I am happy that The Tower Journal has published “Finer Than Frog’s Hair,” one of my short stories. The Tower Journal, edited by Mary Ann Sullivan, is an online journal that publishes poetry, fiction, essays, book reviews, and art. This edition features writers from Ireland, Lebanon, Turkey, Belgium, India, the Philippines, and the United States. Read The Tower Journal Read “Finer Than Frog’s Hair”Read more

I am delighted that my short story, “Fresh Start,” has been published in Dreamstreets. Launched in 1977 by John Hickey in Delaware, Dreamstreets is an artist magazine. This Special Edition of Dreamstreets, edited by Steven Leech, contains original art, fiction, and poetry.Read more

On May 28, I was invited to discuss my middle grade novel – What Have You Got to Lose? –  with Ms. Monzo’s fifth grade class in the Fairfax County Public Schools. What a treat for me to hear the students’ comments on the novel as well as their questions about how I came up with the characters and the storyline. I find it both exhilarating and helpful to learn from readers what characters and incidents made the biggest impression. Many thanks to these fifth graders and their teachers for inviting me into…Read more

Here’s a YouTube clip of my reading of an excerpt from my short story, "Fresh Start," at the 2015 Soul-Making Keats Literary Competition Reading in San Francisco. I am delighted that "Fresh Start" is set to be published this summer in Dreamstreets.  Read more

On March 29, I read an excerpt from my short story, "Fresh Start," at the Soul-Making Keats Literary Competition Reading held in the San Francisco Main Library. Writers came from all over the United States and from Canada to read their winning poetry and prose. Kudos to Eileen Malone for founding the competition and hosting this annual event for the past twenty-two years.  Read more

I am looking for an agent for my middle-grade novel, What Have You Got to Lose? Jenni Batson, the narrator of What Have You Got to Lose?, is convinced that her grandmother will be making the biggest mistake of her life if she marries Mr. Doolin.  While Mr. Doolin is certainly no hottie, the main thing that concerns Jenni about him is that his grandson, Jarrett Doolin, lives with him. Jenni and her twin brother, Werner, are fifth graders at Kennerly Elementary School in Kennerly, Arkansas, and Jarrett Doolin is the one boy…Read more

I am delighted that my short story, "Fresh Start," has received an honorable mention for the 2014 Mary Mackey Short Story Prize.      Read more

On November 13, I read with JoAnn Balingit at the Delaware Art Museum as part of the Readings by Contemporary Authors Series. Reading at Delaware Art MuseumRead more

I was recently interviewed by author Elizabeth Huergo for her blog. An excerpt: HUERGO: What inspires you to write? BURNS MURPHY: I am inspired by people and their stories. Everybody has a story. I grew up in a culture where storytelling was as natural as breathing. I listened to family stories, work stories, Bible stories, and survival stories. The potential for drama lurked in each facet of everyday life. Later, I read the works of writers–Tennessee Williams, Flannery O’Connor, and Carson McCullers—whose stories resonated with me. When I was an MFA student at George Mason University, I had the…Read more