A WRITER'S DILEMMA

There’s this student in my GED class who hates reading the required material. I’ll admit, it’s a bit dry and uninteresting, so I told him, “Mr. Sheffield, bring a magazine, newspaper, novel, whatever you’d like to read. As long as you’re doing something in here.” My basic philosophy is that regardless of a person’s reading level, if they’re not reading on a daily basis, then they might as well be illiterate.

Mr. Sheffield has become a voracious reader. He orders novels from the “Get Yours” Catalog (www.getyourscatalog.com). Prior to that, I tried to get him to read some of my prison stories; which he said were too wordy and confusing. He went on to say, “You should try writing one of these novels.” Now I’m entertaining the thought. I could be the “Eminem” of ghetto-lit, or gangsta-lit, or whatever the hell you call it.

On another note, I sent a previously published story to Hobart’s online journal (www.hobartpulp.com), hoping to keep the story alive, hoping to gain new readers. Here’s the follow-up email I received the other day:

Hi James. I liked your story submission, but ultimately decided it was a bit too long for inclusion in our online October issue. I don’t read for the print Hobart, but I suggest you submit to our print issue. I think Aaron Burch would like this piece; it’s funny, biting, and surprisingly full of hear. I thought the ending was just right. Thank you for sending it our way; please consider us when submitting your work in the future. Best, Claudia Smith and the Hobart Editorial Team.

Again, another lovely rejection. What do I do? Ghetto-lit? Or Reality-lit? Follow the money (the brochure says: “We Ship To All State Correctional Facilities”)? Or small literary journals? I know this much: not to quit my day job.