Feels like Christmas with all of the literary magazines and journals announcing their award noms on social media.

I’m always grateful to receive any nominations at all to be honest. It’s nice to not only have your work published but to also have that extra little kick when the place that published you loved your work enough to nominate it for an award anthology.

I was not as prolific this year but I was able to get into places that were only dreams before, so I will take that as the win it is. At this point my last publication with Pinch will most likely be my last this year barring a miracle acceptance and quick turnaround publication lol

Here’s my list of this year’s pubs in case you’ve missed any!

• “to da lady who stay looking down her high makamaka nose at us” in Pinch

• “Sacrament,” “Living on Stilts,” and “Oh my god your voice sounds so haole” in Craft (Best Microfiction Nomination)

• “Cruising in Kona” in swamp pink, Issue 7

• “That Kind of Love” in Already Gone: 40 Stories of Running Away

• “Stifling the Weeds” in ANMLY #37 :: Future Possible

• “Buttons” in The ASP Bulletin (Best Microfiction Nomination)

• “Missing the Tampon Window” in Awakenings: Stories of Body & Consciousness

• “Fire and Sea” in Fractured Lit’s BIPOC Bittersweet Love Story Anthology (Best Microfiction Nomination)

• “Menehune” in Gigantic Sequins

• “Trophies" and "Cookies" in Indiana Review

• “Far, Far Away” and “may day is lei day in Hawai’i” in Cream City Review

• “Fantasy Island” in South Florida Poetry Journal

• “Yayoi Kusama’s Yellow Pumpkin Swept Away By Typhoon Lupit” in New Flash Fiction Review

• “Or Better Yet” in The Cincinnati Review miCRo series

• “Giving all the Aloha” in Ellipsis Zine

• “And Nothing Else To Do” in Flash Frog

• “Her Red Door Open” in National Flash Fiction Day’s Flash Flood

• “They Would Have Told You” in Fractured Literary

• Rumpus Original Fiction: Six Micro Stories (“When the eye of Hurricane ‘Iwa is passing over us,” “Bitter over Sweet,” “go get da fish bat,” “daddy, he wen put limu in the fish’s belly,” “White wine spritzer,” & “the mongooses of Pahala”) in The Rumpus (The O. Henry Prize Nomination)

• “The Girl I Met at the Gay Bar” in A Valentine's Day Micro Fiction Sampler from the Short Story Today podcast

• “Tweezer” and “Of Being” were reprinted in Sugar Sugar Salt

Well…maybe I was more prolific than I originally thought… I am thankful to all of the journals and magazines that published me this year. Thank you!

I’ve been wondering where to go from here as a writer. This year I started out ready and willing to write that novel, and I did… some of it. Then I got burnt out and never went back. That’s a me problem for sure.

I’m also considering joining more literary magazines as a reader, editor, sign waver, whatever but at the same time I know that there is a possibility that I may get overwhelmed so I have to think about that as well.

I will say that I had a moment this week where I thought to myself my life would be so much easier if I didn’t have all of this as part of my life… writing, reading, editing, maintaining an online presence, attending workshops, holding workshops, pushing myself for higher and higher goals…wouldn’t it be great not to be constantly thinking about it… then I remembered, I choose this life every day, because I need to write and I would like others to actually read what I write and I always hope that my words resonate with them.

So for now, here I am. I hope you stay here with me too. Good luck to all of my writing friends, may your inboxes be filled with acceptances and award nomination notifications! Sending love, light and as always creativity.