iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Clayton Bradshaw-Mittal @writerclaytonb.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

I mentioned some forthcoming good news a while back. Here it is: My story collection Soft Goodbyes Through Broken Veils will be published by University of New Mexico Press. Keep an eye out for requests for blurbs, reviews, and all the horrific attempts at marketing to come.

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Clayton Bradshaw-Mittal @writerclaytonb.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

I just want to send a big thank you to Catharina Coenen for visiting Gannon last week and reading from her essay collection Unexploded Ordnance. We sold out of her book, and the students are still buzzing from her insight and breathtaking work. Link to purchase in comments.

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Clayton Bradshaw-Mittal @writerclaytonb.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

I want to give a big thank you to the brilliant Mai-Linh Hong for stopping by my Creative Writing class last week. It was delightful and insightful, and my students will be forever grateful. And if you haven't already, check out Continental Drift. Link to order the collection in the comments.

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Reposted by Clayton Bradshaw-Mittal

Leona Sevick @lsevick.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Some texts should be deleted, or so claims my poem in the latest @pinchjournal.bsky.social ! Thanks to the whole editorial crew for supporting my work often and well. This issue also has some killer new work by @lesleywheeler.bsky.social and @writerclaytonb.bsky.social ❤️

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Clayton Bradshaw-Mittal @writerclaytonb.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

In my latest Substack, I interview another of my favorite writers, Allison Field Bell. Check out the interview, then purchase her latest poetry collection: All That Blue from Finishing Line Press. Link in comments.

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Clayton Bradshaw-Mittal @writerclaytonb.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

In this Substack, I link Coyote vs. Acme to the very real exhaustion many of us are feeling. Link in comments.

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Clayton Bradshaw-Mittal @writerclaytonb.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Thank you to James Diaz for including an angry poem about my dad in the latest issue of Anti-Heroin Chic. This is one of my favorite online journals, and you should read the September issue in its entirety. There's a lot of fabulous work here. heroinchic.weebly.com/blog

heroinchic.weebly.com

Blog

Cover Art: " I Would Not Trade This Life For Any Other " By James Diaz Poetry: Marsha Lewis Lucia Angileri Linda Parsons Ruby Hansen Murray Joanne Esser Christine Higgins Clayton Bradshaw-Mittal...

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Clayton Bradshaw-Mittal @writerclaytonb.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

Coyote vs Acme is easily the best or second-best movie about Greek mythology I've seen this summer.

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Clayton Bradshaw-Mittal @writerclaytonb.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

This is your periodic reminder that Jake Barnes, River Dog, is basically a Disney cartoon animal.

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Clayton Bradshaw-Mittal @writerclaytonb.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

Here's my analog birthday selfie (complete with messy bookshelf) uploaded into a digital medium. I'm starting to figure out lighting. I corrected the flash too much on the first one and too little on this one. Eventually, I'll get it right. Good things forthcoming (hopefully), even at age 41.

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Clayton Bradshaw-Mittal @writerclaytonb.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

My birthday is in a 9 days, and Apoorva got me an early birthday present—a polaroid camera. Here aee the first 3 images I have taken with it. These are terrible, but hopefully I will learn to take better photos.

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Clayton Bradshaw-Mittal @writerclaytonb.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

For my latest Substack, I conducted an interview with the iconic Andrew Porter. Link in comments. And thank you to Andrew Porter for answering my interview questions.

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Clayton Bradshaw-Mittal @writerclaytonb.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

I wrote about a recent local controversy and my own experiences with misgendering. This one comes with a lot of disclaimers.

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Clayton Bradshaw-Mittal @writerclaytonb.bsky.social · 12/07/2026

Went on an 11-mile hike. It's been at least 13 years since I walked that far. At least now, I don't have to carry a 40-lb ruck or have to finish it on a deadline. There's a 13.5-mile trail here. I'm going to do the whole route next time. I don't feel afraid of it right now.

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Clayton Bradshaw-Mittal @writerclaytonb.bsky.social · 11/07/2026

Fascinated by the birds who are fascinated by the backyard I mowed this morning. It's just fascinating. That one cardinal looks like Bigfoot.

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Clayton Bradshaw-Mittal @writerclaytonb.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

For New Ohio Review, I conducted an interview with Caro Claire Burke, bestselling author of the widely discussed novel Yesteryear. You should definitely check out Yesteryear. It is a fantastic read. newohioreview.org/2026/06/05/a...

newohioreview.org

An Interview with Caro Claire Burke, Author of Yesteryear

Conducted by Clayton Bradshaw-Mittal In Yesteryear (Knopf, 2026), Instagram tradwife, Natalie Heller Mills, ends up in the 1855 version of her curated life. The novel, by former NOR contributor Car…

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Clayton Bradshaw-Mittal @writerclaytonb.bsky.social · 04/07/2026

Jake Barnes, River Dog, celebrates the 4th with a break from writing his memoir, A Ruff Day at the Park. I keep asking him when he's going to finish it—he's on draft 4 now—but he tells me it's experimental. Art requires patience, he says.

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Clayton Bradshaw-Mittal @writerclaytonb.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

Super proud of one of my poetry students, Maeve McCormick, for presenting her art during Pride in the Museum at the Erie Art Museum earlier this month. The Erie Reader gave her a big quote in the article on it.

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Clayton Bradshaw-Mittal @writerclaytonb.bsky.social · 19/06/2026

Happy Juneteenth! I made a short list of Black writers to read and support today and everyday. There are so many brilliant writers out there, I couldn't add them all. Please add more writers and links to their work in the comments. open.substack.com/pub/writercl...

open.substack.com

A List of Black Writers to Support on Juneteenth (and Every Other Day of the Year)

Happy Juneteenth!

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Clayton Bradshaw-Mittal @writerclaytonb.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

New Substack out. I reflect on Lizzie Borden's film Born in Flames while painting my nails. open.substack.com/pub/writercl...

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Clayton Bradshaw-Mittal @writerclaytonb.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

In case you were wondering how Jake Barnes, River Dog's morning was going.

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Clayton Bradshaw-Mittal @writerclaytonb.bsky.social · 08/06/2026

Today, we celebrated the life of the late Blane K. Dessy. He was a mentor, a friend, and a personal hero. There will be more tributes. But, for now, I offer this elegy. I read it at the Celebration of Life today and figured it would be good to give a big public goodbye.

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Clayton Bradshaw-Mittal @writerclaytonb.bsky.social · 26/05/2026

I started a Substack. Please follow me as I finish writing my novel and explore ways to avoid writing my novel. open.substack.com/pub/writercl...

open.substack.com

Things I Do To Distract Me From Writing My Novel

Introducing The Concept

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Clayton Bradshaw-Mittal @writerclaytonb.bsky.social · 25/05/2026

It's Memorial Day, which I have feelings about. But this also reminds me that I had a review of the documentary Ben's Story from the series Veterans Journey Home published in Consequence while I was at Longleaf. Feel free to check it out. open.substack.com/pub/conseque...

open.substack.com

Veterans Journey Home, Part 3: Slow Burn to Rebirth: A Review of Ben’s Story

By Clayton Bradshaw-Mittal. "But the process to readjust to civilian life … is woefully insufficient. Both men are still dwelling on what has happened … never considering a future, only the past."

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Clayton Bradshaw-Mittal @writerclaytonb.bsky.social · 17/05/2026

Jake Barnes, River Dog, is pretending like he didn't miss me last week.

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Clayton Bradshaw-Mittal @writerclaytonb.bsky.social · 16/05/2026

Some final pics from the Longleaf Writers Conference. This was one of the coolest things I've ever done. I rate it a 14/10 (but a high 14, almost a 15). Go if you get the chance.

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Clayton Bradshaw-Mittal @writerclaytonb.bsky.social · 16/05/2026

Flying out of Pensacola, so I had to stop for Whataburger. I don't know if Florida Whataburger counts as Whataburger, but it did restore something in my soul.

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Clayton Bradshaw-Mittal @writerclaytonb.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

Good morning! I have been promised heavy UV today by the weather app.

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Clayton Bradshaw-Mittal @writerclaytonb.bsky.social · 07/05/2026

Finished grading, so I picked up Kari Gunter-Seymour's Dirt Songs off my to-read list. Such a beautiful collection. Appalachian feminism at its finest. It immerses you in the love and heartbreak inherent in rurality.

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Clayton Bradshaw-Mittal @writerclaytonb.bsky.social · 05/05/2026

Found a wonderful prose chapbook at the coffee shop. Loved reading this.

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Clayton Bradshaw-Mittal @writerclaytonb.bsky.social · 05/05/2026

Jake Barnes, River Dog, will never be tamed

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Clayton Bradshaw-Mittal @writerclaytonb.bsky.social · 02/04/2026

I've started a challenge for myself at the beginning of each year where I attempt to write a flash nonfiction essay. This year's essay has been accepted for publication by the Pinch, a journal I greatly admire.

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Clayton Bradshaw-Mittal @writerclaytonb.bsky.social · 23/03/2026

Thanks to a fellowship with Erie Arts and Culture, I had the opportunity to update my author photos. So, I put on my favorite Dolly Parton shirt and went to the Art Museum. Here are some of my favorites from this set, taken by the extremely talented @alexbconklin.