I wrote a story about a character named Taylor Swift, and SmokeLong Quarterly was kind enough to publish it. I’m delighted and grateful to see my work appear beside such talented authors in a literary magazine I have admired for years. I hope you’ll read everything in SLQ’s spectacular December issue, especially the winner and finalists of their annual micro contest.
“Deliver Us” is dedicated to my dear mom who has suffered so much with illness these last few years. In the midst of what has been a sad time, I saw Taylor Swift with my daughters on a joyful night in May. Taylor Swift has been visiting me in somewhat haunting dreams at my mother’s house ever since. My story is an attempt to work through these strange feels, the odd juxtapositions of pain and beauty we encounter in this life. If you want to know more about the story, please read my interview about it with the wonderful Rachel Krause.
The fabric I reference in my story is the same that appears in this concert photograph, which I took from our obstructed view in the nosebleeds right before Taylor was delivered on stage. (We somehow managed to get $55 tickets at the presale after waiting online for seven hours! My mom, who loves a deal, was thrilled for us.)
This weekend, I took a walk through Central Park and came upon the exact wildflowers that I had only imagined at the end of my story. A lovely coincidence. If you ever see these flowers yourself, I hope they make you think of my mom and “Lavender Haze.” In the meantime, thank you for reading my story about grief and love and time passing way too fast.
Note: Since the publication of this blog post, SmokeLong Quarterly has nominated “Deliver Us” for The Best Small Fictions.
