We are excited to announce our second guest curator, Tatiana Ryckman.
In March of 2013, I met Tatiana Ryckman through a Creative Writing workshop with the University of Texas's Informal Classes program. I was impressed from the beginning with her ability to bring contemporary literature into focus for a wide array of people and I'm excited to have her bring that same skill to Awst Press.
As the workshop progressed, a few of us learned that one attendee, Michael Barrett, had been wanting to start a literary journal. In short order, four of us—Michael Barrett, Tatiana Ryckman, Shannon Perri, and I (Wendy M. Walker)—launched The Austin Review as a print journal. It was assumed that Tatiana would bring in high caliber writers and provide professional literary gravitas, and she didn't disappoint. None of us would have advanced so far into the Lit world without having had the exposure to her skill set. It is through her experiences that I've come to better understand the challenges writers face and tried to design Awst Press to better address these.
As the workshop came to a close, Tatiana announced that she had garnered a Yaddo residency. Yadda? Yoda? Yippee? None of us knew anything about the place, but it would be greatly beneficial to The Austin Review later. Over three issues with TAR, she was able to solicit work from James Tate, Sheila Heti, Micheline Aharonian Marcom, Patrick Madden, Gabe Durham, Sam Pink, John Proctor, Lisa Wells, John Jodzio, Derrick Brown, and T Kira Madden.
As an emerging writer, she has been published by Everyday Genius, Queen’s Mob Teahouse, fields Magazine, matchbook, Boiler Journal, Cap The Magazine, Keyhole, The Doctor T.J. Eckleburg Review, theNewerYork, Tin House, Marco Polo, and Music & Literature. Her first chapbook, Twenty-Something, was published by ELJ Publications in 2014, and a mini reading tour in support of that book brought her into contact with several other emerging writers across several states.
In the past few months, Tatiana has joined the staff of sunnyoutside press as an assistant editor, expanded her teaching load and editorial services, and continued to advance her writing career. In many ways, she is emerging as the female version of our first guest curator, Mike Young—a savvy traveler zipping along the Lit world's roads making connections with great talent.
Based on what I've seen from her before, I can't wait to showcase the work of the four authors she's rounded up. The authors include Chelsea Martin (6/22), P. E. Garcia (7/7), Laura Warman (7/22), and Normandy Sherwood (8/7).
If you want to stay up to date with Tatiana, check out her website or follow her on Twitter. Her series will kick off on 6/22.
-- Wendy M. Walker