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Being more open about how and from who writers and artists receive support (financial, emotional, otherwise) is something that I care a lot about, and I am thrilled that Fiction Advocate has started the series “How I Got Here” to promote a transparent dialogue about these issues. My essay in the series was one of the hardest, most vulnerable, scary essays I’ve ever written, but I’m glad it’s out there now. Thank you to Fiction Advocate for running the piece, and for Brian Hurley, my editor, for encouraging me to write it and for his kind, thoughtful edits.

Click here to read the piece on Fiction Advocate.

The post “You Learn, I Pay” on Fiction Advocate! appeared first on E.B. Bartels.

To read the full piece, buy a copy of Infinite Scroll, either online or at Magpie in Davis Square.

Below you’ll find a preview.

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In the summer, the office gets hot. The large picture windows let in scorching light, and when the air conditioner is off, I’m a goldfish in a bowl in direct sun. When the air conditioner is on, however, I’m in a Siberian blizzard, and the high school summers that I worked at Andersen Insurance––my family’s business––my desk was in line with the blower. I suffered equally from wind-chill and heat stroke. The ancient motor of the air conditioner was deafening: a plane taking off in a hurricane with all the passengers screaming.

“What, pal?” My grandfather, Puppy, shouted over the roar.

“I’m almost done with filing!”

“What?”

“I said: I’m – ”

“Wait a minute, pal.” Puppy reached up to the window, using a long wooden stick to power off the air conditioner.

Silence followed, except for ringing in my ears and a sigh from Donna, the office’s longest-running non-familial employee.

“I said: I’m almost done with filing,” I repeated, already feeling heat from the windows.

The post Claustrophobia appeared first on E.B. Bartels.