May 2026 – Andrew Careaga

Friday Five: summer reads edition

Years ago, when this website/blog was mainly dedicated to higher ed marketing/PR/branding/etc. and I read mainly non-fiction books, I would occasionally post, around Memorial Day, a Friday Five about some of the books I planned to read over the summer. Now that I’m attempting to carve out a “career” (*cough, cough*) of sorts in the creative writing arena, I thought it would make sense to share some of the books I plan to read this summer. Note that not all of my selections are current or even new-ish, as I am a notoriously slow reader and always am behind on my reading of the latest trendy or anti-trendy thing, so if you’re looking for recommendations on the latest summer reads, I suggest you look at LitHub’s “19 Novels You Need to Read This Summer” or The New York Times’ hyperbolically headlined list of “The Novels Everyone Will Be Reading This Summer” (gift link).

‘Bad Intentions’ cover reveal

Crime fiction anthology inspired by the music of Warren Zevon due out July 7.

Earlier this week, the fine folks at Literary Garage revealed the cover artwork for Bad Intentions, an anthology of crime fiction inspired by “the gritty wit, sharp edges, and outlaw spirit” of the late Warren Zevon. As I mentioned here in April, I have a short story appearing in this anthology. There are fifteen stories in all, and having received and read an advance copy of the book, I can say with confidence that each story, in its own distinctive way, is exquisitely Zevon-esque (Zevonian?) in voice, subject matter, and delivery. It comes out July 7, just in time for your summer reading.

Friday Five: Orange Rose editor Amber Budd

‘Literary magazines exist to uplift the work of other writers, and that’s always been my main priority.’

In less than a year, Amber Budd has built something incredible for the online literary world with The Orange Rose Literary Magazine. Since launching The Orange Rose last July, she has published five issues, each one of which is filled with a broad range of writing–short stories, nonfiction, flash and micro fiction, and poetry from writers well known, lesser known, and unknown–as well as visual art and photography. (Note to writers: Amber’s call for prose submissions for Issue 6 ends May 31, so get busy! [Orange Rose has already hit its cap for poetry submissions.) I’ve had three short stories appear in Amber’s magazine (in issues 2, 4, and 5, which was a pet-themed issue in honor of Amber’s recently departed orange cat, Biscotti). I also received one kindly worded rejection email from her.

Amber is a Missouri-based writer (as am I) who, at age 24, juggles her editor-in-chief work with her pursuit of an MFA in writing, which she began last fall. She holds an AFA and BA in Creative Writing and previously served as editor for Arrow Rock Literary Journal and as a reader for Fractured Lit. Her short fiction and poetry have been published in multiple magazines and journals, and she is currently writing her first novel that will eventually serve as her master’s thesis. Though her chronic illnesses limit her day-to-day capabilities, she uses her free time, according to her bio, “to replay the same two video games for the millionth time, crochet while binge-watching her current TV obsession, and squeeze in D&D sessions with her friends.”

Crossing the AI Rubicon

What one top literary magazine’s award to a (likely) AI-generated story means for the literary world

In 49 BCE, following a seven-year campaign to expand the Roman Empire into Gaul (much of Western Europe), Junius Caesar, then a general of the Roman army, approached a river that signified an important boundary between Rome and the rest of the world. According to Roman law, if anyone crossed that river–the Rubicon–it would be considered an act of war.

As we know from history, Caesar crossed that line, uttering the words alea iacta est (“the die is cast”), a phrase that has come to mean, “no turning back.”

Earlier this week, a prestigious literary magazine, Granta, crossed a metaphorical Rubicon of its own when it published a prize-winning short story that, evidence strongly suggests, was written not by a human, but by artificial intelligence.

Friday Five: some words with Justin Carter

‘Everything starts, in some way, with my life, and then the question becomes if I want to dive into my life or not’

Like a lot of teens who came of age during the early days of the internet, Justin Carter spent a lot of his online time reading and posting on message boards. He is such a fan of the format of these online forums that he decided to create a literary magazine based on the message board structure. The result: the retro-looking lit mag Some Words. Since going live some six months ago, Some Words has published over 120 stories and poems, including a poem each day during National Poetry Month (April). I was honored to have one of my poems (“A Cure for Doomscrolling“) included in the April lineup.

When he isn’t running the lit mag–or perhaps moderating is the more appropriate term–Justin writes poetry and short stories, as well as freelance articles about women’s basketball, racing, and the NFL from his home in Des Moines, Iowa. He also is a relatively new dad. Justin’s first poetry collection, Brazos, was published in 2024 by Belle Point Press. Originally from the Texas Gulf Coast, Justin holds degrees from the University of Houston, Bowling Green State University and the University of North Texas, where he graduated in 2019 with a PhD in English. His poetry appears widely, including work in The Adroit Journal, Bat City Review, The Journal, Sonora Review and Sycamore Review. His fiction has appeared or is forthcoming in BULL, Daily Science Fiction, HAD, Passages North, and other spaces.

Read on for more about Justin’s reasons for creating Some Words, his advice to submitters, writing poetry versus writing fiction, and more.