I got this email a few days ago, the kind that makes you feel great about being a writer. I love connecting with other writers + I also appreciate it when strangers do kind things (for anyone). Something as simple as forwarding my name to Roxane Gay's writers of color project is such a beautiful + appreciated thing. And as long as there are people reading your fiction, then your writing has cultural resonance, which is what we all want on some level. It's interesting for me to hear from people who witnessed the LROD scrap I got in (pretty much me against the world). I can't tell you how many friends I've made through my website. Thank god for the digital era!
Jackson Bliss,
So, keep going, for what it's worth. Also, good luck with your PhD program. I just started one here in Missouri and jesus christ is it a lot of work.
Jackson Bliss,
I've been following your writing for
quite some time (I think ever since your kerfuffle with the Literary
Rejections On Display blog, now defunct). I was actually also one of the
ones who forwarded your name to Roxane Gay who did that list of writers
of color who should be noticed (I saw from your blog that someone else
mentioned you as well. Right on). I'd been a casual observer of your
work, refraining from messaging you or commenting. However, this
semester in the creative writing class I teach, I've assigned my
students to do presentations on stories they find from online and print
journals. We've just finished up the presentations from stories they
picked from an online journal of their choice and are moving on to
stories from a print journal. Today one of my students wanted to check
in with me over a story she is going to present on, and I looked at it
and realized it was one of yours, first published in The Antioch
Review."What are the odds?" I wondered, and I thought I should send you
this message. I'm a writer as well. I know what it's like to feel as if the work
you're doing isn't reaching people, so I wanted to let you know that
your stories are reaching others.
So, keep going, for what it's worth. Also, good luck with your PhD program. I just started one here in Missouri and jesus christ is it a lot of work.
Take care,
T****