NewPages Blog

Before adding a new author to the list of winners, AbeBooks has compiled a list of “forgotten winners of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the Pulitzer Prize for the Novel as the award was known prior to 1948.” Winning does not secure lasting fame, or even books that can still be found on the shelf, as the price of some of these out-of-print editions will show.

NewPages Literary Magazine Reviews for April 18 include The Antioch Review :: The Chaffin Journal :: ChiZine :: Eclectica :: The Farallon Review :: Journal of Ordinary Thought :: Manoa :: The Missouri Review :: storySouth :: The Sun :: Tuesday

From Guernica, an online magazine of art and politics:

POETRY: Acclaimed Puerto Rican poet Rafael Acevedo explores one of our last remaining taboos–cannibalism–in two poems.

FICTION: Panamanian author Justo Arroyo answers “The Question:” Why do we pay so much for our workaday lunch–and get so little in return?

ART: In “Beaufort West,” situated along South Africa’s N1 highway, with an island prison in the middle of town, Mikhael Subotzky captures the vivid characters and poignant social landscapes.

In addition to attracting moviemakers to the state (“Michigan will be the next film capitol of the world,” Clint Eastwood said in a recent interview following the release of his new film Gran Torino, shot in Detroit.), WireTap Magazine sees the full range of new media creativity booming in this auto-deprived town, from broadband to indie music to media arts and “allied media” projects. Can this be Michigan’s Phoenix?

Victoria Strauss on Writer Beware Blogs! responds to the recent flurry of mainstream news articles on self-publishing, and “The Need for Balance.” Strauss notes that “articles on self-publishing often follow a similar formula” and include:

1. Pick a rare instance of self-publishing success
2. Segue to the growth of self-publishing and the great possibilities it offers for budding authors, while taking a swipe at the commercial publishing industry
3. Toss out a few random facts about self-publishing
4. Mix in some boosterish quotes from representatives of self-pub companies
5. Feature a happy self-pubbed author
6. Conclude (explicitly or by implication) that “traditional” publishing is [pick one] dead/dying/running scared

For more “balance” – WB offers highly informative page on self-publishing, which includes the pros and cons, sales statistics, issues to consider, and advice on if you decide to move forward with SP/POD, as well as further resources to help you educate yourself. Check it out here.

In Chicago, February 2009, at the annual conference of the Association of Writers and Writing Programs, the editors of Poems Out Loud asked eleven poets – Martha Serpas, Todd Boss, Molly Peacock, Major Jackson, Cole Swenson, Kim Addonizio, Kimiko Hahn, Willie Perdomo, Beth Ann Fennelly, Julie Sheehan, and Honor Moore – “What Is Poetry For?”

Here is what they had to say.

“Thoughts on Bill O’Reilly and Squeaky the Chicago Mouse” is a letter from Roger Ebert to Bill O’Reilly – apparently in response to O’Reilly listing the Chicago Sun Times on his ‘Wall of Shame.’ I don’t keep up with O’Reilly tit-for-tats outside of Olbermann, but this one ends with such a fitting parable that I had never heard before, it seems worth passing along. Squeaky the Chicago Mouse, indeed.

“Changing Lives Through Literature (CLTL) is a program that began in Massachusetts in response to a growing need within our criminal justice system to find alternatives to incarceration. Burdened by expense and repeat offenders, our prisons can rarely give adequate attention to the needs of inmates and, thus, do little else than warehouse our criminals. Disturbed by the lack of real success by prisons to reform offenders and affect their patterns of behavior, Professor Robert Waxler and Judge Robert Kane discussed using literature as a way of reaching hardened criminals.”

Started in Massachusetts, programs have also started in Texas, Arizona, Kansas, Maine, New York, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. An adaptation of CLTL is also running strong in England. California and Illinois are interested in starting programs, and one is almost underway in Canada.

The CLTL website includes information about starting and running a similar program in your state, with sample syllabi from men’s, women’s, and juvenile programs.

A Celebration of the Chapbook festival calls attention to the rich history of the chapbook and highlights its essential place in poetry publishing today as a vehicle for alternative poetry projects and for emerging authors and editors to gain entry into the literary marketplace. The festival will forge a new platform for the study of the chapbook inside and outside the academy and celebrate the importance of chapbooks to America’s cultural heritage and future.

Thursday April 23rd, 2009 – Saturday April 25th, 2009
The Graduate Center, CUNY

The English Program of Penn State Altoona is taking applications for a one-semester teaching residency in creative non-fiction writing. The residence, designed to offer an emerging writer substantial time to write, offers a $5,000 stipend & an additional $5,000 allowance to cover room & board in return for teaching one sophomore-level creative non-fiction writing workshop during the Fall 2009 semester (August 24-December 17).

The resident writer will also give two readings & work informally with our English majors. Benefits are not included. We are looking for a writer with publications in literary or commercial magazines. Emphasis will be placed on the quality of the work submitted. We may consider a preference for work focused on environmental studies. A Master’s degree in Creative Writing or English is required. Teaching experience is preferred. The application should consist of a writing sample (one essay or ten pages from a book); a c.v., including publishing history; & one or more letters of recommendation.

Send to: Emerging Writer Residency, Dr. Thomas Liszka, Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts, Pos #: B-29761, Penn State Altoona, 3000 Ivyside Park, Altoona, PA 16601-3760.

Review of applications will begin May 18, & continue until the position is filled.

NYT Joyce Hor-Chung Lau “chats” with Margaret Atwood.

Centenary College seeks application for an instructor for 2-credit poetry writing course for the fall semester (September through December, 2009) at, Hackettstown, NJ. MFA required. The course meets once a week for approximately two hours. Salary $900. Centenary College is in the process of developing a creative writing minor and anticipates ongoing teaching opportunities. Please send c.v. and/or inquiries to: Mary Newell: newellm-AT-centenarycollege-DOT-edu

Savannah College of Art and Design, Atlanta is accepting applications for a part-time faculty position in the Professional Writing department to teach creative writing.

Central Michigan University seeks qualified part-time temporary instructors to teach Technical Writing (Metro Detroit, Michigan), Fantasy and Science Fiction (Michigan and Online), The Literary Dimensions of Film (Michigan and Online). Amy Courter, Off-Campus Programs. June 30

The program in Creative Writing at Hollins University invites applications for a one-year, endowed distinguished professorship to begin August, 2009.

The University of Mississippi Department of English invites applications for the position of half-time Instructor.

Grinnell College‘s Center for the Humanities seeks to appoint a visiting scholar actively engaged in research on Place and Memory. Daniel Reynolds, Director, Center for the Humanities. April 25

Yep. We’ll give it a shot. But you have to show us the love if you want us to keep at it. Follow us on Twitter, and/or be a fan on the NewPages Facebook page. Be patient as we learn the ropes, or, uh… the jargon. That’s a Big Ten-Four Big Buddy?

Swing by and check out this great lineup of book reviews for April:

Vienna Triangle
A Novel by Brenda Webster
Wings Press, January 2009
Review by Jason Hinkley

First Execution
Novel by Domenico Starnone
Translated from the Italian by Antony Shugaar
Europa Editions, March 2009
Review by Laura Di Giovine

The Bathroom
Novel by Jean-Philippe Toussaint
Translated from the French by Nancy Amphoux and Paul De Angelis
Dalkey Archive, November 2008
Review by Josh Maday

Camera
Novel by Jean-Philippe Toussaint
Translated from the French by Matthew B. Smith
Dalkey Archive, November 2008
Review by Josh Maday

Last Night in Montreal
Novel by Emily St. John Mandel
Unbridled Books, June 2009
Review by Christina Hall

The Adventures of Cancer Bitch
Memoir by S.L. Wisenberg
University of Iowa Press, February 2009
Review by Cyan James

First We Read, Then We Write:
Emerson on the Creative Process
By Robert D. Richardson
University of Iowa Press, February 2009
Review by John Madera

Bending the Notes
Poetry by Paul Hostovsky
Main Street Rag, December 2008
Review by Jason Tandon

The Suburban Swindle
Short Stories by Jackie Corley
So New Publishing, October 2008
Review by Josh Maday

Morning in a Different Place
YA novel by Mary Ann McGuigan
Front Street Press, February 2009
Review by Jessica Powers

At or Near the Surface
Short stories by Jenny Pritchett
Fourteen Hills Press, November 2008
Review by Josh Maday

Light Boxes
Fiction by Shane Jones
Publishing Genius, February 2009
Review by Brian Allen Carr

Comfort
YA novel by Joyce Moyer Hostetter
Calkins Creek Books, April 2009
Review by Jessica Powers

Shuck
Fiction by Daniel Allen Cox
Arsenal Pulp Press, April 2009
Review by Brian Allen Carr

Me As Her Again
Memoir by Nancy Agabian
Aunt Lute Books, October 2008
Review by Ryan Call

Here’s a lovely short piece by Joy Fielding from the National Post, The germ of an idea: What is fiction but a reimagining and restructuring of reality?

“People are always asking, ‘Where do you get your ideas?’ It’s a little like asking a doctor where she gets her diagnostic or surgical skills, or a gardener where he gets his green thumb…”

Okay, so don’t feel so bad about that next rejection letter, since you’ll find yourself in the company of George Orwell, whose work Animal Farm was turned down by TS Eliot. Apparently, when Eliot was director of the publisher Faber & Faber, he rejected Orwell’s work as “good” but “not convincing.” Does that sound familiar?

Of course, this is from our state here, but I’m sure you’ve got some cool kids in your state too:

The Michigan Center for the Book announced the three state winners of Letters About Literature, a national writing contest in which young readers wrote letters to authors, living or dead, describing how the authors’ work changed the students’ way of thinking. One of the state winners also received recognition at the competition’s national level.

“We received many thoughtful, heartfelt letters that demonstrate the power of books to touch the lives and engage the minds of young people,” said Michigan Center for the Book Coordinator Karren Reish. “Each year we welcome this opportunity to help foster Michigan students’ interest in literature and encourage them to cultivate the reading and writing skills that are key to academic success.”
The Michigan winners are:

Level 1 (grades 4-6) – Valerie Reeves of Mancelona who wrote to author Erin Hunter about the book Warriors: Dawn.

Reeves reflected on how the book taught her about the value of teamwork and leadership, writing: “When I was younger, I sometimes felt like I was a loner at school. I always wanted my mom to go to school with me because I didn’t want to be alone. I felt just like the rogue cat, Yellow Fang, who was without a clan. After reading your book, Warriors: Dawn, I found I wanted to be a warrior, too.”

Level 2 (grades 7-8) – Daniel Harrison of Kalamazoo who wrote to author Ben Mikaelsen about the book Touching Spirit Bear.

In his letter, Harrison expressed how the book inspired him to change his negative behavior: “About two years ago, I had been a real bully. I used to pick on kids and call them names and not even realize how much of a jerk I was. I had been in trouble a couple times, and ended up in detention. It was there, ironically, where I read your book, Touching Spirit Bear. It transformed my life.”

Level 3 (grades 9-12) – Nilesh Raval of Saginaw who wrote to author Jhumpa Lahiri about the book The Namesake. Raval also was named one of 12 Letters About Literature national honorable mention winners (four per level of competition) and will receive an additional $100 Target gift card and an additional $1,000 grant for the selected library.

Raval’s letter described lessons learned about pride in our unique cultural heritage and identity: “After reading your culturally enlightening novel, The Namesake, I have realized the importance of my name in Indian culture and that I am not alone when it comes to possessing an unusual one. … The Namesake has compelled me to understand that a name has an inherently profound power to shape its bearer. It has bestowed upon me a newfound respect for names in our culture.”

Do-It-Yourself Magazines, Cheaply Slick
By ASHLEE VANCE
The New York Times
Published: March 29, 2009

PALO ALTO, Calif. — For anyone who has dreamed of creating his own glossy color magazine dedicated to a hobby like photography or travel, the high cost and hassle of printing has loomed as a big barrier. Traditional printing companies charge thousands of dollars upfront to fire up a press and produce a few hundred copies of a bound magazine.

With a new Web service called MagCloud, Hewlett-Packard hopes to make it easier and cheaper to crank out a magazine than running photocopies at the local copy shop.

Charging 20 cents a page, paid only when a customer orders a copy, H.P. dreams of turning MagCloud into vanity publishing’s equivalent of YouTube. The company, a leading maker of computers and printers, envisions people using their PCs to develop quick magazines commemorating their daughter’s volleyball season or chronicling the intricacies of the Arizona cactus business.

Read the rest on NYT.

Our English division just got done discussing ideas for integrating “Math Across the Curriculum.” Since English had asked for the same oh so many years ago, we felt it was our place to step up to the plate on this one and consider how we might be using or could be using math in our English classes. Thanks to Gerry Canavan, here’s an insightful collection of work by Craig Damrauer entitled, New Math. I’ll certainly be working this into my classes soon.

In case you’re not all over it yet, MLA has come out with updates. Finally! Until the new publication is available, Purdue OWL has a quickie page that’s helpful. And those new editions of handbooks that just came out this year? Students will be thrilled to find there to be “no buy back” as the even newer editions are ordered for next year. Now, who planned that?

ErikaJ on Disability Nation offers her response to Autism: The Musical, an Emmy-award-winning HBO documentary: “I don’t know what I was expecting from a film called ‘Autism: The Musical.’ It was just a title that attracted my attention, even as a dark-humored part of me wanted to suggest that it should be a rock opera to better accommodate all the head-banging…” [read the rest]

“In the epic Odyssey, one of the cornerstones of Western literature, the legendary Greek hero Odysseus returns to his queen Penelope after enduring 10 years of sailing the wine dark sea. Now scientists have pinned down his return to April 16, 1178 B.C., close to noon local time, according to astronomical references in the epic poem that seem to pinpoint the total eclipse of the sun on the day that Odysseus supposedly returned on.” Read the rest on MSNBC

Deadline June 15: The winning writer will receive seven nights accommodation at Fulton’s Landing Guest House on the Mississippi River, plus travel and meal stipends, as well as an invitation to read at the Midwest Writing Center. A spouse or partner may accompany the writer on retreat.

Great River Writers Retreat
Oct. 17-24, 2009
Fulton’s Landing
Davenport, Iowa

Slash Pine Press is pleased to announce the first annual Slash Pine Poetry Festival, to be held in five distinct locations in the greater Tuscaloosa, AL area on April 24th and 25th. With 40 readers, the festival draws from local and national writers, from first year graduate student poets to National Poetry Series winners, from the traditional writer to the highly experimental one. The festival aims to show that poetry at its best is an inclusive, community-building endeavor, and that such an endeavor is well and alive in one of many small cities in the Deep South.