The Weekly Atticus

This Week at Atticus Review

A recap of the week's writing at Atticus Review. Intro by Christopher Linforth.

Last week I spoke of the importance of community for writers. Here, at Atticus Review, we treasure our community of readers. We also value our editorial staff and the work they publish for your enjoyment. Many of the staff have devoted their time to the journal for many years now. Our Fiction Editor, Michelle Ross, has been selecting stories for Atticus for several years, and I'd like to take a moment to spotlight some of her recent writing achievements. Michelle has published three collections of short stories and won notable book prizes, including the Moon City Press Short Fiction Award, the Stillhouse Press Short Story Award, and most recently the Katherine Anne Porter Prize in Short Fiction. Her stories have appeared in many prestigious publications and anthologies, including an anthology from W.W. Norton and twice in Best Microfiction. Michelle spoke to me this week about what she appreciates in stories submitted to Atticus Review. She notes, "What we're always looking for more than anything else is writing that has some spark, some enigmatic energy that is impossible to resist. We love stories that ripple with delight. We love stories that charm us into wanting to read on despite that the story's subject matter may not initially be of interest to us. What we also want is precision, attention to detail—carefully polished writing that demonstrates care and patience, as well as respect for readers." You can read examples of these stories on our website, including a micro published last year in Atticus Review, by Frankie McMillan, which will be included in the next edition of the Best Microfiction series. We congratulate Michelle and her team, and McMillan. You can submit your stories for the spring issue today! The week on Atticus Review we have a stellar lineup. In fiction, we have the short, heartbreaking "Cat Barbeque" by the British writer Tim Craig. Craig's sophisticated use of time in his storytelling is not to be missed. Similarly, in Darcy Casey's lyrical nonfiction essay "Someday," Casey's careful control of time makes her piece work so well. In poetry, a disembodying sense of temporality haunts Meghan Sterling's poem "A," asking us to contemplate a mother trying to hold onto her daughter. Finally, on The Attic this week, I explore the nature of my recent writer's life: the nomadic impulse, moving from place to place, meeting others and then leaving them behind. Meanwhile, over at Atticus Books, Dan and his editorial team have been reading your terrific book submissions. Atticus Books will publish at least three books for its upcoming frontlist and Dan hopes to read more submissions in all genres before the deadline of March 31st. Dan and his team would especially like to see more nonfiction books, including collections of essays, memoirs, CNF-style books, and hybrid works. Submit your book today! Until next week, thanks so much for reading. Christopher LinforthEditor-in-Chief

THIS WEEK AT ATTICUS

NEW FROM THE ATTIC

MOVING ON: NOTES FROM A NOMADIC WRITERByChristopher Linforth"My time in this remote enclave fostered an intensity that far outweighed the normal experience of living somewhere new."

FICTION

CAT BARBECUEbyTim Craig"But right now, they are still young and they are here, drinking beer, and their host’s cat is weaving in and out of their legs in that seductive, electric way cats do."

POETRY

A

byMeghan Sterling"I want to hold herlonger than she wants to be held.She bucks, then pats my face, her fingersgentle as new grass."

CREATIVE NONFICTION

SOMEDAYbyDarcy Casey"At last the sky opened and it poured for days, intoxicating my poor parched plants. When the rain was done, I sloshed between raised beds and found everything overtaken by fuzzy gray mold. My plants, water-chilled, had shrugged on blankets against an excess of what had saved them."

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