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Hello readers! Elena here. Today I’d like to share a reflection piece from one of our slush readers, M.R. Lehman Wiens. He started as a slush reader with us in November of 2023 as part of our very first batch of readers, and he’s been a pleasure to have on the team, not only as a slush reader, but as a member of our writing community.
I hope you enjoy reading about his writing journey.
– Elena
I came to writing as a second calling; it was something I’d done for fun all through school and into adulthood, but nothing I’d ever seriously invested in. I spent nearly a decade in non-profit fundraising, but when my partner gave birth to our first child, I set that aside to become a stay-at-home dad.
What do you do with a six-week-old? Feed them, hold them, change them, rock them to sleep, repeat, repeat, repeat. I began to fill the time with writing, and on a whim, I began to submit to literary magazines. I discovered Duotrope, made mistakes, received rejections, and grew my network of writing contacts. It wasn’t the typical path to growing a professional network, or starting a new job; it was piecemeal, a critique group here, a new writer friend there, all done during my child’s naps and occasional play-dates with Bluey.
I signed up for newsletters as well, including one from The Metaworker Literary Magazine. I’d found newsletters to be a great way to catch submission calls and get an idea for the voice of places I was submitting to. What I didn’t expect was an opportunity to join a writing team and community that has become central to my writing journey.
One email from The Metaworker asked for applicants to be volunteer slush-readers, and I jumped at the chance. Not only would it give me a reason to read short stories, lots of them (Stephen King’s On Writing: You have to read if you want to write!) but it would also pull the curtain back on the mysterious slush pile. What on earth was going on in the weeks-long fog between hitting the “submit” button and finally receiving a reply?
I submitted an application, and was thrilled to be accepted by Elena, Mel, and Cerid, The Metaworker editors. What followed was three months of training in the characteristics of a good submission, with each editor taking turns to provide us feedback and insight. The rubric for grading submissions covers the width and breadth of good writing, from setting to literary devices to theme and emotional impact.
Curiosity drew me to slush reading, but the community is what has kept me with The Metaworker. Along with the incredible amount of time that Elena, Cerid, and Mel have put into mentoring and training each slush reader, they also work hard to foster connections through the Discord channel. I’ve received fantastic feedback from other writers, and the Wednesday Night Writing Sprint has helped me to create some of my favorite pieces.
Especially for slush readers, though, The Metaworker throws virtual parties every quarter or so, usually offering word games or other ways for the team to get to know each other. At a recent slush party, we tackled the Exquisite Corpse.
For those who aren’t familiar, Exquisite Corpse is a kind of communal poetry writing, where each person supplies a word. The result is a literary Frankenstein, cobbled together from the ideas and vocabulary of a diverse group. You can read ours below:
Exquisite Corpse poem
created by Julia Gaytan, Cerid Jones, Grace McGuire,
Elena Lucia Perez, Melissa Reynolds, M.R. Lehman Wiens
Like cerulean traps, she dances on ice
Sickles
Melting effortlessly into the twilight of changing emotion.
Suffering without unpleasant shades of sky
fall
aroma's reality blooming prematurely.
Listen to plump screams echoing eternally,
dripping foreign and familiar
ectoplasmic nebulas from her branches.
The white glow infuses the cold memories
In madness and whimsy,
calming as her ancestral dreams.
Flowers decay and drop from trees,
Ichor drains from the lake
Festering with leeches.
Carefully she removes harmony from itchy tresses
To lay beneath the tower.
Summoning herself from grief, she plagues
land,
sea,
and
death into deep wrinkles.
Her brow folding asunder as night envelops the parapets.
Being a slush reader has given me incredible insights into what makes good writing, and given me dozens of opportunities to practice my craft as a writer. If you have a few hours a week to spare, there’s no better way to improve your writing.
Check out our Volunteer Page for the latest slush reader and volunteer opportunities.
Also join us in our Discord server for fun chats with fellow writers. Our weekly writing group that M.R. mentioned above takes place every Wednesday at 4:30pm PT / 7:30pm ET. We’re a supportive community and would love to meet new folks!
M.R. Lehman Wiens is a Pushcart-nominated writer with work appearing in The First Line, Hearth and Coffin, Tales Anthology, and others, with an upcoming piece in Consequence Forum. He lives in Kansas. Find him at his website lehmanwienswrites.com
