Issue 18 Coming Soon!
Click here to read the winning piece of our Instagram Micro Fiction contest!
Your First Draft is Not Awful: Writers on Process
By Claire Torregiano Your first draft is not terrible. It is an infant. You do not call an infant terrible because they are a product of a world that is new to them. You nurture and cultivate them so that they become smart, strong, and capable. I interviewed four writers about their experiences with first drafts. I had just finished the first draft of a work-in-progress when I reached out to four of my former writing teachers to ask for advice on how to move forward. It was after I established a connection with them that I read their … Continue reading Your First Draft is Not Awful: Writers on Process
Durst Distinguished Lectures
The Emulation Game
By Lianna Lazaros In a creative writing workshop, we are encouraged to imitate other writers. Take this traditional poetic form and try it yourself. Read this author and draw inspiration from their use of syntax. The first time I found myself imitating another poet’s style was last year in Poetry Writing I. I spent months trying to balance writing about a past love while acknowledging its toxic aspects. I didn’t know where to start until I read Crush by Richard Siken. His work helped … Continue reading The Emulation Game
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Recent Posts
- the mad leafcutter ant — Winner of Our Instagram Micro Fiction ContestBy Rune Davino-Collins Elion: you dream of a great city. It stands between a range of hills and a basin full of aspens.
- Seeking Submissions for Issue 18!We are now accepting new submissions for Issue 18 of Italics Mine! Send us your work by March 24th. For submission guidelines, go here.
- Issue 17 is Here!We are excited to share the online publication of Issue 17 featuring new fiction, poetry, nonfiction, & art, including the winners of our inaugural writing contest on the theme of home.
Blog Posts
- Replacing the Zombies: A Micro-Interview with Donika Kelly
By Claire Torregiano Dr. Donika Kelly is the author of the award-winning poetry collection, Bestiary (Graywolf Press, 2016), which won the 2015 Cave Canem Poetry Prize, the 2017 Hurston/Wright Award for poetry, and the 2018 Kate Tufts Discovery Award. As a former student of Dr. Kelly, I conducted this interview through email in September 2020. We discussed her drafting process and advice for students who are looking to publish collections of their own. CT: What was your drafting process like for Bestiary? DK: I … Continue reading Replacing the Zombies: A Micro-Interview with Donika Kelly - The Arbitrary Boundaries of Literature
By Skylar Gikas In high school, I read a lot of manga, often several volumes a day. In an ideal world, the titles and volume numbers would be what I put on my mandatory logs that tracked how much I read outside the curriculum that week. However, no matter how many volumes I read of D-Grayman—an action/fantasy series about exorcistsand demons in the early 19th century—I’d get no credit for reading that week. This was not a problem of content; I got away with … Continue reading The Arbitrary Boundaries of Literature - Survivors to Superheroes: Reclaiming Your Story and Voice After Sexual Violence
By Julia Tortorello-Allen As a teenager, I lived through multiple violent sexual assaults. Afterwards, there was a long period of time where I was unable to cope with the trauma and grief. Exploring my emotions, my needs, and letting others in was an impossibility. Over time, I sought help from my parents and realized that sharing my story was immensely important for my healing. My mother and I looked for what to do next, and quickly realized that there were virtually no resources or … Continue reading Survivors to Superheroes: Reclaiming Your Story and Voice After Sexual Violence
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