Monthly Archives: June 2015

Striving After Wind: A Prequel, Part I

Posted on June 29, 2015 by Michelle McGill-Vargas

This is the prequel to my unpublished historical fiction manuscript, Striving After Wind, which previously appeared at Short Fiction Break. October 1860 Helen Brandt lay on her straw mattress listening to the autumn rainstorm roll across the northern Kentucky countryside. A growl … Continue reading →

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Literary Magazines: A Conversation with Blotterature

Posted on June 22, 2015 by Michelle McGill-Vargas

Literary magazines are a great way for writers to get their work out there and noticed. Today’s post is an interview with Julie Demoff-Larson, senior editor of the lit mag Blotterature. What is Blotterature? JDL: Blotterature is a literary magazine started … Continue reading →

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St. John’s Lutheran Church: Gary, Indiana’s Oldest Congregation

Posted on June 15, 2015 by Michelle McGill-Vargas

Thoughts of Gary, Indiana often include ones of the steel mill, the Jackson 5 and hope that the city can bring back the glory days current and former citizens remember. But there is one bit of history that stands out among the usual images … Continue reading →

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Finding Your Niche: How to Get Readers for Your Work

Posted on June 8, 2015 by Michelle McGill-Vargas

I’ve heard this term used before, finding one’s niche, when it came to writers marketing themselves. But it wasn’t until I recently attended the Writing Day Workshop in Hoffman Estates, Illinois that I understood what it meant and how it … Continue reading →

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Digging Through History: Gary, Indiana’s Tolleston Cemetery

Posted on June 1, 2015 by Michelle McGill-Vargas

At about 17th Avenue and Grant Street in the Tolleston neighborhood of Gary, Indiana lies a forgotten cemetery. Numerous trees and flowering shrubs obscure the few remaining headstones inscribed in German, English and an occasional Cyrillic script. This is Waldheim Cemetery, sometimes called Tolleston Cemetery after … Continue reading →

Posted in history, Writing Inspiration | Tagged , , , , , , | 37 Comments