America [Try saying wren] by Joseph Lease
This week, the final lines of Lease's poem (opening line"Try saying wren.") have replaced my usual mantra of "No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better." (Famous quote from Waiting for Godot)
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"The thing about damage is that if you can lead someone right to it, like
a sleeping bear, point to it, say, shhhh, donʼt wake him, then it likely is already
toothless. At least for the winter months. Come spring everyone is damaged, all
over again, whether they talk about it or not. Itʼs just the world waking up. Itʼs the
sap running through the trees, itʼs the ice starting to thaw. Whatever damage has
been sleeping is now awake, once more. True damage is not merely a
reenactment of past turmoil, but part of nature, embodied somehow. Thatʼs why
itʼs a good idea to stretch out each morning, if just to be aware of where in your
body the damage is lurking today."
From Nick Flynn's essay What is the Wind (the allure of the damaged man)
He's a marvelous writer and poet, and it's a terrific essay, especially if you've had a baby, or are afraid of having a baby, or were afraid of having a baby, or even if you just like good writing discussing damage, and believe in the possibility of healing or the impossibility of healing but nonetheless the beauty and danger of Spring resonate for you.
I've announced this elsewhere, but a few months ago I sold my story "Too Fatal a Poison" to The Way of the Wizard. About a month away from launch, and I can finally stop holding my breath--it's really going to happen!
It's a tremendously exciting sale for me. I've always loved wizard stories and this anthology is a marvelous mix of superstars and newer writers--and I feel awfully lucky to be in such esteemed company. Every time I look at the TOC, I have to find the nearest fainting couch, while I recover my wits.
Many thanks to all of you who gave me invaluable feedback, making "Too Fatal" a far, far better story than it was--especially you old crotchety Salooners (yes, this means you, Mr. Cody, Mr. Newman, and Mr. justinhowe ), Jeanne Cavelos, and Michael J. Deluca, aka
boonofdoom . Thank you!
Beyond my joy in "Too Fatal" finding such an extraordinary home, I would be very remiss if I didn't acknowledge the special debt this story owes to John Joseph Adams.
Here's what happened. A while back, I sent an early version of "Too Fatal" to F&SF. John picked it out of the slush, contacted me, offered excellent editorial input--both gentle and incisive--and worked with me on the resulting rewrite.
While F&SF ultimately passed on the story, John stayed in touch with me, followed what was happening with that particular story and then, when he was putting together The Way of the Wizard anthology, encouraged me to submit "Too Fatal". Luckily, he still believed in the story and was able to find a slot for it in his anthology.
All of which makes him kind of a godfather for "Too Fatal," and one to whom I am very grateful.
For those of you who have an interest, the anthology should be available in November, at bricks-n-mortar locales. Or, at Prime Books, or, of course, here.
And, to whet your wizard's wand, cover art and TOC.