Some parents tease their children by refusing to stop the annual showing of what amounts to a family-vacation blooper reel. For me, what were weird anecdotes to many of my childhood peers have become stories I’m proud to remember: how I didn’t realize my entire middle-school class had gotten up to go to P.E., because I was buried in a book; how I read even while I brushed my teeth; how I would scarf through dinner because I couldn’t wait to get back to writing to find out what my characters were going to do next; how I developed stomach aches out of longing to lead my favorite stories’ plots. Writing and reading have truly been lifelong passions for me, and I’m thrilled to edit the fiction section of www.WritersDojo.org.

Since we publish online, unrestricted by many of the constraints paper journals face, I’m hoping we can really play with and explore what fiction can be and include.

But of course I have my preferences.

I look for work that is layered, that knows when to be subtle and when exclamation is required, that tells a good story and/or evokes that feeling of “I don’t know if this is a ‘story,’ but it feels complete to me, and I am a fulfilled reader.” I am particularly interested in the weaving of folk tales and fairy tales with new stories. I always want to be introduced to a new world or to this world anew—and if a story can do both, all the better.

I’m accepting brand-spanking-new fiction, previously published work, and excerpts of a longer piece, such as a chapter from a novel, that you’re already planning to publish elsewhere. So I’m particularly thrilled with this first set of pieces because they exemplify this diversity: Oregon Book Award winner Alison Clement shares an excerpt from her forthcoming novel; Melanie Jennings, a technical and fiction writer, originally published her story a decade ago; and I excitedly offer an excerpt from a novel I’m working on.

Be you a reader or a writer, I hope you’ll enjoy checking this site, and if you’re the latter, check out our submission guidelines—and thanks for letting us read and consider your work.