I'm extremely excited to announce the publication of my short story, 'Grief for Others', in the Overland Journal's Friday Fictions series.
I first encountered the Overland journal back in around 2008, perusing back issues in my local book store. I saw an issue in 2006 where they interviewed one of my favourite authors at the time (I still love his books) China Miéville. Even though I was a poor uni student, over the next few years I bought as many issues of the journal as I could. I loved its mix of progressive politics, critical ideas, and creative writing.
Fast forward to 2024. I'm living in Iceland, doing fieldwork for my PhD. Ever a student. It's February, still very early in my time in Iceland. And meanwhile, there are wars going on in the world. Genocides. It's an insufferable situation, but one that we're all too well equipped to ignore. Keep the reels scrolling and the feeds updated.
One afternoon, walking home from university as the snow was melting, I saw a black form in the snow. Someone's glove had fallen off, been snowed over, and spent weeks hidden away under the layer of ice. This is common in Iceland. You see abandoned gloves and hats and all manner of things, and they all emerge from the snow as it melts.
When I got home, I wrote this story, "Grief for Others". It came out of me fully formed, like a black mass.
A few months later, I volunteer to read it at a Reykjavík Poetics event. This is my first ever public reading and although I'm nervous, the vibe in the room is good and everyone there is supportive. I get good feedback. I work up the courage to send it out for publication.
And, to my surprise, it's picked up. By Overland. One of my favourite ever journals.
And now it's available to read for free online. I hope you enjoy it.