Summertime Slummertime

News and Notes from Dashka Slater

Dear Friends,

It’s been a while since I sent out one of these newsletters, largely because I’ve been preoccupied with my other newsletter, A Sigh of Relief which comes out quite a bit more regularly. Please check it out if you’re interested in essays, think pieces, and interviews on the subject of justice, accountability, disinformation, politics, and much more.

I’m hoping you’ll hear from me on this channel a bit more frequently come fall, but in the meantime, here are a few bits of news.

I have new short stories in two magazines this summer. “A Detour on the Way to the World” is in the latest issue of Cream City Review (48.1). It’s a story about pregnancy, sex, insurance, and divine femininity, set at the turn of the most recent century. Oh, and it’s funny and a little raunchy. Here’s the beginning:

The second story will be in Issue 56 of Pembroke. It’s called “I Know Where To Find You” and it’s about mothers and daughters and adoption and language and much more. Here’s the first page, as it looked when I got the proofs:

Writing fiction for adults is something that I did long ago and have only returned to in the past year or two, so each literary publication feels both thrilling and validating.

Meanwhile, I had a wonderful time at the American Library Association’s annual conference in San Diego, where I accepted the YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction Gold Medal.

I also signed a few books and got to talk to LOTS of people, all of whom got to see my fancy new plaque whether they wanted to or not.

When I got back, I did an interview with my German publisher about The 57 Bus (in English), which you can watch here.

Oh, and here’s the announcement of an upcoming picture book, which I’m pretty excited about:

Now I’m off for a few weeks of R&R. I plan to read, swim, hike, and stay the hell away from social media.

Happy Summer!

Dashka