One is prone to read Poetry expecting not only to find good poems, but also that something will be said about poetry. In this issue, the about reverberates most abundantly in Michael Robbins’s insightful review on three volumes, Clavics by Geoffrey Hills, Moving Day by Ish Klein, and Come and See by Fanny Howe. As Robbins suggests, poetry can be one thing—or that thing’s very contradiction: “where Flarf’s virtue is in its failure to hang together, Klein’s poems exude counterintuitive coherence.” This broad definition seems useful in dealing with a collection of poetry so diverse as in this issue of the journal. Continue reading “Poetry – November 2011”
NewPages Blog
At the NewPages Blog readers and writers can catch up with their favorite literary and alternative magazines, independent and university presses, creative writing programs, and writing and literary events. Find new books, new issue announcements, contest winners, and so much more!
Poetry – November 2011
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Southwest Review – 2011
Christopher Bakken’s skillfully paced essay “Octopus Ear” begins serenely with a dive off the coast of Greece, where he takes students on tours. Before long, though, he’s climbing down Mount Olympus in terrible pain from an ear infection, confronting his grief over his wife’s mental illness, finding unexpected kindness from a young waitress, and simultaneously laughing and weeping in a gust of what the Greek’s call harmolypi—“joyful sadness.” Part observant travel writing, part gripping personal narrative, the essay gets this ninety-six-year-old magazine off to another good start. Continue reading “Southwest Review – 2011”
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Spoon River Poetry Review – Winter/Spring 2011
What in the absence of color will staunch
this dreaming, what without fire will cauterize,
clot? Can nothing—not doubt nor distraction
nor sleep nor dopamine—stopper this seeping
apace? Continue reading “Spoon River Poetry Review – Winter/Spring 2011”
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Strange Horizons – June 2011-November 2011
I am not a fan of science fiction, but I decided to check out Strange Horizons, an online publication of speculative fiction, poetry, articles, reviews, and art. The first two stories bored me but the third was engaging, and I was hooked. I read a bunch of them. Continue reading “Strange Horizons – June 2011-November 2011”
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Voices de la Luna – July 2011
Part community news bulletin, part travel guide, and part literary magazine, Voices de la Luna drops the reader into the vibrant arts community of San Antonio, Texas. The magazine describes itself as “actively promoting poetry and arts in San Antonio by supporting other literary and arts organizations.” Discovering the interdependent community of creative folks represented in Voices de la Luna’s pages makes me want to buy a one-way ticket to this great town. Continue reading “Voices de la Luna – July 2011”
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Iron Horse Review Single Author Issue
It would be impossible to know from the cover that Control Burn, a collection of poems by Hastings Hensel, is the latest issue of the Iron Horse Literary Review. A few years ago, IHR changed its publication cycle to six “slim” volumes a year. While other publications were ‘downsizing’ to less print/more online, IHR shifted to less print/more often. There’s no doubt the idea of ‘slim volumes’ of fiction, poetry, nonfiction and photography fits neatly into our busy lives, and IHR added yet another unique feature to their line-up: an entire volume dedicated to one author. Every year, IHR publishes a chapbook of poetry, fiction, or essays. These issues look like a regular, single-author book, and “help to promote the work of writers in the early stages of their careers.”
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New Lit on the Block :: Revolution House
Revolution House is a new online publication of poetry, flash fiction, short storis, creative nonfiction, graphic stories, and art. A magazine run by writers Revolution House aims to publish both emerging and experienced authors.
Revolution House staff includes Executive Editor Alisha Karabinus, Managing Editors Fati Z. Ahmed, Elaina Smith, Creative Nonfiction Editors Jaime Herndon and Jami Nakamura Linwas, Fiction & Graphic Stories Editors Karen Britten, Carol H. Hood, Sarah Kamlet, Koty Neelis, and Katie Oldaker, and Poetry Editors Jonathan Dubow, Henry W. Leung, Karissa Morton, Susannah Nevison and Staci R. Schoenfeld.
The first two issue feature new work by Brooke Bailey, Myfanwy Collins, Patrick Thomas Henry, Amorak Huey, Deanna Larsen, Jen Marquardt, Thomas Michael McDade, Andrew Payton, Jessica Plante, Jessica Poli, Valerie Rubinaccio, Karin Rosman, Michael Simon, Courtney Thomas Vance, Ashley Wakefield, Tory Adkisson, Matthew Burnside, Alicia Catt, Caroline Crew, Sarah Crossland, Chanel Earl, William Henderson, Kea Marie, Michael Mlekoday, Francis Raven, Chad Redden, Sarah V. Schweig, Claire Shefchik, Caroline Swicegood, and James Valvis.
Submissions are open unless otherwise announced and accepted via Submishmash.
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Anniversary :: Tin House 50th
With the newest Tin House (Winter 2012), the magazine quietly celebrates its 50th issue with a the theme of Beauty. In addition to a full volume of featured writing, novelist and critic Marilynne Robinson explores the notion of beauty and its role in our changing society in her essay, poet Crystal Williams views the subject through the kaleidoscopic lens of race, while Aimee Bender talks with the artist Amy Cutler.
[Cover image by Elissa Schappell.]
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The Louisiana Poetry Project Online Resource
The Louisiana Poetry Project offers a biographical directory of Louisiana poets, sample poems from each, and a poem a day calendar with selected poems from LA poets. Also included on the site is a Lesson Plans area with poems and lesson plans for a variety of subject areas: English, science, math, history, geography, social studies, art, journalism, government, and more. The newly added Poetical Terms Glossary is still under development, but provides additional resources for teachers and readers alike. A calendar of events includes recurring meetings as well as scheduled events. A great resource site and an inspiration for other states to do the same.
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New Lit on the Block :: Vlak Magazine
Vlak Magazine, edited by Louis Armand, Edmund Berrigan, Ali Alizadeh, Stephan Delbos, Jane Lewty & David Vichnar is an international curatorial project with a broad focus on contemporary poetics, art, film, philosophy, music, design, science, politics, performance, ecology, and new media. Vlak is published by Litteraria Pragensia in Prague, London, New York, Paris, Melbourne & Amsterdam.
Issue 2 contributors include David Hayman, Vincent Katz, Philippe Sollers, Niall Lucy, Alice Notley, Emmanuelle Pireyre, Jeroen Nieuwland, Holly Tavel, John Kinsella, Rs Jaeggi, Louis Armand, Adam Trachtman, Leila Sebbar, Dorra Chammam, Moncef Gachem, Jane Lewty, Stephan Delbos, Ali Daghman, Mehdi Mahfoudh, Dawn Fowler, Ken Edwards, Vadim Erent, Carla Harryman, Andre Jahn, Travis Jeppesen, Karel Jerie, Steve McCaffery, Hank Lazer, Phil Coates, Ann Hamilton, Petra Ganglbauer, Marjorie Perloff, David Vichnar, Michal Ajvaz, Lucie Skrivankova, Pavel Novotny, Ondrej Buddeus, Jonas Hajek, Adam Borzic, Mark Melnicove, Adrian Clarke, j/j hastain, Ali Alizadeh, Ania Walwicz, Claire Potter, Felicity Plunkett, Gig Ryan, jeltje, Justin Clemens, Matt Hetherington, Michael Farrell, Nicole Tomlinson, PiO, Pam Brown, Sebastian Gurciullo, Chris Edwards, Matt Hall, Tereza Stejskalova, Charles Bernstein, Steve Benson, Katarzyna Bazarnik, Zenon Fajfer, Michal Sanda, Andrew Nightingale, Amaranth Borsuk, Kate Durbin, Zach Kleyn, Redell Olson, Clody Clevidence, Eleza Jaeger, Megan M. Garr, Sara Nicholson, Amy De’Ath, Larry Sawyer, Amy King, Brendan Lorber, Chris Martin, Corrine Fitzpatrick, Jason Morris, Macgregor Card, Nina Zivancevic, Noah Eli Gordon, Johan De Wit, Damien Ober, Joshua Mensch, Kamil Bouska, Cralan Kelder, Robert Sheppard, Francesco Levato, and Vincent Dachy.
The magazine is published in a square format (8.5 in) with full bleed and page insert photography and graphics in black and white throughout.
Vlak invites contributions that extend our understanding about what is possible; which pose questions about the prevailing attitude of norms; which explore the ramifications of contemporary culture and attempt new critical and creative methods. Annual deadline: January 15
[Cover image by Adam Trachtman.]
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RATTLE Tribute to Buddhist Poets
RATTLE Winter 2011 highlights the work of 30 contemporary Buddhist poets. As Dick Allen writes in his introduction, Buddhism “is not a glimpse or gaze but an immersion. There’s no glass, no other side.” Informed by years of studying human experience from their unique perspectives, these poets have much to offer Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike. Additionally, in the conversations section, Alan Fox speaks with M.L. Liebler and Buddhist poet Chase Twichell.
Authors featured in the tribute include Dick Allen, Li Bai, Pam Herbert Barger, Karen Benke, John Brehm, Toni Cameron, Louisa Diodato, Teresa Chuc Dowell, Jeffrey Franklin, Robert Funge, Gary Gach, Dan Gerber, Sam Hamill, Gail Hanlon, Lola Haskins, Donna Henderson, Yang Jian, Bo Juyi, Alison Luterman, Paul Pedroza, Peg Quinn, Diana M. Raab, Richard Schiffman, Jinen Jason Shulman, Sarah Pemberton Strong, Anne Swannell, Robert Tremmel, Tony Trigilio, Chase Twichell, and Jack Vian.
[Cover art by Toni Cameron.]
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New Lit on the Block :: Valparaiso Fiction Review
Founded in summer of 2011 as a sister publication the Valparaiso Poetry Review (VPR), Valparaiso Fiction Review (VFR) is one of the newest publications of Valparaiso University and its Department of English. VFR publishes two editions a year, usually around the first of December and the first of May, and features fiction from established and emerging authors. Co-Editors are Jonathan Bull and Edward Byrne, both of Valparaiso University, and Assistant Editors Emily Bahr, Ethan Grant, R. James Onofrey, Ellen Orner, and Jeremy Reed.
The first issue includes works by Andrea Dupree, Meg Tuite, Norman Waksler, W.F. Lantry, Dallas Woodburn, and Clifford Garstang. The magazine is available to read online or download in individual PDF format for each story.
VFR accepts submissions of original, unpublished fiction, 1,000 to 9,000 words with possible exceptions. No novels – though stand-alone excepts are acceptble, poetry (see VPR), or children’s fiction unless otherwise noted.
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Black Warrior Review SLS Contest Winners
Black Warrior Review has teamed up with Summer Literary Seminars for their annual contest. Judges Jayne Anne Phillips and Matthew Zapruder selected winners for the 2011 contest: Blair Bourassa, for his story “Love is Such an Old Fashioned Word,” and Lillian Bertram, for her poem “I Believe the Far Fields.”
Each received tuition, airfare, and accommodations to the 2011 SLS program of their choosing (Montreal, Lithuania, or Kenya), plus publication in the most recent issue of Black Warrior Review (Fall/Winter 2011) and online in The Walrus.
[BWR Fall/Winter 2011 cover art “Liquid Ground I” by Helen Pynor.]
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Fringe Change in Editors
Fiction Editor David Duhr is now Managing Editor of Fringe online magazine. Former Fiction Editorial Assistant Anna Laird Barto has taken on the role of Fiction Editor. Fringe publishes poetry, fiction, nonfiction, essays, art, and mixed genre works.
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Pine Manor College Fellowship Winners
The Solstice MFA Program of Pine Manor College (MA) has announced Fellowship winners for the 2012 winter/spring semester: MFA student Ann Breidenbach has been awarded the Michael Steinberg Fellowship for Creative Nonfiction, and MFA student Charles Tucker has been awarded the Dennis Lehane Fellowship for Fiction. Each Fellow will receive $1,000 toward her/his first semester’s tution.
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RATTLE Poetry Prize: Readers Decide Winner
The Winter 2011 issue of RATTLE includes the finalists for the 2011 RATTLE Poetry Prize. The winner has not yet been selected, as RATTLE has opted to turn this final decision over to the magazine’s readership. Editors have carefully considered the best way to do this, and have opted to offer voting eligibility only to those who were already subscribing to RATTLE prior to the announcement of the finalists.
Even if you’re not a subscriber, it would be fun to pick up this issue (or have a class of students read it at the start of next semester) and go through your own selection process, then see how this compares with the final decision. The winner will be announced at RATTLE online on February 15, 2012.
Finalists whose poems are included in this issue are Pia Aliperti, Tony Barnstone, Kim Dower, Courtney Kampa, M, Andrew Nurkin, Charlotte Pence, Laura Read, Hayden Saunier, Diane Seuss, Jeff Vande Zande, Craig van Rooyen, Bryan Walpert, Anna Lowe, Weber Maya, and Jewell Zeller.
[Cover art by Toni Cameron.]
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New Lit on the Block :: Cobalt
Staffed by Managing Editor Andrew Keating, Poetry Editor Jill Williams, Fiction Editor Rafe Posey, Non-Fiction Editor Samantha Stanco, Art Director Danielle Peterson, Social Media Manager Michelle Junot, Blog Contributors Gillian Ramos and Kate Stone, Cobalt is an online quarterly of fiction, non-fiction and poetry “of the highest caliber,” as well as interviews “with some of the most influential writers in the literary community.” Cobalt‘s mission is “to publish quality creative work and promote the literary arts, as well as those who celebrate them.”
The first issue features Poetry by Brian Russell, Georgia Kreiger, John Abbott, Steven Leyva, Andrea Dickens; Fiction by Jen Michalski, Mandy Taggart, Emily Kiernan; Nonfiction by James Claffey, John FitzGerald; and Interviews with Nicola Griffith (author of The Blue Place) and Jessica Anya Blau (author of Drinking Closer to Home).
Issue two will be available December 10. Submissions are open and accepted through Submishmash.
[Cover image “Metro” by Sophie Johnson (Oil on Canvas).]
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New from TED
From the TED website: The success of TEDTalks has demonstrated that millions of people around the world are hungry to absorb new ideas. Many of the talks create a desire to go deeper – but not everyone has the time to read an entire book on a subject. TED Books fill that gap. While a traditional book is at least 60,000 words, TED Books, at fewer than 20,000, allow someone to see an idea fleshed out in a satisfying way – but without having to devote a week of reading time to it.
Some TED titles include
Homo Evolutis: Please Meet the Next Human Species by Juan Enriquez & Steve Gullans
The Happiness Manifesto: How Nations and People Can Nurture Well-Being by Nic Marks
Beware Dangerism! Why We Worry About the Wrong Things and What It’s Doing to Our Kids by Gever Tulley
Make Love Not Porn: Technology’s Hardcore Impact on Human Behavior by Cindy Gallop
Weekday Vegetarian: Finally, a Palatable Solution – Graham Hill
Media Makeover: Improving the News One Click at a Time by Alisa Miller
Aftercrimes, Geoslavery, and Thermogeddon: Thought-Provoking Words from a Lexicographer’s Notebook by Erin McKean
TED Books are available from Amazon.com and Apple’s iBookstore, and for the Nook platform. They can be purchased for $2.99 each (US).
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New Lit on the Block :: Lost in Thought
Editor Kyle Schruder writes: “Lost in Thought came from a simple idea: I like magazines, why not make one of my own?” Always easier said than done, yet Lost in Thought introduces itself as a beautifully designed publication that looks more like something Shruder’s been doing for decades.
“For this premiere issue,” Schruder says, “I decided to combine short stories and artwork. I approached writers, photographers and illustrators with this simple premise: you can write something new, or you can submit something already finished. I paired the people who wanted to make something new with the people who gave me finished works. Some writers wrote entirely new stories based on illustrations that the artist had submitted. Other photographers arranged photo shoots based on stories I received.”
The premier issue, available via MagCloud in print and digital formats features Writers Jules Archer, Kim Bannerman, Katrina Gray, Graeme Lottering, Sem Megson, Kari Nguyen, Sara Patterson, Katerina Prudchenko, Gareth Spark, and Chris Tarry; Photographers James Azzopardi, Julien Hayard, Karrah Kobus, Lindsey Kowalski, Aleksandra Skiljevic, Synchrodogs (Tania Shcheglova and Roman Noven); and Illustrators Yeremeeva Katya, Jennifer Maidment, mathiole, Jared Meuser, Estelle Morris, and Rose Wong.
Submissions are open for issue two, which Schruder says will “more free-flowing, more experimental, and hopefully even more interesting!”
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2011 St. Lawrence Book Award Winner
Black Lawrence Press has announced that Adrian Van Young has won the 2011 St. Lawrence Book Award for his collection of short stories, The Man Who Noticed Everything. A complete list of the 2011 St. Lawrence book Award finalists and semi-finalists can be found on the Black Lawrence Press blog.
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Creative Nonfiction Launches Book Imprint
From CNF: Creative Nonfiction has announced the launch of Creative Nonfiction Books. The magazine, nearing its 20th anniversary, has long been considered “the voice of the genre” and has an impressive and highly acclaimed history of creating an understanding of our world through thoughtful, engaging narratives on a wide variety of topics and real-life experiences. The debut list, consisting of two titles, will be launched this spring and distributed by Publishers Group West.
Most of the Creative Nonfiction Books titles, at least initially, will be anthologies with contributions from many authors, offering multiple perspectives and appealing to a diverse readership. Forthcoming titles include Becoming a Nurse, insightful essays about what drives those in this demanding and difficult profession; Surviving Crisis, essays exploring intense, pivotal moments in life that trigger personal growth; and Southern Sin, essays on the sultry South and its sins, which range from skipping church to coveting your neighbor’s wife.
Creative Nonfiction has worked with exceptional book publishers in the past — W.W. Norton, Tarcher-Penguin, Other Press and many university presses — in order to distribute and sell titles associated with the magazine. Lee Gutkind states, “Now, with the traditional publishing industry in turmoil, we see opportunities for a small publisher with a well-established base. Creative Nonfiction has a long history of spotting talent and of introducing new writers who have important stories to tell. The book imprint offers the opportunity to expand our reach—and to help those writers, and their stories, find a wider audience.”
Creative Nonfiction Books, debut list:
April 2012
At the End of Life: True Stories About How We Die
Edited by Lee Gutkind; Introduction by Francine Prose
An anthology of 22 personal narratives that explore death, dying and palliative care, revealing the inner workings of a system in which doctors, patients and their loved ones battle to hang on—and to let go.
ISBN: 978-1-937163-04-4, Trade Paper, $15.95, 288 pages
May 2012An Immense New Power to Heal: The Promise of Personalized Medicine
By Lee Gutkind and Pagan Kennedy
Through intimate patient stories as well as profiles of leading-edge doctors and scientists, this clear-eyed, lively and highly engaging book explores one of the most significant scientific breakthroughs of our time: the sequencing of the human genome and the subsequent development of personalized medicine.
ISBN: 978-1-937163-06-8, Trade Paper, $15.95, 320 pages
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2011 Gulf Coast Prize Winners
The Winter/Spring 2012 issue of Gulf Coast includes the 2011 Gulf Coast Prize winners.
Poetry
Winner: “A New Vessel” by Amaranth Borsuk
Poetry judge: Ilya Kaminsky
Fiction
Winner: “The Window” by Brian Van Reet
Fiction judge: Frederick Reiken
Nonfiction
Winner: “The Suturing of Wounds or Words” by Arianne Zwartjes
Nonfiction judge: John D’Agata
A full list of winners and runners up is available on the Gulf Coast website.
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New Lit on the Block :: Unstuck
Newly lauched out of Austin, Texas, Unstuck is an independent print literary annual emphasizing “literary fiction with elements of the fantastic, the futuristic, the surreal, or the strange — a broad category that would include the work of writers as diverse as Borges, Ballard, Calvino, Huxley, Tutuola, Abe and (of course) Vonnegut.”
The editors add, “In our pages, you’ll find straight-up science fiction and fantasy; domestic realism with a twist of the magical; and work that experiments with form or blurs the boundaries between poetry and prose. We also publish a small selection of poems and essays.”
The first issue features new fiction by Aimee Bender, J. Robert Lennon, Amelia Gray, Joe Meno, Marisa Matarazzo, Arthur Bradford, Helen Phillips, Matthew Derby, Rachel Swirsky, Matthew Vollmer, Lindsay Hunter, John Maradik & Rachel B. Glaser, Leslie What, Charles Antin, Meghan McCarron, Sharona Muir, Andrew Friedman, Julia Whicker, Judson Merrill, Karin Tidbeck, and Randy Schaub; new poetry by Kiki Petrosino, Zach Savich, Dan Rosenberg, Kaethe Schwehn, and Patrick Haas; and new non-fiction by Rennie Sparks.
Unstuck will be available in Kindle format for e-readers, and a portion of each print run of Unstuck is donated to schools, libraries, and literacy programs. If you’re a librarian, teacher, tutor, or administrator, and think your students or clients would enjoy Unstuck, visit the Libraries and Schools link on their website.
Unstuck accepts online submissions via Submishmash.
[Cover photography “Highland Reservoir II” by Timothy J. Fuss.]
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Glimmer Train September Fiction Open Winners :: 2011
Glimmer Train has just chosen the winning stories for their September Fiction Open competition. This competition is held quarterly and is open to all writers for stories with a word count range between 2000 – 20,000. The next Fiction Open will take place in December. Glimmer Train’s monthly submission calendar may be viewed here.

First place: Janis Hubschman [pictured], of Demarest, NJ, wins $2000 for “Wilderness of Ghosts.” Her story will be published in the Winter 2013 issue of Glimmer Train Stories, out in November 2012.
Second place: Abe Gaustad, of Germantown, TN, wins $1000 for “Buch and the Snakestretchers.” His story will also be published in an upcoming issue of Glimmer Train Stories.
Third place: Andrew Tibbetts, of Kitchener, Ontario, wins $600 for “My Sister in Eleven Shots.”
A PDF of the Top 25 winners can be found here.
Deadline for Short Story Award for New Writers: November 30
This competition is held quarterly and is open to all writers whose fiction has not appeared in a print publication with a circulation over 5000. No theme restrictions. Most submissions to this category run 2000-6000 words, but can go up to 12,000. Click here for complete guidelines.
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New Lit on the Block :: Botticelli Magazine
Botticelli Magazine is an online literary and art journal produced and edited by students at Columbus College of Art and Design. Already in its third issue, Botticelli is planning a lot of expansion, inclusive of literary and logo contests.
Contributors to the first issues include Austin Charles Barrow, Chelsea Besse, Ross Caliendo, Austin Charles, Silver Corbin, Danielle Doughty, Brittany Leigh Ference, Chester Fillmore, Daniel Foley, Amy Gallagher Gallagher, Emily Gallik, Bina Gupta, Liandra Holmes, Matthew Houston, Kylie King, Amanda Knittle, Brittany Kotur, John Malta, Brian May, Mary S.Nemeth, Dave Nichols, Siddartha Beth Pierce, Todd Pleasants, Hannah Ross, Michelle Ross, Apryl Skies, Scott Stewart, Miles Tsang, and Elizabeth Vest.
Botticelli Magazine accepts only online submissions of fiction, poetry, creative non fiction, reviews, art, photography, as well as flash pieces and links to online work as long as the rights are available to the contributor. Collaborative work is also welcome. The magazine’s review process involves an editorial staff of writers and artists.
[Cover art for Issue 3: “French Friends” by Matthew Houston]
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Post-Soviet Literature
In the November 2011 issue of World Literature Today, a special section devoted to Post-Soviet Literature features recent work from Russia and other former republics, twenty years after the collapse of the regime. WLT makes a number of works available in full text on their website, including multimedia poetry from Orbita 4.
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Books :: Shelter Puppies
I can honestly say, I hope eBooks will never replace the coffee table book. While I know digital picture quality can surpass print quality when it comes to art and images, it’s the cover of a book like this one that will get readers and “non-readers” alike to pick it up and thumb through its pages.
In his newest book, professional pet photographer Michael Kloth helps readers focus on the plight of the “pound puppies,” but without once showing the dark, heart wrenching images we think of when imagining life in “the shelter.” Instead of wire cages and cement floors as scenery, Kloth expertly poses the pups on clean backdrops with plenty of warm, bright light, letting viewers – and prospective owners – see the canine kids at their best. Little puppy personalities fill the pages of this book, and while they are the photographic subject, the real message of this effort is shared in Kloth’s introduction.
While Kloth recognizes there are “valid reasons to buy a puppy from a breeder,” he shares the message of animal advocates in promoting the adoption of shelter and foster animals. He cites research on the number of purebred dogs brought to shelter each year and that, though families may be eager when first purchasing designer-breeds, that excitement may wane when the resulting dogs turn out not to be such a good match.
Kloth volunteers his time each month to visit shelters in his area and photograph pets ready for adoption. The photos are used to help would-be owners find their next family member. Kloth offers helpful advice to shelters and volunteer photographers about ways to present these animals to give them the best chance at adoption. Photographing through wire cages, Kloth tells readers, is a no-no, along with images of the animal backed into the corner of a cage or in any way looking scared. While these may raise the sympathy meter, they don’t tend to help bring out the true, positive characters of the pet.
Kloth’s book features 65 puppies in full color on the main pages with a “follow-up” section in the back about what happened to each of the pups shortly after – most were successfully adopted with only a couple stories of return and retry. Also included are several later follow-up stories of the dogs now in adulthood and the lives they have changed. This is a truly heartwarming and highly educational addition to Kloth’s series on shelter pet books, which I hope he will continue.
I was initially interested in this book because it was promoted as one that donated a portion of the proceeds to the ASPCA. But, when I got the book, I was a bit let down to see that only twenty-five cents per book is donated. While this doesn’t seem like a lot, I relinquished that any amount is a good amount. Further, when reading about how much time, equipment, and resources Kloth devotes to his volunteer work photographing these animals, I understood that a great deal more of whatever he might earn from this book has already been donated through his kindness, and no doubt will continue.
In addition to his work with local shelters, Kloth is also a member of the new non-profit organization called HeARTs Speak. HeARTs Speak was founded with the expectation that visual artists can make a very real difference in helping adoptable animals find homes.
As with all my recommended books, this one makes a great personal or gift purchase, but would also be a good library donation to share with your community, or even purchasing a copy for your local shelter (who might benefit from the photography tips).
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NewPages Book Reviews :: March 2011
Visit NewPages Book Reviews for December to read thoughtful commentary and analysis of the following titles:
Almost Never
Fiction by Daniel Sada
The Book of Life
Fiction by Stuart Nadler
Mr. Fox
Fiction by Helen Oyeyemi
Hard to Say
Fiction by Ethel Rohan
–gape–seed–
Edited by Ice Gayle Johnson, Jane Ormerod, Brant Lyon, Thomas Fucaloro
Waiting: Selected Nonfiction
Nonfiction by Elizabeth Swados
Habibi
Graphic Novel by Craig Thompson
Surprised by Oxford
Nonfiction by Carolyn Weber
Hooked
Fiction by John Franc
A Mortal Affect
Fiction by Vincent Standley
The Beds
Poetry by Martha Rhodes
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New! New! New! NewPages Updates
We’ve been busy at work, watching the snow fall, adding more good reading to see us through the winter!
New addition to the The NewPages Big List of Literary Magazines:
2 Bridges Review – poetry, prose, artwork
Cartys Poetry Journal [O]
The Cleveland Review [O] – poetry, fiction, nonfiction, photography, illustrations
Cobalt Review [O] – poetry, fiction, nonfiction, interviews
The Corner Club Press [O] – poetry, fiction, nonfiction
Covalence [O] – poetry, fiction, art
Crosstimbers – poetry, fiction, nonfiction, book reviews, arts, science
defunct [O] – essays
FortyOunceBachelors [O] – poetry, fiction, nonfiction, drama, screenplay
La Petite Zine [O] – poetry, prose
Lantern Review [O] – Asian American poetry, translations, essays, book reviews, visual art, photography
Poetry Quarterly [O]
Porchlight [O] – poetry, fiction, nonfiction, graphic art, comics
Prairie Wolf Press Review [O] – poetry, prose
Rattapallax [O] – poetry, essays, videos, interviews
Revolution House [O] – poetry, fiction, nonfiction
Short, Fast, and Deadly [O] – poetry, prose, word art
The Tonopah Review [O] – poetry, fiction
Unsplendid [O] – poetry
Verdad [O] – poetry, fiction, essays, memoir, artwork
Vice-Versa [O] – poetry, fiction, nonfiction, interviews, reviews, visual art, multimedia
Yes, Poetry [O]
The Ides of March [O] – historical poetry
Phantom Limb [O] – poetry
Pinstripe Fedora [O]
Upstairs at Duroc
Crannog – poetry, prose
Cyphers – poetry, fiction, criticism
The Dublin Review – essays, memoir, travel writing, criticism, fiction and reportage
Horizon Review [O] – poetry, fiction, reviews, interviews, art
Outburst [O] – poetry, fiction, flash fiction, book reviews, illustrations
THE SHOp – poetry
The Stinging Fly – poetry, fiction
Abramelin [O] – poetry
Botticelli Magazine [O]
The Destroyer [O] – poetry, text, art, opinions, video, new media
Black Lantern Publishing – macabre fiction
First Inkling – undergraduate poetry, fiction, nonfiction, interviews
Lost in Thought – fiction, art
Nassau Review – poetry, fiction, essays, artwork
Sierra Nevada Review – poetry, fiction
Unstuck – fiction
[O] = mainly online = mainly print
NewPages Guide to Literary Links
Black Heart – reading writing rebellion
Eunoia Review – poetry, fiction, nonfiction
The Postcard Press – poetry, prose
Xenith
Newly added to the NewPages Guide to Alternative Magazines:
Zeek – A Jewish journal of thought and culture
Steel Bananas [O/P] – poetry, prose, nonfiction, visual art, multimedia
Newly added to NewPages Guide to Independent Publishers & University Presses:
RASP (UK) – works by dyslexic writers
Big Wonderful Press – poetry, fiction, nonfiction, collections, chapbooks
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New Lit on the Block :: Safety Pin Review
The Safety Pin Review is a new literary magazine featuring fiction of less than 30 words, posted once a week, with a major D.I.Y. twist: in addition to being published online, each story is hand-painted onto a cloth back patch, which is attached (via safety pins) to one of SPR‘s operatives – “a collective network of punks, thieves and anarchists” — who wear it everywhere they go for a week. The SPR website features the poems as well as pictures of the operative-of-the-week wearing it around.
Featured poets thus far include Barry Basden, J. Bradley, Doug Paul Case, Brian Hurley, Simon Jacobs, David James Keaton, Len Kuntz, Helen Vitoria, and xTx.
Safety Pin Review accepts submissions of unpublished fiction of no more than 30 words – no poetry, and pays $1.00 per acceptance.
[Operative pictured in Times Square, NYC, with “Scope” by Barry Basden.]
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Almost Never
In the opening scene of Almost Never, by Mexican writer Daniel Sada, the perturbed protagonist, Demetrio, an “agronomist” in Oaxaca, ponders his humdrum life. What will relieve his tedium? The answer: “Sex, as an apt pretext for breaking the monotony; motor-sex; anxiety-sex; the habit of sex, as any glut that can well become a burden; colossal, headlong, frenzied ambiguous sex … pretense-sex, see-through sex. Pleasure, in the end, as praise that goes against the grain of life.” Continue reading “Almost Never”
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The Book of Life
The seven stories that make up Stuart Nadler’s spirited debut collection, The Book of Life, are about men: husbands and boyfriends, fathers and brothers, sons and grandsons. They’re about relationships, the mistakes and the misunderstandings. As a whole, the collection strikes a balance between characters who reclaim a portion of what is lost and those who are humbled by their circumstances and left to persevere. Infidelity is the crux of six out of the seven stories, but Nadler’s characters find surprises inside surprises inside surprises, spiraling the life out of any potential clichés. Continue reading “The Book of Life”
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Mr. Fox
For those familiar with the French folktale “Bluebeard,” especially in its various versions such as the British “Mr. Fox” and “Fitcher’s Bird,” Helen Oyeyemi’s novel Mr. Fox will delight. Even if you are not familiar with these other versions, you get them in this novel. You only need to love fairy tale convolutions, especially when blended with real-life situations. Continue reading “Mr. Fox”
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Hard to Say
Hard to Say, recently published by PANK, contains a collection of short personal stories that will pluck at your heartstrings. Ethel Rohan, author of Cut Through the Bone and Dark Sky Books, executes the tone of youthful awkwardness with the perfect amount of bittersweet. The pangs of childhood tales and oddities resonate throughout the book, keeping the reader drawn until the finish. Continue reading “Hard to Say”
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–gape–seed–
Spoken word is powerful not only in language, but also performance. It can be difficult to capture the essence and emotion on the page; however, the writers in –gape–seed– have done just that. The diverse selection of poetry made it difficult to choose the best writers as each distinct piece had punch and power. At first I was wary; making a successful anthology of spoken word seemed like a tall order, but –gape–seed– inspired me to really feel the language as opposed to just reading it. Continue reading “–gape–seed–”
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Waiting: Selected Nonfiction
It wasn’t that long ago when Broadway producers put originality before the box office and tourists. In 1979, the New York Shakespeare Festival moved Runaways, another in a series of sold-out shows (the most successful 1975’s A Chorus Line; the most recent 2010’s Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson), uptown from Astor Place. The musical, featuring real runaway teenagers, was composed, written, and directed by Elizabeth Swados. Runaways received multiple Tony nominations and established Liz Swados’s reputation. As she makes clear in Waiting: Selected Nonfiction, she has been “trashed, resurrected, trashed, and mentored dozens of young artists. I’ve survived well.” Despite its brief length, Waiting is a thoroughly friendly introduction to Swados’s life and work, a wistful remembrance of a vibrant era in New York theatre, and a perceptive look at how theatre is created. Continue reading “Waiting: Selected Nonfiction”
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Habibi
I picked up Habibi and thumbed through it with the intent of gathering its basic information for NewPages. Only a small number of the books we receive here are graphic novels, and my familiarity with the genre extends to buying Batman comics for a family member and having watched the movie version of Sin City. So I was curious to see what a two-inch-thick graphic novel consisted of. Continue reading “Habibi”
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Surprised by Oxford
Carolyn Weber’s relationship with Oxford University began with a surprise when she received a letter in the mail announcing that she had won a full scholarship to pursue her post-graduate studies there. Without her knowledge, a professor had submitted her name for consideration for the scholarship. The book chronicles many more surprises that accompany Weber’s Oxford experience, most significantly her spiritual journey from cynical agnostic to evangelical Christian. Without a note of self-pity, Weber describes growing up in poverty with her mother and siblings after her father abandoned the family. A high-achieving student, she realized that through hard work she could improve her future prospects and become self-sufficient. Weber’s admission that she lied about her age on the application in order to qualify for her first job is particularly poignant following recollections of her family’s lavish lifestyle during her early childhood, before her father’s questionable business deals and resulting arrest doomed the family to financial devastation. Continue reading “Surprised by Oxford”
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Hooked
I have to admire a writer who attempts to take on the adult male sexual psyche. As a 52-year-old male myself, it’s still a mystery to me. John Franc, however, has attempted such a feat in his new novel, Hooked. Franc’s tale involves the bonding of a group of middle-aged men who meet socially two or three times a month for poker or drinks. They are white, successful, and of course, bored as hell. Their wives are the proverbial soccer moms though still “hot” according to the husbands. They have children, are married and have the potential to be pillars of their community. Continue reading “Hooked”
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A Mortal Affect
A Mortal Affect, Vincent Standley’s debut novel and the latest release from Calamari Press, is all about creating a world, inventing a vocabulary, and then approaching a proposed conundrum of what it would be like to have a portion of the world immortal, and a portion not. Full of Dante-esque circles of assigned living, painted blue welfare blocs of housing, Rooters (the mortal creatures that populate the novel), and Malkings (the immortals who vie for appropriate living throughout A Mortal Affect), this is a book that attempts to grow a universe, roots and all, in a mere two hundred pages: Continue reading “A Mortal Affect”
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The Beds
In 2012, Martha Rhodes will come out with her fourth collection of poetry, titled The Beds. Continue reading “The Beds”
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LGBT Writers in Schools: Pilot Program
The Lambda Literary Foundation is starting a pilot program called LGBT Writers in Schools, in collaboration with the Gay Straight Educators’ Alliance (GSEA), part of The National Council of Teachers of English.
Lambda Literary will coordinate author visits to classrooms — usually via Skype, but in person wherever possible — for authors to discuss their work with students. They are looking for volunteer LGBT authors, particularly in the YA (Young Adult) field, to donate an hour of their time to speak with participating high school and college classes.
For more information about being added to the list of participating LGBT authors, click here.
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New Lit on the Block :: The Destroyer
Joining Editors Drew Krewer and Maureen McHugh is Managing Editor Meagan Lehr, Art Editor Andy Campbell and Web Designer Jason Criscio, to bring readers The Destroyer, a bi-annual online publication of text, art, and public opinion. Freely downloadable digital broadsides also available featuring digital art and quotes from texts.
The inaugural issue features Text by Nicole Wilson, Brandon Downing, Natasha Stagg, Joshua Marie Wilkinson, Amaranth Borsuk, Chris Hosea, Tony Mancus, Whitney DeVos, Annie Guthrie, and Brian Oliu; Art by Yuko Fukuzumi, Nicholas Hay, Sarah Duncan, and Casey Wilson; Opinion Pieces by Joe Hall, Steven M. Brown, Kim Largey-Soloway, and Lulu Antipyrene; Cheap Papers by Meagan Lehr, Maureen McHugh, and Drew Krewer.
The Destroyer accepts poetry, texts with no determinate genre, video, audio, and new media. Translations welcome as well as art in all media and thoughtful opinion pieces for “the vent.” The Destroyer accepts submissions via Submishmash.
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AWP 2012
The AWP 2012 Schedule is online – and includes an electronic schedule planner that allows you to make selections of sessions and print out a personalized agenda (including an option for activities other than those on the AWP schedule).
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Why I’m a Net Artist by Jim Andrews
In “Why I am a Net Artist,” long-time “media poetry” practitioner Jim Andrews reflects on the consequences of computation on language, the fundamental virtues of networked digital computing as a poetic medium, and computing’s facilitation of combinatory operations that drive poetic work into emergent territories. [via The Journal of Electronic Publishing, University of Michigan Library]
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New Lit on the Block :: First Inkling
First Inkling is an international student literary magazine, publishing short stories, poetry, graphic fiction, one-act plays, short film (screenplays), novel chapters, and more. Works are accepted from students currently enrolled in accredited colleges or universities at the community college, undergrad, graduate, or post doctorate level, from anywhere in the world. Works in languages other than English will also be considered, as long as it is submitted with an English translation.
The inaugural issue features writing by Lauren Fath, Duncan Lennon, Ryan McLean, Danielle M. Gorden, R. Sam Chaney, Phill Korth, Andrew Watt, Sam Sudar, Sally Wen Mao, Jean Kim, Cody Greene, Urban Eisley, Tait Howard, Daniela Maristany, Ryan Cannon, Minh Phuong Nguyen, Idris Goodwin, Amy Porter, Nicomedes Austin Suárez, N. S. Wiley, and Danielle Jones-Pruett.
All works published in First Inkling will be entered in the Associated Collegiate Press Pacemaker competition, with $750 cash awards going to the best in: Fiction, Narrative Nonfiction, and Poetry.
The issue also includes interviews with Rick Moody, Jim Shepard, John “Jack” Allman, and Brad Gooch.
First Inkling invites student writers to become members to the site and then to post to the publication’s blog. Interested students are also invited to become Associate Editors.
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Carolina Quarterly Contest Winners
The Fall 2011 issue of The Carolina Quarterly includes the winners of the Riding a Gradient Invisible Contest, “an experiment in ‘Show, don’t tell.'” Editors sought submissions of writing to transition us into a “post-genre world.” Judge Amy Hempel made the following selections, all of which are included in the issue:
First Place: “American Desire” by James McFatter
Runner-up: “epitaph #26” by Matthew Vollmer
Runner-up: “Lift” by Courtney Sender
Honorable Mention: “Conditions” by Aaron Krol
Honorable Mention: “Catasrophilia” by Caroline Young
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Parks & Occupation from Whiskey & Fox
From Whiskey & Fox:
The second issue of the Parks & Occupation special series is out, and can be downloaded for free at http://whiskeyandfox.org
No. 2 features work by Joshua Zelesnick, Rebecca Mertz, Gloria Frym, Michael Farrell, Andy Spragg, Gracie Leavitt & RJ Maitland, Robin Clarke, Jeff T. Johnson, David Hadbawnik, and Jon D. Witmer.
At least one more Parks & Occ. is on the way.
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New Lit on the Block :: Cuckoo
Cuckoo is an online quarterly literary magazine written and edited by writers aged between 11-19. Cuckoo Quarterly aims to “publish the best young writing from all forms and genres and to be accessible and attractive to a wide readership.”
The publication is facilitated and administered by New Writing North, a development agency for creative writing and creative reading based in the north east of England.
Submissions for Edition 1 came from attendees of New Writing North’s three fortnightly writers’ groups in Newcastle, Hexham and Durham, or from those who participated in New Writing North’s Writing Summer Schools.
The issue features poetry, short fiction, ‘rants,’ reviews, and interviews by Beth Allison, Jacob Armstrong, Anusha Ashok, Laurie Atkinson, Hannah Bash, Shannon Baxter, Adam Bryden, Alice Buckley, Leah Chan, Jessica Graham, Andrew Henley, Scott Houghton, Hannah Morpeth, Daniella Watson, and Jessica Weisser.
Cuckoo Quarterly hopes that future editions will attract submissions from all over the world.
Cuckoo welcomes submissions of original writing by writers under the age of 19. They encourage everything from poetry to prose, short stories to movie reviews, opinion to imagination. It can be work that fits the categories laid out in previous editions or entirely different; don’t feel constrained by form or genre. The deadline for the next issue is December 21.
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New Lit on the Block :: Phantom Limb
Founded by Kelly Forsythe and Kat Sanchez, Phantom Limb is a new online magazine of poetry, “dedicated to publishing good poems.”
The inagural issue features poems by Holly Amos, Michael Haight, Jeffrey Allen, Stephen Danos, Kayla Sargeson, y madrone, Jordan Conrad, Dolly Lemke, Late Litterer, Nathan Breitling, Camiele White, Izzy Oneiric, Steve Henry, Jessica Dyer, Chelsea Kurnick, Kristin Ravel, and Sarah Kelley.
Submissions are open until June 1, 2012 for the Fall 2012 issue.
[Phantom Limb image design: Jeffrey Allen]