by Paula Gail Benson In World News ERA, Ashleigh Durden wrote an article “Why is May Short Story Month?” that delves into the history and practices to celebrate short fiction. She traces declaring May short story month to Dan Wickett, the founder and editor of the Emerging Writers Network (EWN), who on April 7, 2007, […]
by Paula Gail Benson For many of us, a return to an in-person Malice Domestic this year was truly a reason for celebration. Having the opportunity to greet and spend time with folks who have become like family was completely joyous (even though an outbreak of Covid marred the occasion at the end). Elizabeth Crowens, […]
by Paula Gail Benson Next weekend, after a two year absence, a group of devoted readers and writers will gather in Bethesda, Maryland, to celebrate the traditional mystery at Malice Domestic. Each year, it’s been a great privilege for me to interview the Agatha nominees for Best First Novel and Best Short Story. Through […]
by Paula Gail Benson If you’re looking for an online conference featuring talented and experienced short story authors (not to mention the opportunity to sign up for a dream editing giveaway), check out the Killer Workshop Virtual Event, taking place on Saturday, May 14, 2022, and jointly sponsored by the Palmetto Chapter and Capitol Crimes […]
by Paula Gail Benson During 2020, the year of the pandemic, when so many meetings went from being in-person to virtual, I had the good fortune to meet Sonja Hazzard-Webster online. Sonja was the President of the Capitol Crimes Chapter of Sisters in Crime (based in Sacramento, California) and I was the President of the […]
https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/betsy-ross by Paula Gail Benson On this President’s Day, as we remember George Washington and Abraham Lincoln and their contributions to the United States, I’ve been reading about Betsy Ross. I knew she had been asked by George Washington to sew the first U.S. flag, but I was not aware of her personal history. Elizabeth […]
by Paula Gail Benson Woman’s World has two weekly features: 5-minute romances and 2-minute mysteries. Mystery Writers of America lists Woman’s World as one of its approved periodicals/webzines, which means that it meets “MWA’s professional standards of good business practice and fair treatment of authors” and that stories published in Woman’s World may qualify for […]
Answering Debra’s message from Friday: yes, there is still time for resolutions! Also, there’s time to celebrate last year’s accomplishments. In 2021, I was pleased to make progress in my writing. My short story “Cosway’s Confidence” won second place in the Bethlehem Writers Group annual contest and was featured in their quarterly online publication, the […]
by Paula Gail Benson Stories have always been part of the holiday season. Whether from reality, like the newspaper response to Virginia O’Hanlon’s letter from the editor of New York Sun (often called “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus”); or Clement Clarke Moore’s “A Visit from Saint Nicholas,” also known by its first line […]
by Paula Gail Benson Red Penguin Books, a small publishing company based in New York and headed by Stephanie Larkin, began an imprint to showcase new and established writers of shorter works. Its Red Penguin Collection currently has twenty-eight volumes of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, essays, monologues, and short plays. The editor is J.K. Larkin, Stephanie’s […]