By Susan Sechrist
“It only took me about 15 minutes to puzzle together the pieces and while they didn’t fit seamlessly, they made a crazy kind of sense that felt, well, mysteriously algorithmic, like we’d tapped into some secret second nature that hides inside narrative.”
With this selection of three poems by Lisa Braxton, we continue our new series of original fiction or poetry by writers who either published their first book at 40 or after, or who have yet to publish a book. Writers interested in submitting work should see our guidelines. The Basement Family Room You skipped down the …
by Lisa Peet
“You can draw a person, what you think they look like, but if you’re drawing from a live model and are paying attention to the way their parts interact, it’s kind of like transcribing an oral history.”
by Martha Anne Toll
“If there’s no humor in a story, I can’t bear to write it.”
by Andy Shi
“Women’s war stories, until recently, were primarily of impact vs combat. Impact affects everyone. We were and have all been impacted by war—and the other big issues in life. I’m very interested in battlefields that aren’t on the front.”
“. . . while outside the living room window
bags of gold blazed yellow in the windowbox
and azaleas blared through pink trumpets . . .”
By Alice Stephens
“I’ve been writing all this time, since university. It’s just taken a while to have a book in my hands.”
At Bloom, we believe it is never too late to take a risk and try something new. In that spirit, we are excited to announce that we are now accepting poetry and fiction submissions from blooming authors who first publish or publish in a new genre (for example, a novelist who publishes a poem, an academic …
In solidarity with antiracism protests around the country and internationally, Bloom strives to be antiracist in what we publish, whom we interview, and the books we choose to excerpt. Bloom understands that many who fit that profile come from marginalized communities of all varieties, and that paths to publication are too often challenged by systemic racism. Our goal is to amplify the underheard and to celebrate the undersung—the authors who are not reviewed in mainstream publishing. Our all-volunteer editorial team is fiercely dedicated to realizing a just society through the dissemination of diverse voices that speak to equality for all.
by Martha Anne Toll
“This feels like it is happening at the right time for me and my writing, and that I have truly landed in the right place.” Continue reading
Writing my first novel, I felt: the past was drawing nearer, often so close, that it hurt. Continue reading
“It was in this neither-water-nor-air place where Helen could put a shape on her mother’s shift from restless solid to breathless mystery.” Continue reading
by Max LoSardo and Sam Florsheim
Winter 2020 and Spring 2021 new releases by Bloomers Continue reading
“Peter never stuttered when he was on stage.” Continue reading
by Shoba Viswanathan
“I didn’t want to simplify the caste, class, gender, race, or religion issues. These are complex, intersecting forces of discrimination. There are a lot of gray, murky areas and nothing is simple or we’d have fixed it all centuries ago. So I didn’t want to confirm the reader’s sense of right and wrong but actually make them question their personal biases.” Continue reading
by Sonya Chung
I’ve found myself opting for “five more minutes.” Slow it down, take your time. Not by much, but you begin to see—the meaningfulness of small increments. Continue reading
