What I’m Up To

• Playing with my new Kindle Fire. Loving it!

• Preparing so that I can eventually view my own short stories, poetry, et al. published as Kindle Singles.

• Rereading Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man to prepare for leading a class discussion. This remarkable, award-winning novel, now 60 years old, still offers up beautiful prose, brilliant insight into human behavior, and mastery of writing craft.

• Rereading Dostoevsky’s Notes from the Underground, also in preparation for the Invisible Man discussion. Ralph Ellison acknowledged the influence of this novella, among others, in writing his own National Book Award novel.

• Enjoying Spring.

• What’s up with you?

What’s in a Name?

Two authors from different cultures ask, “What is in a name?” The Irish poet Eavan Boland and the Puerto Rican playwright/poet Nancy Mercado conclude that the answer is of fundamental importance in defining one’s existence.

In her essay, “Lava Cameo,” Eavan Boland asks, “Was there really no name for my life [as an ordinary woman] in poetry?” Her search for her late grandmother helps Boland validate her “femaleness” in an otherwise largely male Irish literary tradition.

In her concluding essay to the collection What’s in a Nombre? Nancy Mercado states, “Naming is the spiritual act of living beyond the moment, of signifying something beyond the instant ….”

In both instances, each author reclaims the right to name herself and her work apart from the prevailing hegemony of gender and/or culture. In Nancy Mercado’s words, “The act of naming is rebellious; it is the expression of power over a thing or over someone ….”

It is also an affirming act. As Eavan Boland says, “I had written poems. Now I would have to enter them.”

In a perhaps less consequential way, I have renamed this blog. My literary name Judith Mercado now takes precedence over the previous title of Pilgrim Soul. This is a defining act signifying renewed focus on my literary life. I will always be a pilgrim soul, seeking and learning. This blog, however, will now focus primarily on Judith Mercado as a short story author, novelist, poet, and essayist.

Stay tuned.

My Short Story “Orphans And Hoodlums” Is Published!

“Orphans and Hoodlums” is included in phati'tude Literary Magazine’s current issue: WHAT'S IN A NOMBRE? This issue features Pulitzer-prize winners as well as lesser-known writers who explore Latino identity in America.





Their press release states, “WHAT’S IN A NOMBRE? sets out to investigate the diverse cultural identities of writers of Spanish descent by bringing together an amazing range of voices that we felt had been unfairly lumped into the category of “Hispanic” and “Latino.” ¿Qué hay en un nombre? What’s in a name?

¿WHAT’S IN A NOMBRE? celebrates and introduces readers to Latino writers from a U.S. perspective. Featuring a cavalcade of over 117 Latino poets, writers and artists, highlights include Interviews of Esmeralda Santiago, Oscar Hijuelos, Nelly Rosario, Gary Soto, and Junot Diaz; and tributes to Piri Thomas and Louis Reyes Rivera. Short stories by Rosebud Ben-Oni, Angie Cruz, Judith Mercado, Thelma T. Reyna and John Rodriguez. Artwork and photographs by Wanda Benvenutti, George Malave, Kukuli Velarde and more. Includes bilingual works in English and Spanish. The editors are particularly proud of a body of work that explores social protest and exploitation; the migratory experience; self-exploration or self-definition, including the exploration of myths and legends.

By no means is this issue complete, nor is it meant to be, but we have created a collection that includes some of the older, established writers alongside the newer and lesser-known voices that represent the different cultures thriving beneath the umbrella term of “Latino.” The authors here have courageously shared their stories with us through interviews, essays and poetry, where language, culture, history, religion, and gender issues are explored against the cultural backdrop of American culture. This groundbreaking issue is not only a great teaching tool, but it’s also an excellent addition in anyone’s library collection.”


I am proud to have “Orphans and Hoodlums” included in the most recent issue of phati’tude Literary Magazine. Established in 1997, it is an award-winning, internationally-acclaimed quarterly magazine published by the Intercultural Alliance of Artists & Scholars, Inc. (IAAS), an organization which promotes multicultural literature and literacy. It focuses on, but is not exclusively devoted to, the work of writers of African, Hispanic/Latino, Native American, Arab and Asian descent in an aim to provide a forum for quality works of diverse voices from around the globe.

The issue may be purchased here.

Having a Blast

So I took Anne R. Allen at her word and started taking steps toward e-publishing my short stories. Except that turned out to be a bit more complicated than just uploading one of my files to Amazon.

Okay, Amazon provides a nifty publication called Publish on Amazon Kindle with Kindle Direct Publishing. So I downloaded it.

Turns out it recommends that I convert my Word documents to HTML.

Well, I’m figuring out how to do that. There are even some publications about that on Amazon (yeah, a little bit of money, but hey.)

Then there is cover art. I must be a visual artist manqué because I can’t believe how much fun I’m having conceptualizing what to do. Though I still am not sure how to upload it to Kindle.

Soon come. Someone or something will surely tell me how to do that.

And I remain enthralled with visions of my stories being Kindled.

Yeah, but there are more than a few personal details to resolve.

Those will be hammered out too.

But, by now, I have figured out that doing this is not as easy as adding an attachment to an email.

Never mind. I just postpone the startup date to give me a chance to move up the learning curve. I have even outlined all the steps to address before the target date.

And I’m still excited! Thank you, Anne.

I think.

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UPDATE: For a story-length document, using HTML is apparently not absolutely necessary. Uploading a .doc file may suffice.

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Variations on a Theme Anthology is Available!

The Literary Lab's Variations on a Theme Anthology includes my short story "The Barcelona Chairs." The anthology is now available on Amazon.com. Here is an excerpt from The Literary Lab’s full announcement:

Get it while it's hot! Literally hot! Variations on a Theme has gone live on Amazon.




Sorry, but the anthology is not available for Kindle or any other ebook format. We've decided to take the Kindle version down for Notes From Underground as well. Why? Mainly because the Kindle versions never really sold and it's a lot of work to format those manuscripts just for a few sales. So print only! Makes them more special if you ask me!

And trust me, if you're a fan of The Literary Lab, you want this anthology, and probably all three of them. I won't say why yet, but you do!

Go purchase your copies now. It's a beautiful, exciting, and entertaining anthology. I can't wait to get my final copy!

Also, it should be noted that Notes From Underground has been reformatted. We fixed a name spelling and made the text a bit bigger (it was just a bit small before). It's still the same price as it was before. All three anthologies are $8.56 each. We feel this is a pretty reasonable price for a nice print book.

THANK YOU, EVERYONE, FOR YOUR SUPPORT OF THE LITERARY LAB. None of these anthologies would have been possible without you!

Variations on a Theme is our third anthology. This year, we asked writers to create work inspired by one of two stories: "The Tinderbox," a classic fairy tale, or "The Huntsman," by Anton Chekhov. The result is a wonderful, tight collection of magical stories.

Purchase Variations on a Theme PAPERBACK COPIES through Amazon
$8.56 each.

click here

As for me, I just ordered the anthology and can’t wait to read it. I am sure my story “The Barcelona Chairs” will be in great company.

Are Those Characters Real?

What is it that happens when characters become like real people to a writer? Is it a worrisome sign of psychological disorder?

I don’t know. All I know is that I generally don’t feel that I’m writing effectively until a character starts “talking” to me. I’ll be about to fall asleep, and I’ll “hear” a voice that says, “You forgot to mention how I felt when Agnes died.” “Or Juana eloped.” Or some other character detail which had never occurred to me but which turns out to be critical for understanding my character’s emotional and psychological makeup; if not, his timeline.

Now I could go all spooky on you and talk about how my grandmother was a medium and maybe all I’m doing is channeling dead spirits. Okay, guffaw, all you want. The point is that this is a mysterious process. We are all readers, as well as writers. As readers, some of us develop strong bonds with fictional characters which defy rational explanation. I wonder if that could happen if the author herself had not developed a lifelike bond with her character.

Do any of my fellow writers have this experience?