MAUREEN AITKEN

BUY THE BOOK

Write Two Flash Fiction Pieces With Me on Nov. 10th

Flash Fiction class November 10th

I’m so thrilled to be teaching an online course in flash fiction on November 10th at 6-8 p.m. The course is structured to include beginning and experienced writers. I would love to see you there. Here is the link to read more about the course, see my interview, and register for the class. https://writingworkshops.com/collections/the-best-online-creative-writing-workshop/products/flash-fiction-place-and-time-writing-workshop-online?_pos=13&_fid=5f187eb80&_ss=c Here […]

Because of You It Has Been a Great Year for The Patron Saint of Lost Girls

  Today marks the one-year anniversary since my short-story collection, The Patron Saint of Lost Girls, was published by the wonderful people at Wayne State University Press. It has been a year of readings, interviews, book signings, traveling, communications (text and email, mostly), organizing, and celebrating. This has been a year where I dedicated myself to […]

If Submitting to Journals Has You Down, Part I

pictures

    When a journal recently accepted a piece, I was elated. The trail to get to that publication, however, was long and messy, full of rejections, revisions, submissions, time, frustration, and fees. Why don’t they like my story? What’s wrong with it? What’s wrong with them? But when the dark days happen, my experience […]

ML Liebler’s Memoir is an Ode to Love

hounddog2026 08 24 095945

Poet, musician, Detroiter, Wayne State University professor, and human rights advocate ML Liebler will be reading at Book Suey this Thursday at 7 p.m. I’ll be part of the lineup, along with Emily Rose, and The Magic Poetry Band. It’s an honor to read with such a big-hearted guy and life-long poet.  Ahead of that […]

Featured in How We Spend Our Days

  When Cynthia Newberry Martin asked me to write a post for her popular “How We Spend Our Days” feature, I wanted to do right by her. For years I’ve admired Cynthia as a writer (author of The Art of Her Life, Love Like This, and Tidal Flats), a reader, and a team member of Writing by Writers. […]

Why We Love Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow

  Meghan at River Bookshop On a given day, only 16% of Americans read for pleasure, according to recent data. Whenever I hear these sorts of gloomy statistics, I usually head over to a bookstore. I want to hang out with the 16%, and refresh my membership in this apparently underground community. Plus, bookstore folks […]

Writer Elizabeth Oness on Recovery, Endurance, and Gratitude

The Hopefuls

        I first met Elizabeth Oness while visiting Winona State University several years ago and found her to be a writer with great insight and profound energy. Oness not only sustains a biodynamic farm in southern Minnesota, she is also a musician. Her books include: Articles of Faith (Iowa Short Fiction Prize), Departures (Penguin), Twelve Rivers of […]

Water~Stone Review Fights for Its Future

Water ~ Stone Review

    With the community still under occupation, it is increasingly important to protect places where our voices and creative expression can be heard without censorship or financial threats. When the nationally recognized Water~Stone Review lost its funding, it seemed as though yet another literary space for public expression would die. But WSR’s team has a plan […]