Yellow Arrow Publishing Blog
Writers in Real Life: Laura Hazan
Yellow Arrow is pleased to introduce our fall Writer-in-Residence, Laura Hazan. Laura is a librarian with the Enoch Pratt Free Library where she runs the weekly read and critique group, The Light Street Writers Exchange. She completed her first novel, Little Boxes, and is seeking representation for publication. She has a B.A. in communications from American University, a M.L.S. from the University of Maryland, and attended the “Your Novel Year” program at Arizona State University’s Piper Writing Center. In addition, her work has been published in Natural Bridge, Kirkwood Patch, Sauce Magazine, and Not A Pipe Publishing’s #yearofpublishingwomen anthology Strongly Worded Women. Laura is a resident of Baltimore and lives with her son, her husband, and their one-eyed dog, Boh.
We asked Laura a few questions as she prepares for the residency.
YAP: What do you love about Baltimore?
LH: Walking along the promenade around the harbor at sunset shows Baltimore at its best. I also love the history of literature and reading that makes up the fabric of Baltimore. There's Edgar Allen Poe, HL Menken, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Laura Lippman and so many others. Tying all those folks together is the Enoch Pratt Free Library - the first system in the US to have branch libraries.
YAP: Who has inspired you the most in your writing journey?
LH: I have favorite authors, as we all do; they're inspirational but they are not the first people to come to mind when I think about this question. Those who inspire me most are the folks at the opposite end of the spectrum from the famous writers. Those diligent writers who work at it everyday never knowing if anyone else will ever read their work. The newbies that attend a writing critique group for the first time and nervously share their stories or poems. The colleagues who generously offer to beta read a manuscript, or organize a workshop, or volunteer for a conference. Frankly, the writing community would not exist without the hard work and efforts of the thousands we will never know.
YAP: As you continue in your process of finding a publisher for your novel, do you have any advice to offer someone embarking on that venture?
LH: When you have completed your first manuscript you are a novelist - published or not - don't let anyone tell you differently. Prepare yourself for a mountain of rejections - it doesn't mean your work is no good it just means you haven't found the right agent/publisher that loves it as much as you do. Track those rejections on the spreadsheet you keep for your submissions and move on. Prepare yourself for days of self-doubt - every writer I know goes through impostor syndrome at least once. Myself, I've felt like an impostor on and off for years. Remember there are about 342 steps to getting your book from draft to published - it takes time, especially for the first novel, but keep at it.
We look forward to seeing Laura around Highlandtown this fall. Please check out her website for more on Laura: www.laurahazan.com
FREEDOM is here!
Cover art by Amber Sliter
We are delighted to announce the release of the latest issue of the Yellow Arrow Journal, FREEDOM. A talented group of women and identifying writers submitted their creative nonfiction and poetry for Vol. IV, No. 2 of our biannual literary journal. Below is more detailed information about each writer. You can purchase a hand-bound copy here, sign up for an annual subscription here, download a PDF version here, or look for it on your eReader.
Each copy is lovingly hand bound and printed in small batches.
Thank you for supporting independent publishing.
Editor-in-Chief
Kapua Iao
Editors
Meredith Eilola, Eleanor Hade, Alexa Laharty, Mindy Stokes, and Gwen Van Velsor
Contributors
Katherine Anderson Howell is a 2018 Pushcart Prize Nominee from Washington, D.C. A mother of two children and a recovering academic, she currently studies esthetics, skin care, and makeup at the Aveda Institute in Washington, D.C. and is the editor of Fandom as Classroom Practice: A Teaching Guide (2018). Her poems can be found in Stillwater Review, Beltway Poetry Quarterly,e Account, Misfit Magazine, and Mojave He[art] Review among others. Other work is forthcoming in Whale Road Review. Follow her on Twitter at twitter.com/@genKatieOrgana.
Raga Ayyagari is an emerging poet who is inspired by nature, family history, and identity and enjoys learning from conversations with strangers. Her work has previously appeared in Stanford University’s Leland Quarterly Journal. She works as a public health research analyst in Washington, D.C. and enjoys both technical and creative writing.
Linda M. Crate’s work has been published in a myriad of magazines both online and in print. She has six published chapbooks: A Mermaid Crashing Into Dawn (Fowlpox Press - June 2013), Less an A Man (The Camel Saloon - 2014), If Tomorrow Never Comes (Scars Publications - 2016), My Wings Were Made to Fly (Flutter Press - 2017), and splintered with terror (Scars Publications - 2018), more than bone music (Clare Songbirds Publishing - 2019), as well as one micro-chapbook Heaven Instead (Origami Poems Project - 2018). She is also the author of the novel Phoenix Tears (2018).
Margie Deeb’s passion for beauty is the heartbeat of the art she creates and writes. She has published five books on color and beading, one of which the Library Journal voted the Best Craft How-To book of 2009. She has published countless print and digital articles on design and color and is a professional art director, graphic designer, illustrator, and color expert. She conducts design, color, and writing workshops for artists online and throughout the United States and Canada. Her art has been featured in galleries across the United States and in many books and publications.
Jenny Fraser is an artist from the east coast of Australia. She has a background in art and media education spanning over two decades. After completing her undergraduate degree, she taught art and film and media in high schools. In 2009, she then completed a Master of Indigenous Wellbeing at Gnibi, Southern Cross University. In 2017, she also graduated with a Creative Research PhD in ‘The Art of Healing and Decolonisation’ through Batchelor Institute in the Northern Territory. Her current focus is in native foods, body work, floral arts, and being able to use their raw energy to benefit healing and to help people to help themselves.
Betsy Housten is a Brooklyn-based queer writer and massage therapist. She earned her MFA at the University of New Orleans where she won three awards and served as Associate Poetry Editor of Bayou Magazine. Her work appears in Rogue Agent, The Hunger,Lunch, Bone & Ink Press, Longleaf Review, and elsewhere, and has been nominated for Best New Poets, Best of the Net, and the Pushcart Prize. Find her at betsyhoustenwrites.com.
M. Kanani Milles is a Native Hawaiian writer who has been living and gardening in Connecticut and New Hampshire since 2003. She shares a small plot of land (stolen from the Quinnipiac) with her husband and two young daughters, a dozen chickens, two goats, and a hive of bees. She is writing her way to healing as her mind–body struggles to come to terms with a stage IV cancer diagnosis.
Ann Quinn is the author of the poetry chapbook Final Deployment (Finishing Line Press - 2018). Her poetry has appeared in a wide variety of publications including Potomac Review, Little Patuxent Review, Broadkill Review, Haibun Today, and Snapdragon, and is included in the anthology Red Sky: Poetry on the Global Epidemic of Violence Against Women. She is a Pushcart Prize nominee and her poem “Three Years after my father’s Final Deployment to the Gulf of Tonkin” won the 2015 Bethesda Literary Arts Festival poetry contest, judged by Stanley Plumly. Ann is a graduate of the Pacific Lutheran University MFA program. She teaches reflective and creative writing and music and lives with her family in Catonsville, Maryland. Please visit online at www.annquinn.net.
Amber Sliter is an artist and activist living and creating in Buffalo, New York. Amber studied painting and art history at the University at Buffalo where she received several awards and scholarships. The Rumsey Scholarship funded participation on a Minoan archaeological dig in Crete, Greece. Her art explores natural and synthetic relationships, relating to her experience as a woman living in the Anthropocene era. Her work ranges between sculptural paintings, installations, and murals to activist prints and performances. Amber is currently apprenticing in a woman run woodworking shop.
Ashley Stimpson is a freelance writer based in Baltimore, Maryland. Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in Longreads, Johns Hopkins Magazine, Potomac Review, Little Patuxent Review, and elsewhere. See more of her work at www.ashleystimpson.com.
Sarah Van Sciver is a freelance writer, artist, mother, personal chef, and a FEEL practitioner residing in Baltimore, Maryland. Her passion for writing stems from the healing and recovery from PTSD she has experienced through working with horses. She is currently working on a memoir about the healing effects horses have on humans who experience trauma. To find out more about Equine Experiential Learning, to view her artwork, and to read other essays, please visit https://untetheredmare.com/.
Nancy Wade is a Colorado native who has lived in Boulder since 2002. She earned a BA in Communications in 2000 and an MA in Spiritual Memoir in 2009. Her career includes 15 years in legal word processing and 20 years as an employment administrator in the Human Resources Department of a scientific research organization. Retired since 2015, she enjoys spending time with her husband, two grown children, two stepsons, and especially with her two lively grandsons, ages 6 and 9. In retirement, she has more time for reading and writing, mostly in the memoir genre.
Roz Weaver is a spoken word performer and internationally published poet living in England. She has been published in a number of journals, zines, and anthologies, including most recently with Snapdragon, Voice of Eve, and Cultivate. In 2018, her work was displayed at the annual Rape Crisis UK Conference, as well as being displayed and performed at two further exhibitions in London— ‘Th Sunlight Project’ and ‘Testimony,’ the latter as part of a conference hosted by UN Goodwill Ambassador Emma Watson. More recently, her work has been on exhibit with London based ‘What You Saying?’ and performed at Leeds International Festival.
Matilda Young is a writer working for a civil rights nonprofit with an MFA in Poetry from the University of Maryland. She lives in Washington, D.C. with a poet, an environmental lawyer, and an angry ginger cat. She has been published in several journals, including Sakura Review, The Golden Key, and District Lit.
Literary Night: Hands-On Writing Activities for All
Join nonprofits Yellow Arrow Publishing and the Highlandtown Arts & Entertainment District and Highlandtown Main Street in celebrating local writers at Literary Night, our August 2nd takeover of the Highlandtown First Friday Art Walk. From 5 to 9 PM, participate in hands-on writing activities and a scavenger hunt, and meet dozens of local authors, writers, and small presses spread throughout Highlandtown’s participating galleries, shops, and eateries! From 6 to 8 PM, join us for food and drinks as we listen to local writers read their work from our main stage at RoofTop Hot. Drinks and refreshments will be available throughout the art walk.
There is plenty of free and paid parking in Highlandtown, so come on down to 339 S Conkling Street in Baltimore from 5 to 9 PM and join us for a memorable night of literature.
Continue reading to learn more about the hands-on activities we have planned all evening.
FILIPPO’S RESTAURANT & LOUNGE FEATURING 2019 UNIVERSITY OF BALTIMORE MFA GRADUATES
418 S. Conkling St
Live entertainment and art. Drink specials available inside Filippo’s Lounge.
The University of Baltimore MFA grads will play mad libs made from sections of their books. They will also have a sketch book based on elements from their stories for people to doodle on when they stop by.
HIGHLANDTOWN GALLERY FEATURING ANN QUINN
248 S. Conkling St, Gallery A
Cool off this summer with a show celebrating “The Blues” and featuring work by Jason Tompkins, Sandi WIlson, Rae Hamilton, Ann Crostic and Deborah Ponder.
Join poet Ann Quinn (annquinn.net) at Highlandtown Gallery to help create an Ode to Highlandtown. We will use images from the gallery and from your own memories and impressions of the ‘hood to create a poem of praise to our own creative, diverse, historical, living, vibrant neighborhood. The finished poem will be posted on YellowArrowPublishing.com and shared with the world!
NIGHT OWL GALLERY FEATURING INK PRESS PRODUCTIONS
248 S. Conkling St, Gallery C
Ink Press Productions is a collaborative effort devoted to blurring the lines of writing, visual, and performance art in the Baltimore community and beyond. Established in 2012, IPP aims to connect through the production of handmade publications, DIY workshops, and other experimental events.
THE LAUGHING PINT FEATURING MOONLIT
3531 Gough St
$5 greyhound drink special & kitchen is open until 10:30pm.
Join MoonLit Founder Kris in creating unique 'plot bunnies' for when you need a burst of inspiration! Plus, create a community poem and learn more about upcoming fall workshops.
RUST-N-SHINE FEATURING JOCELYN BROADWICK AND H.L. BROOKS
410 S. Conkling St
In the spirit of creative collaboration, join Highlandtown's Mistress of Smut for a special Mad Libs edition of the "An Evening of Vintage Smut" reading series presented by Rust-N-Shine! In addition, make bookmarks with fantasy, romance, and erotica author H.L. Brooks.
ROLL ICE CREAM & COFFEE FEATURING TIMOTHY YOUNG
3222 Eastern Ave
See the new mural inside Roll Ice Cream & Coffee by José Vigo. Come experience the culinary art of rolled ice cream. All our ice cream is made to order right in front of you. We take it from liquid to solid in less than 3 minutes.
Aside from being the author/illustrator of 11 books including I Hate Picture Books!, If You Give the Puffin a Muffin, Do Not Open The Box! and I’m Going To Outer Space!, (a winner of the Family Choice Award), Timothy Young has also designed toys, worked in animation and built puppets for the Muppets. He has also illustrated books for other authors and has written and illustrated two creative drawing books. His newest picture book is the unusually titled untitled.
SNAKE HILL TAVERN FEATURING AKINOGA PRESS
418 S. Clinton St
Happy Hour until 7pm
Kitchen Open until 11pm
akinoga press is a baltimore-based micro-press that specializes in small editions of hand-bound chapbooks and is committed to publishing work that is quiet, small, odd, easily-missed, and 100% needs to be read.
Y:ART GALLERY & FINE GIFTS FEATURING JESSICA GREGG, VICTORIA KENNEDY AND LINES + STARS
Jessica Gregg, editor of Baltimore Style, invites art walk participants to pitch or bring her essays, as well as poetry, which will run online at BaltimoreStyle.com or possibly in the magazine itself.
The Lines + Stars/L+S Press table will present an "exquisite corpse" poem to which visitors will add throughout the day. Participants will receive the full poem via email after the First Friday festivities conclude.
IDEALS OF HIGHLANDTOWN FEATURING SHERRY BURTON WAYS
3319 Eastern Ave
Stop in for a refreshment and the unique wood furniture pieces at this home goods shop.
Sherry Burton Ways will conduct an interactive discussion including a worksheet for participants on Who Are You? A Self Examination & Your Relationship with Your Interior Space.
OFF THE ROX FEATURING RISSA MILLER
3232-A Eastern Ave
Make Word Clouds with author Rissa Miller. Pick up a free book from the giveaway table. Books for kids and adults alike while supplies last.
CREATIVE ALLIANCE FEATURING SE ANCHOR BRANCH OF ENOCH PRATT FREE LIBRARY
3134 Eastern Ave
Come visit librarians from the Southeast Anchor branch of the Enoch Pratt Free Library to find out about their amazing line up of programs, offerings, and community services! You can also sign up for a library card or our summer reading program, which wraps on 8/14. Don't miss your chance to enter our prize raffle!
DOUBLE AND UP FEATURING THE BALTIMORE SCIENCE FICTION SOCIETY
3514 Bank St
BSFS (normally located at at 3310 E Baltimore St, on the north side of the Highandtown Arts District) is setting up exhibitor tables at the Double and Up building.
Literary Night: Readings on the Main Stage
Join nonprofits Yellow Arrow Publishing and the Highlandtown Arts & Entertainment District and Highlandtown Main Street in celebrating local writers at the first ever Literary Night, our August 2 takeover of the Highlandtown First Friday Art Walk. From 5 to 9 PM, participate in hands-on writing activities and a scavenger hunt, and meet dozens of local authors, writers, and small presses spread throughout Highlandtown’s participating galleries, shops, and eateries!
From 6 to 8 PM, join us for food and drinks as we listen to local writers read their work from our main stage at Rooftop Hot. Learn about each featured writer below.
There is plenty of free and paid parking in Highlandtown, so come on down to 339 S Conkling Street in Baltimore from 5 to 9 PM and join us for a memorable night of literature!
Jean P. Pula was raised in the Fell's Point neighborhood, living her entire life in Southeast Baltimore. She grew up in a lively and artistic household with her parents, 5 siblings, plus an aunt and uncle. Jean writes in her spare time, which never seems to be enough. She lives in the Canton neighborhood with her significant other, as well as an overly enthusiastic dog and a cat who rules with an iron paw.
Jean will emcee on the main stage in addition to sharing a reading of her own work.
Jessica Gregg is the editor of Baltimore Style magazine and also oversees Baltimore's Child and Washington Family magazines. She is a Baltimore booster, proud rowhouse dweller, the mother of two teenagers, and an avid poetry reader. Her poetry collection "News from this Lonesome City" will be published this year by Finishing Line Press.
Kerry Graham lives, teaches, writes and runs in East Baltimore. Her vignettes have appeared, or are forthcoming, in borrowed solace, The Citron Review, Crack the Spine, and Gravel. She is a regular contributor to Role Reboot, and runs a collaborative weekly newsletter called In This Together.
Born and raised in Gary, Indiana, Nikita C. Anderson holds an M.A. degree in English from Morgan State University, with a concentration in Screenwriting and Cinematic Storytelling and an MFA in Creative Writing and Publishing Arts from the University of Baltimore. She currently resides in Baltimore, MD.
Sherry Burton Ways, an award winning Author, Speaker, Designer, Certified Design Psychology Coach, Certified Feng Shui Consultant, Certified Interior Color Consultant, Certified Interior Environment Coach, and Certified Color Therapist. Her mission is to use her creative gifts to inspire and educate people and organizations to create peaceful and productive interior environments.
Sherry is the author of the award winning, Amazon Best Selling book, Feel Good Spaces: A Guide to Decorating Your Home for the Body, Mind and Spirit (2012). The book also was a winner of the "How-To" Category at the 2013 National Green Book Festival. Ways has also contributed to two other books: The Art & Science of Loving Yourself: 'Cause Your Business Should Complete You, Not Deplete You, edited by Margo DeGange and Simply Color for Everyday Living, edited by Diantha Harris. www.sherryburtonways.com
Shunda Colvin is a southern fiction writer currently based in Baltimore, Maryland. She received her MFA from the University of Baltimore. When she’s not working as a web content editor, she’s planning her next road trip.
Bailey Drumm is an MFA graduate from the University of Baltimore’s Creative Writing and Publishing Arts program. She writes short stories, book reviews, and creative non-fiction. Her written work has been published in Grub Street, and artwork featured as the cover art of Welter. Bailey-Drumm.square.site
Marylou Fusco grew up in the wilds of New Jersey and knew she was a writer for nearly forever. She has her M.A in English from Temple University and has worked as a GED instructor, ghost tour guide and general assignment reporter. Her fiction has appeared in Carve, Swink, So to Speak, Rumble and Philadelphia Stories magazine. She lives with her family in Baltimore and is completing a novel.
Rissa Miller is a working artist living in Maryland. She loves early morning light filtering through stained glass, hot green tea in antique teacups, huge salads picked fresh from the garden and walks in the woods. She studied writing at New York University/Tisch School of the Arts and photojournalism at Western Kentucky University. Several years as an editor at the Baltimore Sun instilled her with a love of the city. She’s sure she can feel the pulse of Baltimore’s gritty telltale heart each time she walks the streets of Remington, Fells, Highlandtown and every other inch of Charm City. When she’s not writing, Rissa finds her way to local theater, loves baking vegan cupcakes, and as often as possible, gets lost in libraries. She works as Senior Editor for the Vegetarian Journal. Goodnight, Poet is her second chapbook.
Sara Palmer wrote her first poem in second grade. Since then, poetry has been a vehicle for self-expression, healing, and enjoyment. During her career as a psychologist, Sara specialized in helping people cope with physical disability, chronic illness, and caregiving. She co-authored three books published by the Johns Hopkins University Press Health Book series (Spinal Cord Injury: A Guide for Living; When Your Spouse Has a Stroke: Caring for Your Partner, Yourself and Your Relationship; and Just One of the Kids: Raising a Resilient Family When One of Your Children Has a Physical Disability), and is the solo author of another book in that series, Living with HHT: Understanding and Managing Your Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia (2017). Now retired from psychology, Sara recently re-engaged in imaginative writing through classes offered by Yellow Arrow Publishing, the Writers’ Center and Everyman Theater. This is her first public poetry reading.
Eva Quintos Tennant is a DC/MD-based writer, photographer and creative director. The youngest daughter of Filipino-American parents, she is a graduate of the School of Journalism at the University of Maryland and earned her MFA in Creative Writing and Publishing Arts from the University of Baltimore. She and her husband share their home with two rambunctious rescue collies and a lifetime collection of books. Her work has appeared in Welter, River River, and other publications. Pain of the Littlest Finger, her thesis short story collection, is available at eqtennant.com. Follow her on Twitter @picasandprose
Ali J. Varden is an author based in Maryland. She recently graduated with her Bachelors in English from the University of Montevallo and has since been internationally published for her short stories by Vine Leaves Press and Sigma Tau Delta. When she isn’t giving herself unrealistic deadlines for her first novel, she can usually be found either drinking way more coffee than is good for her, telling her anxious cat everything’s going to be okay, or getting lost in bookstores with her husband. If you’d like to learn more about her upcoming YA Fantasy novel, Anomalous, visit her website at www.alijvarden.com and sign up for her newsletter! Or visit her on Twitter (@AJVarden) and Instagram (@VardenWrites).
b.a.w. lives, writes, and designs in Baltimore City where she tries her best and minds her business. Her writing is inspired by black women, bizarre news headlines, and early 2000s TV dramedies. When not writing about dead bodies, she’s partial to reading modern romance novels and listening to podcasts. No matter where she is, when it is, or what she’s doing, there’s a 99.9% chance that she is tired. You can follow her online at bawthewriter.com.
Tracy Dimond co-curates Ink Press Productions. A 2016 Baker Artist Award finalist, she is the author of four chapbooks, including: TO TRACY LIKE / TO LIKE / LIKE, I WANT YOUR TAN, Grind My Bones Into Glitter, Then Swim Through The Shimmer, and Sorry I Wrote So Many Sad Poems Today. She collaborated with Amanda McCormick on the performance, DID YOU COVER UP? a blend of I WANT YOUR TAN and Amanda McCormick’s & THE GREEN. She works in library events. She holds her MFA in Creative Writing & Publishing Arts from the University of Baltimore.
Amanda McCormick is an experiential performer & writer whose work has appeared in a variety of forms & mediums over the past decade. She is the founder of Ink Press Productions in Baltimore where she explores publishing as its own artistic medium and means to connect. She received her MFA from University of Baltimore where she now teaches. Amanda is the author of several books including & THE GREEN, a feminist retelling of growth and loss, taken from the source text Sir Gawain & the Green Knight, and AMANDA, a project of poetry that deals with the physical, experienced, and internalized selfhood of the artist-human who navigates society and the natural world in a slant framework of love and existence.
Literary Night: Authors, Small Presses, and Literary Organizations
Join nonprofits Yellow Arrow Publishing and the Highlandtown Arts & Entertainment District and Highlandtown Main Street in celebrating local writers at Literary Night, our August 2nd takeover of the Highlandtown First Friday Art Walk. From 5 to 9 PM, participate in hands-on writing activities and a scavenger hunt, and meet dozens of local authors, writers, and small presses spread throughout Highlandtown’s participating galleries, shops, and eateries! From 6 to 8 PM, join us for food and drinks as we listen to local writers read their work from our main stage at RoofTop Hot. Drinks and refreshments will be available throughout the art walk.
Be sure to find Yellow Arrow’s Writer-in-Residence for August, Jessica Gregg, at her table, and join us as she performs her work on our main stage.
There is plenty of free and paid parking in Highlandtown, so come on down to 339 S Conkling Street in Baltimore from 5 to 9 PM and join us for a memorable night of literature.
Continue reading to learn more about the venues, authors, and organizations participating in our very first Highlandtown Literary Night!
Filippo’s Restaurant & Lounge featuring 2019 University of Baltimore MFA graduates
418 S. Conkling St
Live entertainment and art. Drink specials available inside Filippo’s Lounge.
Born and raised in Gary, Indiana, Nikita C. Anderson holds an M.A. degree in English from Morgan State University, with a concentration in Screenwriting and Cinematic Storytelling and an MFA in Creative Writing and Publishing Arts from the University of Baltimore. She currently resides in Baltimore, MD.
Shunda Colvin is a southern fiction writer currently based in Baltimore, Maryland. She received her MFA from the University of Baltimore. When she’s not working as a web content editor, she’s planning her next road trip.
Bailey Drumm is an MFA graduate from the University of Baltimore’s Creative Writing and Publishing Arts program. She writes short stories, book reviews, and creative non-fiction. Her written work has been published in Grub Street, and artwork featured as the cover art of Welter. Bailey-Drumm.square.site
Eva Quintos Tennant is a DC/MD-based writer, photographer and creative director. The youngest daughter of Filipino-American parents, she is a graduate of the School of Journalism at the University of Maryland and earned her MFA in Creative Writing and Publishing Arts from the University of Baltimore. She and her husband share their home with two rambunctious rescue collies and a lifetime collection of books. Her work has appeared in Welter, River River, and other publications. Pain of the Littlest Finger, her thesis short story collection, is available at eqtennant.com. Follow her on Twitter @picasandprose
b.a.w. lives, writes, and designs in Baltimore City where she tries her best and minds her business. Her writing is inspired by black women, bizarre news headlines, and early 2000s TV dramedies. When not writing about dead bodies, she’s partial to reading modern romance novels and listening to podcasts. No matter where she is, when it is, or what she’s doing, there’s a 99.9% chance that she is tired. You can follow her online at bawthewriter.com.
Highlandtown Gallery featuring Ann Quinn
248 S. Conkling St, Gallery A
Cool off this summer with a show celebrating “The Blues” and featuring work by Jason Tompkins, Sandi WIlson, Rae Hamilton, Ann Crostic and Deborah Ponder.
Live music and sangria.
Ann Quinn, M. Mus. and M.F.A. in creative writing. Ann leads writing groups for all ages. She has found that writing is an amazing way to access inner wisdom and memory, and has developed ways to help others in that process, while creating a warm sharing environment. Her work is published in Potomac Review, Little Patuxent Review, Broadkill Review, and other journals and is included in the anthology Red Sky: Poetry on the Global Epidemic of Violence Against Women. Ann lives in Catonsville, Maryland with her family where she teaches reflective and creative writing and music and plays clarinet with the Columbia Orchestra. Her chapbook, Final Deployment, is published by Finishing Line Press. Please visit online at www.annquinn.net.
Night Owl Gallery featuring Ink Press Productions
248 S. Conkling St, Gallery C
Ink Press Productions is a collaborative effort devoted to blurring the lines of writing, visual, and performance art in the Baltimore community and beyond. Established in 2012, IPP aims to connect through the production of handmade publications, DIY workshops, and other experimental events.
The Laughing Pint featuring MoonLit
3531 Gough St
$5 greyhound drink special & kitchen is open until 10:30pm.
MoonLit is a small, artist run organization that aims to creatively connect community through low-cost and accessible literary programming in DC, Baltimore, and Virginia. Learn more at moonlitdc.com.
Rust-N-Shine featuring Jocelyn Broadwick and H.L. Brooks
410 S. Conkling St
Jocelyn Broadwick is a writer, editor, and college professor living and working in downtown Baltimore. Her essays and flash nonfiction have appeared in The Aerie, Paradigm Literary Magazine, Seltzer, Writers & Words, and the Yellow Arrow Journal. She's also been a featured blogger for Neither Liberal Nor Arts and The Baltimore Sun's #MDreads Community Network and a guest podcast host on Return 2 Sender. Currently, she is working on a memoir of unexpected freefall after her marriage and a collection of essays in which she desperately tries to grow up before turning 30. Jocelyn earned her MFA in Creative Nonfiction from Goucher College. Find her reading vintage smut during Highlandtown’s First Friday Art Walks and online at www.jocelynbroadwick.com.
H.L. Brooks writes contemporary fairy tale re-tellings with dashes of eroticism and romance. She places an emphasis on strong female characters of various ages and body types. She also likes to tackle social and political issues since the fantasy format lends itself as a perfect platform. H.L. also has published an adult coloring book and is currently working on her third book in the Red August series. An additional non-fiction work is in development in the form of a photography and body-image focused book, The Goddess Next Door.
Roll Ice Cream & Coffee featuring Timothy Young
3222 Eastern Ave
See the new mural inside Roll Ice Cream & Coffee by José Vigo. Come experience the culinary art of rolled ice cream. All our ice cream is made to order right in front of you. We take it from liquid to solid in less than 3 minutes.
Aside from being the author/illustrator of 11 books including I Hate Picture Books!, If You Give the Puffin a Muffin, Do Not Open The Box! and I’m Going To Outer Space!, (a winner of the Family Choice Award), Timothy Young has also designed toys, worked in animation and built puppets for the Muppets. He has also illustrated books for other authors and has written and illustrated two creative drawing books. His newest picture book is the unusually titled untitled.
His career highlights include being the Head Model-Maker for the Penny cartoons on Pee-Wee’s Playhouse, designing and building Muppets for Jim Henson Productions and sculpting the very first Simpsons character toys. He has been the design director for two toy companies and worked under contract with dozens of others. He had a brand new toy out recently, the inflatable pool toy The Chicken Fight Game.
Snake Hill Tavern featuring akinoga press
418 S. Clinton St
Happy Hour until 7pm
Kitchen Open until 11pm
akinoga press is a baltimore-based micro-press that specializes in small editions of hand-bound chapbooks and is committed to publishing work that is quiet, small, odd, easily-missed, and 100% needs to be read.
Y:ART Gallery & Fine Gifts featuring Jessica Gregg, Victoria Kennedy, Charita Cole Brown and Lines + Stars
3402 Gough St
Jessica Gregg is the editor of Baltimore Style magazine and also oversees Baltimore's Child and Washington Family magazines. She is a Baltimore booster, proud rowhouse dweller, the mother of two teenagers, and an avid poetry reader. Her poetry collection "News from this Lonesome City" will be published this year by Finishing Line Press. Jessica is also the summer Yellow Arrow writer-in-residence for the Highlandtown Art Walk.
Victoria Kennedy writes about the complexity, resilience, and beauty of Black love. In Where Love Goes (2016) she explores the dynamics of love across the Diaspora. Included in this is The Uninvited Guest a short story which has been adapted into an eponymous stage play. Her debut novel, Sometimes Love, was published in 2017 by Brown Girls Books. She is the founder of Zora’s Den, a sisterhood of Black women writers who gather virtually and in real life to provide support, encouragement, and fellowship within the local and global communities. In Our Own Words is their monthly reading series. Victoria holds an MFA in Creative Writing & Publishing Arts and her second novel Don’t Walk Away, was released in March 2019.
Since 2006, the literary journal Lines + Stars -- which operates jointly out of Baltimore and Washington, DC -- has published seasonal issues featuring poetry, short prose, and book reviews. Through L+S Press, our book-publishing arm, we host the annual Mid-Atlantic Chapbook Series, which publishes an emerging poet’s first chapbook-length collection. L+S Press also publishes best-of anthologies, broadsides, and other projects. Find out more: www.linesandstars.com.
Charita Cole Brown was diagnosed with a severe form of bipolar disorder while finishing her final semester as an English major at Wesleyan University. Doctors predicted she would never lead a “normal” life. Despite that prognosis and because she sought treatment, Charita went on to marry, raise a family, earn a master’s degree in teaching and enjoy a fulfilling career in education. Her powerful story is chronicled in her debut book, Defying the Verdict: My Bipolar Life (Curbside Splendor Publishing, June 2018).
Ideals of Highlandtown featuring Sherry Burton Ways
3319 Eastern Ave
Stop in for a refreshment and the unique wood furniture pieces at this home goods shop.
Sherry Burton Ways, an award winning Author, Speaker, Designer, Certified Design Psychology Coach, Certified Feng Shui Consultant, Certified Interior Color Consultant, Certified Interior Environment Coach, and Certified Color Therapist. Her mission is to use her creative gifts to inspire and educate people and organizations to create peaceful and productive interior environments.
Sherry is the author of the award winning, Amazon Best Selling book, Feel Good Spaces: A Guide to Decorating Your Home for the Body, Mind and Spirit (2012). The book also was a winner of the "How-To" Category at the 2013 National Green Book Festival. Ways has also contributed to two other books: The Art & Science of Loving Yourself: 'Cause Your Business Should Complete You, Not Deplete You, edited by Margo DeGange and Simply Color for Everyday Living, edited by Diantha Harris. www.sherryburtonways.com
Off the Rox featuring Rissa Miller
3232-A Eastern Ave
Make Word Clouds with author Rissa Miller. Pick up a free book from the giveaway table. Books for kids and adults alike while supplies last.
Rissa Miller is a working artist living in Maryland. She loves early morning light filtering through stained glass, hot green tea in antique teacups, huge salads picked fresh from the garden and walks in the woods. She studied writing at New York University/Tisch School of the Arts and photojournalism at Western Kentucky University. Several years as an editor at the Baltimore Sun instilled her with a love of the city. She’s sure she can feel the pulse of Baltimore’s gritty telltale heart each time she walks the streets of Remington, Fells, Highlandtown and every other inch of Charm City. When she’s not writing, Rissa finds her way to local theater, loves baking vegan cupcakes, and as often as possible, gets lost in libraries. She works as Senior Editor for the Vegetarian Journal. Goodnight, Poet is her second chapbook.
Creative Alliance featuring the Southeast Anchor Branch of the Enoch Pratt Free Library
3134 Eastern Ave
Come visit librarians from the Southeast Anchor branch of the Enoch Pratt Free Library to find out about their amazing line up of programs, offerings, and community services! You can also sign up for a library card or our summer reading program, which wraps on 8/14. Don't miss your chance to enter our prize raffle!
DOUBLE AND UP FEATURING THE BALTIMORE SCIENCE FICTION SOCIETY
3514 Bank St
BSFS (normally located at at 3310 E Baltimore St, on the north side of the Highandtown Arts District) is setting up exhibitor tables at the Double and Up building.
Writers in Real Life: Jessica Gregg
Jessica Gregg is the Yellow Arrow writer-in-residence for the Highlandtown First Friday Art Walk during the months of July, August and September. Jessica grew up in the Baltimore area, listening to her family’s stories of the city’s street car days. She and her children lived in Bozeman, Montana, before returning to Baltimore more than a decade ago.
Most of her career since then has been spent in education, and much of her poetry has been informed by the time she spent working at Sisters Academy of Baltimore, a middle school for girls from Southwest Baltimore. Three years ago, she left education and returned to her first career, journalism, and currently oversees three magazines, one of which is Baltimore Style.
In the fall of 2017, she decided to take a prose poetry class through Johns Hopkins University’s Odyssey program as a way to keep writing after spending work days editing. After the class, she entered a contest for women poets that was sponsored by Finishing Line Press. She did not win the contest, but the press chose to publish her manuscript News from This Lonesome City, which will be released this summer.
Poetry is Jessica’s way of documenting the moments and stories in life that are most meaningful to her. It’s also a chance to play with words in a way that the day job doesn’t always provide.
Jessica hopes to use her residency to work on a new collection of poems and to teach a workshop or two for the community.
Jessica will be giving a reading in addition to a book signing at Literary Night on August 2nd. Find her circulating the art walk in July, August and September.
The Beauty of Letter Writing
Yellow Arrow Publishing presents:
Buffalo in the Book
An Interactive Reading Series
Our quarterly reading series seeks to push the limits of current literary norms. Through the exploration of various themes, our featured writers will engage in panel discussions after presenting their work. Attendees are invited to participate in the exploration of the theme through various interactive art forms.
The Beauty of Letter Writing
May 2, 2019, 5:30-7:30pm
Enoch Pratt Free Library, SE Anchor Branch
Featuring Ann Quinn, Gina Strauss, and Maria Goodson
FREE
Join us as we explore letter writing as its own literary art form. When writing a letter, the author never expects to see the piece of writing again. Yet, so many letters throughout history have gained literary significance. In this series, we look to explore this impermanent written form. Attendees will have the opportunity to create their own stationary and letters.
For over 25 years, Gina Andreone Strauss has worked as a teacher and advisor in a variety of educational settings. Her advanced degrees in counseling and healing arts add a unique dimension to her teaching style and interaction with students and their families. Gina is an advocate for conscious parenting and is mindful of how our children serve as mirrors to us. She believes that much can be learned from life's experiences and recognizes the wealth of positive thought that can be gleaned from small day-to-day moments. Her oldest daughter's 13th birthday inspired her to craft her first book, Letters to My Teenage Daughter: We've Got You. You can follow Gina's current writing at www.ginastrauss.blog.
Ann Quinn’s poetry was selected by Stanley Plumly as first place winner in the 2015 Bethesda Literary Arts Festival poetry contest, and has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. Her work is published in Potomac Review, Little Patuxent Review, Broadkill Review, and other journals and is included in the anthology Red Sky: Poetry on the Global Epidemic of Violence Against Women. Ann lives in Catonsville with her family where she teaches reflective and creative writing and music and plays clarinet with the Columbia Orchestra. Her degrees are in music performance; she fell in love with poetry in mid-life. Her chapbook, Final Deployment, is published by Finishing Line Press. Please visit online at www.annquinn.net.
Maria C. Goodson is a writer who spends her time telling people where they should volunteer in Baltimore City, running a reading series called Writers & Words, and creating art out of pipe cleaners anytime she is given the opportunity. She has an MA in Creative Writing from Oxford Brookes University, not the Oxford University, but another school literally up the street. She enjoys writing anxiety haikus, holiday card stories, and villanelles about love and connection. Learn more at mariacgoodson.com.
Whitney Pipkin as been writing about food, farms and the environment as a freelance journalist since moving to Northern Virginia in 2012 after starting her career at newspapers in the Pacific Northwest. She is a staff writer at the Chesapeake Bay Journal, covering the nation's largest estuary and getting to know its historic places in the process. Her freelance work appears nationally in The Washington Post, NPR, National Geographic, Smithsonian Magazine and Civil Eats and in regional publications such as Virginia Living and Northern Virginia Magazine, and she serves as a periodic guest editor for Edible DC magazine. A 2018 writer-in-residence at the historic Woodlawn & Pope-Leighey House in Alexandria, Pipkin has started dabbling in personal writing projects as well and had her first Christian essay published in Deeply Rooted magazine this year. She lives with her husband, 4-year-old daughter, 2-year-old son and mischievous dog in Springfield, Va.
Writers in Real Life: Kerry Graham
We are happy to welcome Kerry as our first Writer-in-Residence. You can find Kerry at the Highlandtown First Friday Art Walk in April, May, and June and hear her read her work at Yellow Arrow's August 2nd reading.
Kerry spent the first few years of her life in Baltimore, but was raised in Baltimore County. After going to college in Southern Maryland, attending grad school in England, and being a full-time volunteer in Nigeria, she moved to Baltimore in 2009. She lived in Pigtown for two years, but has been in the Patterson Park area since then. Almost three years ago, she bought a house in Highlandtown/Patterson Park, and couldn't be happier about being part of this neighborhood.
About her experience in Baltimore, she writes, "Sometimes, I describe myself as being hopefully devoted to Baltimore. My entire professional career, I’ve served some of Baltimore’s most marginalized populations: the HIV+, homeless, and its youth. While I have the fortune of being able to enjoy much of Baltimore’s charm, I care about hundreds of people who have been traumatized by Baltimore. I recognize that to be in this position–someone who gets to experience some of the best of Baltimore, but also understands the depths of its worst–is relatively uncommon, which is why I am committed to writing, and story sharing, and using language as a way to unite those who might otherwise never have found one another. I believe I would have been a writer regardless of where I live, but Baltimore has made my writing meaningful."
Kerry’s vignettes have appeared, or are forthcoming, in borrowed solace, The Citron Review, Crack the Spine, and Gravel. She is a regular contributor to Role Reboot, and runs a collaborative weekly newsletter called In This Together.
from gravelmag.com
Promise Him Pencils
Kerry Graham
I cannot tell which day I mark him absent, again, is the one I know he will not be back. He stops coming to class—mine, and apparently algebra, and biology—but still comes to school. In the halls, he holds his back straighter than he ever did in my room; his eyes shine brighter. Here, it does not matter that he never has paper. Pencils. Whenever we pass each other by the stairwell, he stops laughing long enough to vow, “Ima be there tomorrow!” The next day, I tell myself: he meant it at the time.
Soon, he stops coming to school, but I still see him sometimes. Now, instead of by the stairs, I pass him on the street, wondering how far he is from home. The sun shines on him here.
In my car, even with just glimpses of him, I am reminded of how he would look in the hallway. Every time I see him, it is at the same corner, too far—and too late—for me to promise him pencils. Driving past, I know all the reasons he will not realize I am there. I shout anyway.
This morning, the streets only trickle with traffic, and I can tell that today is the one he will see me. Again, I shout his name. Watching him grin at me as he lifts his hand above his head to wave, I want to press the brakes on my car. On time.
Meet the Highlandtown Writers-in-Residence
We are pleased to introduce the inaugural cohort of writers-in-residence for the Highlandtown First Friday Art Walk. The art walk season extends from April until December and these three talented writers will immerse themselves in all things Highlandtown during their three month residencies. Be sure to seek them out while browsing the venues during the art walk.
Kerry Graham, April - June
Kerry Graham lives, teaches, writes and runs in East Baltimore. Her vignettes have appeared, or are forthcoming, in borrowed solace, The Citron Review, Crack the Spine, and Gravel. She is a regular contributor to Role Reboot, and runs a collaborative weekly newsletter called In This Together.
Jessica Gregg, July - September
Jessica Gregg is the editor of Baltimore Style magazine and also oversees Baltimore's Child and Washington Family magazines. She is a Baltimore booster, proud rowhouse dweller, the mother of two teenagers, and an avid poetry reader. Her poetry collection "News from this Lonesome City" will be published this year by Finishing Line Press.
Laura Hazan, October - December
Laura Hazan is a librarian with the Enoch Pratt Free Library where she runs the bimonthly Light Street Writers Exchange. She completed her first novel, Little Boxes, and is seeking representation for publication. She attended the “Your Novel Year” program at Arizona State University’s Piper Writing Center where she was instructed and mentored by best-selling novelists Michael Stackpole and Jean Rabe, among others. In addition, her work has been published in Natural Bridge, Kirkwood Patch, Sauce Magazine, and Not A Pipe Publishing #yearofpublishingwomen anthology Strongly Worded Women available at Amazon.com and other booksellers. Laura is a resident of Baltimore and lives with her son, her husband and their one-eyed dog, Boh.
Writers in Real Life: Ariele Sieling
Yellow Arrow Publishing friend and board member Ariele Sieling has a book launch coming up on March 28, so we wanted to introduce her and her work to you. Ariele is a prolific author of science fiction, kids books, and urban fantasy (13 books so far), and has short stories published in a number of journals, anthologies, and magazines. She has become a go-to expert in self-publishing and uses Patreon to help readers find her and support her work.
We sat down with her and asked a couple of questions of local interest, starting with: what do you like most about Baltimore so far?
She replied: “We moved here about two years ago. I think my favorite part of Baltimore so far is honestly the people. Of all the places I've lived, the people we've met here have been the most friendly, welcoming, and helpful, which makes it much easier to make such a significant adjustment from a small New England town to a large city.”
How did you get involved with Yellow Arrow Publishing, and what has that been like for you?
“I met Gwen at a craft fair and she asked me if I would like to help her run a reading series. I had been thinking about getting involved in doing volunteer work again, so I figured it was a good opportunity and perfect timing. We ran the reading series together last year and it was extremely successful, and then we started a workshop series. Now I'm the vice president of the board, and super excited about watching the organization grow!”
Tell us about your book. How did you come up with idea?
“My most recent book, being released on March 28th, is called Tentacles and Teeth. It is a post-apocalyptic sci-fi filled with monsters. I’ve always been intrigued by apocalyptic stories—specifically the idea of an empty world mixed with the desperate need for survival—and I’ve always wanted to write one. But I felt that a lot of post-apocalyptic stories have already been told and told again—zombies, flood, nuclear war, environmental collapse, aliens. I wanted to write something a little different. So after mulling it over in the back of my mind for quite a while, I realized I hadn’t ever read or watched something with monsters. And that’s where I started.”
What the day-to-day writing life look like for you?
“I am a full time writer. I split my time 50/50 between doing freelance writing (mostly web copy, copy editing, and independent publishing consulting) and writing and marketing my own work. On an average day, I get up and work out or go for a walk, then sit down and do three or four hours for my clients, have lunch, and then switch over to my own stuff and spend another three or four hours writing or marketing. And of course, I fit in all of my volunteer work for Yellow Arrow too!”
What do you think is the best thing about being an author?
“I love telling stories. I’ve always indulged in stories, reading, making them up, imaginary friends—and now I love the fact that I get to tell them all day every day.”
We love telling stories, too—and sharing stories and supporting women telling their own stories. Thank you so much, Ariele, for your time. We are looking forward to checking out your work, and we appreciate all the hard work you do for Yellow Arrow!
We’re so happy to have Ariele as part of the Yellow Arrow team. Click here to order a copy of her newest book, Tentacles and Teeth! You can also visit her website to learn more about all the work she’s doing.
The book will be live on March 28th, and Ariele will be going live on Facebook that night on her author page at: https://www.facebook.com/arielejsieling/
Other ways to find Ariele online:
The Woods 2018
In 2017, two literary groups in Baltimore—Ink Press Productions (specializing in handmade books, letterpress printing, and experimental events) and Writers & Words (a Baltimore monthly reading series) - joined their talents together to organize The Woods, an annual writing retreat. The event now draws writers from all over the east coast and beyond to Cacapon State Park, WV each December.
This collection features work from the 2018 participants of The Woods II. Each piece was either inspired by or written at the retreat.
Ink Press Productions and Writers & Words are thankful to MoonLit and Yellow Arrow Publishing for taking on this project and creating a time capsule of work inspired by the fantastic, creative weekend at The Woods.
Contributors: Rachel Cloud Adams, Nicki Avena, Tracy Dimond, Chelsea Fonden, Ana Hart, Mandy May, Tim Paggi, Sarah Smith, Gwen Van Velsor, Matilda Young
Cover by Mandy May
Ordering information can be found at https://yellowarrowpublishing.com/?product=the-woods-2018 or snag the printed version tomorrow night (3/12/19) at the Writers & Words reading at Charmingtons. See you there!
Writers in Real Life: Carol Clupny
We’re so happy to announce that Yellow Arrow contributor Carol Clupny, whose essay “Bus, Burros and Broken Beer Bottles” ran in Vol. 1, has a book coming out this month! Carol lives in Oregon, so we conducted an email interview with her.
What is your inspiration for writing?
Having Parkinson’s Disease is like having Robin Hood become part of your life. He steals from the rich part of you the things that make you alive; your ability to move, your facial expression, your tone of voice, your handwriting, your smell and taste and on and on. When your spirit has become poor, and there is not much left of you, he sees the poverty in you and brings you gifts. The gifts are quite unexpected. Some people with Parkinson’s can’t see their gift at all.
The three words “You have Parkinson’s” either shuts you down hard or opens you up softly. When you can see past those words, and they are only words, you become the definition.
The gifts help us define our new selves: a canvas and oils, a guitar, a sense of service, a potter’s wheel, poetry, compassion, or wisdom to share with the newly diagnosed.
The gift that came to me was a surprise. Writing! Up to this point in my life I had only written technical reports and a few brief articles for professional journals. I began to share my travels via social media. The more I wrote the more encouragement to publish came my way. When the subtle encouragement felt more like a hard push I gave in. I found someone to look at my short pieces of writing and she saw the much bigger story. To bring together hundreds of posts and blogs and letters into a cohesive memoir was a huge task, yet one I felt compelled to complete as Robin (aka Parkinson’s disease) kept sneaking in the back door to take away more and more of me.
I have to use this gift. I have to let people know they can laugh at their challenges. There is hope ahead in that tiny light at the end of the dark tunnel. There is adventure to be had, friendships to be made and hopefully a cure to be found. I want to tell the world about it.
Where do you write?
I have composed pieces from the stoker’s seat on our tandem bike and walking down a trail eating the dust of the person dragging their feet in front of me, visualizing typing and seeing the words on the screen so I can recall just how it happened when I can get to a word processor. I have plunked away with my stylus on my tiny phone keyboard in an albergue with 20 snoring pilgrims and in a tent in someone’s front yard in small town Iowa in rhythm with the splattering rain. I have edited late at night and in the early morning hours when I should have been sleeping like the rest of the pickers at a blue grass festival. Although most of the book was written as I traveled, it was put together in a spare bedroom turned office in our house. I sit at a dark wood computer desk with piles of papers and a window where I can look out at my two old horses. I type on my son’s gaming computer, with a fancy lit up keyboard and a mouse that accidentally gets set in motion by my trembling right hand. This computer is also a gift as I have lost the ability to hand-write anything legibly. It has to be absolutely quiet when I am at the computer. Even my husband’s breathing at his desk a few feet from mine distracts me.
Carol was kind enough to share an excerpt from her book, The Ribbon of Road Ahead: One Woman’s Remarkable Journey with Parkinson’s Disease
It started in the pit of my stomach as a queasy feeling and worked its way up to tighten my throat. I tried to ignore the sensation and keep hiking. The trekking pole on the end of my right arm clinked on the pavement. My left foot moved forward. I reached my arm out with the left pole. My right foot didn’t want to move. It was as if my foot had been inserted into a boot of quick-dry cement. Not only did my right foot not want to cooperate, but also the sweat on my face now turned into a running stream of sunscreen stinging my eyes. The sun heated up the surface of this black asphalt country lane out of the village of Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port. The heat was stifling. A car approached from behind, and the groups of people with their colorful backpacks moved to the sides of the lane to let it pass. The vehicle lost its momentum on the steep incline as it slowed for the walkers, and it had to back down to take another run at it. My throat felt tight and very dry. Hot, steep, stinging eyes, leg won’t work … Oh … my … God. If the rest of this Camino is anything like this, I am in for it! There’s no way I am going to be able to walk the five hundred miles to Santiago de Compostela. “My men,” as I thought of them, were all ahead of me now. My scream was stifled before it got out of my mouth, but I still had some tears left. They rolled down my cheeks as I tried to catch up with the guys. “Charlie,” I squeaked out, then “Charlie,” a little louder. He turned around, and as I saw him look at me, I crumpled right there on the hot pavement: backpack, hiking sticks, and all. Nearby walkers rushed to me. By the time Charlie got there, I was a sobbing mess of panic.
How to purchase the book: Presale begins March 11
You can order directly from Carol at https://ultreiablog.org
The paperback and e-version will also be available on Amazon.
Writers in Real Life: Jessica Cappelluti and Edele Morgan
Student and Teacher Writers
Here at Yellow Arrow, we live for moments like these. Meet Jessica and Edele. Both of these poets were published in the latest issue of our literary journal. Edele's poem "Good," leads the journal as we explore the theme of Doubt. This talented high schooler informed us (well after the publication was under way) that her teacher and mentor Jessica Cappelluti also had a poem accepted in the same issue of our journal. Talk about serendipity.
Ms. Morgan shared these thoughts about her teacher:
"Ms. Cappelluti is my English teacher this year and she has had a great influence on me as a writer and a person. I'm lucky to not only have her as a teacher but as a caring and supportive role model in my life. I have her class last period every day so as soon as I get there I tell her all about what's going on, good or bad. She always listens and reassures me if anything has gone wrong and praises my achievements and celebrates with me when things go right. Every class we start with journaling. Ms. Cappelluti is the first teacher I've had to ever give her students time to write about ourselves or things we care about and give us the choice to share or just keep it to ourselves. She has also encouraged us to try to write poetry and actually gave me an extra journal that is now my poetry book. When Ms. Cappelluti first told me about Yellow Arrow Journal I was so excited at the thought of us doing this together and myself possibly getting published for the first time. I started to brainstorm right away and sent in three of my poems. I got the email saying that one of my poems was chosen during my sixth period U.S. history class and immediately called my mom. For the rest of the day I was bubbling with anticipation to tell Ms. Cappelluti and when I finally got to tell her I found out that she got chosen too. We talked about it almost everyday and couldn't wait to get our copies of the journal. I'm so grateful for Ms. Cappelluti and everything she has done for me because without her I would likely not have the passion for writing and for life that I have today."
Ms. Cappelluti shared these thoughts about her student:
"It was definitely synchronous that we were both accepted. It is funny how it worked out, because my mom has always been my support; she's the one who taught me how to write and helped me to cultivate my voice. When I was in high school, I wrote at least one poem a day, and my mother was the only person who I would allow to read it. I've been writing poetry my whole life, but I never thought to submit one for publication. My mom told me about the Yellow Arrow Journal, and urged me to send something. When I discovered that it was for women, I knew I had to tell Edele. Edele is a very special young woman. She is gifted and philosophical and deep. I begin all of my classes with 5 minutes of journaling, and Edele usually has trouble stopping at 5 minutes. Thankfully, she is in my last period class, so she will often stay late to continue writing, and then show me her journal. She comes in to school and tells me that she wrote multiple poems over the weekend, or over a school vacation. I knew she needed to submit a poem, and I'm so glad she did."
We are so grateful that these women shared this special story with us. We hope you keep writing forever and ever.
Highlandtown Writer-in-Residence Opportunity
Writer-in-Residence Opportunity with Highlandtown First Friday Art Walk and Yellow Arrow Publishing
What: Enjoy a three month daytime writing residency in Highlandtown. Get inspired by the First Friday Art Walk and work on your own writing at various venues in Highlandtown. Great opportunity and exposure for Baltimore writers who want to engage with and inspire a passion for the literary arts in the community. Residents will be featured in a reading event on August 2nd during the “Summer Reading” themed art walk as well as in social media promotions with both Yellow Arrow and Highlandtown marketing efforts. Yellow Arrow will also publish a zine featuring residents' work at the end of the 2019 art walk season.
When: We are looking for three writers each year. Each writer will be assigned to either the Spring (April, May, June), Summer (July, August, September), or Fall (October, November, December). During their season, each writer will attend all three Art Walks on the first Friday of each month, and will be provided a minimum of six days to work in various venues in Highlandtown. If more than six work days are desired during the assigned season, we will coordinate this with the venues and writer.
Where: The Highlandtown First Friday Art Walk consists of various art galleries, restaurants, retail locations and other businesses within the Highlandtown neighborhood. Writers-in-residence will become familiar with the venues during their orientation and will be assigned places in the neighborhood where they can work throughout their residency block.
How: Selected writers will create three blog posts in total (minimum 500 words) to be submitted one week after each Art Walk occuring in their designated season. The blog post must be related to the art walk, the participating venues, or Highlandtown in general and will be featured on ihearthighlandtown.com.
Why: Yellow Arrow Publishing is based in Highlandtown and loves supporting our neighborhood events. A large tenant of our mission is to support other writers by providing opportunities to gain visibility in the community. During this residency you will have the opportunity to meet and engage with writers and supportive community members in the arts. Our hope is that you will be inspired by the arts district here in Highlandtown as well as the diverse community we enjoy.
Who: We are looking for Baltimore writers interested in community building and growing their network in the arts. Emerging to career writers are invited to apply. All genres welcome. Perfect for writers needing a little extra time and inspiration for an ongoing project they are already working on, such as a manuscript. Also great for writers who are looking to get inspired and start working on something new.
Ready to apply?
Residency application due by March 8, 2019
Yellow Arrow Publishing seeks to support, nurture and inspire writers identifying as women. We provide writing related opportunities for writers in the Baltimore community and beyond through publication, workshops, and an interactive reading series.
Yellow Arrow Journal: Winter 2019
The Winter 2019 edition of the Yellow Arrow Journal is now available as a hard copy, PDF, or an ebook on your Kindle.
This season we explored the theme of "Doubt" through creative nonfiction and poetry by T.J. Butler, Jessica Cappelluti, Diane Finlayson, Jessica Gregg, Tami Lauteren, Edele C. Morgan, Ann Quinn, Mindy Stokes, and Roz Weaver.
Thank you to our hard working editorial staff, to the talented writers, and of course to you, our beloved readers.
Support independent publishing through an annual subscription to the journal. Our hard copy editions are printed in small batches and bound by hand.
Winter Writing Workshops
Unblocking the Muse 1/26/19
Whether you're a new writer, an off-and-on-again writer, or an old hat, sometimes it can be hard to get the creative juices flowing. So what exactly do you do when the only word you can think to write is "the"? Led by Gwen Van Velsor and Ariele Sieling, this workshop will run through a variety of strategies for getting in the groove of writing in both fiction and creative nonfiction. We will discuss short-term strategies to use when you're staring at a blank piece of paper, and long-term strategies for when writer's block just won't go away. We will also delve into creative problem solving, for when the story itself just isn't working.Come join us and your fellow writers for a fun, interactive workshop on unblocking the muse.
Finding Your Authentic Voice 2/23/19
They always say "write what you know," but what exactly does that mean? When crafting a story, whether fiction or nonfiction, honesty and authenticity in the writing practice is crucial to adding realism and credibility to your story. This workshop will address some of the challenges of staying authentic, and discuss strategies for incorporating integrity and authenticity Join Cija (pronounced "Kia") Jefferson and Ariele Sieling as they dive into different strategies for telling the truth, writing what you know, and adding realism and complexity to your story.
Finding Healing Through Writing 3/23/19
We all have a story inside of us, and finding a way to write about it can lead to self acceptance and healing. In this workshop, we explore our feelings and experiences in a safe place through writing, laughter and community. Reshape and explore real life experiences through fiction and creative nonfiction with author Dr. Diane Pomerantz, clinical psychologist. When we share our stories with each other, it creates a ripple effect of empathy, compassion and understanding. It’s about saying, yes, we belong here, too.
Submissions open
Submissions open OCTOBER 1st to NOVEMBER 30th 2018 for the winter 2019 issue of the Yellow Arrow JournalGuidelines:-The theme is "Doubt." We leave it up to authors to interpret the theme however they choose.-Submissions of creative nonfiction and poetry by women and identifying authors welcomed.-Submissions for cover art by women and identifying artists welcomed. Must supply a high resolution image. Cover art can be a painting, drawing, print, photo, graphic design or anything else you dream up.-Submissions of creative nonfiction must be no more than 5,000 words, however any piece between 500 and 5,000 words will be considered. You may submit up to 5 poems per author.-Please send your submissions in the body of an email to info(at)yellowarrowpublishing.com. Cover letters are not necessary unless you need to explain how your piece relates to the theme. Attachments are not accepted.-We are seeking pieces of writing with an optimistic or hopeful vibe.-Multiple submissions are fine, but please do let us know if your piece gets published elsewhere in the mean time.-Please no previously published work aside from blogs and personal websites. If you're not sure, just ask.-Accepted submissions may be edited for content and grammar. We will seek your permission before editing.-Submissions are $.99 per piece of creative nonfiction and $.99 for up to 5 poetry submissions. Payment accepted here. If you are unable to pay for your submission, please explain this in your submission email and we will permit scholarships on a case by case basis.-You will hear back from us by December 17th, 2018 regarding your submission.-If your piece is selected, you will receive payment of $10USD and one free hard copy of the journal.Send submissions to: info(at)yellowarrowpublishing.com
First Friday Reading Series, November 2 is Life Hack Night
Join us every First Friday for the
for live author readings by local writers and poets. Each month will feature a different genre, including Local Flavor, Science Fiction and more. Light beverages and snacks will be provided. Come out and explore the literature growing in your own back yard, and support your local authors, writers, and publishers.
When: November 2nd, 6 – 9PM (last reading of the season until April 2019!)Where: Dennis Moore’s Pottery Studio, corner of S. Conkling and Bank, 21224. Across from Rooftop Hot in Highlandtown.Enjoy local self-help authors share amazing Life Hacks. Stay for the Q&A at the end of the night. See more info on each writer below.
6:00pm
Meet and greet
6:45pm
Gina Andreone Strauss
7:00pm Lynda Satre
7:15pm
Tiffany Jean
7:30pm Shaunna Jackson
8:00pm Author Q&A
For over 25 years,
Gina Andreone Strauss
has worked as a teacher and advisor in a variety of educational settings. Her advanced degrees in counseling and healing arts add a unique dimension to her teaching style and interactions with students and their families. She is an advocate for conscious parenting and is mindful of how our children serve as mirrors to us. Gina believes that much can be learned from life's experiences and recognizes the wealth of positive thought that can be gleaned from small day-to-day moments. She lives in Baltimore with her husband, two daughters and two obstinate cats.
Lynda Satre
is the author of the book,
Parenting Sensibly: Turning messes into successes
. She is a mother to 10 children, former pediatric RN, and parenting coach who has had children in her 20’s, 30’s, and 40’s. Her mission is to help others by sharing wisdom acquired while navigating this imperfect, but wonderful parenting journey.
T. J. Butler
was crowned Miss Virginia Beach in a shopping mall pageant when she was three, and she began writing shortly thereafter. She has worked in a variety of jobs from dishwasher to magician’s assistant to corporate office drone. She was a cat person until she was a dog person, and she lives on a sailboat with her husband and dog. She is a lifestyle blogger and a regular contributor to Tiny House Magazine.
Shaunna Jackson
earned a B.A. degree in Psychology and Social Welfare Services, and is completing her second term of service in AmeriCorps. She served 5 years as Parish Pastor in the Redeemed Christian Church of God, receiving the John Maxwell Million Leaders Mandate Certificate of Achievement in 2016, for exemplifying outstanding leadership by empowering, equipping and encouraging leaders. Shaunna is the author of two published books, and is the owner of the blog,
Occupy Purpose
. She is a graphic designer and personal development coach. Many hats, one purpose; encouraging people to pursue passions and live a life of faith and purpose.
First Friday Reading Series, October 5th is Horror Night
Join us every First Friday for the
for live author readings by local writers and poets. Each month will feature a different genre, including Local Flavor, Science Fiction and more. Light beverages and snacks will be provided. Come out and explore the literature growing in your own back yard, and support your local authors, writers, and publishers.
When: October 5th, 6 – 9PM and every first Friday of the month until NovemberWhere: Dennis Moore’s Pottery Studio, corner of S. Conkling and Bank, 21224. Across from Rooftop Hot in Highlandtown.Enjoy local horror and thriller authors share spooky stories. Stay for the Q&A at the end of the night. See more info on each writer below.
6:00pm
Meet and greet
6:30pm
RA Boyd
6:45pm
Carolyn Eichhorn
7:00pm break
7:15pm
Ariele Sieling7:30pm Rachael MacNeill Rawlings7:45pm
break
8:00pm
Annaliese Grey
8:15pm Author Q&A
R.A. Boyd
is a writer, and reader, of paranormal romance, horror and urban fantasy. She lives in Maryland with her husband, daughter and her massive collection of books. Seriously. Her books have their own room. She loves all things paranormal but dabbles in romantic comedies and hockey fights. When she’s not writing at three in the morning she’s binge-watching Netflix or plotting random scenes from her novels in the voice of her characters. It makes her daughter giggle but worries her husband.To find her on the web, please visit: raboyd.com, www.facebook.com/RABoydwriter, https://twitter.com/ra_boyd
Carolyn Eichhorn
fell in love with mystery and thriller fiction from her first Nancy Drew library book. Through careers spanning theme parks operations to higher education, Carolyn has no shortage of inspiration for twisty tales. She recently published a collection of short stories called Ten Dysfunctions of My Teams: Distressing Tales of the Cubicle-Bound and is currently at work on a mystery series featuring ghostwriter Gina Morrison. Carolyn teaches and writes in Baltimore, Maryland.
A lifetime writer and lover of books,
Ariele Sieling
delves into the exciting possibilities of science fiction from her home in Baltimore, MD, where she lives with three cats, a dog, and a husband. She is the author of the scifi series
The Sagittan Chronicles
and the children's book series,
Rutherford the Unicorn Sheep
, and the post-apocalyptic YA series
Land of Szornyek
.
Rachel Rawlings was born and raised in the Baltimore Metropolitan area. Her family, originally from Rhode Island, spent summers in New England sparking her fascination with Salem, MA. She has been writing fictional stories and poems since middle school, but it wasn't until 2009 that she found the inspiration to create her heroine Maurin Kincaide and complete her first full length novel, The Morrigna. When she isn't writing paranormal romance, psychic romance suspense or about her psychic detective, Rachel can often be found with her nose buried in a good book. An avid reader of Paranormal/Urban Fantasy, Horror and Steampunk herself, Rachel founded Hallowread- an interactive convention for both authors and fans of those genres. More information on Hallowread, its schedule of events and participating authors can be found at www.hallowread.com and www.facebook.com/Hallowread. Sign up for her newsletter https://mailchi.mp/rachelrawlings/newsletter-sign-up-form and be sure to check out Rachel's Facebook page www.facebook.com/rachelrawlingsauthor
Annalise Grey
is a Pennsylvania native, dreamer, explorer. "I write because I like talking to the voices in my head."
Yellow Arrow Journal, Vol. III, Courage
Dear Yellow Arrow Family,Volume III of the Yellow Arrow Journal is here and we couldn't be more excited and proud to share it with all of you. The theme this time around is "Courage." Inside you will find a collection of poetry and essays by writers who identify as women from all over the world.We hope you consider supporting independent publishing by subscribing to the journal, purchasing a single hard copy, downloading a PDF, or reading it on your Kindle.A very special thank you goes out to our volunteer staff Kapua, Leila and Maggie who spent hours and hours sifting through submissions, editing, formatting and looking over many revisions with a close eye. We so appreciate your dedication to this project.If you happen to get a copy of this journal in your hands you'll notice it is hand bound with string. That's right, we sat and stitched them with needle and thread, because we love you. Also because we wanted to produce a product that was entirely in-house. In the past we had printed copies made through Amazon because it was cheap and easy. Cheap and easy isn't a bad thing, but we just really wanted to give you a journal that was touched by our very own hands and made special for each of you.We hope you enjoy this volume,Gwen Van Velsor