Hello!  My name is A.J., and I spend quite a lot of time proof-reading and editing work by others (whether it's submissions to the publications for which I've edited over time or pieces by colleagues, friends, and family).  Most of the editorial work I undertake is entirely voluntary; I do this because 1) I take great pleasure in parsing the minutiae of grammar, and 2) I derive great satisfaction from helping others ensure that their writing is the best that it can be.  I'm Senior Poetry Co-Editor at Strange Horizons magazine on a voluntary basis; discovering and publishing voices (both new and seasoned) brings me immense satisfaction.

If there's anything I've learned in the past few years, it's that editing cuts into writing time—especially when you have a day-job on top of everything else.  That's not to say that I don't find time to write, as I cram that into whatever spare moments I can manage.  Simply put: I'm outrageously busy, have student loans to repay, and live in an expensive city.  I love writing and editing, and, given that most of the hours I spend on those pursuits are, in the end, unpaid, every little bit helps.

I'll probably very seldom post pieces of writing directly to this page, not least because I can't submit poems or pieces of short fiction for publication if I post them publicly online prior to acceptance at a publication (or inclusion in a collection or chapbook).  However, those of you who watch my LiveJournal know that I post locked poem-drafts quite often, and those of you who follow my prose writing in other spheres know that I update weekly, if not every few days.

Thanks for your support, in whatever form. Readers shape the world!

UPDATE on 6/2/15: I learned recently that my application to Boston University's one-year MFA in Creative Writing (Poetry) had been accepted.  They only admit 8 poets and 10 fiction writers per year, so to be part of such a select cohort considering the extraordinarily high number of applicants this year (we were informed of this fact in our admission letters) is an honor I can't quite wrap my head around.  Now, a little over a month later, my partner has learned he's gotten into a fully-funded PhD program overseas; this means that the less-than-living-wage stipend part of my program is no longer going to be enough for me to live on, because my partner will not be here and working full-time (he will be overseas with his own budgeting to worry about; his program will actually pay him a living wage, but not enough to spare or to send any to me).  The course-load and teaching demands of my program are such that working a 15 to 20-hour part-time job in order to make ends meet on top of the stipend is not feasible.  Therefore, my current goal is to hit at least $500 a month in pledges here on Patreon in order to augment what little I know I'll be able to save between now and August.  To those of you who have already pledged, my gratitude knows no bounds.  The term of my program is late August 2015 - early July 2016, so any income I can manage via Patreon between now and then to supplement my stipend will help.  I should also note that I have no plans to retain pledges past July next year, unless pledgers would like to continue to support my creative endeavors. Closer to that time, I’ll send private messages to patrons explaining I’ll be terminating their pledge from my end come mid-July 2016 (so as not to have them charged at the end of that month); that will give everyone sufficient opportunity to say whether they’re cool with that or not.  I will be posting at least four brand-new poem drafts per month. These will be visible to patrons only, as it seems Patreon now offers a locked-post feature. I've just posted the first of these.  Thank you so much for your support! ♥