An acceptance over the weekend for a short story– my first paying fiction publication. That’s exciting. Now, here’s the odd thing– the story began as a poem, and worked its way into a story, which is also a first for me. I’ve had things go the other way any number of times.

Spent part of yesterday afternoon and part of this morning at Warren Wilson, sequestered in the library, reading theses. Mostly poetry, but I had to sneak in a story from Ed Porter’s manuscript. People, Ed Porter is seriously too good. I was also really happy to see the final versions of some of the poems in a friend’s thesis, poems that took shape during our first semester together.

Discovered in the archives that Joe Wenderoth went to Warren Wilson. Plan to spend more time in the archives the second Tuesday in July, if I am able to stay awake that day.

Ate lunch with Lucy Tobin, which was a rare and wonderful treat. Lucy is one of my favoritest people in the MFA program.

Today’s entry title from a poem that the aforementioned friend and I annotated at the same time, without knowing it until later. Talk about two different annotations. I’m finally looking at the annotation I’ll write this weekend not as a prerequisite but as a chance to have a little fun. I think I’m finally in the right mind-set.

Chitwood in the N&O.