Mahak Jain

A little story I wrote (it’s only 1000 words) made it to the shortlist for EVENT Magazine‘s 2019 Speculative Writing Contest! “The Waking World” was selected along with 11 other nominees. Contest judge Emily Pohl-Weary will select the winners, which will be announced June 27 EVENT Magazine is based out of Douglas College in British Columbia and helmed by the incredible editor (and writer) Shashi Bhat. This is the first time I’ve submitted a piece of writing to EVENT, since my stories have usually been too long to qualify.  This is also my first time submitting a purely speculative story! A good first, all around.

This just in! Glimmer Train has awarded Honorable Mention to a short story of mine: “We Are Only Human” has placed in the magazine’s Nov/Dec 2018 Family Matters contest. Take a look! Glimmer Train is an American literary magazine run by sisters Susan and Linda and receives 40,000 submissions a year. The magazine has been in operation since 1990 and is known for championing emerging writers. Fiction they have selected and published is included in Pushcart Prize: Best of the Small Presses, New Stories from the Midwest, the O. Henry Prize Stories, New Stories from the South, Best of the West, New Stories from the Southwest, Best American Short Stories, and The Best American Nonrequired Reading. Here’s the kicker: Glimmer Train announced last year that the magazine is closing, after nearly 30 years of operation. So it’s very special to be noticed by the magazine as it nears its final issue. “We Are Only Human” is one of the stories contained in a short story collection that I am nearly done with. I workshopped the story recently at the Tin House Summer Workshop, with Randa Jarrar.

I’ll admit, I have not actually listened to this radio interview I did recently with Bookish Radio! I am a little afraid to find out what silly things I might have said. Or what if I have a silly radio voice? Some things are better left unknown! But I had a great time chatting with Kim Davids Mandar about Maya, writing, and all things books. Check out the interview here.

Yesterday was my last day with the Fresh Ink program at the Toronto Public Library. I’ve had such an amazing time getting this project off the ground for the library. I am going to miss the amazing writers I have worked with! I won’t be there, but Fresh Ink will resume again in the new year on Thursdays, starting 5:30pm on Jan 10, at the Sanderson branch. Please spread the word to the young writers (ages 13-19) in your life!

Writer Claudia Osmond asked me to share the story of my publishing journey on her website, Real Talk. On Real Talk, writers open up about their experiences with the inner critic, the creative process, switching gears between creative work and the rest of life, and so on. Real Talk is a blog for creatives by creatives, intended to “make our vast artists’ world feel a bit smaller, tighter, and more connected.” You can read about my journey to publishing here. I reveal my early aspirations to become a literary agent and how I ended up publishing my first book, Maya.

Have I mentioned that I love my city’s library? Apparently, on July 31, the Toronto Public Library became the first library in the world to lend 20 million e-books. I am grateful to our library for keeping our city’s reading culture and community thriving. In related happy news: I will be teaching a creative writing workshop for youth this fall in partnership with the library. It will be fierce, it will be fabulous. It’s open to ages 13+ and it’s free. Please share with the young person in your life!