The sixth volume of The Delmarva Review has just come off the printers and is now available for purchase! You can order physical copies through this order form or by emailing me at meg [at] margaret-adams.com.

My story “Undertow,” one of seven fiction stories contained within this volume, was described by editor Wilson Wyatt as “a penetrating view of self-esteem and misunderstanding.” You can listen to a discussion of this story with Wilson Wyatt and Hal Wilson on a recent segment of Writer’s Edition Delmarva Public Radio.

This volume of The Delmarva Review showcases essays, fiction, and poetry by 23 authors from nine states and the District of Columbia. Please support this fantastic publication – Get your copy!

I was interviewed for Delmarva Today: Writer’s Edition on Delmarva Public Radio about my short story, “Undertow.” You can listen to the half-hour program with me, Hal Wilson, Wilson Wyatt, and Bill Peak online here.

This episode of Writer’s Edition featured work from the forthcoming issue of The Delmarva Review. This was my first time in a recording studio and the whole experience was terribly exciting, from the expert work of my colleagues, to the actual “On Air” sign, to the roaring sound in my ears that that began when they On Air sign turned on and ended a half an hour later with me wondering what on earth I had just said. Well. All in all, a good time was had by all.

Listen to the program! And when Volume 6 of The Delmarva Review comes out soon, get a copy!

My story “The Island” has been published in the featured fiction section of The Portland Review. You can read the full story online.

“Today the sea is dark, but while the sky is too cloudy for the ocean’s surface to reflect blue sunlight, the water seems to hold a glow of its own. Tessa and I keep the big rolling doors at the front of the workshop open as often as possible, even if it means layering on an extra sweater or two; the shingled building faces the sea, with the seaweed-strewn high-tide line just a hundred yards away down the rocky beach. From the sawhorse tables inside, we can watch the Monhegan ferry make its daily courses towards the mainland past Carver’s Cove...”

I wrote my first draft of “The Island” as part of a collection of salty fiction set on the Maine coast almost seven years ago. It feels really good to get it off my desk and into the world. It’s also just so interesting to look back at what I was writing just a few years ago (and feel like it was a lifetime ago!). It’s like a conversation with myself at twenty-two. I’m sure that sensation won’t get less pronounced with time.

This is my first publication with The Portland Review, an Oregon-based literary journal which has been publishing short prose, poetry and art since 1956. I’m excited to be published with a journal that carries such a long history.

From the literary journal’s blurb on Poets & Writers:

“The Portland Review Literary Journal has been publishing superb short prose, poetry and art since 1956. Contributors range from the celebrated to the unknown. Editors at The Review comb through thousands of submissions annually to produce a journal of exceptional quality. Our mission to promote new authors while maintaining strict editorial standards allows us to bring our readers fresh and innovative works from Oregon and around the world with every issue. The Review is published three times a year by the Portland State University Student Publications Board.”

I am thrilled to announce that one of my recently published short stories, “Nursing 101,” was nominated by The Delmarva Review Editorial Board for a Pushcart Prize.

The Pushcart Prize-Best of the Small Presses series, published every year since 1976, is “the most honored literary project in America.” Every year, little magazine and small book press editors may make up to six nominations from their year’s publications–poetry, short fiction, essays, self-contained book chapters, or “literary whatnot.” From these nominations, the prizes are awarded and the winners bound up in the Pushcart’s annual collections.

The nomination is an honor, and I’m grateful for The Delmarva Review for encouraging me, publishing me, and believing in my work. You can read the nominated piece online.

A new zine, Nowhere Is More Important Than Here, has just been launched by a couple of friend-of-friends out of Portland, Oregon. Included in Volume 1 are a couple of my photographs and one short nonfiction story, “Women in the Market.”

It’s here! The print version of The Delmarva Review, Vol. 4, arrived at my apartment today!

Let me know if you want to buy a copy; the going rate is $10 each for the print version. You can order them here or you can email me directly with your address and I’ll send one along. It’s cheaper if you get it online for your kindle/e-reader. You can also read the full story online here.

From the Press Release:

“Intelligent, sturdy, free-spirited, genuineness and heart are all qualities that describe writing in the new Review,” said Linda Fritz, editor of the literary journal. Published by the Eastern Shore Writers’ Association (ESWA), the review focuses on “evocative and memorable” new poetry, short stories, and nonfiction from writers in the Chesapeake region, while welcoming work from all writers, regardless of geographic origin. The Delmarva Review expanded its content from previous issues. The new edition includes five short stories, 28 poems, three essays and five reviews of recent notable books. In addition to the print issue, it is available in a digital edition on Kindle at Amazon.com, where apps are available for reading on smart phones, tablets and other downloadable devices.

You can now download Volume 3 of The Delmarva Review!

Linda Fritz (editor)
The Delmarva Review, Volume 3 (Eastern Shore Writers’ Association)
Although it publishes its share of regional writers, this lively, well-designed literary journal reaches beyond the Delmarva Peninsula for its poetry and prose. It’s a wise approach that broadens its pool of talent and the scope of its content. This issue features contributors from Montana, Tennessee, Colorado, Wyoming, the Philippines, and Quebec, alongside local standouts such as Pulitzer Prize nominee Sue Ellen Thompson and University of Maryland Professor Emeritus Rod Jellema. Not surprisingly, the writing brims with references to ebb tides, loblollies, hunting season, cattails, skipjacks, and various Bay landmarks. Of the poems, Thompson’s “A Burst Pipe in Maryland” is a gem of economy and emotion, as she transforms a plumbing calamity into a multifaceted examination of personal grief—in just two short verses. But my two favorite selections explore subjects that have little or nothing to do with Delmarva. Gwen Florio’s “On Fire” is a peculiar and tender piece about firefighters in the wilds of Montana, and Sunil Freeman’s “My Danny Gatton Story” recounts the writer’s admiration for a beloved and obscure guitarist, who eventually took his own life. Such pleasant surprises make The Delmarva Review a satisfying read.