Longing, nostalgia, & ghosts
my latest short story + some reading recs
Wow! I recently went from about 8 subscribers on here to nearly 100. Some are here from reading my short fiction in literary journals, or from my last post on here about embracing my stretches of not writing while immersing myself in the art of others (as much as I love when I’m creating my own art) after it was shared by the generous and brilliant Kathy Fish—check out The Art of Flash Fiction if you haven’t yet, & many are here from a silly joke I made about too many social media accounts fatigue using Talking Heads lyrics. So welcome! No matter how you found me, I’m grateful you’re here.
After a few years of writing very little and hardly sending my work out anywhere, I have had nine new stories published this year (+ one reprint from my first book, a short story collection—Turmeric & Sugar). You can find the links to those in my last post except for the most recent story, which was just published in a wonderful literary journal right here on substack—Short Story, Long edited by one of the best around, Aaron Burch. I was fortunate enough to work with Aaron even more than usual this year since he published five of my stories in 2025—four of them in the spectacular HAD & this new one in SSL.
Aaron recently posted on Bluesky about how music has so many helpful and specific delineations, categories, groupings, etc that should be applied to indie literature: “hardcore, evilcore, metalcore, sludge metal... death metal, doom metal, doomcore, sludgecore, drone metal...indie lit needs more distinctions like this”
I replied, wondering where my writing and I would fall, saying I can’t decide if I’d be more nostalgiacore or longingcore. Aaron said that it’s not so neat or separate like that and that my writing lives in a Venn diagram with his and a few of my other favorite writers. He says that he and I are in nostalgiacore, that I’m in longingcore with the excellent Dina L. Relles, and that I overlap with Kirsti MacKenzie and Amber Sparks in the haunting/ghosts area. Kirsti also pointed out the presence of soulmates in both our recent SSL stories since her new one was published just after mine. Aaron is a fantastic writer & editor, and he also has great taste that I trust, so I was excited to read her story.
My stories do tend to be nostalgic for what was and what never was or what could have been while also laced with heavy doses of longing. Others do feature ghosts or soulmates or loneliness or a touch of the surreal and strange. I felt very well represented by this indie lit Venn diagram and honored to be included in such incredible company. So along with sharing my new story “A Love Story Told in Nine Lives” from Short Story, Long here, I’ll also be including some reading recommendations of where to start with the beautiful work of my fellow nostalgiacore, longingcore, and ghostcore writers.
Aaron Burch includes a link in his generous intro for my story to Amber’s recent story in SSL, so after you’ve read mine, please make your way over to hers. It’s so open hearted and honest as it travels through time and memory with a relatable perspective and evocative details.
Everything I love about Aaron’s writing is on display in his Pushcart nominated story in Pithead Chapel. I was lucky enough to read this one before it was published when he and I were both wondering if our two stories of awkward 2000 word length would find a home anywhere, so he offered for us to exchange them and comment if they should be longer or shorter. I felt totally unhelpful when I told him I thought his was perfect just as it was and that I wouldn’t change it. I made some suggestions for if he did decide to make it longer but he never needed to! Unsurprisingly, the Pithead Chapel editors snatched it up and you should read this beautifully strange meta meditation on bowling, UFOs, relationships—both those from the past and imagined futures, and the shape and very nature of storytelling. I’m sure you’ll love it as much as I did.
(By the way, my 2000 word story for which Aaron did, as always, offer thoughtful and useful edits was “Maybe Mary” which I read at Kevin M. Kearney’s book launch for his suspenseful and prescient novel Freelance at Small Press Nite and was published by the lovely Gina Nutt in Terrazzo Editions here: “Maybe Mary”)
Next up is the longing and saudade filled writing of Dina L. Relles. Her prose that is part poetry part memoir is always heartbreaking and stunning. I am constantly highlighting favorite phrases in nearly every sentence and have my breath taken away just as often by the wonderfully real love and loss she depicts. These gorgeously rendered brief scenes each feel like their own story and I loved each one.
And last but certainly not least, I must recommend you read Kirsti MacKenzie’s latest in SSL. Ghosts, soulmates, unlikely friendship, romance & love but in the real human messy silly way—I told Kirsti that I meant to just glance at the beginning & come back to it a little later but the next thing I knew, I’d read the entire story. So so good—a new favorite.
I’ll wrap up here by confessing that as someone new to substack, I didn’t know how to include links properly in my last post. I think I’ve figured out how to do it in this one, so please forgive & indulge me as I re-share the links to my new publications since my book’s debut below.
2025
“Maybe Mary” in Terrazzo Editions
“Two Old Friends and a Ghost Walk Into the Woods” in Craft Literary
”My Clay Sister and Me” in Monkeybicycle
“Now it’s nothing but flowers” in Rejection Letters
“Mae and Me” in Doric Literary (reprint from my book)
2023
“Echo” in The ASP Bulletin (also a reprint from my book)
2022
“What if we find our way back to each other in the grocery store snack aisle” in HAD
If you’re interested in reading older stories from my collection, you can find links to them at my website here.
And if you’ve made it this far, thanks so much for being here & supporting my writing + musings!
I've been a fan of yours since I read Tumeric & Sugar...well, I read some of your work online before that collection came out. I'm delighted by your jump in subscribers! And all you've accomplished this year. I loved Amber's story too! Happy holidays, Anna! xx