Hope is the thing with feathers That perches in the soul And sings the tune without the words And never stops at all — Emily Dickinson Barbara Kingsolver begins her 2008 Duke University commencement address, “How to Be Hopeful,” with: “The very least you can do in your life is to figure out what …
When I meet Leo Shipp (author of Pick), he is in his garret; humming, reading an atlas. “When did you read Crash, by J.G. Ballard,” I interview him. “University,” he says. “Please,” I say, “stop humming.” He hums all the more tenaciously. I realize his atlas is missing its countries. “Why Crash,” I interview him. …
In the middle of a downtown street, a woman wearing red forms a focus — an apex — in a picture of shifting motion, a crowd moving, other buildings overlaid on the original scene. But the woman is constant, her red outfit standing out. Seeing with the camera lens has freed photographer Harry Callahan, opened him to what the …
A library is a place where you can lose your innocence without losing your virginity. —Germaine Greer The word “virgin” generally indicates naivety, innocence, or inexperience in a particular context. Virginity can also represent sharing a previously un-shared part of yourself with a partner, and, for this reason, is often associated with intimacy. Writing, …
Linda, the high school guidance counselor who convinced me to tutor ESL students in math because I was failing pre-calculus offered me a housesitting job the summer after my first year of college. By then, my grandparents’ strategic refusal to teach my father Spanish so that he could more easily pass as Anglo in school …
Palm Desert. “Here’s a new package of Titleist balls – orange – so you don’t confuse your drive with mine.” Dad shoots me a wink. “Trust me honey, they’re the best balls for performance. And I know my balls.” Another wink. He shoves some tees in my pocket and heads for the cart. X returns …
I spent the best years of my life living in a house on Wawona Avenue. That was a nice house. My uncles used to drive up to the Bay Area from Nipomo to face the house in bricks. Took two summers before my dad was satisfied. I hated those bricks, because of how we had …
As a native Floridian, who lived in Orlando for five years, I have often driven passed Disney’s unincorporated town Celebration. Stylized building facades — Mediterranean, French Victorian, and Colonial Revival — force community charm. In 2010, around 7,420 people lived there as permanent residents. There’s even a public school on the property better suited for Florida orange …
They wouldn’t need much, would they? A few small fish, an arrangement of figs. A little paper. A handful of words. —Carole Maso [i] In her poem “The Invitation,” Oriah Mountain Dreamer reminds us: It doesn’t interest me what you do for a living. I want to know what you ache for and if you …
Flipping the bird is one of the oldest, most primitive gestures we have. On a daily basis, I give the finger to close friends, drivers who cut me off, and/or people I dislike. In preschool, my friend told me that extending your middle finger while curling your other digits into a fist means ‘Fuck you.’ …
Essay and Other Nonfiction Workshops at Eckleburg
Personal Essay
Lyric Essay
Body Narrative
Modern Memoir
Submit Your Nonfiction
We accept polished creative nonfiction/essays up to 8,000 words year round, unless announced otherwise. Preferences veer toward shorter works under 1500 words with an arts and culture focus. If you wish to include a bio, keep it short, under 200 words. Submit your nonfiction.
Essay Collections and Memoir Manuscripts
We publish short works at The Doctor T. J. Eckleburg Review. At this time, we do not publish novel, long memoir, essay collections, story collections or poetry collections at The Doctor T. J. Eckleburg Review. We do offer manuscript workshops at The Eckleburg Workshops. If you are looking to place a manuscript, we can suggest several excellent small and large presses whose excellent books are promoted through our Eckleburg Book Club — i.e., Random House, Graywolf Press, Coffeehouse, Tinhouse, St. Martins Press and more.