Glimmer Train - Bulletin 41

June 1, 2010
Upcoming deadline:
	The June Fiction Open closes June 30. This category is open to original, unpublished stories of all subjects and themes. We welcome yours. See guidelines.
	Open to ALL writers. First place has gone to beginners with no previous publications and to accomplished, established writers. All are welcome. Word count range: 2,000 – 20,000. (Yes, a 2,000 word piece can compete against a 20,000 word piece—it's the story that counts.)
	First place wins $2,000 and publication in Issue 80 of Glimmer Train Stories. Second- and third-place winners receive $1,000/$600 (or, if chosen for publication, $700).

Essays in this bulletin:
	Jenny Hollowell: It was dawning on me that we would be reading and discussing each individual sentence of my story. Each. Individual. Sentence. Two hours later, the conference was over, and I had begun to realize what should have been obvious from the beginning: every sentence matters. (more)
	John Stazinski: As an undergrad, I took workshops with Frederick Busch, and I often claim him as a mentor, though it's hardly true. I adore Busch's writing now, the taut sentences, the deeply flawed characters, those beautifully shaped stories. But back then, when I was his student, I didn't know to look for these things. (more)
	Malena Watrous: But I learned a lesson from the experience of writing this novel. I realized that I had been neglecting setting in the stories I'd written before this, set in America, lazily assuming that my readers didn't need help to see what was right in front of us. Defamiliarization is a classic writer's… (more)
	Steven Polansky: I start very slowly, and don't actually begin to write the book until I can't stand not to write it. This method derives from my sense that one can start a book too soon, but almost never too late. I think it is also true that if you wait until you know enough to start, you never will. (more)

Results of the March Fiction Open:

Winners and finalists have been notified, and the Top-25 list is posted! (note) Our thanks to all of you for letting us read your stories! 1st place: "Bangor" by John Stazinski 2nd place: "The Piper" by Sean Padraic McCarthy 3rd place: "The Getaway Driver" by Nick Yribar

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Looking forward, Sisters and Editors Glimmer Train Stories, represented in recent editions of the Pushcart Prize, O. Henry, New Stories from the South, New Stories from the Midwest, and Best American Short Stories anthologies.