Latest News
I've just announced the winners of the Intercultural Essay Prize. Judging was even tougher this year: Gretchen Wright (1st), Samuel Autman (2nd), and Shanti E. Bannwart (3rd). Fascinating stories of travel, racism, and war.
The cover is done, and I love it. A beautiful photo by Benita VanWinkle. Pages are being set, and back cover finalized, and all sorts of other book things being lined up, including a launch party at the Brookline Booksmith Feb. 23. Mark your calendars and hope for good weather!
The Flash Field Guide just went into a second printing. We are proud and pleased to be doing this in less than a year. A big feat for a small book and a small press; the book has even made it to Macedonia, thanks to Jennifer Semple Siegel, and I hear it's making the rounds in the UK, thanks to contributor Vanessa Gebbie. Check out our full-page review in the Dec. print issue of The Writer, at B&N.
The Feral Press has changed. Their new name is Prehensile Pencil Publications. Check out their wonderful new site at www.pp-pub.com.
Upcoming Release: Feb. 2010 from Press 53
- A NewPages.com New & Noteworthy Book, January 2010
$14/preorder at Amazon.com
Also available at Press53.com
or find it through indiebound
Advance Praise for Where the Dog Star Never Glows:
This is a rich and surprising collection. I loved how—whether they are set in Dominica, Montana, Holland, the Mexican Border, New England, India, or the territory of schizophrenia—these stories are all concerned with seeking to find, or to lose—or simply to come to terms with—love and the self. The characters are wildly varied and wonderfully inhabited; the settings are intensely observed and believable.
—Grace Dane Mazur, author of Silk and Trespass
Revitalizing themselves in far-flung corners of the globe, Masih’s characters emerge at crossroads in their lives, groping to discover intimacies situated in the small spaces of vast landscapes. . . . [A] wise and beautifully written collection imbued with a sharp awareness that makes her subtle, emotionally honest portrayals haunting and powerful.
—Michael Hartnett, author of Universal Remote
Whether on a car ride, Coney Island—in Europe, or Appalachia, the stories in this collection are like eloquent journeys. Where the Dog Star Never Glows illuminates, gracefully, with keenness; with a sharp eye for emotion, and a zoom into the senses, Tara Masih is a talent, and this book is full of heart.
—Kim Chinquee, author of OH BABY and Pretty
Within each of these stories lies a surprise at the turn of the page. Sometimes subtle, sometimes not, but Masih always has a surprise waiting. This is a wonderful debut collection, which travelers should bring along in their backpacks or suitcases and savor in those moments of solitude.
—Jeff Talarigo, author of The Pearl Diver and The Ginseng Hunter
These stories travel the world to explore a terrain more mysterious and fulfilling than place—that of the human mind and heart. The finely crafted prose and acute observations in this collection left an indelible impression on me. Where the Dog Star Never Glows marks the arrival of a gifted new writer.
—Lisa Borders, author of Cloud Cuckoo Land
The characters in Tara Masih’s Where The Dog Star Never Glows are bright and daring, her prose vivid and full of poetry, her landscapes rendered with astonishing beauty. These stories will captivate readers of all stripes—a highly absorbing and original debut.
—Laura van den Berg, author of What the World Will Look Like When All the Water Leaves Us
The Field Guide to Writing Flash Fiction
Publishers Weekly Starred Review
$15.95/order from Rose Metal Press.
Also available on Amazon.com.
- #6 on Small Press Distributions' nonfiction
bestseller list - A NewPages.com New & Noteworthy Book, May 2009
- A recommended nonfiction book, Poets & Writers' Summer 2009 reading list
- An Amazon.com Top-100 literary reference book
FEATURING ESSAYS FROM: Steve Almond • Rusty Barnes • Randall Brown • Mark Budman • Stace Budzko • Robert Olen Butler • Ron Carlson • Pamelyn Casto • Kim Chinquee • Stuart Dybek • Pia Z. Ehrhardt • Sherrie Flick • Vanessa Gebbie • Tom Hazuka • Nathan Leslie • Michael Martone • Julio Ortega • Pamela Painter • Jayne Anne Phillips • Jennifer Pieroni • Shouhua Qi • Bruce Holland Rogers • Robert Shapard • Deb Olin Unferth • Lex Williford
With its unprecedented gathering of 25 brief essays by experts in the field, The Rose Metal Press Field Guide to Writing Flash Fiction meets the growing need for a concise yet creative exploration of the reemerging genre popularly known as flash fiction. As they share their personal beliefs as to what exactly this hybrid genre consists of, and what it is defined by, the essayists also provide insight into their writing habits, philosophies, inspirations, and teaching methods, along with tips for editing and improving flash stories. Original and well-tested exercises or prompts accompany each piece, followed by a story example for further study. As an added feature, the book’s introduction provides, for the first time, a comprehensive history of the short short story, from its early roots and appearances to its current state. This guide is a must for anyone in the field of short fiction who teaches, writes, and is interested in the genre’s genesis and practice.
Invitation to Submit Your Flash Stories!
Have you written a flash story you like based on one of The Field Guide exercises? Send it to me by submitting here, and it will be considered for online publication on this website.