Published

My home for the next 19 days!

Let's reverse that heading! 

My story, "Gladness or Joy," was published in the newest issue of Puerto del Sol along one million people I love and admire including, but not limited to: Sara June Woods, Brandi Wells, Dan Beachy-Quick, Matthew Salesses, Ravi Mangla, Kim Yideum, JiYoon Lee, Don Mee Choi,  Johannes Goransson, Brooks Sterritt, and Anne Valente. Killer. Monster. Call it what you will.

But, I also learned that I did not receive residencies from Brush Creek or Norton Island and that the Southwest Review doesn't want the story I sent them. 

This all seems fine, considering i have been home for only a few weeks of 2016 so far. In fact, today, I started my residency at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts and it is swanky! So happy to be here!

Waitlist for Conference and Rejection for Residency

I found out I was waitlisted for admittance to the nonfiction segment of the Tin House workshop this summer and declined for a residency at the Edward Albee House. 

Real talk: I was bummed about the Tin House news and felt not much about Edward Albee, and I'm wondering if this is because I thought the Tin House thing was more within my reach and the Albee House was a longshot? Anyway, it's good to be humbled, and, when I think about it, it's not particularly surprising that I wasn't accepted to Tin House. I applied for nonfiction because I know my nonfiction needs work, and perhaps it's not to the Tin-House-level of "needs-work" quite yet. It's good to know there's still a lot more to hope for! And this was the first workshop/conference type thing I've applied to. It's a totally new thing for me. So that's good that I didn't hear a yes right out of the gate. It will help quell my sense of entitlement.

I am headed out to VCCA in just 36 hours, so I will count my blessings. 

Rejection 326

Get it through your head.

Guernica sent a really nice rejection encouraging me to submit again. They're so dreamy to me. Makes me want to work harder! If I get something accepted there someday, I will award myself with one of their totes I've been coveting for so long!