Saturday, 12 August 2023

Stacie Eirich talks about here involvement with The Best of CafeLit 12 and her writing life in general

 

 
I wanted to write a short summer story that was as sweet as its location — an ice cream shop. Because I don’t often write flash or romantic fiction, it was a way to challenge myself. 

I found CafeLit while browsing Poets & Writers online. 

 I enjoy reading and writing short stories. They are special because of their ability to draw you in and make you care about a place, its characters and their lives in only a few pages. Writing a compelling story in 2000 words is hard. Less than 1000? Even harder. But it’s an art I hope many writers keep practicing and sharing. 

In the university town where I grew up, there is a cafe where academics, writers, musicians, artists and wayfinders hang out. Simply called The Coffeehouse, It is a space I’ve spent many afternoons and evenings in, having conversations with other writers and listening to live mic sessions while having a cuppa.  

In the city where my home is now, outside of New Orleans, there’s a shop called The Book & The Bean. It’s owner sells everything from books and brew to wall art, homemade soaps and handmade jewelry, artisan clothing, and creole foods. On evenings and weekends, the shop hosts book clubs, local authors, makers and musicians. My books are available there, as well as the books and art of some of my friends. 

I’m primarily a poet, but also write short stories, flash and children’s fiction. My published series, The Dream Chronicles, is a fantasy adventure for middle-grade readers. My picture book in-verse, titled Warriors, is forthcoming with Storyberries, a publisher in Australia, later this year. 

Currently, I’m working on poems for a collection based on my experiences as mother and caregiver to a child battling cancer. Tentatively titled Hope like Sunlight, they are the most poignant and vulnerable poems I’ve ever written. These poems are our journey to a cure and a path to light through darkness. I feel it’s important to share them with others, to help patients and families facing a terrible diagnosis, surgeries and long term treatment know that they are not alone — and that poetry, art and music can be powerful therapies along the way. 

Bio 

Stacie Eirich is a mother of two, writer & singer. Her work has recently appeared or is forthcoming in Synkroniciti Magazine, The Bluebird Word, Susurrus, Paper Dragon and Cerasus Review, among others. Her children’s storybook-in-verse, Warriors, is forthcoming with Storyberries. She is currently living in Memphis, TN, caring for her daughter through cancer treatments at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. 

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