In 2024 SmokeLong hosted our second SmokeLong Workshop Prize competition. Our workshop participants reported almost 300 publications to us before November 1, 2024. In 2025, we’ll be featuring one writer each week from The SmokeLong Workshop Prize long list. It’s an excellent series of interviews, each grappling with questions about workshopping, giving and receiving feedback, and the publication process. If you are a previous or current SmokeLong workshop participant and you have ultimately published something you began in a SmokeLong workshop, remember to enter The SmokeLong Workshop Prize competition. This free-to-enter competition is on our Submittable page.
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An Interview with Kathryn Silver-Hajo — “When Bebe and Kumar Met Halloween Night at the Lizard Lounge in Vegas” published in New Flash Fiction Review
What do you remember about the workshop where you wrote this story? What was the prompt or writing task that led to this story?
“When Bebe and Kumar Met Halloween Night at the Lizard Lounge in Vegas” was written in SLQ’s March Micro Marathon 2024.The writing task was to use a folktale from childhood (or from one of the provided links) to draft a story in fewer than 400 words, using the original folktale to shape the story. I used the “pickerwheel” to choose “Khastakhumar and Bibinagar,” a wild, wonderful Afghan folk tale.
Peer-review feedback is always full of surprises. In general, what kind of feedback do you find helpful? What kind of feedback do you find less helpful?
I find it most helpful when a reader is willing to do a deep dive and give me pointers for where the story is working and especially where they think it isn’t working as well, and give specific reasons for that assessment. It’s also nice when a reader gives concrete suggestion(s) to consider. Less helpful is broad brushstroke praise (or criticisms).
To how many places did you send this story? Can you tell us a little about its journey to publication?
I had a lot of fun with this piece. I loved the original fairytale it was based on and had a great time adapting it as a modern, weird, improbable love story of my own. I submitted Bebe and Kumar four times: two flash competitions and two regular journal submissions. The journal that declined it (I sent three micros to them) accepted one of the others—My Name is Gretchen—also written in the MMM workshop! Ultimately, it was New Flash Fiction Review who gave Bebe and Kumar a loving forever home.
What is your advice to someone considering taking part in a peer-review workshop?
Treat each person’s story as you hope to have yours treated—give it the time, respect and care it deserves. Being in workshop together is an act of community building which can have a life far beyond the particular workshop in some cases. If you don’t have time to critique others’ stories, you probably shouldn’t be in the workshop. You don’t have to comment on everyone’s work every day, but it’s important to get to as many as you’re able to. One last thought: try to think of something unique to offer the writer—something they might not have thought of or heard from the other participants.
Read “When Bebe and Kumar Met Halloween Night at the Lizard Lounge in Vegas” by Kathryn Silver-Hajo in New Flash Fiction Review.
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Kathryn Silver-Hajo’s work appears, or is forthcoming, in Atticus Review, Centaur Lit, CRAFT, Emerge Literary, Ghost Parachute, Gooseberry Pie, Milk Candy Review, New Flash Fiction Review, Pithead Chapel, Ruby Literary, The Phare, and other lovely journals. Her stories were selected for the 2023 and 2024 Wigleaf Top 50 Longlists and nominated for Best of the Net, Pushcart Prize, Best Microfiction, Best Small Fictions, and Best American Food Writing. Kathryn’s books include award-winning flash collection, Wolfsong, and YA novel, Roots of The Banyan Tree. More at: kathrynsilverhajo.com; facebook.com/kathryn.silverhajo; twitter.com/KSilverHajo; instagram.com/kathrynsilverhajo
