Category Archives: Creative Non-Fiction

Runner-up in Briarpatch Magazine’s Writing in the Margins Contest!

Posted on March 2, 2016 by

I’m pleased to announce that my personal essay Bombshell has been chosen as runner-up for the 2015 creative nonfiction prize in Briarpatch’s fifth annual writing contest. Thank you to Leanne Betasamosake Simpson, who judged the creative nonfiction entries. Bombshell faced … Continue reading →

Posted in Creative Non-Fiction, News, Publications, Viet Nam, Writing, Writing Contests | Tagged , | 11 Comments

Shortlisted in Briarpatch Magazine’s fifth annual Writing in the Margins contest!

Posted on January 7, 2016 by

I am delighted to announce that my essay Bombshell is one of five shortlisted nonfiction entries in Briarpatch Magazine‘s fifth annual Writing in the Margins contest. Today’s exciting news brings balance for an email I received yesterday, my first rejection letter of 2016. I … Continue reading →

Posted in Creative Non-Fiction, News, Writing, Writing Contests | Tagged , , , | 16 Comments

The Word Every Writer Wants to Hear: Winner!

Posted on October 1, 2015 by

I am pleased to announce that my food/travel essay Discovering Hến Rice in Central Việt Nam has won the Readers’ Choice Award in the I Must Be Off! 2015 Travel Essay Contest. It also shares third place with two other … Continue reading →

Posted in Creative Non-Fiction, Memoir, News, Writing Contests | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 17 Comments

Discovering Cơm Hến (Clam Rice) in Việt Nam

Posted on August 14, 2015 by

Feeling quite chuffed that my short essay about a lesser known specialty dish from Việt Nam (called cơm hến, clam rice) has been shortlisted for the Third Annual I Must Be Off! Travel Essay Contest. The essay, Discovering Hến Rice in … Continue reading →

Posted in Creative Non-Fiction, Food, Memoir, News, Viet Nam, Writing Contests | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Travel Essay “Discovering Hến Rice in Central Việt Nam” Shortlisted!

Posted on August 4, 2015 by

I’m thrilled to have my essay Discovering Hến Rice in Central Việt Nam shortlisted for the Third Annual I Must Be Off! Travel Writing Contest. Writer, traveller, and I Must Be Off! blogger Christopher Allen unveiled the longlist on July 27, but revealed the … Continue reading →

Posted in Creative Non-Fiction, News, Writing Contests | Tagged , , , , | 13 Comments

A selection of News from a Literary Life

Posted on June 22, 2015 by

I’m pleased to announce the publication of Sống Chung với Mệ in the 2015 issue of Đặc San Văn Lang Boston. This piece is my translation to Vietnamese of my essay Life with Mệ, which appeared in the 2012 Writers … Continue reading →

Posted in Creative Non-Fiction, Fiction, Memoir, News, Publications, Viet Nam, Writing | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments

The Very Inspiring Blogger Award

Posted on February 12, 2015 by

Thanks, QWF Writes, for nominating me for the “Very Inspiring Blogger” award. QWF Writes is the Quebec Writers’ Federation’s monthly online column. The QWF does a lot of great work promoting writing in the community. Have a look at their post … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog Awards, Books, Creative Non-Fiction, Memoir, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Slow Writing by Chris Galvin

Posted on December 23, 2014 by

Originally posted on QWF Writes:
Like bread dough, my writing seems to require time to rise in a warm, draft-free place. The long proofing period is necessary; turn up the heat to hurry the rising, or don’t leave it long…

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Signs of Spring

Posted on April 11, 2014 by

The Thai pepper seedlings on my window sill are coming along nicely. Sightings I was watching two starlings preparing a nest in a hole in a tree when something in the sky caught my eye. Thousands and thousands of geese … Continue reading →

Posted in Creative Non-Fiction, Nature | Tagged , | 10 Comments

Tiny, True Stories in 130 Characters (and the latest issue of Creative Nonfiction)

Posted on March 24, 2014 by

“Can you tell a true story in a single tweet?” This is the challenge posed by Creative Nonfiction magazine. Entrants post their microessays on Twitter and tag them with #cnftweet. @cnfonline favourites the daily winners, creating a longlist from which … Continue reading →

Posted in Creative Non-Fiction, Publications, Writing | Tagged , , , , | 10 Comments