Some people have been asking what I submitted for the Artist Trust / Gar LaSalle Storytelling Award. They were three short stories:

1. "The Zoo," published in Washington City Paper
2. "Old Boyfriends," published in Propeller Magazine
3. "Sugar," published in Gastronomica

I didn't submit a novel excerpt, following the general grant-writing advice to use a work sample that has a beginning, middle, and end. I also strived to show a range in styles and put the sample together in the order above to modulate tone, starting with the sad/happy, getting quite dark, and then ending on a lighter note. Just putting my process out there in case it's helpful! NB: Artist Trust gathers an amazing list of funding resources here. And here's a post on writing artist statements.

I'm honored to have my short-short story "Sugar" included in the winter 2013 issue of Gastronomica, the "brainiest" of food magazines, also called "the New Yorker of food magazines". The fairy tale-ish story is set in Pike Place Market and begins thus:

"He couldn't stomach currants in his salad. She couldn't stomach his not stomaching her currants."

You can subscribe to the magazine here; if you have access to JSTOR, you can read individual articles here.