What a treat it was to see Beth Ayotte, a former student from my first class, a couple of weeks ago and to hear that her essay “Hang Loose” was accepted for publication in an anthology celebrating 25 years of the Bellevue Literary Review.
Of finding Writers Read, Beth writes:
“My journey with this publication began in 2024 when I volunteered at the ‘Lit Fest’ sponsored by Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance. I met a woman there whose 650-word true story had been chosen as one of the top ten submissions to Writers Read, so she was invited to read it onstage in NYC. She encouraged me to submit my work and even offered to drive me to the city if I achieved the same success. “Hang Loose,” my first attempt, wasn’t in the top ten, but it was chosen to go into this anthology. May I suggest you keep pushing forward and be adventurous.”
Writers Read presents live readings for their podcasts and is interested in short personal essays. Beth lives on the southern coast of Maine with her cat Moon Shadow who loves to cuddle. She has written about the death of her son, smoking cigarettes at five years old, and is working on a memoir. Her work has been published in Down East Magazine, The Lifelong Learning Institute Review, and Months to Years.
Catharine H. Murray 
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