Nancy Keeler

Publishing creative writing is scary!

Fiction and creative nonfiction

Here’s a link to a story I had published in the online publication Boca ‘e Loba. The link is to the English version of the story:

“Jane’s Light“: (short fiction) Jane left an emotionally abusive relationship. Now she lives alone and talks to her plants.

I submitted to this Spanish language journal in connection with a course in Latin American literature I took through OLLI, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. There was a tie-in there with UMass Boston, and at the time I was volunteering on a three year project through UMB regarding engagement of elders in research.

Pieces either submitted or in the works:

“Elvis May Still Be in the Building”: (flash fiction) Is a certain retail dog groomer really just a dog groomer?

“My Gay Priest Lying College Boyfriend Not”: (memoir essay) The title says enough.

“Hold that Thought”: (short fiction, soft sci fi) A new mandatory clothing item gives new meaning to the phrase “wear your heart on your sleeve.”

“Andrea”: (short fiction) All her coworkers think Andrea’s pregnant, but she denies it. For months.

“The Happily Single Club”: (short fiction) Some just like being free. Some are damaged, impotent, hiding, bitter. What happens when two come together and only one is “healed” by love?

I’ve got some other memoir pieces I’m finishing about growing up in the Baby Boomer era and about aging, as well as pieces on family dynamics and being Southern. I’ve got a piece in process on feeling Jewish all my life in spite of being raised Southern Baptist and having only trace Jewish DNA, at most. And some more fiction in the works.

Other nonfiction

I published a series of little dog breed word scramble game ebooks on Amazon under the authorship name Fun and Educational Entertainment. I’m not trying to promote them currently because I want to do another edition with more information and pictures of the dog breeds, not just the scrambled breed names as they are now—so it’s truly more educational. I kind of dread diving back into the mechanics of that but I’ll get to it one of these days.

And I wrote a pet bereavement workbook that I haven’t published. I once founded a pet bereavement support group, but it never got more than one participant at a time and sometimes none, and I ceased after six months. I kind of don’t want to live in that so I haven’t taken it further, but if you’re interested in the workbook I’d be happy to share it; contact me.

Journalism and commentary

This page is devoted primarily to creative writing. Most of the writing I’ve published in the past has been reportage, either for website or newspapers, and commentary.

Just for a taste of all that, though, here’s a sample of my commentaries, in the form of three letters that were published by Nashville’s The Tennessean daily newspaper—this was back when newspapers were still thriving. The one on “The New Beverly Hillbillies” won me a “three star” distinction, which earned me a seat at the three star letter writers’ banquet. Woo hoo! I love to eat, and when I can eat and be honored for something at the same time, even better.

While in California when I started thinking about going back to Nashville, I applied for a religion reporter position at The Tennessean and highlighted that three star bit—it was the highest honor I had received in my journalistic career. I received a response from the editor, something like: “With all due respect to three star letter writers, most of my applicants have far more experience than you.” Put me in my place why don’t you?

I’m opinionated though, and I don’t mind telling you.

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