CFF Newsletter2026 Q2
Spring 2026
From the editor: Welcome to the second edition of the Columbia Fiction Foundry’s newsletter, a quarterly publication with helpful tips, news about CFF events and updates on members’ successes. In this issue: Ken Schept reports on the Association of Writers and Writing Programs 2026 conference. Four members of 5E, a cooperative of independent editors, answer questions on solving writing problems that stand between you and publication. New member Nhi Mundy has an internship with Pulitzer Prize winning author Viet Thanh Nguyen. And, there’s more. —Linda Raymond Ellison
Writing Is Hard; Good Editors Can Help
Top industry editors explain how to recognize and fix manuscript flaws that can make the difference between agent rejection and acceptance.
PROFILE
Nhi Mundy's Determination Makes Things Happen
Determination has helped CFF's Nhi Mundy accomplish her goals. Her story shows the power of working smart and not giving up.
ROAD TO PUBLICATION
Advice for the Journey from Two Authors
CFF asked two published authors, Jeff Schnader and Samantha Ryan what they learned on the road to publication and what advice they would give others. Their lists counseled knowing your own flaws, using books and workshops to improve your writing and being flexible.
President's Corner
I attended the AWP conference aiming to promote myself and CFF. While accomplishing those goals in surprising and serendipitous ways, I gathered helpful publishing contacts and knowledge to share. -Ken Schept
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: TAKEAWAYS...
Columbia Fiction Foundry’s video library offers a variety of talks, round table discussions and other programs of interest to our members. A sample of programs you can explore:
Escaping the Slush Pile: The CFF Presents program “Gatekeepers to the Gatekeepers,” on April 9, 2026 featured a panel of three literary assistants who vet queries and decide which ones agents get to see. A few takeaways:
- The query processing varies by agency.
- Diligence counts. To stand out, show that you’ve researched each agent’s interests and genre.
- Deliver the writing goods.
- Stay hopeful. Occasionally agents and literary assistants will surprise themselves when they’re grabbed by a submission that’s outside their usual wish list.
For more insights from panelists Laura Gruszka, (Writers House), Giuliana Vasile (Dunow, Carlson & Lerner), Chloe Knapp, (Stuart Krichevsky and Dunlow, Carlson & Lerner), see the recap news release.
CFF MEMBER PUBLICATIONS NEWS
CFF executive committee member Margie Winslow has been recognized for both her fiction and non-fiction writing. The opening chapters from Winslow’s novel Cradle of Storms, which was conceived and workshopped in CFF, made the short list in the “historical crime” category of the Historical Novel Society’s 2026 First Chapters Competition.
Also, her frightening non-fiction account of a two-week sojourn in the ICU appears in Bellevue Literary Review’s 25th anniversary publication, an anthology titled: Body Language: True Stories of Illness, Recovery, and Discovery.
Steve Rosenfeld's short story, “Challenging,” workshopped at CFF last summer and fall, is slated for publication in May 2026 in Rangers Almanac, a new journal “for stories, poems, artwork, photography and music from rangers and nature enthusiasts nationwide.” “Challenging” takes place in the Kenai Fjords National Park in Alaska.
Rosenfeld’s 2018 short story, “Separation,” about a refugee family separated at the southwest border, is being republished online in the April 2026, Doubleback Review. The story was a finalist for the 2018 Short Story America Prize and appeared in print in Vol. VII of Short Story America.
VOLUNTEERS WANTED
Columbia Fiction Foundry is looking for volunteers with technical acumen to help manage the twice-monthly manuscript calls for the writing workshops, the publication of the CFF Newsletter, and the production and promotion of our online webinars. You’ll engage with members of a growing international community and add a useful sentence to your query letter bio. Volunteers should have experience using web-based content management systems. The time requirement is about five to ten hours a month. To volunteer, please email the CFF at [email protected]
We'd love to get your comments at:
[email protected]