I am old enough and my career is far enough advanced that I no longer care to participate in the long and frustrating competition to get pieces published in literary magazines. There’s never been (much) money involved, and having a few dozen readers in a struggling, undersubscribed journal doesn’t make or break a reputation. I’ve decided to use this website to air work that I never bothered to send out, or that I let languish after a rejection or two or three. I may also reprint pieces that are no longer easily accessible. And, best of all, I’m encouraged to write some new things, knowing a reader may happen along and find them.
One drawback to “publishing” work this way is that it will not benefit from editing, beyond my own constant revision. A good editor is a writer’s best ally. Back when I was a frequent contributor to The Hungry Mind Review (later known as The Ruminator Review), Margaret Todd Maitland, the managing editor, and Mary Byers, the copy editor, excised my writing tics, removed impediments that stopped up the flow of my prose or my logic, saved me from embarrassment, and helped me achieve the clarity and precision that I strive for. They were the best editing team I’ve ever worked with. If any of you readers notice elements in my writing that ought to have been edited, I welcome your advice.
Here’s my Table of Contents: