Buffalo Literature: Oddities, art and special interests combine in the work of Nicole Hebdon

(Above: Poet and performer J.B. Stone poses with Nicole Hebdon after J.B.’s recent class at Art’s Café).

By PA Kane

Nicole Hebdon is a Western New York writer, journalist, artist and director of the literary arts program at the Springville Center for the Arts. Primarily a short story writer, she has been published in The Kenyon Review, The New Haven Review, The Saranac Review, Carve, Joyland and other literary outlets.

She is also a regular contributor to the Springville Journal and various area publications. Her art combines literary themes across several media, including clay and paper, and aims to bring writing activities to public spaces.

In today’s Buffalo Hive author interview, we talk with Nicole Hebdon about her fiction, journalism and the exciting work she and others are doing at the Springville Center for the Arts.

PAK—You’re the first short story writer we’ve talked to since we started doing these author interviews at The Buffalo Hive. In the past, there were great and popular short fiction writers like Anton Chekhov, John Cheever and Raymond Carver. Maybe I’m a little out of step, but aside from George Saunders, short story writers seem to be gone from the literary landscape. Who are some of today’s short fiction writers that you find interesting?

NH—The majority of what I read, both as an editor and in my leisure time, are short stories, and it might be somewhat of an echo chamber effect, but I feel like there is no shortage of timely, talented writers. A gateway into short stories is to read The Best American Short Stories anthology that comes out every year. You find individual writers that you like, but you also get a sense of what specific magazines publish, so you can go subscribe to the ones that appeal to you. If you have a commute, you can also listen to the weekly The New Yorker story on their free Spotify podcast The Writer’s Voice. 

As far as individual writers I like (and yes, George Saunders would be on this list), I would recommend Alissa Nutting, Carmen Maria Machado, Nathan Ballingrud, Stephen Graham Jones, Kelly Link, Mary Gaitskill, Karen Russell, Haruki Murakami, Roxanne Gay and Robert Coover. 

Photo by Elizabeth Pellette Photography

PAK—You’ve been published in countless literary outlets. What is that process like? Is it simply pitching, contests, or maybe topic-driven by the publication? Is there a database of these publications?

NH—The submission process is very similar to querying an agent or book publisher: lots of waiting! I’d like to say that you have a shorter waiting period than with agents and book publishers, but I have a story coming out this fall that was accepted over two years ago. 

The best way to discover magazines to submit to is to read magazines! You get an idea of what a magazine is looking for, and you support that publication, which is important with so many journals closing their doors.

Curiosity Never Killed The Writer, a blog by Erica Verrillo, puts out a list of free, paying submissions every month, as well as a list of contests. Every year Clifford Garstang publishes a ranking of two hundred or so literary magazines based on the amount of Pushcart Prizes they won, so that is a good resource if you are looking for prestige. If you are looking for strangeness, Chillsubs curates lists based on weirdness, inclusivity, theme, “hidden gem” status, etc, etc. 

While we’re on the topic of weird themed magazines, I have to shout out Taco Bell Quarterly, which has a Buffalo connection. One of their editors, Axel B. Kolcow, who is an incredible poet and performer as well as a prose writer, lives here in Western New York. All of the magazine’s stories contain a reference to Taco Bell. And you think, that’s silly, and some of the pieces are silly, but they’re also deeply moving and serious art. Their masthead says, “We seek to demystify what it means to be literary, artistic, important and elite. We welcome writers and artists of all merit.”

Lastly, I always recommend checking out local presses, journals and magazines. Western New York is so spread out that it can be hard to find people whose writing and critique you resonate with, and a lot of these publications will hold events where you can go and hang out with like-minded people. It’s networking, but it is also revitalizing to be in the presence of people who create and value art, especially if you are from a more rural area that maybe doesn’t have those kind of spaces. 

But if anyone wants more information on submitting short stories, I am teaching a short story class on Oct. 3 at Art’s Cafe, which will mostly be on analysis, but we will inevitably get into publishing. I am also hosting a submit-a-thon at Art’s Café after the new year, so we can start the year off by getting our work out there. 

The first issue of the SCA’s zine The Rustic Review, which debuted at the 2025 Art Crawl in Springville, an annual community festival put on by the SCA. Submissions for the 2027 issue will open after the new year.

PAK—While there has been no shortage of material covering how a woman’s value often is tied to her physical appearance, your short story, “Doll, DollDoll,” goes off in a weird, wonderful, horrifying way that is also prescient. What inspired you to write this?

NH—That’s an interesting interpretation of the story, and one I kind of forgot was there. To me, this isn’t a story about a woman, or those around her, tying worth to her appearance. Morgan certainly thinks Josie values appearance above all else, but (spoiler alert) Josie is altering herself as a sort of sacrifice to bring something else to life, and not to look more appealing. Though I did start writing this story so long ago, when I was a young woman in college reading coming-of-age stories as I was “coming of age,” so it makes sense that it seeps through. To me, this is a story about wealth discrepancy and the realization that because of monetary barriers, not everything is available to or a possibility for everyone. That being said, I take no issue with people reading it in different ways. Once it’s published, it doesn’t really belong to me anymore. 

It took me about ten years to write “Doll DollDoll”, so unfortunately I can’t specify the exact point of inspiration. By my calculations, I started writing that back in 2012 or 2013, before I even knew I wanted to pursue an MFA in creative writing. I remember I wanted to write a story about a woman turning into a doll. Why? I’m not sure. Anyway, I rewrote this story probably a dozen times before I arrived at the version that was published in Carve. I played with the magic system. Once it was a possessed doll. Once it was a sentient robot. Nothing felt right. And then I added Morgan and made her the protagonist over Josie, and the story opened up for me. 

If I had to guess the origin of the original idea, it was probably discovering the concept of hoarding. I grew up knowing hoarders, but didn’t really understand the gravity of it until I was older. And then in grad school, I was living in the Hamptons, and I thought a lot about how collecting was different in rural settings than it was in wealthier areas, and sometimes, the difference between being an eccentric collector and a hoarder was money and access to storage and the ability to hire cleaners. 

This all came together somehow to form the story, which is a retelling of The Judgment of Solomon told from the point of view of a celebrity’s wife’s personal assistant. 

PAK—What does a short story do that a novel, essay, or poem can’t do?

NH—I have read novels and poems that give me that magic feeling I get from short stories. I just feel it more often when reading stories. I think that’s just a personal preference though and not a restriction of the form.

     I like that I can read a short story in a single sitting. I like that there is less time to wander. I think omission can be very powerful; it leaves spaces for you to pour yourself into. 

     I strive to read a short story every day, and I constantly marvel at how quickly I can be completely immersed in a world or character, and how long they can stay with you despite only taking up a dozen pages or so. 

     The teacher in me wants to say that short stories peel back all of the unnecessary stuff to get to the heart of the matter, but I don’t believe that. There are books, poems, movies and plays that do that too. Some people are just partial to the immediacy and delicacy that comes naturally with shorter works. 

PAK—Your stories tend to be wildly imaginative yet tinged with darkness. Is there a central or recurrent theme through your work? 

NH—Anything related to communal memory, oral storytelling or the idea that an event can be retold so many times that the mourning and celebration ends up belonging to a larger community. So fables, myths, tall tales, and cryptids, but also more contemporary versions of this, like the idea of parasocial relationships or the cultural obsession with true crime as entertainment. 

     Other themes in my writing are closed communities, the treatment of animals, rural settings and road trips. I’m very influenced by place. I love roadside tourism and oddities, and all of the history and story that is tied to people erecting strange things for others to enjoy. 

     More specifically, I’ve written a series of bible story retellings. “Doll DollDoll” is the Judgment of Solomon; I have a story called “The Summer of The Eight-Legged Calf” McNeese Review about a group of children at a country fair trying to keep a deformed calf from being killed, which is an Esther story; and a story called “Salt” in Meetinghouse Magazine, which is a take on Lot’s wife set in a dilapidated Catskills resort; and another called “The Fish King,” which is my Jonah story, in December Magazine, which is about two sisters taking shelter in the Coney Island Aquarium and the oldest becoming convinced her late husband is inside a goliath grouper. I’m working on a few more as part of a larger project.  

     I used to write a lot of fairytales, but I haven’t recently because of said larger projects and how time consuming they are. To get my fix, I’ve been using fairytales in the art pieces I make for children’s classes and community festivals. Kids love them, and by looking at these recognizable stories and all their adaptions it’s easy to demonstrate how a specific story can endure and evolve to fit today’s anxieties. This past Art Crawl, I made hundreds of paper flowers out of recycled newspaper, hid a fairy doll in each one and then handed out accompanying zines that told a little story about how we need to help feed the fairies because their preferred food (local news) is disappearing. My hope is that after people picked a fairy to adopt, they thought about their local newspapers and how important and tailored they are to a community, and how if we don’t support them, they will continue to disappear. 

     I had a handful of flash fiction pieces published over the years that all related to food and the way food is used in fairytales, so this past year I created some 3D zines shaped like the food in the story, and you open them to read the story and also to find a mini paper doll of whatever creature was in the story. In folklore, it’s dangerous to eat or even touch fairy food, so these were designed so that the reader had to incriminate themselves to get to the story. I try to think of projects like that, where I can both infuse my writing into something visual, and get the reader to be an active participant in the narrative. 

Top: Small Bites, a series of 3D zines created by Nicole Hebdon that contain flash fiction pieces about the way food is used in fairytales. 

Bottom: Cryptid paper dolls created from Nicole Hebdon’s Create-A-Cryptid kits, which are all based on WNY legends and history. 

PAK—In our correspondence, you mentioned that you still get questions about one of your oldest stories, which I loved, “You Die In The End.” It’s quirky and unsettling with some great lines:

He’s a good lawyer. A hairy, nasally lawyer with breath like boiled onions, but a good lawyer.
Do you remember that time we ate frozen custard, and then you told me I had the pointiest widow’s peak you ever saw? I knew I loved you then.

What is it about this story that gives it such staying power?

NH—I think people like the experimental form. The choose-your-own-adventure aspect is nostalgic, perhaps. It gives the reader the illusion of control, when (spoiler) you die in the end no matter what. 

     I appreciate that people email me about this story because so often I get something published and then it’s just gone; I never hear about it again. It’s cool to know people are still reading a story from 2017 and then are compelled to reach out to me. “You Die in the End” is a story I wrote so quickly. There was very little editing and drafting involved, compared to a story such as “Doll DollDoll”, so it is surprising that it’s the one people seem to like the most. Regardless, I’m grateful for the kind words. 

     I do have plans to write a novel in this form. It is on the back burner because I am working on two other long-form projects, but I have this big map of all the different plot possibilities, and I tinker with it from time to time. I’ve got a couple scenes of it written, and I think in the next year or so the need to write it will become more urgent.

PAK—Tell us a little bit about your journalism writing, which appears in various Western New York outlets.

NH—I like to write articles on things I’ve always wondered about. For example, I remember there being a giraffe-shaped tree on the 219 as a kid, and I heard rumors it was back, so I looked into that, and it blossomed into this story about three separate families either making or repairing these giraffes over the years for the enjoyment of children on car rides. Last year, I wrote about the lake monster float on Lime Lake, which again, turned into a story about multiple families carrying on a tradition for the larger community. I’ve written about the largest ceramic showroom in North America, and the only licensed restaurant in the state where all the protein is made from crickets, and the world’s largest outdoor aviary.  In short, I like writing about peoples’ life work. I like to hear what people are passionate about. I’m honored I get to share their accomplishments and joy through my writing. 

During the pandemic, I approached Max Borsuk, the Editor of The Springville Journal and The Herald Courier, about writing local author features, and he was open to it. In the past, I tried to do one or two a month across the three Neighbor-to-Neighbor papers, but I have stepped back a bit recently to work on some long-form projects. When I suggested the idea, I had moved back to WNY and I felt a little disconnected from the literary community. Writing those stories showed me the wealth and variety of authors in this area. I hope other writers see them and feel the same way. 

I also write a small scavenger hunt series, where I get to photograph something and have readers guess where it is, and then the next week I include a little write-up about the object and the business or location it’s in. I’ve gotten to write about haunted dolls, biblical hot sauce bottles and also public art that may have been missed because it is either older or on private property. 

I have to mention the Sea Serpent in Perry. I’ve written quite a few articles on him, my favorite being this piece in Atlas Obscura. 

So in short, I write about oddities, art and special interests. I’m very lucky that Max puts up with all my weird ideas!

PAK—You’re the Director of the Literary Arts program at the multifaceted Springville Center for the Arts. In addition to the literary programs, what are some of the features of the Arts Center? Also, can you provide a little history of how the Arts Center came to be and how it’s funded?

NH—I just copyedited the fall newsletter, and there is so much coming up. Musicals, concerts, art and craft workshops, programming for children, crochet club, Spanish and French classes, gallery shows…Instead of listing it all, I will direct you to our website: https://springvillearts.com

The SCA grew out of The Springville Players, a longstanding community theater group with its roots in the ’60s. In 1998, The Springville Players collaborated with other local artists in various forms and concentrations to open an art center on Main Street. The SCA has just kept growing since then.

We actually have a timeline on our website, if anyone is interested in learning more.

For a better overview, read this article about our executive director, Seth.
https://thebuffalohive.com/the-miracle-of-rural-art-blooms-in-springville/

As for funding, the majority comes from members and donations. We’ve also received funding through the Cullen Foundation, M&T Bank Charitable Foundation, Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo, Arts Services Inc and public funds provided by the County of Erie and the New York State Council on the Arts. 

Fred listens to a poem recording on a phone. This display was part of the Literary Lounge area at the 2025 Art Crawl. 

PAK—What are some events, workshops, classes coming this fall to your writing programs and across the Arts Center?

NH—I’m so excited for our fall lineup.

On Sept. 2, until noon, Ariel Aberg-Riger will be erecting a mural at Gentners Auction in Springville. While this is technically more of a public art project, her murals tie in the literary because she incorporates quotes from old The Springville Journal articles. Old, as in from the 19^th and 20^th centuries. Ariel is a visual storyteller whose debut book won the Kirkus Prize, and we were fortunate to have her do a residency at the SCA, for which she created a series of murals that utilized The Springville Journal. 

In September, we are hosting a Writers Open Mic Night, which is one of our most popular events. As the writers read, musician Stephen Wilger will play music he thinks fits the tone of the piece, and artist Christina Ludwig will create an original piece of art based on the piece, which the writers get to take home as a souvenir. The audience experiences the writing in three forms, and the writers get to see how other artists react to their words.

In October, we are doing a special literary trivia night focused on scary stories and the literary value of horror. This will be hosted by September Brother Productions, a film production company based in Springville that has made several projects set in the area. We do trivia nights once or twice a season and always pair them with a costume contest. For this one, because it is our Halloween event, you can show up in any costume or cosplay for the chance to win an extra prize. 

Earlier in October, I am teaching a class called Read Like a Writer, Write For Your Readers. We’re going to be talking about writing rules and how and why we should purposefully break them. 

In November, we will have you as a guest author, talking about your road to writing and your “Dad Trilogy”. And then in December we have another guest writer, this time a poet, Rachelle Toarmino, who is from Niagara Falls and who recently published a collection with Third Man Books. 

We also have a monthly writers’ group meeting on the second Wednesday of the month at 5 pm in Art’s Café. And we put out an annual publication called The Rustic Review, which matches fiction, nonfiction and poetry with original artwork created by local artists. Last year we were able to offer a fiction and illustration prize, which is something I hope to continue, with funding provided.

The SCA literary events are typically the second Wednesday of the Month, at 6pm at Art’s Cafe. For more info, please visit https://springvillearts.com/events/ or email at scanicole01@ gmail .com 

From left: Aidan Ryan, Rachelle Toarmino, Mark Pogodzinski, Jeffrey J Miller, and Nicole Hebdon speak on a publishing panel at Art’s Café. 

PAK—What are you working on now, and when can readers expect to see it? 

NH—I’m going to have three short stories out by the end of the year.

On Halloween, my short story “What to Expect When You Turn Thirty” will come out in Variety Pack. It is a story about the shared childhood phenomenon of imagining a creature jumping over cars as you are looking out the window during a car ride. Except the protagonist is thirty and her imaginary friend shows up to take things from her.

Variety Pack is a Buffalo magazine run by the spoken word poet J.B. Stone. I highly suggest taking a class with J.B. if you ever have the chance. It was a revealing experience. 

In November, I will have another story in F®iction, which is the magazine that published “You Die in the End”. Like “You Die in the End”, this story is in an experimental form. I cannot say enough good things about F®iction’s editing team; this is the second time they’ve taken a bizarrely shaped thing I’ve given them and turned it into a beautiful layout complete with original illustrations. Weirdly, this story is one of the mutated early drafts of “Doll DollDoll”. I won’t say too much, but the connection is that there is a story being told within the story about women being used as literal decorations.

And then, sometime this fall, my story “Homicide Holly and the Murder Maidens” will be in an anthology all about Buffalo noir, horror, and suspense. It’s technically a science fiction story, set in a world where every object—from nightstands to keychains—has an AI voice assistant. The protagonist is surrounded by all these discarded objects, and one of them starts saying things related to a murder it witnessed. 

I’m also working on two novels with my agent Laura Gruszka. The first is about two college freshmen who accidentally summon ghosts with the force of their neediness, and then have to travel throughout Western New York, trying out all these rites and rituals to get rid of them. I got to do research on the legacy of the burned-over district and the spiritualist movement to write this, which was fun. 

The second is very much in the rewriting phase, so I won’t say too much, but it is a novel-in-stories about a world where gods demanding human sacrifices descend on earth, so humans scramble to create what they think is an ethical, organized way to deliver on said sacrifices. 

And of course, there is that choose your own adventure book always at the back of my mind.

For updates on my writing, please check out my website nicolehebdon.com. I have a Twitter account (X?) @nikolemarieh, but I mostly just post photos of sea monster art.