Hi everyone. Here's what we've been up to at Necessary Fiction this week:

Reviewer Susann Cokal joined us for the first time, writing about Acid Green Velvet by Grace Krilanovich (Two Dollar Radio). 

This week's featured story was "Parts Work" by Sarah Edwards, which officially brings to a close our extended summer flash fiction series selected by editor Lacey Dunham.

And in research notes, Donna Miscolta returned to our pages, writing about her new novel Ofelia & Norma from Regal House.

Elsewhere, contributor and longtime friend of Necessary Fiction Amber Sparks will teach her online workshop "The Modern Gothic: Making Haunted Fictions for the 21st Century" beginning on Saturday, November 14 — only a small number of seats remain available as I send this out.

And Jaime Green will offer her workshop "The Intentional Writing Process" today at 1pm EST, so there's still time to sign up this morning. And if you're socked in like I am by the storm coming up the east coast, it's a perfect day for an online writing class. 

Finally, don't forget that the semi-final and final rounds of Fat Bear Week voting are coming up on Monday and Tuesday. Is it fiction? Does it have anything to do with writing? Well, yes, if you're me and bears pop up constantly in your stories. But all that aside it's an annual event in which a whole bunch of people in a whole bunch of places simultaneously but separately celebrate something that brings us together in curiosity and compassion. The more of that the better, I'd say. And isn't that something we're after in art as well?

Thanks for reading,

Steve Himmer

PS For the record, I'm on team Bear 89: Backpack this year but rooting for all the bears.