While I have always enjoyed reading, writing has been another matter. Over the years, my career has necessitated that I write professionally. As a byproduct of this, I have developed a taste for writing as well as for reading fiction (in my off time). I started out writing poetry in the late 1980’s but gradually progressed to writing primarily fiction by 2000. My published works so far have been short stories and poems, but I am now working on a play and two novels and other projects, which I hope will be completed before long.
My wife Francene and I, summer, 2024
Around 2012, I started a blog and a social media presence to publicize my writing. At that time, the basic WordPress site was free, so I established several blogs to experiment with different subjects. Though these went nowhere, having several blogs turned out to be a wise move, because I could later convert them to more serious websites at no cost after WordPress starting charging for their basic websites.
In late 2015, I founded the Farmington (New Mexico) Writers’ Circle (and website), which focuses on the publicity and marketing of writers works, rather than on the art of writing. I left the Farmington area to move to Arkansas in 2019, but the Writers’ Circle is still going strong from what I see on their website.
In December 2020, I resurrected a long-dead project of establishing an online magazine called The Chamber. It has been steadily growing since then and as of May 2023, it has had over 84,800 visits and 32,157 visitors. Readers come from 134 nations in addition to the US. Writers come from over a dozen with some, like Niles Reddick (England) and Marcelo Medone (Argentina) being established professional authors. Unfortunately, in 2023 I had to put publishing The Chamber and my other endeavors on hold for a variety of reasons. As of December 2024, I hope to resurrect at least some of these projects gradually over the next few months.
In October 2021, I converted one of my first blogs into Rural Fiction Magazine (RFM) and started accepting submissions. When I put it on hiatus in 2023, RFM was growing in popularity. I plan for it to be able to accept submissions again in early 2025.
In 2021, I started Slattery Publishing to bring several of my endeavors in addition to The Chamber Magazine and RFM under one roof for administrative reasons. Currently, in addition to Rural Fiction Magazine, Slattery Publishing publishes only my own works and blank notebooks (with beautiful covers) via Amazon and Ingram Spark. Hopefully, production will expand one day to include other works. Go to the Books link on the website’s homepage to see what is available.
I feel lucky to be someone who has managed to find a use for their college degree, although not in the way I expected and not yet in the form of a solid career. I graduated from Eastern Kentucky University with a B.A. in a double major of German and Russian. I attended graduate school at the University of Kentucky for three semesters before joining the Navy as an officer (I was burning out on the academic world at that point). While I was studying, I could foresee only teaching or translating as possible career paths, and while I loved my major areas, I did not look forward to teaching or translating for the next 20-30 years. However, having German and Russian as majors gave me an appreciation for the literature of both nations and an appreciation for world literature in general. While in the Navy, I became interested in American and English literature as, in spite of the required English lit courses I had had to take, I felt I still did not know much about it. Initially, I found relief from the stressors of my duties in reading and writing American and English poetry. From there I developed an interest in reading American and English fiction and eventually writing my own short stories.
When I started writing a few novels, I realized that to be a successful writer, one must have recognition and publicity. I therefore had to devise a way that I could start gaining recognition as a means to gaining an edge on my writing career. As I had toyed with a personal blog, I decided that publishing a magazine would bolster my writing credentials and garner knowledge of current trends in literature. Therefore, I started The Chamber. The introduction to literature I gained as an undergraduate and as a graduate student has paid off very well. I never intended to be in love with it as I am now.
I have not yet published any novels, though I have had several in the works for several years. I hope to have some published soon. In the meantime, I have fallen in love with the publishing life and it is quite addictive. I hope to be able to continue both in my impending retirement from my current 9-5 career.
I can be found on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, YouTube, Goodreads, and LinkedIn, and elsewhere but this is my primary website/weblog. Each of my websites has its own supporting social media accounts as well. If you want to follow me on Instagram, follow me on the link above (philslattery1957), which is still active. There is an older Instagram account (pslattery1515) I no longer use for various reasons. Be forewarned, several may not have been updated in a while. The best way to track my activities is through this website.
In this blog, I provide updates on my writing, my publishing endeavors, and my personal views on a multitude of topics, usually related to my writing or publishing, but occasionally on something completely off the wall. To find out more, check the blog above or follow this link to the page containing my interviews over the past several years.
Note: These are times of intense political sensitivities. Generally, I keep my political beliefs (which can be intense in their own right) private. I endeavor to keep anything I publish of either my own works or in the magazine(s) apolitical, broadbrush, or neutral in sentiment. At my discretion, I will not publish screed or tirades of any political leaning.
Follow this link to my collection of photos and snapshots.
Updated December 18, 2024
Phil Slattery, Writer, Publisher 