Monday, December 17, 2007

A plug for myself

Well, it's out. My short story, which was accepted into a brand-new startup Asian American literary magazine, the Kartika Review, is finally available not on newsstands everywhere, but instead is downloadable for free. Even if you don't want to read it, go give them the website hits to tell their investors about.

Here's the direct link to the inaugural issue. You can download just my story, which is called "To Herself," or the whole issue. I haven't read the whole issue yet, myself.

I wasn't so sure about this story even after it was accepted, but after rereading it last night, I can safely say that...it's not as bad as I thought.

I do think it's great that this magazine is trying to fill the void left when the APA Journal had to close its garage door two years ago, but it must be tough to start a magazine. I didn't even know that they weren't going to do a print run at first. Now they say that every three issues they'll do a print anthology of the "highlights," which to me seems like shooting your contributors in the foot ex post facto. But small print runs are so expensive that it must be almost impossible for an independent startup. I hope they can get some synergy with other specialty AA mags.

2 comments:

Ben said...

[Email coming soon, post-grading, but in the meantime...]

Congrats! Very engaging story--one that, somehow, puts me in mind of one of my favorite American short stories, Sui Sin Far's "In the Land of the Free." Of course the mother and daughter here aren't ever explicitly identified as Asian or even immigrant American, so I'm committing the biographical fallacy; but I'd say that the comparison is more of a high compliment for your story than anything else. Good stuff!

Heidi said...

Thanks! The mother is Asian, actually, but the identification is quick. The daughter... well, I'll refrain from pulling a Rowling "Dumbledore is gay" and let you decide.