When I find the idea of writing long pieces really daunting—and I don’t mean novels, or even novellas; I mean short stories, totaling fifteen pages or so—I like to transition...
During the full moon in Leo, on the 28th of January, I wrote down the name of every literary magazine that rejected me on tiny pieces of paper. I then...
What are you listening to while you drive? There are long drives ahead of many of us this holiday season as we retreat to our quarantine dens and visit the...
James Patrick Kelly has won the Hugo, Nebula and Locus awards. His newest project is King of the Dogs, Queen of the Cats, a short novel from Subterranean Press. His...
I write all my first drafts by hand. Pencil--a sassy little Muji mechanical sweetheart that only takes soft 0.5 lead. And paper--notebooks of all shapes and sizes, lined, unlined, free...
An hour spent browsing the display at Barnes & Noble helps me get a pulse on the current literary scene. Unlike used bookstores, my preferred place to shop for books,...
One of my favorite parts of an MFA program is getting to know other writers on a more nuanced level--beyond interpersonal interactions or their work alone. I get to know...
I 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...
I’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...
Here 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...
I’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...
“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...