If at First You Don’t Succeed…

I wasn’t planning a Substack post today. I’m easing back on my self-imposed weekly Tuesday deadline after nearly three years so that (a) I can relieve you all of my epic trivia; and (b) I can reallocate some writing energy to other things, as I’ve been hinting for weeks.

But then I learned that AWP has accepted the virtual panel I designed with writer and publisher extraordinaire Caroline Topperman. It goes like this:

Writing in Dark Times: The Obligation to Engage with Reality

How do writers balance the demands of compelling storytelling with the urgency of real-world crises? From economic collapse to social upheaval, writers are often tasked with creating the “first draft of history” through a fictional or historic lens. This panel explores the craft and ethical considerations of writing fiction and nonfiction that reflects our darkest realities without sacrificing narrative drive or descending into didacticism.

I’m beyond excited to flesh this out with Caroline and to explore rich perspectives on this topic—which is an important facet of discussing how and why we write in a world where the truth often seems stranger than fiction.

But what really sent me scurrying to write and post this on schedule is the zeitgeist factor:

I’ve submitted several robust panel proposals to AWP for three years running, all of them packed with accomplished writers and editors addressing valuable, timely topics. All of them were rejected. (I managed to back into some terrific offsite and online panels as compensation, but those were not officially curated by AWP.)

The competition this year, as always, was stiff: Over 1,400 proposals were submitted to AWP and roughly 25% were accepted, including ours.

An adjacent fact: I was one of nine TEDx Logan Circle presenters this year out of a field of roughly 840 submissions.

Another adjacent fact: I just had a short story accepted into an anthology; a handful of writers are included from a submission field of 100 or more entries.

What is the zeitgeist operating here?

Not that I’m God’s gift to the literary or intellectual world. No. It’s that I’m willing to play long odds over and over, one after opportunity after the other—even the same opportunities, year after year. (I applied to several TEDx events with no luck until this year.)

Consider that “no” is a temporary state, not a permanent one. “No” often means “not right now.” It doesn’t always mean “never ever.”

Keep at it. A closed door is only closed until it opens.

And doors do open—not just for me, but for you too.

My new novel TENT CITY, is getting some amazing reviews —and now you can download the companion BOOK CLUB KIT, a rich resource for discussing the book!

“Amy L. Bernstein’s powerful novel reflects modern times with a twist, offering powerful insights into groups that used to work together and now find themselves seemingly at odds, but connected in unusual ways.

“The food for thought generated by this social and psychological examination will prove especially compelling for readers seeking literary reflections of present and future dilemmas surrounding haves and have-nots, simmering frustrations on all sides, and the raise of poverty that both births Tent City and portends its ultimate collapse, as well.

--D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review