My 1st book is here: Ghost in the Rain!

Matthew Jakubowski Leave a comment

It’s been a looong time since I posted here. So much has happened. (For the tldr version, head over to my fiction page. I’ve been busy!) But in the spirit of moving on, I’ll catch up on things later in future posts as time goes on.

My big news is that I’ve published my first chapbook! My first book of any kind, actually. It’s a collection of 12 microfictions and flash pieces called “Ghost in the Rain,” from indie publisher Bottlecap Press. It went on sale in late spring. I’m thrilled! I never thought I’d debut after 50, with a story collection, no less. But it’s a relief and a joy to see this book out in the world.

I’ve been very fortunate since its publication to have the book reviewed at Your Impossible Voice by Kelsey Squire. It’s a thoughtful, beautifully written (and glowing) piece of criticism. I’m honored.

I was also honored to be invited by Steve Himmer, one of the founders of Necessary Fiction, to write a short essay about how I assembled the collection. It’s a personal essay discussing pieces of my past that influenced and shaped these stories.  

Many thanks to everyone who’s bought the book, shared photos of it online, and been supportive in so many ways since it was released. I had no idea this was going to happen this year. The timeline from when I submitted the manuscript to Bottlecap Press to publication was so fast.  

I’ll share more details soon about a series of launch events I have brewing in the fall and into next year. Online events and in-person in Philadelphia. And in other cities, I hope – if you need readers or authors for your event or book group, let’s get in touch!

While I’m hyping my own book (and hopping around excitedly, but pretending to play it cool), I wanted to mention a couple books I’ve read lately that I loved. I got to hear Cara Benson read at Head House Books in Philly on her current tour. What a phenomenal reader and person. Her memoir, “An Armsfull of Birds,” is stunning, full of grief, hope, and wisdom about love. Here’s a link to an interview she did about the book with Cheryl Strayed.

I also got to meet flash writer Elizabeth Rosen this summer at the Barrelhouse Writers Camp (more on this later, I think). I picked up her chapbook, “Survival Skills” and later heard her read online with several other phenomenal flash writers, like Sumitra Singam, Travis Flatt, and Dawn Tasaka Steffler. All I can say is that Liz’s story collection is one of the best books (not just chapbooks) I’ve read in years. Her work was completely new to me and I read this collection in one sitting. From the very first pages it had me and just kept delivering. It’s a phenomenal book.

Best Microfiction & other small things

Matthew Jakubowski

Lately with my writing I’ve steered away from novels, book reviews, and novellas. I’ve been writing smaller things. Journal entries, poems, flash fiction, notes and jottings. In a way, writing in these forms feels easier, a way to keep up with the pace of life. But it also helps me feel like I’m slowing down, too, with a sort of conviction to stop and feel and listen. Revising these things also yields a different sort of satisfaction than my longer works.

I’ve been submitting these shorter pieces, too, of course, when they feel like they’re worth the effort. This past fall, I published “Ghost Story” in the wonderful flash fiction journal Milk Candy Review, thanks to editor Cathy Ulrich, who I had submitted to many times before. My luck didn’t end there, though. I was honored when Cathy nominated it for her picks for the Best Microfiction anthology. Then came the huge surprise last month–Grant Faulkner, guest editor of the 2024 edition of the anthology actually picked my story to be included. The anthology, with my little ghost story, will be in stores in June. I’m still in shock.

In terms of what I’ve been reading lately, when I gathered things up from one room and another, I wasn’t surprised. Pretty much all of it has been poetry and short fiction, even some nonfiction about the linguistic nuances of writing brief things that carry power. Not that I no longer want to read good long books. In fact, I’m itching to re-read some favorites like Nights at the Circus and The Sea The Sea. But below are some books of shorter things that I’m either reading at the moment, or have really enjoyed over the winter. Here’s to brief but mighty things!

Poetics, and a critical slant

Matthew Jakubowski
Credit: M. Jakubowski


In all the years I’ve been a writer, the past year has been one of the most complicated, confusing, and – in the way writing often is – satisfying, nevertheless.

One thing I’ve learned and had to learn again is that sometimes I absolutely need to be journaling, everyday. So I did and as the months passed I filled an older journal and started a new one. A few months ago the entries were turning into… poems? And one of them seemed “good,” to me, a suspicion confirmed by a friend, who encouraged me to submit it. I did, and was shocked when it was accepted. My first traditional poem, ever. It’s out in the world now in Stone Circle Review. (Many thanks to the wonderful editor and poet Lee Potts for taking it on.)

Continue reading →

Heading out

Matthew Jakubowski

Your shins bear bruises and a few gory notches. Dents in the flesh from moments you cannot recall. If you played soccer or field hockey you could blame it on that and feel proud. You could also avoid the label “old fool.” But no. Fool through-and-through, you think, running water for a cold shower.

Continue reading →

With love, Sisyphus

Matthew Jakubowski

A job is your time, your mind, your body, your will, your energy, your days spent away from those you love, away from where you want to be.

Yet it promises escape, a purpose, a thrill, a place to accomplish things together, camaraderie, success, an outlet, a steady income, a way to meet your responsibilities, a way to see yourself through hard times.

Continue reading →