Or more about me, eh? You’d think my stories would say a lot about me. After all, to write fiction, you have to lay bare your soul. You have to “write what you know” which really means “write from the depths of your experience.”  The trick is fictionalizing it all.

Well, I could go on and on about that, and have. I taught creative writing to adults through Oakton’s Adult Education program for about 12 part-time years.  Then, plain and simple, I got burnt out. How do teachers teach for their entire careers?  Educators everywhere: you have my undying admiration!

I’m now a full-time fiction writer. I’m currently working on my next book of short stories.

My writing groups gets together monthly, and over these past few years, they have read and critiqued nearly all the stories in my book, “A Surprising Measure of Subliminal Sadness.“

Last but not least, the initial “s” in s.j. powers stands for Susan.  So why not publish as Susan Powers?

Well, there is a pretty famous writer, Susan Power (note the no “s” in Power), and people tend to get us confused. I’ve even gotten her invitation to facilitate a writing workshop at a conference.

Wonder if she got my light bill?

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Publications, Prizes and Stuff:

My book of stories “A Surprising Measure of Subliminal Sadness” was published by Atmosphere Press and was recently a Finalist in the St. Lawrence Book Award contest.

In 2012, my story,13 Rules, won 1^st place in the New Millennium Short-Short Story contest, and other stories have been published in Saturday Evening Post and other numerous literary anthologies and zines. My monologue, The News, was performed at Chicago’s Bailiwick Theatre in June 2007 and I’ve received two Illinois Arts Council prizes and two of my stories were nominated for the Pushcart Prize.

P.S. You can call me Sue.