Kory Wells, Writer

Thanks for visiting

2009-07-06T21:19:00.006-05:00

If you've found your way to this blog, I'm using it for experimental purposes right now. Please visit my website at korywells.com for links to new poetry and prose published in 2009, information about Leap, my chapbook forthcoming from March Street Press later this year, and other links of interest to readers and writers.

Kory's poetry: breaking out of the south

2007-09-14T22:09:00.000-05:00

First of all, Kory reminds you that she would never forsake the south. BUT, she's excited that a journal based in Spokane, Washington, Rock & Sling, has accepted her poem "Lesson from John" for publication in 2008.

She teases, "It's nice to know that my work is resonating outside the region, y'all."

Rock & Sling explores faith in art and literature, and puts their faith to work: ten percent of each press run is donated to women's shelters, prisons, treatment centers, and other places without resources to purchase literature. How cool is that?

Browse excerpts from the 2007 and prior issues at http://www.rockandsling.org/

A new poem published, another coming soon

2007-06-29T18:30:00.001-05:00

Kory's poem "Phenomena" was recently published in the 2007 edition of Kudzu. The poem received an honorable mention in Kudzu's 2007 poetry prize, judged by Kelly Norman Ellis.

Her poem "Where I'm From," after George Ella Lyon, Anne Shelby, and many others, received 2nd place in the Bat Creek Journal poetry contest. That poem is forthcoming in the next issue of Bat Creek Journal, due out later in 2007.

Ladies Home Journal: Kory's essay "resonates"

2006-12-15T22:03:00.000-06:00

Kory's essay "Really Good for a Girl" leads the anthology She's Such a Geek: Women Write About Science, Technology, and Other Nerdy Stuff. In the essay framed by her childhood desire to be an astronaut and her career in computer science, Kory writes about her mother's legacy of pursuing passions - even when they contradict traditional cultural roles.

Ladies' Home Journal has named Geek to their "Books We Love" list in December 2006 and says this about Kory's essay:

One standout essay comes from computer programmer-cum-writer Kory Wells, who learned from her own strong mother to follow her techie calling, regardless of gender conventions. Her evolution from "good for a girl" student to working mother with a smart daughter of her own will resonate with any woman, geek or not.

Read the entire post on Ladies' Home Journal.

Kory's also mentioned in the Publishers Weekly review of the book, which calls the anthology "jubilant." The book is now available at your local bookseller and at online stores, including here on amazon.com. Amazon has an excerpt of Kory's essay posted here.

Visit www.shessuchageek.com for more about the book and related discussions.

Read Kory in print

2006-12-02T22:50:00.000-06:00

Nonfiction

"Really Good for a Girl" leads the anthology She's Such a Geek: Women Write About Science, Technology and Other Nerdy Stuff

Available at your favorite independent/local bookstore, or here on amazon.com

Poetry

"Lesson from John" is forthcoming in Rock & Sling
"Where I'm From," after George Ella Lyon, Anne Shelby, and many others, received 2nd place in the Bat Creek Journal poetry contest and is forthcoming in that journal.
"Phenomena" appears 2007 edition of Kudzu. The poem received an honorable mention in Kudzu's 2007 poetry prize, judged by Kelly Norman Ellis.
"Seating Arrangement" appears in Low Explosions: Writings on the Body, an anthology of poetry and prose from the Knoxville Writers' Guild. More info and ordering info

Short Stories

Kory's short story "Trade Day" is included in Muscadine Lines: A Southern Anthology from Cold Tree Press, edited by Kathy Hardy Rhodes. "Trade Day" received recognition from both the Alabama Writers Conclave and the St. Louis-based Saturday Writers competitions in 2004.

The anthology is available at bookstores and on online. Contact Kory for a signed copy, or order from amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, or Cold Tree Press.
"Moving the Bar" was published in the Spring 2006 issue of Active Culture/Birmingham Arts Journal (also available in pdf download)

Read Kory's writing online

2006-12-01T23:17:00.000-06:00

Nonfiction

on Southern Hum: "Something Got a Hold of Me: The Passions of Silas House"
on Amazon: an excerpt of "Really Good for a Girl" from She's Such a Geek

Poetry

on Southern Hum: "Acquired Taste" and "New Frontier, 1970"

Short Stories

"Moving the Bar" was published in the Birmingham Arts Journal (pdf download).

A version of this story was also a finalist in the 2004 Nashville Scene Fiction Competition judged by Ann Patchett (author of Bel Canto, one of Kory's favorite books).
"Miss Broadway," Kory's first published short story, appears in the journal Long Story Short

"Trade Day" published in Muscadine Lines anthology

2006-07-15T23:06:00.000-05:00

Kory's short story "Trade Day" is included in Muscadine Lines: A Southern Anthology from Cold Tree Press, edited by Kathy Hardy Rhodes. "Trade Day" previously received recognition from both the Alabama Writers Conclave and the St. Louis-based Saturday Writers competitions. Muscadine Lines is a collection of short fiction, personal essays, and poems with a decidedly Southern lean. Learn more at muscadinelines.com.

The anthology is available at bookstores and on online. Contact Kory for a signed copy, or order from amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, or Cold Tree Press.

Thanks to everyone who's come out to the various events for this book: the Brentwood Barnes and Noble, the Murfreesboro Hastings, and the booth and Southern/Appalachian writers panel that Kory and Kathy participated in at the Southern Kentucky BookFest.

Books and Authors

2006-07-01T22:06:00.000-05:00

Fiction

Lee Smith, especially Saving Grace.
Darnell Arnoult
Pam Duncan
Silas House
Clyde Edgerton, especially the hilarious Raney.
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd.
Ron Rash - One Foot in Eden is my favorite of his novels.
Lois Battle - Although I have to admit that her latest, The Florabama Ladies' Auxiliary and Sewing Circle, is not my favorite, it was still an enjoyable read. I think she does a very good job of intersecting the lives of multiple characters in her plots and of implementing different points of view, especially in Storyville and Bed and Breakfast.
Where the Heart Is by Billie Letts.
Final Vinyl Days and Other Stories by Jill McCorkle. My favorite is "Your Husband Is Cheating on Us"
And speaking of stories, I am very intrigued by sudden fiction. My favorite piece of sudden fiction ever is "Missy" by Richard Bausch. It was published in the 1999 New Stories from the South from Shannon Ravenel/Algonquin. I think it is masterful.
Bel Canto by Ann Patchett. The book jacket's reference to terrorist activity in a South American county belies the incredible beauty of this book. I truly did not want it to end. Writers, pay attention: Patchett is a wonderful wordsmith who implements skillful foreshadowing and seamless movement from one POV to another. "No one was quite willing to lie, but they tugged down the edges of the truth."
Time and Again by Jack Finney. A time-travel book with a healthy dose of history. I did not enjoy the sequel, From Time to Time, as much.
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (of course!)

Nonfiction

Cathedrals of Kudzu: A Personal Landscape of the South by Hal Crowther. I confess I have to read his essays with a dictionary at my side, but he's always got something thought-provoking to say.
West with the Night by Beryl Markham. Markham was the first person to cross the Atlantic solo from east to west. Born in England and raised in east Africa, she lived a life of extraordinary adventure, and she writes about it beautifully.
On Extended Wings: An Adventure in Flight by Diane Ackerman. Lessons in life set around this well-known author's experience of learning to fly.
Amelia and Eleanor Go for a Ride by Pam Munoz Ryan, pictures by Brian Selznick. This is a beautiful children's book that I love so much I have to put it in my list. It is based on a real encounter between Amelia Earhart and Eleanor Roosevelt.
The Life You've Always Wanted by John Ortberg. This book details how "ordinary people" can implement spiritual disciplines in their lives. Ortberg gives many realistic examples of how our everyday mindset and habits can interfere with our spiritual growth and suggests step by step methods for allowing and developing greater spirituality.
If You Want to Walk on Water, You've Got to Get Out of the Boat by John Ortberg. I love this book! It is about taking risks (not bungee jumping, but spiritual and emotional risks) in order to discern and follow God's calling for your life. Ortberg leads the reader through questions like What is my deepest dream? and What do I want my epitaph to say?
Go to Your Studio and Make Stuff: The Fred Babb Poster Book. Fred is a great witness, in art and essay form, to the importance of creativity in the lives of adults and children.

Poetry

Darnell Arnoult
Bill Brown
Raymond Carver
Billy Collins
Stephen Dunn
Jane Gentry
Diane Gilliam Fisher
Jane Hicks
James Weldon Johnson
Ted Kooser
Maurice Manning
Mary Oliver
Frank X. Walker
Dana Wildsmith
Marianne Worthington

Music and arts: some of Kory's favs

2006-07-01T21:59:00.000-05:00

Some of Kory's favorite musicians, artists and organizations in the middle Tennessee area are:

Music

Becky Buller - an impressive up-and-coming fiddle player and songwriter - check out her CD "Little Bird." Becky plays with Valerie Smith and Liberty Pike.
Murfreesboro Youth Orchestra
Tennessee Fiddle Orchestra, led by Jim and Inge Wood (nice site for musicians)
Uncle Dave Macon Days celebrates old-time music and includes a craft show as well
Murfreesboro's Main Street JazzFest

Artists

Anne Carothers - Kory's children are featured in Anne's wonderful and thoughtful work called "Colored Children."
Studio S Pottery
Norris Hall
The Stones River Craft Association

Theater, classes, exhibits and more

The Arts Center of Cannon County
The Murfreesboro Center for the Arts
The Fly Cultural Arts Center in Shelbyville