Creative writing by
melissa e. ferguson
publications
“Fair Winds,” short story in Pen in Hand, January 2025, Maryland Writers’ Association
“Killing It/Talent Show,” short story forthcoming in Grace and Gravity, vol. XI: Grit & Gravity, May 2025
in development
Currently seeking publication of upmarket, period fiction:
In 1975, kindergartener Abernathy Gillum and his father, Ryle, are scraping out a living in an old sharecroppers’ cabin in rural Pittsboro, North Carolina when Abernathy’s mother, May-Rose Quigly, leaves town to chase her singing career and escape her ancestors’ legacy of bitterness and lost esteem. Abernathy seizes the chance to befriend the boy living in the Big House across the pond, fueled by his daddy’s ways of thinking about race relations. When Ryle’s dependency on his best friend turns for the worse, Abernathy’s needs are beyond what friendly neighbors and the adults at school can offer. In steps Ryle’s sister, Cody Gillum, who has anchored her life in an integrated community center in the decade since she lost her fiancé in Viet Nam. CATCH AND RELEASE is the tender tale of Abernathy’s survival against formidable odds.
And more stories!
about melissa E. Ferguson
Melissa E. Ferguson has written stories since she was a child playing barefoot in the woods of North Carolina. She writes short stories, is seeking publication for a novel of upmarket, period fiction, and has many ideas in the cooker. Melissa studied creative writing at Penn State University and women’s studies at Towson University. She lives in Maryland. (Photo credit: Jamie Wulfekuhle-Zaweski.)
Grit & Gravity readings in May 2025:
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BOOK LAUNCH
Grit & Gravity
May 7, 2025, 7 p.m.
Politics & Prose Bookstore, Connecticut Ave
Washington, D.C.
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The Inner Loop
Reading from “Killing It/Talent Show”
Register to attend The Inner Loop
May 8, 2025, 7 p.m.
Shaw’s Tavern
Washington, D.C.
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DC Writers Room
Save the Date: May 30, 2025, 6 p.m.
Washington, D.C.
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Book Signing