HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

Another new year is underway, and I hope this finds you in fine fettle and ready to meet the challenges and inspirations ahead.

Another full year of Artist Profiles for 48 Hills San Francisco is under my belt, and a fresh new roster is being etched out as we speak. I’m excited to meet a whole new group of fantastic Bay Area artists who share their creative processes and the back stories that fuel them.

I’m also in the midst of writing my next book, Migrations, due for release mid-year. Though it began as another collection of short stories, it has since evolved into a book that can be read as stand-alone stories or as chapters of an integrated novel.

Written in the genre of Novel-In-Stories, the book will allow readers to find the intersection of plot lines in a less linear fashion than a typical novel, adding a spicy element of intrigue and a rich tableau of characters.

The genre is not new but feels new, reaching as far back as Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales and as recent as Jennifer Egan’s Welcome to the Goon Squad, in which readers are invited to engage intimate threads of perspective from a variety of characters while individual stories are woven together into a broader narrative fabric. 

It’s fun – and exacting! And a natural bridge for the creation of the book I’ll be working on following Migrations that will be written in a more conventional novel form and framework.

Stay tuned for updates on the release of Migrations and other news as 2026 unfolds.

Have a happy and healthy and inspired New Year!

Mary

Hi everyone and Happy Fall Equinox!

Just some loose odds and ends from Spring and Summer as we head into the Fall Season! As we watch the colors and temperatures change, a quick note on things past, present, and future.

I am in the midst of yet another collection of short stories which is slated for publication for next Spring/early Summer AND simultaneously laying down the bones of my first novel. No publication date for that one yet as I am casting a wide net regarding a timeline to ease into the process!

I continue to pen two Artist Profile Articles each month for 48 Hills San Francisco. You can read them directly on my author page of the 48 Hills website or visit my Instagram page. The wealth of talent in the Bay Area is a bottomless wellspring of inspiration!

And this past spring, the 48 Hills team was honored with 16 awards for excellence in reporting. In late May, the California Newspaper Publishers Association announced the 2024 California Journalism Awards and I am pleased to share that I was included in the award recipients. I won in the Arts & Entertainment category for my artist profile on tapestry artist Dance Doyle.

I am endlessly proud of our team at 48 Hills and the fierce dedication to independent and progressive-minded reporting, telling stories that matter and prioritizing relevance and truth in media in a time when this is not only getting harder to come by but is threatened as an endangered species. Yay team! See the whole list here.

Thank you for your continued support of my work as a writer and artist. What are you up to creatively these days? Leave a comment below or drop me a line any old time at marycorbin@hotmail.com. I’d love to hear from you and what is firing you up!

Cheers to a new season of creativity and refreshed inspiration!

Mary

Hello everyone!

Just a quick announcement to you digital readers that my new book, Life Lines, Volume II is now available as an eBook.

Order your copy now for your Kindle eReader, tablet, or phone on Amazon.com. Thanks again for your continued support! Happy Summer Reading!

Mary

Happy Summer 2025, everyone! June is in full swing!

I am pleased to announce that my newest collection of short stories has just been published.

Life Lines, Volume II, from Lila House Press, is a continued exploration of what brings us together, keeps us connected, or lets us go.

Like a kite in the wind, we remain grounded or in flight, with the guidance of another or through our own intuitive inclinations. What once carried us can change, depending on the direction of the wind.

Meet yourself in characters who define family in broad terms, from birthright to accidental encounter, in stories that explore the expectations of choice and destiny. In these 12 tales, storylines and characterizations overlap and commingle in both subtle and obvious parlance, finding the common ground we share with others in this fleeting dance of life.

For what is family, but one precious soul fastening onto another, navigating together the vast expanse of the human experience. Within that space, we are all kin

PURCHASE THE BOOK

Thank you for your ongoing encouragement and support! Feel free to drop me a line anytime, I love your feedback. You can also write a review of the book on Amazon.com, which is always greatly appreciated.

Enjoy your summer,

Mary

It’s the beginning of a new season, maybe the colors are already changing in your neighborhood. I’ve made a change, as well that I would like to share with you. I have recently completed the consolidation of my two websites into one – and with a new name.

marycorbinwrites.com and marycorbinart.com are now a single website: marycorbin.com.

Update any bookmarks you have for the site to the new URL. If you are a subscriber, you will continue to receive my Newsletter with info about upcoming books, articles, artworks and exhibitions, and anything new that I’m working on – including the upcoming publishing date of Life Lines, Volume II, due out at the end of 2024. Stay tuned for that announcement.

Thank you everyone for your support of my creative work! I truly appreciate you.

Cheers, Mary

Hey, it’s already mid-summer and I hope this finds you having fun in the sun. Are you in need of some leisurely poolside reading? Something to share around the campsite? Or maybe just something accessible for those long waits in airports and train stations.

Check this out:

I’d like to announce the publication of a new book in collaboration with Tom McGuire titled, “Centuries: 100 Stories in 100 Words” from Jujubee Press.

In this fun collection, Tom and I each wrote 50 micro-fiction stories – stories that are exactly 100 words each. To call it a challenge is an understatement, I mean, what can you say in such few words? How is it possible to tell a story so tersely and yet each bite-size tale is complete in its own special way.

In addition, I had the pleasure of creating 100 illustrations to accompany each story – quick little renderings approached in the same fashion as the writing.

The book is available now for purchase as a paperback or eBook on Amazon. Click on the link above to go directly to the page here.

And don’t forget to leave a review on Amazon if you enjoy the book. Reviews help to boost sales and it’s always great to know what people think about the work.

Enjoy the rest of your summer!

Mary

HI Everyone,

Happy New Year! I hope this finds you in good health and fine spirits.

My art column with 48 Hills San Francisco kicks off another great roster with artist Annie Duncan, a painter and clay sculptor who transforms everyday objects into larger-than-life symbols of modern life. Read the article here and visit my author page for archived profiles you may have missed. To receive fresh stories right in your in-box, sign up for 48 Hills’ free newsletter.

I’m currently working on Life Lines, Volume II, which is slated for release in early fall 2024. Thank you to everyone who purchased Life Lines, Volume I, your support is very much appreciated. If you enjoyed the book, please leave a review on my Amazon page.

I also have a collaborative project in the works of micro-fiction works accompanied by line drawings that is by turns fun, silly, contemplative, and dark! More on that book as it develops.

As a new year gets underway, keep in touch and let me know what’s inspiring you for the days ahead. Drop me a line, a question, a comment any time.

Here’s to 2024. May we always find the light, shine the light on others, and lead the way out of darkness and towards a collective joy.

Mary

Hi Everyone!

It’s a new season and I have exciting publishing announcements to share with you.

First: From Lila House Press, my debut collection of short stories, Life Lines, Volume I, has just been published and is available now for purchase through Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble. I’m excited to dive into this space full-on and have been busy writing for several other collections in the works. What I find most interesting about writing short stories is the similarity between this process and the process I engage for creating a painting. They are essentially the same creative experience for me and I’m having a lot of fun!

My second bit of news is of recent magazine publication:

My short story, “Harriet Takes a Ride” is included in the Fall issue of The First Line Literary Journal and is available for purchase at City Lights Bookstore in San Francisco (for my local friends) and various bookstores around the country. For a list of booksellers who carry the journal, click here. You can also purchase a copy at the journal’s website. My story is one of eight (out of 350+ submissions) selected.

Thank you for your continued interest and support of my work as a writer!

Cheers,

Mary

Hey everyone!

Is it really nearly mid-August already? What a summer it’s been. So much weather! Some of which has been so devastating for so many across the globe. I hope this finds you in good health and bright spirits and easily navigating all this season has presented thus far.

I have been busy putting together my first collection of short stories, Life Lines, due to publish by early September. This collection is volume one of two, with the second volume earmarked for publication quickly in tandem with the first.

Stay tuned for my launch date! I’m very excited to share my stories with you. Sincere thanks for your continued interest and support in my work. I appreciate you very much! Keep well and safe and always inspired.

Cheers!

Mary

“All endings are also beginnings. We just don’t know it yet.” – Mitch Albom

Happy New Year 2023, everyone!

With each new year comes change – an ushering out of the new and the welcoming in of fresh new ideas, adventures and projects. Here is a quick summary of what I have on the docket:

I will continue writing my twice monthly art column for 48 Hills San Francisco. We have a great new roster ahead with fabulous artists, both emerging and deeply established in the community. You can read each fresh installment here:

48 Hills Artist Profile Series – Mary Corbin

After a few years of weekly essays, prose, and philosophical meanderings, I will be winding things down on Medium.com. While I will no longer be showcasing chunkier, regular postings there, I will continue to contribute monthly short poetry via two favorite feature publications on the site – Scuzzbucket and Spiritual Tree, with an occasional essay for Illumination. To source old posts, visit my page. And follow/subscribe to my page to receive NEW posts directly into your inbox. 

All of this is to say that I am clearing out space to pursue my next big writing projects: the compilation and publication of my first collection of short stories and the beginnings of a novel project that is newly underway! Stay tuned for future updates on these endeavors.

What’s on your wish list for 2023? Drop me a line and let me know what you are excited about, inspired by, and aspiring towards for the coming year.

Best to all in 2023!

Mary

“Amidst the worldly comings and goings, observe how endings become beginnings.”  – Lao Tzu