The Desert Nights, Rising Stars
Writers Conference

Every month, editors read hundreds of unsolicited submissions. Join editors from Superstition Review and Tahoma Literary Review for "Wading Through Slush," a panel on submitting work to literary journals, on Saturday, February 23, 2019 at 10:00 a.m. Editors will detail common mistakes they see during the submissions process, as well as best practices for standing out and maintaining a solid submissions practice. Ample time will be allotted for open audience Q&A. Featuring Ann Beman, Yi Shun Lai, Patricia Colleen Murphy, Spencer Litman, Alyssa Lindsey, and Lian Ammerman.

While encouraged, RSVPs are purely for the purposes of monitoring attendance, gauging interest, and communicating information about parking, directions, and other aspects of the event. You do not have to register or RSVP to attend this event. This event is open to the public and free.

About the Presenters

Ann Beman, co-publisher and nonfiction editor of Tahoma Literary Review and prose reviews editor for the museum of americana online journal, has been writing a book about thumbs forever. Or at least since she earned her MFA from the short-lived but sweet Northwest Institute of Literary Arts. Her work has appeared in DIAGRAM, The Literary Review, Bombay Gin, Stone’s Throw, and Canoe Journal, among others. She lives in California’s Sierra Nevada with her husband, a chihuahua, and two whatchamaterriers in Kernville, on the Kern River, in Kern County. Cue the banjoes.

Yi Shun Lai, co-publisher and Fiction Editor, writes nonfiction essays and articles for The Writer magazine. More work is at Bustle.com, the-toast.net, and at Cutbank online, among other venues. Her debut novel, Not a Self-Help Book: the Misadventures of Marty Wu, was a semi-finalist for 2017's Thurber Prize for American Humor, and is in its fourth printing. Her background is in consumer magazines and marketing copy. She has an MFA in fiction. Pronounce her name "yeeshun lie."

Patricia Colleen Murphy founded Superstition Review at Arizona State University, where she teaches creative writing and magazine production. She won the 2019 Press 53 Award for her poetry collection Bully Love and the 2016 May Swenson Poetry Award for her poetry collection Hemming Flames. Her writing has appeared in many literary journals, including The Iowa Review, Quarterly West, and American Poetry Review, and most recently in Black Warrior Review, North American Review, Poetry Northwest, Third Coast, and Natural Bridge. A chapter from her memoir in progress was published by New Orleans Review. She has received awards from the Associated Writing Programs and the Academy of American Poets, The Madison Review, Glimmer Train Press, The GSU Review, and The Southern California Review. She reviews literary magazines at Lit Mag Lunch and reviews books on Goodreads.

Spencer Litman is the fiction editor for issue 23 of Superstition Review. He is a fiction writer and essayist living in Phoenix with his wife, Kristine, and his two children, Jayden and Aubrey. He is finishing his undergraduate degree in English with a creative writing concentration and hopes to attend an MFA program somewhere with less traffic.

Alyssa Lindsey is the poetry editor for Issues 22 and 23 of Superstition Review. She is a junior at Arizona State University. She is majoring in both creative writing and global health with a pre-health emphasis. After graduation, she plans to attend medical school and go on to work in pediatrics.

Lian Ammerman is the Student Editor-in-Chief for Issue 23 of Superstition Review. She was the advertising coordinator for Issue 22 and the interview editor for Issue 21. She is also on the editorial board for Write On, Downtown. She is a senior at Barrett, The Honors College at Arizona State University. She's majoring in creative writing, minoring in film and media studies, and working on a certificate in marketing. After graduation, she plans to pursue her passion for writing as well a career in editing and publishing.