Michelle Brafman’s Swimming With Ghosts

Michelle Brafman’s Swimming With Ghosts


In Michelle Brafman’s forthcoming novel Swimming With Ghosts, published by Keylight Books, she explores the darkness and humor of children’s competitive swimming. Themes of family secrets, obsession and friendships shine through the lenses of childhood and the feuding families of the characters.

I really enjoyed Swimming with Ghosts, for the excellent characters, unusual plot inside the world of local competitive swimming, the fine writing, and the frequent insights and humor. I raced right through it.

ANNE LAMOTT, author of Bird by Bird

Michelle Brafman’s writing has been featured in Lilith Magazine, LitHub, and San Francisco Book Review. She has received numerous awards for her fiction, including a Special Mention in the 2010 Pushcart Prize Anthology, the F. Scott Fitzgerald Short Story prize, and first place in the Lilith Magazine Fiction contest. In 2019 she received the Excellence in Teaching Award for creative writing. Swimming With Ghosts will be her third published novel after Bertrand Court (2016) and Washing the Dead (2015).

Swimmers and readers rejoice! Michelle Brafman’s Swimming with Ghosts is proof that the most important events in life happen at the pool. Fast-paced and frequently hilarious, we unsuspectingly float on the novel’s wry, quirky humor until we’re suddenly over deep water, gazing into the depths of our need for purpose, friendship, and love. Anyone heading to a pool or beach this summer should have a copy of Swimming with Ghosts in their swim bag.

DAVID MCGLYNN, author of A Door in the Ocean

Swimming With Ghosts releases June 13th, 2023 and can be pre-ordered here. Learn more about Michelle Brafman’s writing and teaching by visiting her website. Her short story “Brain Freeze” was featured in Superstition Review issue 13.

Megan Mayhew Bergman

Megan Mayhew Bergman: Writing About It All

At SR, we love keeping up with our past contributors. Their pursuit of their literary or artistic talents and passions is inspiring.

Today, we’re sharing about Megan Mayhew Bergman, who has published numerous essays and articles this year.

Most recently, Megan wrote an essay for The New Yorker. The essay, “The Vibrant Life and Quiet Passing of Dottie Dodgion,” discusses the remarkable events of the drummer’s life. Dodgion was consistently involved in music – playing instruments, singing, and dancing – from age 16 until she died at age 90.

Megan is also a contributor to The Guardian and has written four articles for it this year, all on different topics.

And in June, Megan sat down to chat with author Jeff VanderMeer and actor Lili Taylor. The conversation about birds, beauty, and books can be found on LitHub.

Congratulations, Megan, on sharing your work in so many places! To learn more about Megan, visit her website.

Authors Talk: Bill Sommer

Today we are pleased to feature author Bill Sommer as our Authors Talk series contributor. Bill discusses his writing process and inspiration for “The Haircut” as well as “breaking your own rules.”

“The Haircut” was written in between drafts of a novel when Bill was struck by Ruth Ozeki’s experience writing about her face (which you can read here). Wanting to capitalize on the chance to write something short, Bill set out to write only one scene. As he went about this self-imposed challenge and eventually “failed” he discovered the limits of rules and the limitless potential of stories.

You can read and listen to Bill’s story in Superstition Review Issue 19.