I’ll just be here leaving…

Did I ever tell you about that green, tattered, torn-up folder I had in my early 20s? It was full of rejection notes because back then everything was mailed through the U.S. Post Office. My handwriting on a self-addressed stamped envelope and inside a tiny piece of paper essentially saying: No thank you.

Through the years (25?) I have had hundreds of rejections and a few smatterings of: Yes, we want this! Today, a dream publication debuts a short story of mine. The Rumpus has been around since 2009 and I have watched some of my favorite writers being published through them. In 2025, Roxane Gay (one of my faves) and Debbie Millman became the new owners and publishers.

If you are looking for something to read, I hope you can allow your eyes to peruse my story. It’s part of a larger collection that I hope to see ISBN’d one day.