As a child, I had terrible asthma. I spent hours every evening breathing fumes out of a noisy machine called a “nebulizer,” and most days I required puffs from my collection of inhalers—the blue one made me shaky, but the…
Guest Post: The Importance of Hickory-Nut Hunting by W. Royce Adams
Although I’m looking back decades into the ‘50s, I still remember my first college freshman English class assignment. I had been placed in what was then called “dumbbell English,” or Subject A, a course designed for those who didn’t qualify…
Guest Post: The Domestication of the Poet by Lauren Sartor
The current trend of writing poetry has made it so that more and more poets can sustain a living in the periphery of creative writing. The advent of MFA programs, the uptick of blogs and magazines and the general increased…
Guest Post: Becoming a Real Writer: the Creative Writing Major by Colleen Fullin
I recently received an email from a young woman asking for advice. She is a junior at the fine arts high school I attended more than ten years ago. She contacted me at the email address affiliated with my school,…
Guest Post: Equine Inspiration by Alex Mullarky
Equine Inspiration When I was growing up I was aware of two distinct sides of my personality developing at the same time. On one side, there was an avid reader and aspiring writer who dreamed of bestselling novels and signing…
Guest Post: Shaped by Our Childhoods by Diana Raab
Shaped by Our Childhoods “We don’t see things as they are. We see them as we are.” Anaïs Nin How do the events of our childhoods affect our adult passions and mold who we become? Some believe that our…
Review: Your Presence is Requested at Suvanto
Your Presence is Requested at Suvanto, a Review by Carissa K. Cullum As summer comes to a quiet end, a new patient by the name of Julia Dey arrives at the front steps of Suvanto, though it’s unclear as to…
A Conversation with John Dodds
An Interview by Alicia Cole John Dodds is the author of The Kendrick Chronicles crime novels, published as audiobooks by Blackstone Audio, Inc., USA. The first two, Bone Machines and Kali’s Kiss, are narrated by Robin Sachs, an actor who…
A Conversation with Mathieu Cailler + Recap of His AWP ’15 Reading
AWP ’15 Report by Elizabeth Sheets, Interview by the BFLM Founding Editors Mathieu Cailler is a writer of poetry and prose. His work has been widely featured in numerous national and international publications, including the Los Angeles Times, Epiphany, and The Saturday Evening Post. A…
Review: How to Escape from a Leper Colony
How to Escape from a Leper Colony, a Review by Carissa K. Cullum The Caribbean, home to a myriad of dynamic cultures from across the globe, is the backdrop for Tiphanie Yanique’s collection of short stories. Each tale includes memorable…
Selfies vs. Traditional Publishing – Which Style Fits You Best?
Self-publishing outstripped the traditional publishing market in terms of titles produced around 2010. Yes, you might agree, but how many of those titles are complete rubbish? Furthermore, selfies are the ones who got rejected from real publishers so what could…
How to Really Write That Book (The Finishing Touch) – Part 3
The Finale You’ve put words on a page. Thousands of them and hundreds of lines. Take a minute to look at the word count at the bottom of your screen. Yes. You did this. And just like standing on top…