It’s winter here in Texas, the start of a three-day freeze, and of course I am spending that time reflecting on what 2023 held for me, and what more is opening up for me in the new year. January marks the transition into a new year in the Gregorian calendar, a solar calendar, yet we are in winter, a time of slowing, hunkering down to find warmth, comfort, rest, and reflection. So that is what I am doing now as I ferment vegetables, make endless soups, drink tea, and spend quiet winter mornings reading and journaling while the birds and squirrels flit about gathering food to bring back to their roosts.
I wrote this year about how 2023 for me was the Year of the Owl, reflecting the dark mysteriousness, and playful curiosity of these magnificent birds. I also met new community members in the local Texas and national horror community and forayed deeper into writing more short horror fiction, such as my short story, “Detached,” published in A Night of Screams: Latino Horror Stories from Arte Publico Press, and “Open Wound,” published in Uncharted Magazine. I also pushed myself out of my comfort zone by collaborating on my first ever comic! I wrote the script for Cloudbreak, a part of the Chispa Comics Thirteen Series, which was illustrated by the incredibly talented Verena Rodriguez. I look forward to Myra’s story coming out this month to a comic book store near you!
This year was also a year that I worked on revising and submitting more than I have in previous years, specifically working on three main projects: a short horror collection, a poetry chapbook, and a young adult novel. I hope to share publication news on these projects soon. I published two poems from my chapbook, which explore healing from grief, loss, trauma, and navigating my relationship to pain, including “Pain Scale,” which was a featured poem from Gnashing Teeth’s Poem of the Day and was nominated for a Push Cart Prize, and “Beating Heart” published in Escritorio Purgatoria Zine from Infrarrealista Review.
As I look ahead, I have many hopes for a spring that will bring with it new events, new projects and collaborations, and a sense of seasonal renewal.
These are just a few events I have coming up in the Spring:
Ghoulish Book Festival in San Antonio, TX March 15th-18th
Agnes Scott College’s 53rd Annual Writers Festival, April 4th and 5th
San Antonio Book Festival, April 13th
Until then, I continue to move slowly with the intention, to write, read, learn, and use my voice to share what feels like my most truthful words and stories. I appreciate you engaging with and sharing my work, and hope to be in this creative community in 2024!
Leticia Urieta 