Author María J. Estrada
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Un Blog de Writing Musings

Unity: Volume 1 Revised Call for Submissions #barrioblues

24/4/2020

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UNITY: VOLUME 1

OPEN *NEW* Submission Deadline: June 28, 2020 end of day last place on earth.

MAGICAL REALISM, MAGICAL DREAMS.
What is Magical Realism? It is the artful fusion of the magical or supernatural into reality. The magical is commonplace and normal, not shocking or scary. Consider works by Gabriel Garcia Márquez, Isabelle Allende, or Franz Kafka. Consider current anime that fuses legends into contemporary society. *Do not send High Fantasy, sword and sorcery. The fiction must take place in "our world." *Rated R accepted.

Accepting: Fiction, Poetry, Art, and Photography. *You can submit one work per category, but with a maximum of two categories*.

Reprints: Yes, if rights have reverted.

Theme: UNITY. Together we are stronger! Whether the tone be comedic, romantic, or dark. We're not looking for a blatant moral of the story; it's up to you how you work the theme. Works that speak towards the transformation of our world to a better one are preferred.

Word Count: Fiction submissions must be 500 to 3,000 words in length; Poetry submissions must be 2 to 30 lines in length.

Formatting: Both Fiction and Poetry should be Shunn formatted and submitted as a MS Word document. Art or Photography should be sent as an image file with a minimum quality of 300 dpi.

Compensation: Penned in the City will pay accepted writers and artists in hard copy. Additionally, one contributor will be chosen by the editorial board to win a hard copy of Hungry Thing by Shawn Klimek. All accepted contributors will vote to select the charity for the next anthology.

Submit! Email attachments to pennedinthecity@gmail.com
Thanks for reading! Don't forget to read the submission requirements carefully before sending your work. Also, join the new Unity contributors group if you have submitted or plan to submit in the future. 
https://www.facebook.com/groups/603641667161749/
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A Journey to Reprioritize and Live Life #barrioblues

19/4/2020

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This pandemic has affected all of us. It has brought an insurmountable amount of work and union stress into my life. It has increased new health challenges, including a long week and a half of a lung infection—prolonged because of medicine shortages. It has also triggered epic migraines that last for days. That headaches are now almost impossible to manage.

Through all of this, however, I have increased the number of friends and have a tight community of writers I can count on for support. I have also started seeing a counselor and taking anti-depressants. I have a fantastic life coach who is helping me manage burnout. Last but not least, I am working with the spiritual director I trust.  

All of these drastic changes have caused me to reflect on how to take care of myself or try to figure out how to take care of myself. What am I working so hard for? Why do I make such herculean efforts to serve others and not prioritize my family—my husband and children—to the max? Why don’t I ever prioritize myself?

That is on what I am focusing. Getting my priorities straight and not being such a damned workaholic. Family and I come first. At least, that's the plan.

I also have areas of study I want to dive into that will bring me life and intellectual fulfillment. I want to practice slow multitasking. There’s a cool Ted Talk "A Powerful Way to Increase Your Natural Creativity" by Tim Harford on it which really sparked my motivation. 


  1. My novel, The Harvested or other novel
  2. Cooking and learning the science and expertise of it
  3. Child rearing especially post-COVID-19
  4. Political Economy
  5. New Theories on Feedback for Students
  6. Radical Pedagogy

I am learning how to rest and am doing physical activity. I have also gone down quite a few pant sizes. I think I dropped weight because I have been so sick. I think the anti-depressants are lowering my appetite. I eat, but I am eating two meals a day or so. 

Anyway, if I it will be to focus on my writing and these priorities. I have always enjoyed doing internal work. The problem is that it hasn’t really stuck. Life is too short to be asking these questions at my age.

​I lost  friend suddenly, out of the blue. I don’t want to blink out having focused so much on overworking myself without purpose. 
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Happy Easter Everyone! From My Family to Yours, Have a Blessed and Safe Easter! #barrioblues

12/4/2020

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The Cover for Unity: Volume 1: A Magical Realism Anthology Is FINALLY Done! #barrioblues

9/4/2020

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I couldn't be more pleased with the final collaborative effort! A huge hug of gratitude to Andjela Vujić (who designed the original cover) and Norbert Somosi for the magical artwork and final cover design. Beautiful. Just beautiful!

If you are interested in submitting fiction, poetry, or art, see the Call for Submissions. Members of Penned in the City will get priority, so I invite you to join the group!
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    Jesú Estrada
    Pen Name: 
    María J. Estrada
    Chicago, IL

    You follow me everywhere @drmariajestrada, except Twitter.
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    *********************
    MARIA J. ESTRADA is an English college professor of Composition, Literature, and her favorite, Creative Writing. She grew up in the desert outside of Yuma, Arizona in the real Barrio de Los Locos, a barrio comprised of new Mexican immigrants and first-generation Chicanos. Drawing from this setting and experiences, she writes like a loca every minute she can—all while magically balancing her work and family obligations. She lives in Chicago’s south side with her wonderfully supportive husband, two remarkable children, and a menagerie of animals.

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  • Home
  • Mi BiografĂ­a
  • Un Blog de Writing Musings
  • Author Interviews
    • Eric Allen Yankee
    • Mehreen Ahmed
    • Steve Carr
    • Martin Eastland
    • P.S. Malcolm
    • P.C. Darkcliff
  • The Harvested Draft
  • Books
  • Poetry
  • My Patreon Page
  • Useful Bits
  • Contact