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. 🙃
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! ❤❤
I’m honored to have my short story, “Silencing,” in the May issue of World Literature Today. The piece takes place in Ávila, Spain—where I spent part of my childhood after leaving Bosnia—and it follows an older woman who, while spying on her neighbors out the window, gets herself caught in a complicated misunderstanding. Huge thanks to editor Michelle Johnson and her team for all their care. I’m thrilled to be included in this dream magazine, and in such wonderful company. 
My flash essay, “Francisco, from My Class,” detailing an episode from my childhood in Spain, appears in the new issue of Gigantic Sequins, available for pre-order now.
Lana Spendl 