Writer
I’m delighted to share that my personal essay “Multitude of Hosts” appears in the new issue of Barnstorm Journal, from the University of New Hampshire. The piece begins as a meditation on the candle that sits by my side as I write and opens to a range of memories from my childhood across Bosnia and Spain. Huge thanks to the editors!
My new short story, “Birthday at the Hermitage,” is out now in The Los Angeles Review. It’s set at a hermitage on the outskirts of Ávila, Northern Spain, where I spent many summer afternoons as a child. Writing it gave me the chance to revisit those grounds. I even reached out to the hermitage to confirm some details about the preserved crocodile at the sanctuary entrance, and the keeper sent me a wonderfully thorough description and photos. 🙃
My new personal essay, “The Squirrel at the Monastery,” appears today in World Literature Today Weekly. Huge thanks, as always, to Editor Michelle Johnson for her attention, trust, and care! ❤️
My poem, “Through the Window,” appears in the new issue of South Carolina Review. I just received these beautiful contributor’s copies, which look jam-packed with great writing. Can’t wait to dive into the rest of the issue. Big, heartfelt thanks to Editor Elizabeth Stansell and her team! ❤️
Friends, my prose poem, “On the Lido Deck Before Sunrise,” appears in the new issue of Witness. I’m delighted the piece found such a wonderful home. Huge thanks to the editors!
I returned home from a conference to find my contributor’s copies of the 30th anniversary issue of Fourteen Hills. Just look at this cover! I’ve been writing prose poetry based on dreams these last couple of years, and I’m honored to have a recent piece in this volume. Thanks to the editors, who have been wonderfully attentive and thorough through the whole process. 
Can’t wait to explore the rest of the issue!
SAND Journal has published my flash fiction piece “Notes on Medical History,” inspired by a visit to the famous wall of skulls in the Mutter Museum in Philadelphia. The piece is a surreal departure for me, and I’m grateful it found such a wonderful home. The full issue is available for purchase on the SAND website. Thanks to the editors!
I’m delighted to have my personal essay—filled with childhood memories from Bosnia—in the November issue of World Literature Today. It’s an honor to be included in this beautiful, thoughtful magazine for the second time this year.
The piece mentions a traditional Bosnian stew, and I include my dad’s recipe at the end. 
When it was accepted, I also bought a butterfly mug to celebrate, which you’ll appreciate if you read the piece.
I’m grateful my poem “Bare Necessities” is included in A Flame Called Indiana, a new multi-genre anthology from Indiana University Press, alongside the work of a number of phenomenal writers who are also friends. I’m also thrilled to know that the book will be used as a course text for two Indiana University creative writing workshops this fall. The volume contains short fiction, essays, and poetry from writers who, at some point in their lives, had a strong connection to Indiana, and it is available for purchase anywhere books are sold.
I’m thrilled to have my short story “Those Who Point Like Arrows” on Terrain.org this month. The piece takes place in northern Spain, and I grew so attached to this protagonist that I started a novel draft about her life after completing it. Huge thanks to Simmons Buntin and the other editors—they were so wonderful, thorough, and thoughtful to work with! ❤❤
Lana Spendl 