# Bloom Bloom is a literary site devoted to highlighting, profiling, reviewing, and interviewing authors and artists whose first major work debuted when they were age 40 or older... who bloomed in their own good time. Page: Feed: --- ## [RAISED BY FERNS: Q&A with Maya Jewell Zeller](https://bloomliterary.substack.com/p/raised-by-ferns-q-and-a-with-maya) _2026-08-18 · Bloom_ Bloom spoke with Jewell Zeller about her debut memoir, which immerses readers in the miracle of bookmobiles and motherhood—as well as the wisdom of trees, ferns, and water. ## [An excerpt from MUD ON THE MOON: A HYBRID MEMOIR](https://bloomliterary.substack.com/p/an-excerpt-from-mud-on-the-moon-a) _2026-08-04 · Bloom_ by Nita Noveno ## [THE SECOND ACT: Kai Maristed on Late Blooming, Being Cut to the Ground, and What Came Next](https://bloomliterary.substack.com/p/the-second-act-kai-maristed-on-late) _2026-07-28 · Bloom_ BLOOM kicks off the new SECOND ACT series with this reflection from Kai Maristed on blooming 'late', changing direction—and then blooming again. ## [ESQUIRE BALL, STORIES FROM THE GREAT BLACK SWAMP: Q&A with Lisa Slage Robinson](https://bloomliterary.substack.com/p/esquire-ball-stories-from-the-great) _2026-07-21 · Bloom_ 'What emotions and grit and horror could I uncover?' ## [Shall We? On The Long Run, or A Willingness To Be Ridiculous](https://bloomliterary.substack.com/p/shall-we-on-the-long-run-or-the-willingness) _2026-07-07 · Bloom_ What keeps the most innovative, exciting artists going, decade after decade. What will keep BLOOM going? ## [An Invitation from Bloom's Founding Editor](https://bloomliterary.substack.com/p/an-invitation-from-blooms-founding) _2026-07-01 · Bloom_ ICYMI: Join Us for Bloom Book Club + Bloom Monthly Meetups [Listen](https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/204518276/1c0589ea5d5902d12f2288620987697e.mp3) ## [Announcing Bloom Book Club and Monthly Meetups](https://bloomliterary.substack.com/p/announcing-bloom-book-club-and-monthly) _2026-06-25 · Bloom_ New opportunities for connection and community at Bloom ## [NAMES HAVE BEEN CHANGED: Q&A with Yu-Mei Balasingamchow](https://bloomliterary.substack.com/p/names-have-been-changed-q-and-a-with) _2026-06-23 · Bloom_ 'Urgent, prickly, demanding to be taken seriously': on following the voice of an accidental fugitive ## ["Up the Mountainside" and "Endowment": Two Poems](https://bloomliterary.substack.com/p/up-the-mountainside-and-endowment) _2026-06-02 · Bloom_ by Ryan C. Tittle ## [IN BLOOM: Q&A with Liz Allan](https://bloomliterary.substack.com/p/in-bloom-q-and-a-with-liz-allan) _2026-05-26 · Bloom_ From one of The Observer's best debut novelists of 2026, a story about the power of teenage friendships ## [Save with community-voted codes (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/nuXqUY8UiVDe) _2026-05-26 · **Sponsored**_ Search thousands of community-verified coupon codes — 100% free, no account needed. ## [The Afterlife of Mrs. Ethel Rigsby-Higginbotham](https://bloomliterary.substack.com/p/the-afterlife-of-mrs-ethel-rigsby) _2026-05-12 · Bloom_ by Judith Sanders ## [A METHOD OF REACHING EXTREME ALTITUDES: Q&A with Nancy J. Allen](https://bloomliterary.substack.com/p/a-method-of-reaching-extreme-altitudes) _2026-04-28 · Bloom_ David Haynes spoke with Allen about her debut short story collection, which is out now from the University of New Mexico Press. ## ["Remember" and "Biography in Pink": Two Poems](https://bloomliterary.substack.com/p/remember-and-biography-in-pink-two) _2026-04-14 · Bloom_ by Diane Elayne Dees ## [Special Report: Debuting After Fifty panel at AWP](https://bloomliterary.substack.com/p/special-report-debuting-after-fifty) _2026-04-07 · Bloom_ Sara Lippmann, Melanie Pappadis Faranello, Chin-Sun Lee, Nita Noveno and Zeeva Bukai discuss the joys and challenges of debuting after fifty ## [DISPATCH FROM EVERY SECOND GUESS: Q&A with Megan Gannon](https://bloomliterary.substack.com/p/dispatch-from-every-second-guess) _2026-03-31 · Bloom_ by Shabana Kayum ## [Special Report: Debut Novelists on Writing Fiction and Making Visual Art](https://bloomliterary.substack.com/p/special-report-debut-novelists-on) _2026-03-24 · Bloom_ by Leah De Forest ## [An Excerpt from BELONGING TO THE AIR: A Novel](https://bloomliterary.substack.com/p/an-excerpt-from-belonging-to-the) _2026-03-17 · Bloom_ by Avery Irons ## ["Rest and Relaxation" and "Collected Correspondences": Two Poems](https://bloomliterary.substack.com/p/rest-and-relaxation-and-collected) _2026-03-03 · Bloom_ by Robert D. Taylor ## [An Excerpt From MULE BOY, A Novel](https://bloomliterary.substack.com/p/an-excerpt-from-andrew-krivaks-new) _2026-02-17 · Bloom_ by Andrew Krivak ## [An Excerpt from LONDON SOJOURN: Rewriting Life After Retirement](https://bloomliterary.substack.com/p/an-excerpt-from-rebecca-knuths-memoir-london-sojourn-rewriting-life-after-retirement) _2025-12-09 · Bloom_ by Rebecca Knuth ## [Zero-Persistence E2EE (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/HERJMsQmK9qT) _2025-12-09 · **Sponsored**_ End-to-end encryption with client-side WebCrypto and volatile memory. ## [BEWARE THE TALL GRASS: Q&A with Ellen Birkett Morris](https://bloomliterary.substack.com/p/beware-the-tall-grass-qa-with-ellen-birkett-morris) _2025-12-02 · Bloom_ by Liz Ross