I’d like to thank my friends Caroline Bock and Jona Colson for agreeing to help coordinate and execute this special reading and discussion. THIS IS WHAT AMERICA LOOKS LIKE is an anthology of new fiction and poetry from Washington Writers’ Publishing House, a 47-year-old cooperative, all-volunteer press based in the nation’s capital. This collection features one hundred writers and poets from DC, Maryland and Virginia–who draw a portrait of the creative state of our union. This work is for sale at the Washington Writers Site at www.washingtonwriters.org.
This event is the second of three in partnership with The Anacostia Swim Club. As you may or may not know, it’s currently both unsafe and illegal to swim in the Anacostia River. A social club serving DC area residents, members enjoy arts and culture events, along with service to the community along the Anacostia river corridor. To learn more about the Anacostia Swim Club visit anacostiaswimclub.com.
The event was recorded and can be viewed, below (along with the contributing writers’ bios).
Caroline Bock is the author of the short story collection, Carry Her Home, winner of the 2018 Fiction Award from the Washington Writers’ Publishing House, and the young adult novels: LIE and Before My Eyes from St. Martin’s Press. She is at work on a new novel set in 2050, which was honored with a Montgomery County Artists & Scholars Award. She is also the fiction editor of THIS IS WHAT AMERICA LOOKS LIKE: Poetry and Fiction from DC, Maryland, and Virginia.
Jona Colson’s first poetry collection, Said Through Glass, won the 2018 Jean Feldman Poetry Prize from the Washington Writers’ Publishing House. His poems have appeared in Ploughshares, The Southern Review, The Massachusetts Review and elsewhere. His translations and interviews can be found in Prairie Schooner, Tupelo Quarterly, and The Writer’s Chronicle. He has received fellowships from the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts and the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities. He is an associate professor of ESL at Montgomery College in Maryland and lives in Washington, DC. He is also the poetry editor of THIS IS WHAT AMERICA LOOKS LIKE: Poetry and Fiction from DC, Maryland, and Virginia.
Cacayo (José R. Ballesteros) is a poet, translator, and publisher. He teaches language arts at St. Mary’s College of Maryland. He is the author of the book of poems Polvo Enamorado/Lovedust (Izote Press) and editor of Zozobra Publishing a literary press that focuses on Latinx letters in the U.S.
Holly Karapetkova is the author of two books of poetry, Words We Might One Day Say and Towline. Her poetry, prose, and translations have appeared widely. She teaches at Marymount University and is currently serving as Poet Laureate of Arlington County.
Jonathan Lewis is the author of Babel On, which won the 2017 L+S Press Mid-Atlantic Chapbook Series contest. His poetry has appeared in a variety of publications, including Beltway Poetry Quarterly, Berkeley Poetry Review, Charleston Poets, Hawai’i Review, Northern Virginia Review, and the Washington Post. Lewis lives in Washington, DC.
Taylor Ramage is the author of two poetry collections, Forgive Us Our Trespasses and Lest I Know Your Weakness. She is also a fantasy writer and has published other poems and short fiction in online magazines. Taylor loves stories in all forms and has something to learn from all of them.
Patricia Schultheis is the author of Baltimore’s Lexington Market, published by Arcadia Publishing in 2007, and of St. Bart’s Way, an award-winning short story collection published by Washington Writers’ Publishing House in 2015. Her memoir, A Balanced Life, was published by All Things That Matter Press in 2018. She is a member of the Authors’ Guild and the National Book Critics Circle. More at pschultheis.net
