Blog
Storystorm
The Value of Sad Stories
23 September 2020 on Nonfiction, StorystormI grew up in a laughing house. Granted, it was sometimes a yelling house, or a screaming house, or a crying house – but the important thing was, my family...
Nonfiction
Thoughts While Waiting by Elizabeth Templeman
15 May 2020 on Blog, NonfictionWhat did I think, then, in those years biding my time, waiting? Waiting: for life to get serious, whatever that might mean; for maturity, whatever that would feel like. But...
Blog
It’s Okay to Not Write a Book During the Pandemic
01 May 2020 on BlogI’m not sure what I was expecting—maybe with more (read: all) time at home, I would be nothing short of prolific, à la “Room of One’s Own” at last. I...
Poetry
“Canyon Fire” by Patricia Caspers
03 April 2020 on Blog, PoetryAnother August morning the sky opensits smoke-heavy wings, and after so many years of silence, we hello each other in the cafe,as if not knowing the wooded placewhere we parked...
Nonfiction
“Night and Day” By Marni Berger
06 March 2020 on Blog, Nonfiction1. The Awakening. I’m waking from a sad dream. In the dream, my husband Leo is uncharacteristically crying at me, saying, “When was the last time we were really happy?”...
Storystorm
What We Look For in Poetry Submissions
05 March 2020 on Blog, StorystormHere at Barnstorm, our poetry readers and editors have varied tastes and interests, but we all share a love for poetry. Read on below to hear what each of our readers...
Storystorm
What We Look for in Fiction Submissions
27 February 2020 on Blog, StorystormI’ll never forget the first time I heard the tale “The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnelle.” I was captivated by the question King Arthur must answer to save...
Fiction
“It’s Still Farther Than You Think” by Emily Varnell
21 February 2020 on Blog, FictionMarianne’s palms stuck when she pressed her hands to the red laminate table. Orange juice, she guessed, from some boy dumping over one of those curvy bottles, too excited as...
Storystorm
What We Look For in Nonfiction Submissions – Strong Beginnings
19 February 2020 on Blog, Storystorm“And suddenly you know: It's time to start something new and trust the magic of beginnings.” ― Meister Eckhart We know this: essays that move readers and stay with them need...
The Writer's Hot Seat
The Writer’s Hot Seat: Katie Peterson
05 December 2019 on Blog, The Writer's Hot SeatThis past November, poet Katie Peterson gave a reading from her new book, A Piece of Good News, at the University of New Hampshire, followed by a Q&A session with...
Storystorm
The Pile of Skulls
27 November 2019 on Blog, StorystormFor five years, I’d been collecting rejection emails in a special inbox folder titled “The Pile of Skulls”. When the total approached one-hundred and thirty, the accumulated despair made me...
Storystorm
Finding Poetry When You’re Stuck
13 November 2019 on Blog, StorystormSome weeks writing comes easy. Like a gift a context or idea appears and you run to the computer, journal, grocery receipt and draft out a poem quickly before it...
