(See the trailer for LOVESHOCK above)

This is the website for author Heather M. Fowler, literary author of short fiction, poetry, novels, and plays for theater.

This space will be updated frequently with new links to her publications, podcasts, and news.  See below for a list of current events and a linked-in writer's bio, as well as information about her current projects.

LINKED-IN WRITER'S BIO:

 Heather Fowler received her M.A. in English and Creative Writing from Hollins University in May of 1997.   She has taught composition, literature, and writing-related courses at UCSD, California State University at Stanislaus, and Modesto Junior College. 

She has recently published stories in the following journals and anthologies: Up the Staircase  (Spring 2010); Dark Sky Magazine (Featuring Mel Bosworth reading her micro-fiction on video, May 2010); Necessary Fiction (April 2010); Back in 5 Minutes ~ an expression of depression (print, volume 1. Little Episodes, London. February 2010, UK.) ; the stark electric space…an international anthology of indie writers (print, Graffiti Kolkata, India. Winter 2010); The Big Toe Review (Winter 2010); BlazeVOX (2k9, Fall 2009); Emprise Review (Volume 11, November 2009); Surreal South 09( print, Press 53, November 2009); DOGZPLOT (Fall 2009); decomP (August 2009); JMWW (print anth. Spring 2010, web Summer 2009); Etchings (7, ilura press, July 2009); PANK Magazine (4.6, June 2009); Night Train (Issue 9.1, Spring 2009); The Abacot Journal (Spring 2009); Underground Voices (November 2008); A Cappella Zoo (Print: October 2008, Volume I, Online Reprint June 2009). KeyHole (August 2008); Trespass (August/September 2008, UK); SubLit (August 2008); Coming Together: With Pride (Phaze, 2008, e-book and print); Word Riot (May 2008);  Storyglossia #28 (May 2008); Cityworks 2008 (May 2008); DOGZPLOT FLASH FICTION (2008, online and print); Temenos (Fall 2007); Mississippi Review online (October 2007); See You Next Tuesday (2006);and  Frigg: A Magazine of Fiction and Poetry (Winter 2006). the muse apprentice guild (October 2002), artisan, a journal of craft (September 2002), Literary PotPourri (May 2002), Exquisite Corpse (Summer 2001), The Barcelona Review (May, 2001), Quercus Review (May, 2001), Penumbra (May 2001), B & A New Fiction (Jan. 2001), Barbaric Yawp (Dec. 2000), Zoetrope All-Story Extra (June 2001, October and December 1999). She worked as a Guest Editor for Zoetrope All-Story Extra in March and April of 2000. Her story "Slut" won third prize at the 2000 California Writer's Conference in Monterey.

Her poetry has recently appeared at riverbabble (June 2010); The Nervous Breakdown (May 2010); The San Diego Poetry Annual (April 2010); poeticdiversity (December 2009); The Medulla Review (Fall 2009); INTHEFRAY (February 2007), Empowerment4Women.com (November 2007), and been selected for a joint first place in the 2007 Faringdon Online Poetry Competition (October 2007) , as well as published in various venues including: the Map of Austin Poetry, The Coast Highway Review, the Driftwood Highway 1999 Anthology, Joe's Journal, Best of the Beach 1998, The Publication, and the Cityworks Literary Anthology, Volume 6. She is Poetry Editor at Corium Magazine.   

See site Bibliography page for a full list of titles and venues.

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UPCOMING, CURRENT, AND RECENT EVENTS:

Upcoming:

Summer/Fall 2010, more stories and poems due to be released online--an experimental modern piece, a magical realism piece, a re-take on Updike's famous story "A&P," and more. Stay tuned.

Recent and Current news:

August 2010

After concluding the Poem a Day Marathon in July, Heather launches into a Story a Day marathon in August though is beset with technical difficulties--first at MySpace and Facebook and writes 27,000 words in the first 12 days, but must regretfully cancel the rest of the marathon due to personal business.  Nonetheless, she posts a story originally published in a Canada print mag called "How To Rescue A Drowning Man" at Fictionaut. 

Uche Ogbuji writes a wonderful post at The Nervous Breakdown about his experience writing poems with her in July. Lovely poet, that man.  Check his posts for a variety of wonderful discussions of poetry in general.  Also, edits for her booklength manuscript SUSPENDED HEART are now officially underway.  More news soon. Happy August to all.

July 2010

 Heather writes with her annual Poem A Day marathon at her Facebook page. 31 forms in 31 days, plus a smattering of free-verse offerings.  Join her there.  In August, she'll be writing a story a day on her MySpace page.  All those who want to join must be friends of those pages, so friend her there and writer, writers! 

June 2010

Heather reads with Peter Schwartz, Barry Graham, Greg Gerke and others at the at the Nightingale Lounge in NYC on June 5th.  Her new magical realism piece entitled "Anatomy of a Song" comes out at Up the Staircase's Spring 2010 issue, and a new issue of Corium Magazine is released.  What. Wonderful. Poems!  :)  Also, excellent fiction.  Check it out.  In late June, a new poem is also released at riverbabble.

May 2010

A new podcast goes live at The Nervous Breakdown, with the very charming Joseph Matheny, wherein Heather talks magical realism, bad first novels, and being censored by Apple. Also, the podcast starts with a reading of the censored story. Stop in and have a listen.

Also, check out a video just released of the sexy Mel Bosworth, reading her micro-fiction, "The Rolling" at Dark Sky Magazine. (Text also available.)

Her literary/historical story "Taking Celine" comes out with the Winter/Spring 2010 issue of Portland Review. 

Heather appears as the featured poet in the first week of May, with a poem entitled "A Woman In Her Bath" at The Nervous Breakdown.  Pop in, comment, take a look. She also does a Nervous Breakdown Self-Interview there about poetry, writing, and process. 

April 2010

AWP, baby! Heather reads a story called "Love Affair with Comma" at the provocative and delightful off-site DOGZPANK reading in Denver. There is video of this reading, but linking to that may prove too embarrassing.  Hint: You can find it if you'd like on YouTube. :)

New experimental magical realism piece "Three Views You Might Have Had At Pond's Edge--or Quack" just out at Necessary Fiction.

March 2010

Corium Magazine's debut issue goes live with a bang, publishing SO MANY talented fiction writers including: Stephen Elliott, Sean Lovelace, Alec Niedenthal, Adam Moorad, Donna D. Vitucci, Kathy Fish, Scott Garson, Beth Thomas, Kim Chinquee, Sheldon Compton, and more.  The poets are fantastic--this issue showcasing the work of Shaindel Beers, Corey Mesler, Sam Rasnake, Rusty Barnes, and Cami Park.  Please drop in and check it out. Lauren, Greg, and Heather are delighted with the first issue.

Also, Heather is pleased to have her story "If I Kiss That Girl" selected for the new JMWW print anthology--Anthology iv (best of our 2009 issues).  It's a wonderful anthology at a steal of a price.  Buy one. :)

Heather speaks on the Fictionaut blog about one of her faved stories.  Click for  here for the specific blog post.

Heather takes on role as Poetry Editor at new online journal Corium Magazine, Inaugural issue up in March. The lovely Ms. Lauren Becker heading up the fiction endeavor, with help from Greg Gerke.

Also, check out "The Time Broker," a magical realism story posted as a Fictionaut exclusive, only to be found there and in SUSPENDED HEART.

December 2009:

poeticdiversity publishes a free-verse poem called "A Fragmentation of Verse."

November 2009:

BlazeVOX publishes a literary experimental story called "Love Child." in their 2k9 Fall 2009 issue.

Two poems out at Medulla Review, a ghazal and some blank verse. 

Emprise Review publishes a traditional literary story called "Gift Horse." 

October 2009: DOGZPLOT Fall 2009 publishes a new magical realism piece "Bloom in Any Season."  Check it out.   

Regarding the September censorship, brave Editor Peter Cole at Keyhole uncensors the formerly removed story. Go, Peter!

Also, a story released  in the Surreal South 09 short fiction anthology extraordinaire, edited by Laura & Pinckney Benedict, out of Press 53.

September 2009: Shockingly, previously published flash fiction now CENSORED in freaky Big Brother move by Apple/I-phone censor bots.  Story "Catholic Girl Smile" removed from online fiction journal KeyHole Magazine (with my permission) to permit Keyhole's receipt of their I-phone App approval for story streaming.  Rock on, Keyhole--it's not your fault--but Apple, tsk tsk, quietly censoring parental-controlled, online short fiction content with censor bots? Scary, you big purportedly "liberal" corporation; you're about as liberal as Rush Limbaugh.  See blog post if interested. 

On a happier note, Heather's desk and narrative feature in the Fictionaut Blog's Writing Spaces series. Click the link to see the narrative and physical space in which she writes and do leave a comment if you drop in. :)

August 2009: decomP publishes a short story in the August 2009 issue.

July 2009:  JMWW rolls out a new flash fiction story in their sexy Summer 2009 Issue.  

Etchings journal published by Ilura press out of Australia publishes a new magical realism piece in Etchings 7.

 June 2009: 

A Cappella Zoo has now made the contents of the print journal live on their cyberspace, so Heather's story "Beautiful Ape Girl Baby" now gets a second life online.   Praise be to the mother... LOL! 

As a lark, Heather is was interviewed by the lovely Fiona Robyn as one of the first 10 readers for Fiona's novel The Blue Handbag.  Check it out!

Also, new story about swingers out at PANK, thank the lovely Roxane Gay. 

May 2009: Heather's edgy  Word Riot piece was listed as a Notable Story of 2008 and winnowed through the mass of gorgeous work to reach the Notable Stories shortlist in Jason Sanford's Million Writer's Awards 2009.   Some amazing stories there to read, if anyone has interest.

FORTHCOMING BOOKS:

(Cover Artwork for Suspended Heart by Siolo Thompson)

"Heather Fowler is a brave writer. She does not blink, she does not falter. There is an integrity in her stories which demonstrates a writer who is committed, confident and sharp, witty and cutting. She cuts deep. She is also very funny, the way Kafka was funny, the way Donald Barthelme was funny. Read her for her pithiness. Read her for how entertaining she is. Let the depth of the stories creep up on you."

BOOKS IN PREP:

Short Story Manuscripts:

LOVESHOCK--stories that discuss alternative lifestyles, infidelity, strange love, and the lasting impact of the kinds of people we never forget in our collective image repertoires. NOTE: see video trailer above. (Stories in this volume have been published in the US, Canada, and online)

YOU ARE ONE CLICK AWAY FROM PICTURES OF NUDE GIRLS--a collection about love and betrayal by deed and pixel in the cyber-age, set around cyber constructs.  Stories in this volume have been published in print and online.  

JESUS DOESN'T LOVE YOU AND NEITHER DO I--a collection of pieces about spiritual faith of many stripes and the love that either unpleasantly restricts or enforces its strength: Narcoleptic girls with high school sweethearts who return home as priests, religious men seeking solace in day to day companions at church offices, boys regretting acts attempted for pleasure below Catholic crosses, strong girls chancing oblivion for temptations others loathe--a Flannery type riff, you know?  The collected faith stories about faith both lost, rendered obselete, or found then found again.  (Stories in this volume have been published or are forthcoming in the US, CAN, online, and the UK)

THE MAN WHO WOULD NOT PUT OUT--stories about men who, in one way or for one reason or another, would not put out.  (Stories in this volume have been published or are forthcoming in the US, the UK, and online.)

All collections above currently seeking an agent or a publisher.  Contact fowlerhm@hotmail.com for a sample manuscript.

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 Novels:

 In Progress:

BEAUTIFUL APE GIRL BABY-a fabulist coming of age tale about a woman born apelike, stronger and hairier than others, and trained to believe she is beautiful before meeting the tough spaces outside her wealthy compound that comprise the uncompromising real world.  (See published short story linked in on Bibliography page for excerpt of this novel.)

 FIDELITIES--A thoroughly modern story about how an upstairs dominatrix in a small urban apartment building helps an unhappily married couple learn to love again, despite the odds-- both themselves, herself, and each other.  (see excerpt of chapter one on tab above)

THE LONELINESS OF MEN--a modern experimental novel about love in the cyber-age. 

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Poetry Books In Progress--

PAWNSHOP HEART-- A 70 page book of feminist, modern free-verse poetry in progress .

POEMS FOR VENUS--A full-length manuscript of romantic and erotic poems like a love letter mourning and acknowledging the pain and complexity of women's thoughts regarding love, eroticism, and sex in romantisized relationships.

FORMS OF LOVE-- An 80 page manuscript of sonnets, sestinas, rondeaus, triolets, blank verse, and ghazals about, you guessed it, love.

THEY WERE CAUTIONARY TALES--A chapbook -length book of poems that re-engages fairy tales earlier than Grimms' for  "past the page" conversations-- and interjects a modern third dimension of parlaying the "unsaid."

FOR THOSE WHO TAUGHT ME HOW TO SING, Homage and Parody Poems--A book of intertextual poetry that interfaces and speaks to the art and imagery of many famous artists and poets, such as Ginsberg, Neruda, Angelou, Shakespeare, Klimt, Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Plath, etc.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

To schedule readings or request information about her work,  please a contact Heather  at fowler_h@yahoo.com or use the site contact form.

Also, friend Heather on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=677721041

(NOTE: Facebook profile currently unavailable, friend her after 9/1 when she will reactivate it after intensive work on her manuscripts.)

GoodReads:  http://www.goodreads.com/profile/fowlerhm

Myspace: www.myspace.com/fowlerhm

or her MySpace audio page: http://www.myspace.com/fowlerhmaudio 

And check out her profile at Jürgen Fauth's fabulous Fictionaut site for archival and stories formerly published in print made available online.