A History of Existing Life is The Inner Loop’s Author’s Corner spotlight. The Inner Loop cultivates and promotes the distinctive literary culture of Washington, DC. Author’s Corner supports local authors’ independently published books by spotlighting them in community programming and collaborations.

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Shelagh Powers Johnson teaches English and Creative Writing at Bowie State University and is the faculty editor of the university’s literary magazine, The Torch. She received her MFA in Fiction from American University and is currently working on a PhD in English and Creative Writing. Her work has previously appeared in the Portland Review, Night Train, the Grace and Gravity Anthologies, and Ghost Parachute, among others. Her debut short story collection, A History of Existing Life, is coming out this August. You can view her TEDxTalk, “Creative Writing: A Transformational Practice,” on YouTube and find her at www.shelaghjohnson.com.

About A History of Existing Life

“The language in Shelagh Powers Johnson’s debut collection strikes the rare and perfect balance between understated and surprising. The characters in these stories span time periods and geographic location but are united by Johnson’s astute observation of brutality and heartbreak- but also the beauty and redemption-of the every day.” -Amanda Parrish Morgan, author of Stroller, named one of The New Yorker’s Best Books of 2022

“A History of Existing Life is filled with lush, dark, haunting, and intricate prose and piercing observations. Old lovers briefly reunite. A woman’s paintings transform into a living dreamscape. Everyone reckons with their past. Johnson’s exquisite stories probe into the inner workings of relationships, of parents who love and who betray and disappoint. Let this collection surprise and envelop you.” -Lauren D. Woods, author of The Great Grown-Up Game of Make-Believe, winner of the Autumn House Press 2024 Fiction Prize

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