SmokeLong Quarterly

What made you realize that, by the end, the voice should be addressing “you”?

The POV shifts and shifts in this very short piece, I know. I was trying to give it a layered feel, a sense of movement, if that makes any sense. It just felt right to end very close and specific.

What excites you about microfiction?

I find it inherently beautiful.

Ron Carlson read your work and made you a finalist! How cool was that?

It was extremely cool and now we are the best of friends! Seriously, though, it felt really good.

A three time Pushcart nominee. Might you be the Susan Lucci of the Pushcart? What would it mean to win one and who would you thank in your acceptance speech?

Well, I had to google Susan Lucci to understand this question. Oh I don’t think I am the Susan Lucci of the Pushcart though. About a squillion stories get nominated every year. It’s a pretty big bunch that receive multiple nominations and never win. I don’t expect I’ll ever win, but if I do I’ll thank myself for being so unbelievably talented!

The titles of the stories in this issue wowed me and got me thinking about the value of the great title. What are some great titles—for novels, stories, movies, albums, CDs, and the like? And what is the worst title you’ve ever encountered?

I love great titles too! One of my favorites is: “In the Cemetery Where Al Jolson Is Buried” and almost every one of the titles of Flannery O’Connor’s short stories. One of the worst titles I’ve ever seen is one of mine called “Cancer Arm” and I still haven’t published that story.