Hi there, fellow writers, and thanks for the welcome back to LLG. It'll take me a while to figure out how best to navigate this site, but I'll start with an introduction.

My name is Rod Williams, and I've published poetry, short stories, essays, and music reviews over the past 25 years. I've been a member of several writing groups and organizations, most recently The Harpies, a critique/support group based in Cottage Grove.

Major credits include a self-published first novel, "An Americana Singer for the Twenty-First Century" (2014) and an anthology through MousePrints Publishing, "Celestial Springs and Other Stories" (2015). A second novel, "The Light Don't Shine No More," was published by Rogue Phoenix Press in September, 2020. Another short story anthology is planned for Summer, 2021.

I was the founder and host of the spoken word series, "That Literary Jam Thang" in Palmdale, CA, and for many years co-edited an annual anthology featuring authors of the Antelope Valley in SoCal. I've taught creative writing programs for adult literacy programs, a mental health nonprofit, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI), and Lane Community College's Continuing Education program.

My story, "Butter, Salt, and Onions" won first prize in Fiction of The Professional Writers of Prescott (AZ) writing contest (2014). Two of my stories were performed live as part of The New Short Fiction Series in North Hollywood, CA (2017).

I can be contacted at joyousshambles@gmail.com and on Facebook at "Rod Williams, Writer."

It's good to reconnect with LLG, and I look forward to meeting and talking with other members as time goes by.