I don’t submit work anywhere. Never have. It’s part of my policy which entails doing the opposite of what you’re supposed to do as a writer. So, no agents, no AWP, no submitting to journals that no one reads anyway, no MFA programs that dull your voice, no review writing or criticism, no connections to academia, no conferences, no blazers, no selling on Amazon, no print-on-demand, no stupid-sounding literary jargon, no networking, no “elevator pitches,” (no pitches at all, I’d rather fuckin’ stab myself). Don’t get me wrong, I’m not talking shit about anyone who does these things, because everyone should do whatever feels right, but doing the opposite has worked out great for me.
That said, I broke my own rule and submitted a piece of writing to Ambient Receiver because Andrew Hykel Mears is the managing editor and because I liked the sound of what he and the others planned to do. So I guess it’s not really a violation of policy, because I love Andrew and have worked with him since we were babies, but I recorded some writing with my phone on the banks of the Knetter frog pond one hot summer night, sent it in, and today it’s come out in AR’s debut issue.
I’m very honored to be included in this mega-work. Give a listen to my piece here, yes, but make a plan to hit pause on your day and check out the whole issue here because it’s a stunning, radiant giant, and those don’t come along often.
No blazers? I never got the memo that we were supposed to wear blazers!