Feb 4, 2017

At this year’s AWP conference, Melissa Reddish will be at our table signing books! Stop by table number 548-T on Friday, February 10th from 2:00pm to 3:00pm. Melissa will be signing copies of her Conium Press novella, Girl & Flame. You can also catch her and other Conium Press authors at our offsite reading on Thursday, February 9th at Bar Louie.
Sep 16, 2016
Melissa Reddish recently wrote a piece for Monkeybicycle‘s “If My Book” series–where authors compare their new books to strange things.
Melissa says “If Girl and Flame were a love letter, it would be addressed to Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Gilmore Girls, Joan Jett, Garbage, Fiona Apple, Joan Didion, Margaret Atwood, and my mom.” We couldn’t agree more. Dig deeper into Melissa’s comparative interpretation of her novella here.
Jul 1, 2016
The “Fragmented” call for submissions is open now through July 15th. This theme celebrates the upcoming release of Melissa Reddish’s new book, Girl & Flame: A Novella. Melissa will act as guest editor, selecting a single piece to be published as a micro-chapbook for distribution alongside Girl & Flame pre-orders. You may interpret the theme loosely (explore structure, style, theme, character, etc.), as long as it involves some form of fragmentation. Full guidelines are available here.
During the “Fragmented” reading period, we’re also hosting a Goodreads giveaway for Melissa’s new book. You can enter the giveaway for a chance to win a free advance copy of Girl & Flame.
Jun 19, 2016

Taking out the trash; taking out the recycling; rolling the trash to the curb on Sunday night; the leaking dishwasher; the water spots on the glasses; the mismatched pull chains on the bedroom fan; all the burned-out light bulbs; all the used paper towels; all the socks with holes in them; the four broken glasses and the tiny shards of leftover glass beneath the fridge; the empty ice-cube tray that no one remembered to fill; the hum-dinga-ding of the dryer when it was finished; the broken front step; the broken back step; the fallen branches from last night’s storm; the leaves in the gutter; the leaves on the lawn; the leaf inexplicably in my bed; The Land Before Time on video cassette; my mother’s gold wedding ring; the dusty blinds; the family photos leading up the staircase; my father’s favorite coffee mug; the broom in the hall closet; the bottles of Clorox, Bam!, and Windex, mostly full; the twenty-eight pairs of shoes; the thirty-one pairs of pants; the eighteen neckties; the single pair of cufflinks, never worn; the upstairs hamper (for shirts, pants, and other outerwear); the downstairs hamper (for underwear, socks, and towels); the set of Nutcracker decorations passed down from my grandmother; the set of nice cloth placemats for company; the dress I wore to Junior prom; my mother’s jewelry box; my brother’s stack of Maxims; the chipped clay pot from middle school used to collect coins; the box of extra cords nobody properly understood but kept out of a misguided sense of propriety; the alarm clock; the blue and yellow and pink sheets from each bed; what was on the sheets from each bed; the answering machine asking you to leave a message after the—
About the Author:
Melissa Reddish is the author of the forthcoming Conium Press title, Girl & Flame: A Novella. Melissa’s short story collection, My Father is an Angry Storm Cloud, was published by Tailwinds Press in 2015. Her flash fiction chapbook, The Distance Between Us, was published by Red Bird Chapbooks in 2013. Her work has appeared in decomP, Prick of the Spindle, and Northwind, among others. She teaches English and directs the Honors Program at Wor-Wic Community College.
Special Note:
This story is an excerpt from Melissa Reddish’s forthcoming novella-in-flashes, Girl & Flame, scheduled for release on August 15th, 2016 and currently available for pre-order.
Image Credit: © WavebreakmediaMicro – stock.adobe.com
May 16, 2016
Melissa Reddish’s Girl & Flame hits shelves on August 15th. Pre-orders for this innovative novella are currently available. Mel Bosworth, author of Frieght, calls Girl & Flame a “blowtorch of modern death and rebirth.” Sarah Rose Etter, author of Tongue Party, says “Girl & Flame reverberates with danger and foreboding, masked in an expert language that only Reddish can harness.” Reserve your copy today!