A read-letter day

I was pleasantly surprised to learn this morning that the Ottawa Citizen published my letter to the editor today!

It’s regarding the closure of an Ottawa fixture: Dunn’s deli on Elgin Street, a favourite place of mine. I had written about it earlier this year as part of a writing exercise, so I adapted it into a short tribute.

I was especially thrilled that it’s the first letter on the page and it’s accompanied by a photo by Wayne Cuddington.

I will still miss Dunn’s a lot though. 🙁

You can read it here. Enjoy!

(In case it’s not obvious, the title for this post comes from the joke “what is black and white and read all over”)

 

Mole and Niece featured in the NonBinary Review

Big news! A story of mine was accepted by the NonBinary Review for their Wind in the Willows issue!

Mole and Niece imagines a time after the conclusion of The Wind and the Willows story when Mole gets to have an adventure of his own. For once, he is more than a sidekick to Ratty and Toad. Along for the fun is his niece Tally, and Mr Badger makes appearances too.

The Wind in the Willows is a multi-generational favourite in our family (I have my Nanner’s copy), so it’s a great honour for me to have my piece accepted.

Now, to read the story in text, you do have to buy the issue (it’s $1.99) here or you can until it’s featured Zoetic Press’s Alphanumeric podcast. Once it’s available in audio format, I will post the details here. Either way, I hope you enjoy it!

I should also note that it’s my first paid writing submission, and I’m the first author listed on the contributors’ page! Very exciting and humbling.

A big shout out to S, H, and A (who all loved the story), and the IF and LL groups for their suggestions while I was writing it. Your support means the world to me!

A day in the life

UPDATE: Anthology of Prompts Volume 1 by the Writing Prompts Group is now available for download here, where you can now read this piece in its entirety. I hope you enjoy it!

Word Prompt: Describe a day in the life of your pet.

The sun is rising so you should be too. But you’re not, so I will meow and play with the curtains and the pictures on the wall until you scold me. And then I’ll keep on doing it.

Oh good, you’re up! C’mon, c’mon, let’s go downstairs! I’ll sit on the second step while you get your housecoat on. Maybe I’ll run down ahead of you or maybe I’ll wait until you step over me before I make my dash downstairs…

Copyright Jessica Allyson 2018

Copyright Jessica Allyson 2018