Do you ever wonder what Sliver of Stone editors are up to, when they’re not feverishly reading, editing, or soliciting work from writers? We invite you behind the scenes of our magazine.
NICHOLAS GARNETT, Nonfiction Editor
Nick Garnett and co-producer Esther Martinez continue their work on Miami’s home-grown true story live reading event, Lip Service, which is now produced by Miami Book Fair. Upcoming events include an open-mic night on April 27 and Lip Service’s next stage show, on May 20 at the Miracle Theater in Coral Gables. The submission period for the May 20 show runs until April 16. For submission guidelines, visit Lipservicestories.com.
FABIENNE JOSAPHAT, Fiction Editor
Fabienne is on a sabbatical this time around, so that she can focus on her next novel.
A French translation of Dancing In the Baron’s Shadow will be released in Europe this summer. The novel is set in Haiti in 1965, during the repressive and brutal regime of François Duvalier, aka Papa Doc, aka Baron Samedi. The Miami Herald describes it as “an ambitious and impressive first novel, a love letter to Haiti and its people, a tale of two brothers who repeatedly manage to find their way back to each other — and to redemption.”
JENNIFER MARITZA MCCAULEY, Fiction Editor
Jennifer is everywhere! Here’s a link to all the literary journals she works with.
Jennifer’s cross-genre poetry collection SCAR ON/SCAR OFF will be published with Stalking Horse Press this fall. More soon!
She’s currently on a sabbatical.
Jennifer
JUSTIN BENDELL, Fiction Editor
Justin is doing it all, and telling it all in this short Q&A:
Q: Justin, Do you have any writing projects outside of Sliver of Stone?
A: As a matter of fact, I do. In New Mexico, where I live, I have started a literary journal called Manzano Mountain Review. The journal is exclusively online, at least for now, and it seeks writing from former and current New Mexico residents. This isn’t a very wide net, I admit, but we are going to see what kind of subs we get for issue 1. If we feel the need to widen the pool, we will do so.
If you’ve ever lived in New Mexico, please send us your poems, fiction under 3000 words, creative nonfiction, or visual art!
If not, I encourage you to check us out at manzanomountainreview.com . Our first issue will debut online November 1, 2017.
Q: Sounds terrific. Anything else?
A: Yes! A friend and I are developing a noir/crime fiction podcast. It is still in the early planning stages, but our goal will be to chat about / analyze one critically-acclaimed novel or story collection each month. When we get it up and running, I’ll spread the word.
Q: You’re certainly keeping busy.
A: Yeah, I also have a black metal e.p. coming out in April, but that’s for another venue.
Justin at Todd’s for breakfast
MJ FIEVRE, Founding Editor
MJ’s short play, “If You’re an Orange,” will be produced in South Florida this spring, as part of an event organized by Compositum Musicae Novae (CMN) at the Pinecrest Gardens‘s outdoor amphitheater.
“If You’re an Orange…” is a two-character poetic play about chronic depression.
Who’s involved in the production?
Amy Coker is a graduate of the University of Florida, where she studied Literature, Shakespeare, and Modern Drama. She is the Literary & Programs Manager at City Theatre, as well as an actor and director. Amy most recently stage managed and assistant directed for Mad Cat Theatre. She was recently seen directing for the One-Minute Play Festival and various staged readings, and onstage in Sol Theatre’s The Christmas Carol. Next up Amy will be directing and producing two plays at the Ft. Lauderdale Fringe Festival.
Robert Fritz is a graduate of the University of Miami where he received his BFA in Musical Theatre. He is a member of the Miami Children’s Museum’s team of theatre-makers. He was recently seen around South Florida in See Rock City with Evening Star Productions, The Normal Heart with Outre Theatre, and A Christmas Carol with Actor’s Playhouse. Next up Robert will be seen onstage at the Ft. Lauderdale Fringe Festival, and in Rock Odyssey at the Arsht Center.
Gladys Ramirez is professional director and actor in South Florida. Offstage, she is in her third season as the Artistic Director of The Project [theatre], Miami’s only site-specifc and immersive theatre company. Onstage, she has played with Gablestage, City Theatre, Island City Stage, The Stage Door, Mangrove Creative Collective, Promethean Theatre, Fantasy Theatre Factory, and Parade Productions. A Miami native, she received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting from New World School of the Arts.
A note from MJ: “Universe, listen to me, and listen to me good: Writing TV scripts and plays; that’s what makes me happy: That’s what I want to do with the rest of my life: That’s how I want to make a living. You heard me, Universe. Now, make it happen.”
Gladys Ramirez
HOLLY MAYES, Art Editor
Holly is staying busy and healthy.
BETTY JO BURO, Nonfiction Editor
Betty Jo Buro talks about her first AWP Conference:
Q: What took you so long to get to AWP?
A: It’s usually in February, somewhere cold, and I prefer not to go places where heavy outerwear is required. Layers make me sad. Plus, I always assumed AWP would overwhelm me. This year, my arm was twisted, I was promised the hotel connected to the convention center, giving me the option to stay completely indoors, and I caved.
Q: So, was it overwhelming?
A: Well, walking the aisles of the Book Fair and recognizing all the literary magazines and journals that have sent me rejections was a little overwhelming. But, I did get to meet some editors who had published my work, and that was cool.
Q: What surprised you?
A: With all the talk of books disappearing in the digital age, you can’t help but leave AWP feeling the opposite, feeling optimistic. Books were everywhere. Books are being published. The book, I’m relieved to report, is alive and well.
Q: What were the highlights for you?
A: I enjoyed the panels, but for me, it was the smaller moments–making new friends with writers in the Starbuck’s line, a Roxane Gay sighting in the lobby bar, a Dim Sum lunch I’m still thinking about, a spontaneous anti-travel ban protest on the book fair floor, hanging with old MFA friends, and witnessing people I love sign their books. The very best part? Being asked by the awesome folks at Cherry Tree magazine to read from one of my essays at Bus Boys and Poets. That night I layered up and ventured out. That night was magical.
Betty Jo
JUBI ARRIOLA-HEADLEY, Copyeditor Extraordinaire
Jubi has been focusing on his poetry, taking two online poetry classes at the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, MA. He’s become a reader for By and By Poetry (www.byandbylit.org), for one. AND he’s been accepted into the poetry workshop at the Lambda Literary Writers Retreat for Emerging LGBTQ Voices this summer in Los Angeles! We’re very excited for him.
Jubi
THOMAS LOGAN, Comics Editor
Thomas is off the grid, devoting himself to his upcoming video games podcast with geek-world experts AJ and Richard. More soon!
Thomas
YADDYRA PERALTA, Poetry Editor
From Yaddyra: “Throughout the year, I work as Assistant Director of Palm Beach Poetry Festival which is going into its 14th year in 2018. While we offer community outreach programs throughout the year, the main event takes place on the week of Martin Luther King Jr Day at Old School Square in Delray Beach. This year, we offered daily poetry workshops in the morning, craft talks in the afternoon and evening poetry readings with poets David Baker, Laure-Anne Bosselaar, Tina Chang, Lynn Emanuel, Daisy Fried, Terrance Hayes, Dorianne Laux, Carl Phillips, and Martha Rhodes. Putting together this many events and making sure all the parts fit is a lot of work, but as a poet, it’s a pleasure to witness Terrance Hayes reading new and unpublished poems; to realize I’ve lived this long without reading David Baker’s muscular and compassionate poetry; to hear Lynn Emmanuel discuss the structure of a book via Langston Hughes’s Selected Poems. We already have the lineup for 2018. Keep an eye on our website palmbeachpoetryfestival.org in the next few weeks for news!”
Photo credit: Old School Square in Delray Beach by Owen McGoldrick.
HECTOR DUARTE JR., IN-TRANSLATOR EDITOR
From Hector:
“I’m glad to be finally graduating this spring from Florida International University’s Creative Writing MFA program. For a second there, I thought it would never happen. Then again, a lot of things happened this past year–globally and otherwise–that I thought never would.
Joe Clifford and Tom Pitts, former flash fiction editors at The Flash Fiction Offensive, were kind enough to ask me to take over as editor there while they buggered off to write their epic novels.
Why, of all people, they picked me, I still can’t figure out. I’m forever grateful, though, and having a blast doing it.
My co-editor is Rob Pierce, a mean mutha out of NorCal.
We’d like to entice–or strong-arm–you to submit a story. Here’s the link: https://outofthegutteronline.submittable.com/submit.
Do it now!”
Hector
Sliver of Stone Magazine 
Leave a Reply