We are proud to share that one our alumni, Allison Stalberg, will see her novella, "Adelina and the Bug Parties," published this summer! Allison shared her exciting news with us:
My novella is going to be published this summer because it won a novella contest with OFIC magazine. This novella was worked on with the help of my Mountainview mentors (Jo Knowles, Rachel Glaser, Rebecca Schiff, and Nadia Owusu) and fellow students.
"Adelina and the Bug Parties" is about a fairy that falls in love with a luna moth as they crash bug parties together. It is both dark and whimsical, with readers having to deal with the sad truths of death while also enjoying the parties of hedonistic bugs. I'd say it is kind of like a "Charlotte's Web" for young adults.
This publication does feel full-circle for me, as I won the contest right after I turned in my thesis. OFIC is also not just any publication, but one that glorifies writers that come from fandom and fanfiction, which is where I started my writing career back when I was a teenager.
"Adelina and the Bug Parties" is going to be part of a doubles issue of OFIC magazine. One side will be my novella and the other side will be a sci-fi story from another writer that won the contest. The format will be Tête-bêche. A limited number of physical copies will be available for purchase and/or folks can purchase a digital version when it comes out around June 30th.
About Allison: Allison Stalberg is writer who obtained her MFA in Fiction from Southern New Hampshire University. She is a published author with short fiction and non-fiction stories published in several anthologies and magazines such as Calliope, Altered Reality, and Outposts of Beyond. She is a writer and interviewer for Knee Brace Press, where she talks to authors writing about chronic conditions, disability, mental health, and neurodivergence. As an asexual woman, Allison likes to write stories that stir rebellion, independent thinking, and radical love. Her writing is inspired by nature, insomnia, video games, and the ever consuming dread that comes with a decaying body.
Website: https://allisonstalberg.com/
Instagram and Threads: @mollusk_queen
TikTok: @stalbergwrites