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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!

H.O.W.Journal – Spring/Summer 2009

This literary journal is dedicated to helping the “15 million children throughout the world that have been orphaned by HIV/AIDS.” The proceeds of the sales and submission fees go to various orphanages around the world. To make sure it sells, it uses both “prominent writers and artists with rising stars to produce an eclectic mixture.” How can anyone go wrong with a journal meant for such a worthy cause? Continue reading “H.O.W.Journal – Spring/Summer 2009”

The Literary Review – Winter 2009

The front cover of the “Africa Calling” edition of TLR presents us with the crossroads where Africa presently stands: four young teenage boys walking to schools in uniform, striding down a brown road against the green backdrop of ageless Africa. Modern Africa with its optimism marching forward impatiently while old Africa, with all its problems and lushness, is still there, but receding. Continue reading “The Literary Review – Winter 2009”

LITnIMAGE – Spring 2009

When I read recently that a story published in this lit mag had won the Million Writers Award, I decided to give it a closer look. The award is sponsored by the online literary journal, storySouth, and involves a panel of judges reading through seven or eight hundred entries from the web to select a hundred and seventy-five or so for further consideration. Then Jason Sanford, previous editor of storySouth, selects the top ten stories and these are voted on by the public. It is a fairly democratic – if arbitrary – procedure, and the winner of this year’s award is “The Fisherman’s Wife” by Jenny Williams, which appeared in the August 2008 issue of LITnIMAGE. Continue reading “LITnIMAGE – Spring 2009”

Meridian – Spring 2009

A meridian stretches between poles, an apt way to describe the fascinating extremes between the pieces in this issue of the magazine – from the “Lost Classic” feature, a letter sent in reply from Katherine Anne Porter to book designer Merle Armitage (“It is not in the least difficult for me to standby what I love and believe in”) to an e-mail interview by Paul Legault with poet Tao Lin (“I want my next book to be ‘iconic’ it can’t suck”). From Lynn Pott’s poem “Barely Ask” (“When you get old do your lips shrink, do you know?”) to Angus A. Bennett’s “Muted with a Line from Someone Else’s Memory” (“and the joy of a midnight as meaningless things / as we do meaningless things – a placemarker for desire”). Continue reading “Meridian – Spring 2009”

Mizna – 2008

This publication contains “prose, poetry, and art exploring Arab American.” Mizna the organization is dedicated to supporting Arab-American culture and giving is expression. “Mizna” the word means “the cloud of the desert.” In a desert, a cloud is good, cooling, giving comfort to those who pass through – a big difference maker. This publication is short – about eighty pages, but packs a wallop. Continue reading “Mizna – 2008”

Monkeybicycle – Spring/Summer 2009

The new Monkeybicycle is a beautiful book to hold and admire. Weighty, a neo-Rothko cover design, that new book smell. The inside is even better. A strong lineup of edgy stories and poems. Devoting its pages to mostly prose, the selections range from flash fiction to medium length and longer short stories. What other magazine throws together hard realism with the surreal, magical realism and science fiction? Editor Steven Seighman has put together something for everyone and it is refreshing after a glut of theme-issues has dominated literary journals for some years. Continue reading “Monkeybicycle – Spring/Summer 2009”

New Ohio Review – Spring 2009

If you love Polish Nobel Laureate Wislawa Szymborska’s work as I do, you’ll love this issue which features the poet’s work, along with ten brief essays that “consider” her writing and influence from Lawrence Raab, Carl Dennis, Sally Ball, Kathy Fagan, Jennifer Clarvoe, William Olsen, Michelle Boisseau, Rachel Wetzsteon, Marianne Boruch, and Tony Hoagland. Olsen describes Szymborska’s poems as “a little off to the side,” ironic not as “cosmic betrayals,” but as “human fictions.” Continue reading “New Ohio Review – Spring 2009”

the new renaissance – Spring 2009

“An international magazine of ideas and opinions, emphasizing literature and the arts” – that is how the editors describe tnr. The front cover exhibits delicate pink petals, aside thistles, against a brick cross – beauty, troubles and truth. Art this journal has in abundance – photographs, reproductions of paintings, watercolors, drawings – all very stylish and in color. Continue reading “the new renaissance – Spring 2009”

New York Quarterly – 2009

To start at the ending, I loved Melanie Lynn Moro-Huber’s straightforward essay “Checking the Pulse of Poetry Today,” in which Moro-Huber attempts to assess the value of poetry in contemporary culture. Beginning with a brief conversation with her husband, who sees little to no value in poetry, and continuing on with anyone who will listen, Moro-Huber receives a variety of responses from the owner of a music store, a fellow shopper at the local Walmart, MFA students, and academics. I loved the casual tone of Moro-Huber’s essay and the quirkiness of her approach, such as when she reiterates her husband’s response that “Poetry hits you in the nuts or it doesn’t.” Continue reading “New York Quarterly – 2009”

Potomac Review – Spring 2009

Potomac Review is a publication of the Paul Peck Humanities Institute at Montgomery College in Rockville, Maryland. It’s not suburban Washington D.C., where the college is located, however, that graces this issue’s cover, but an exquisite black and white photograph of “Scotland’s Royal Mile,” by Roger Fritts. The street scene is viewed through a window behind a desk. The window’s divided light imposes its grid on a table of objects (drawing and scientific tools), the geometry of the buildings in the distance reflected in the instruments on the table. Continue reading “Potomac Review – Spring 2009”

Rattle – Summer 2009

Poetry as storytelling. Poetry as intimate conversation. Poetry as painting. If you know serious readers who say they don’t like poetry, give them an issue of Rattle. Especially this one, which features amazing “conversations” with Toi Derricotte and Terrance Hayes, conducted by editor Alan Fox, a “Tribute to African American Poets,” and contributors’ notes that contain brief personal (and personable) remarks rather than dull lists of credentials. “The hope is that a poem might walk the tightrope from which sloganeering topples,” writes David O’Connell in his note. Many of these notes are, happily, as satisfying in their own way as the poems. Continue reading “Rattle – Summer 2009”

Red Rock Review – Fall 2008

At first glance, the Fall 2008 issue of Red Rock Review may seem to be fairly provincial in tone, but a deeper look shows the work to be as wide in locale and subject matter as it is rich in expression. From Hari Bhajan Khalsa’s poem about the swaying rhythms of summertime in Los Angeles to Mark Sanders’s deceptively simple poems about the inner lives of horses, Red Rock Review charts the forgotten ghosts and breathing minority of the American Southwest. Continue reading “Red Rock Review – Fall 2008”

Sweet 102 for Eleanor

Thanks to any of you NewPages readers who sent a birthday card to 102-year-old Eleanor Wenner, whose story I posted earlier this month.

The nursing facility where she and her husband reside was hoping to receive 102 birthday cards to help Eleanor celebrate. To date, Eleanor has received 1109 birthday cards, with some coming from the Netherlands, Scotland, England, Ireland, Finland and almost every state in the USA.

NewPages Updates :: July 18, 2009

Literary Magazines*
The Blue Route – fiction, poetry
Gangway – fiction, nonfiction, poetry, interviews, reviews, art
Slush Pile
Redactions – poetry
Clementine – poetry, photography
Cerise Press – poetry, fiction, essays, translations, photography, art, interviews, reviews
Eastown Fiction – fiction
Chaparral – poetry
*See complete list of print and online lit mags here.

Conferences/Workshops/Festivals*
Jack London Writers Conference Oct 10-11
Grrls Summertime 2-Day Workshop + Art Action: Writing the Body July 24-26 (for girls 14-19)
MWPA Fall Writing Retreat Sept 11-13
WLT Summer Writing Retreat July 27-31
Writers in the Heartland Residency in Gilman, IL, in September through October
Books and Publishing
Stillwater Poetry Festival
Carnegie Center for Literacy & Learning
F. Scott Fitzgerald Literary Conference
*See complete list of conferences, workshops, and festivals here.

Contests
The contests page has changed format slightly, and is being regularly updated. Stop by for new listings:

Sponsored Contest Listings – newest listings at the top of page
Full Contest List – arranged by deadline date

Editorial Board Members Sought

Red Feather Journal is a new online, international, interdisciplinary, peer-reviewed, English-language journal that provides a forum for scholars and professionals to interrogate representations of children in all aspects of visual media: film, television, the Internet, video gaming, advertisements, etc.

Red Feather Journal’s premier issue is scheduled for release February, 2010.

RFJ is currently seeking editorial board members who are interested in the ongoing discourse about children and children’s media culture. They invite scholars and professionals from all disciplines who possess excellent writing skills, who are able to meet deadlines, participate in a timely manner in the peer-review process, and creatively contribute to the journal to apply. Scholars and Professionals from areas outside the United States are encouraged to apply.

Application information here.

Deadline for applications is September 30, 2009.

ecoTravel

The Summer 2009 issue of Green Money Journal features EcoTravel for Today and Tomorrow. Full online content is available for articles such as:

Africa: A Journey of Discovery
The InvestorCycle Diaries: On the Road in South America
Patagonia: An Inspiration
Green Travel Resources 2009
American Hiking Society Volunteer Vacations make it easy to get out and give back
Top Nine Restaurant Chains For Vegetarians

Also in the print publication, this ad of interest for ecotravelers:

Launched in February 2009, ecoDestinations is The International Ecotourism Society’s (TIES) new approach to promoting ecotourism as an effective tool for bio-cultural conservation and sustainable community development. Each month, TIES features a new destination, highlighting a handful of the most stellar examples of ecotourism businesses and initiatives, through TIES website and online charity auction.

New Lit on the Block :: Labletter

The Labletter annual is rooted in the Oregon Lab, the name given to an annual (or near annual) gathering of artists who first met in 1994 at a ranch outside of Ashland, Oregon. Since then, the Lab has met in California, Maine, Georgia, Massachusetts, and Delaware. The vision of the Lab is to build a community of artists representing a variety of mediums where individual artists can learn, experiment, collaborate, and further their own work. People arrive prepared to lead a workshop, participate in workshops led by others, work on projects, and share some of what they do as artists.

First published in 1998 as a way of extending the Lab beyond the week when people were together, the inaugural edition of the Labletter was a collection of quotes, handwritten letters, samples of writing, and pages copied from outside sources submitted by people who had participated in the Lab. Over the next several years, the magazine would include poems, letters, excerpts from scripts, excerpts from novels in progress, stories, essays, photographs, paintings and prints, video shorts, music—all drawn from people who had participated in the Lab and people closely associated with them. Each year, about twenty-five copies of the magazine were produced.

This year, the decision was made to expand. A company was formed to publish the Labletter (Labletter LLC), and a goal was set to invite submissions from a larger group of people and distribute the magazine to a larger audience. In addition to the usual call for submissions, several people were invited to be either section editors or project editors.

Each section of this magazine represents the work of the editor who conceived the section and the contributors who contributed to it. The Gallery contains general submissions, or submissions solicited and received that fall outside the specific sections.

The magazine also includes an accompanying CD – Live: a collection of songs recorded at the Oregon Lab

Two Classics from Candlewick

Two recent acquisitions have proven wonderful “rereads” for me. Both are illustrated versions of favorite classics, making them appropriate and perhaps more attractive for young readers. The first, from the Candlewick Illustrated Classics, is The Wind in the Willows.

I would have thought the original story by Kenneth Grahame to be already written at enough of a young adult level, but this illustrated version does add to the enjoyment of this classic tale of friendship and (mis)adventure. Inga Moore, author and illustrator, has contributed the ink and pastel crayon images for this edition, and the story is generously illustrated, including full-page and two-page images as well as numerous inserts. The paintings are extremely well detailed, with full attention given to foreground as well as background, surrounding scenes, captured action, and sequences. At the same time, Moore’s style makes the images seem a bit soft-focus – perfect for the dream-like quality of the tale. They are exactly the types of images that add to, not detract from, the fantastical nature of the story and experience of reading.This compact edition is a sturdy paperback, with generous flaps on both the front and back cover to add stability, and heavier weight, semi-gloss paper throughout.

My only reservation in this edition is the abridged nature. I have never found Kenneth Gramhame’s story excessive in language or detail to such an extent that I feel it necessary to lop off bits. With the interest young readers have now in such extensive stories as the Harry Potter and Eragon series, this story – especially abridged – seems slight. The language and syntax itself in Grahame’s original is not yet so antiquated that a young reader of today would not be able to understand it or connect with it, so again, I’m not sure why the need to abridge by shortening sentences and leaving out serendiptious events. I fear with such a story as this, the abridged version will be all that a young reader might read – especially when it comes in such a pretty package – and they will never know the true original story. Given the opportunity to package it so enticingly, I wish the publisher would have hook-line-and-sinkered it to the full version.

I would not say the same for the second illustrated classics, also from Candlewick Press: Don Quixote. Originally written by Miguel de Cervantes, this hardcover edition is retold by Martin Jenkins and also generously illustrated by Chris Riddell. Every page has at least a line drawing, if not an accompanying full color picture. Many of the line drawings extend full bleed across both pages, while only a few of the color images are allowed to do so. There are, however, dozens of framed, full-page color pictures throughout. To say that this edition is “lavishly illustrated” is an understatement, and yet, it is entirely suitable to the text.

The text itself is a retelling – and one that works well for this particular novel. There would be no doubt in my mind that young adult readers who encounter this version in their youth wouldn’t later seek out the complete version in their more adult years. The two are so very different in style, a curious or devoted reader would be more apt to want to know both. While the language and syntax may be more contemporary and simplified in this retelling, there is certainly no “cleaning up” of the content of the story, which is a relief. Don Quixote’s precarious mental state is as boldly portrayed in this version, as are his repeated beatings and public humiliations – all of which allow the reader to both find humor and deep sympathy for the character. The pace of the text is quick, and the serendipitous adventures kept neatly woven, including Don Quixote’s encounter with Cervantes, the author. For those who have never read this tale or may have forgotten it since high school/early college – it is a densely developed story of many intertwined threads. It is not in any way “light” reading for young adults, but could be categorized as a “smart read” that will entice as well as challenge imaginative young minds.

With the more accessible retelling and addition of magnificent illustrations, this is the kind of book in which young readers will utterly lose themselves – as will any adult, making it a perfect read aloud selection. I highly recommend it for readers who enjoy collecting editions as well as for gift giving; the hardcover, while more pricey, works well with this larger format with heavier paper stock. This is an edition that can remain in a family for generations, and will bring new readers to laugh out loud and shed a tear in their initiation as Don Quixote romantics.

Snowbound Winners Announced

Tupelo Press has announced Judge Aimee Nezhukumatathil’s selections for the Snowbound 2008-2009 Chapbook Contest:

If St. Augustine Were a Butcher Like My Grandfather by Brandon Som.

The Rafters of David by Kimberly Burwick was runner-up.

Finalists: J. David Cummings, Jennifer Kwon Dobbs, Barbara Duffy, Eileen G’Sell, Susan Gubernaut, Steven Lautermilch, Mary Leader, Mary Molinary, John Surowiecki, Jonathan Weinert.

July is Open Submissions month at Tupelo.

New Lit on the Block :: Lalitamba

Lalitamba is a journal of modern devotional literature. It includes writings from around the world that have been inspired by different ideas of Truth—Hinduism, Sufism, Judaism, Christianity, and Buddhism, to name a few.

Contributors have been included in the Best American series, written award-winning novels, and received NEA grants. We have also been known to discover new authors, and to publish the writings of people who are homeless or in prison. The writings included are fresh. They challenge the reader to expand, as well as to open to the beauty within. The journal includes fiction, poetry, essays, interviews, translation, and artwork.

The journal was inspired by time spent in India with Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi. The name Lalitamba comes from a devotional song. It means Divine Mother, or the power that sustains the universe. The journal is about knowing the truth of inner freedom and joy throughout all circumstance.

Busy Beaver Buttons

Need promo buttons? I got a great product at a very reasonable price from Busy Beaver Buttons, a small, indie company in Chicago. Busy Beaver makes custom buttons, badges, and pins, with some quantities as low as 50, and you can get free shipping. Busy Beaver also started the Button-O-Matic vending machines in 2002 to dispense limited-edition, artist designed buttons across the country. While this might sound like a paid ad – it’s not. I paid them for the work, but considering all the reasearch I had done, shopping around, etc. – I thought for anyone looking for a recommendation, here it is. I found their ad in Make Magazine – another good reason to support them!

BrainStorm Poetry 2009 Contest Winners

This Spring 2009 issue of Open Minds Quarterly includes the winners of the 7th Annual BrainStorm Poetry Contest for mental health consumers and survivors. Forty finalists were selected from 594 entrants, with the following results:

First Place – Jennifer Footman
Second Place – Tracy King
Third Place – Ky Perraum

Honorable mentions went to Tracy King, David O’Neal, Michael Conner, Diane Klammer, Benjamin Hawkes, and Ky Perraum.

Open Minds Quarterly is a publication of The Writer’s Circle, a project of NISA/Northern Initiative for Social Action (Ontario). “NISA is built on the premise that consumer/survivors of mental health services are intelligent, creative, and can makea valuable contribution to society if given the opportunity to do so.”

Audio :: Gore Vidal

A new audio recording of Gore Vidal in conversation with Jay Parini is now available in the online archives of the Key West Literary Seminar. On it, Vidal discuss his work as a historical novelist, his thoughts on the American educational system, and comments on a host of heroes and villains – from Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Tennessee Williams, to George W. Bush, Sarah Palin, and Bernard Madoff.

Cha Give Online Works Second Life

From Cha: An Asian Literary Journal: “We at CHA realise that, sadly, online journals often fold leaving countless works without a home. If you have lost a work in this way, CHA may be interested in republishing your work in our new regular section, ‘Lost Teas’. Please see submission guidelines for more details.”

CHA is the first and currently only Hong Kong-based online literary quarterly journal dedicated to publishing quality poetry, short stories, creative non-fiction, drama, and reviews written in English, as well as photography and art. It has a strong focus on Asian-themed creative work or work done by Asian writers and artists. It also publishes established and emerging writers/artists from around the world.

To Be Read Aloud

Footnotes for What is Happening Somewhere
JodiAnn Stevenson
Published May 23, 2009 in Abjective

1. Drink the drown summer. Someone’s babies dream of drinking drum. First it settles on you as nonsense, noise. As if words have been strung together aimlessly. And, maddeningly, regular syntax seems to be in use — it sounds like it should make sense. Shouldn’t that mean something?

2. And the sounds it makes are fine. Babies bring dreams to seams. Seams fit in a line. They are so fine that they are fun and even beautiful. Sometimes too beautiful to be confused. A long line of gold ribbon running from the butcher’s truck, a knife.

Read the rest on Abjective.

Professional Development Fund for Emerging Arts Leaders of Color

Americans for the Arts Announces Professional Development Fund for Emerging Arts Leaders of Color

Please post this announcement to your listservs and networks, and share with others in your community!

Americans for the Arts is pleased to announce that Chicago-based Joyce Foundation has renewed its support for Americans for the Arts’ Professional Development Fund for Emerging Arts Leaders of Color. A total of five Joyce Fellows from the Great Lakes region (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin) will be selected to participate in this program in 2009.

Fellows will receive stipends of $3,000 to support their attendance at the 2009 National Arts Marketing Project Conference, Arts Advocacy Day 2010, and the 2010 Americans for the Arts Convention. In addition, fellows will have special opportunities to meet field leaders, work alongside mentors, and receive individualized career coaching. An additional five fellows will be selected in 2010.

The application deadline for this year is August 14, 2009. Download application materials and eligibility information at Americans for the Arts, or for more information contact Stephanie Evans at [email protected] or by phone at 202.371.2830.

Library Scholar-in-Residence (Oregon)

The Central Oregon Community College (COCC) Barber Library seeks applications for the fifth year of the Library Scholar-in-Residence Program. The appointment will continue the focus on creative writing with a Writer in Residence. The appointment begins September 1 and offers the selected scholar a shared office in the library, a computer and network use, and faculty level research access for up to one year. Deadline: July 31, 2009

Perugia Press Prize Winner

Jennifer K. Sweeney is the winner of the 2009 Perugia Press Prize: “Perugia Press publishes one collection of poetry each year, by a woman at the beginning of her publishing career. Our mission is to produce beautiful books that interest long-time readers of poetry and welcome those new to poetry. We also aim to celebrate and promote poetry whenever we can.”

Sweeney’s book, How to Live on Bread and Music, along with sample poems from the collection, is available on the Perugia Press website.

ABR & Readers on Teaching Creative Writing

American Book Review offers a focus on the question of teaching creative writing in its May/June 2009 issue, including their introduction: “Why Teach Creative Writing?” and responses from Lee K. Abbott, Angela Ball, Leslee Becker, Kelly Cherry, Bret Anthony Johnston, Anna Leahy, Lance Olsen, Julie Shigekuni, and Steve Tomasula.

There’s a great deal to be garnered from these thoughtfully concise responses, not only for writers, but for teachers, students, and all who call themselves readers.

Yes, readers: just because you’re not a “creative writing” teacher/student/writer doesn’t mean you have no stake in this issue. Much in the same way we concern ourselves with the ingredients in the foods we eat, reading about this issue of teaching creative writing has much to to with understanding the ingredients of what we consume when we read.

Gourmet Politics

From the “Great stories in places you might not expect them” file: Gourmet Magazine.

I picked up a couple of “free copies” of these left on a bench on campus last year (those of you who free recycle instead of throwing away your mags – love ya!). In one, I came across the feature “Food Politics” – “The Politics of the Plate: The Price of Tomatoes” – and it has forever changed my tomato buying habits (in addition to my trying to grow my own tomatoes this summer). Not only does Gourmet Magazine feature the political food essay in their print publication, but their website offers the essay along with related articles, reader commentary, and follow up. I never expected to find this kind of content in a magazine I picked up hoping for a few new recipes; now it’s the first feature I read when I pick up the latest issues of this publication.

What Words Describe You as a Reader?

A note from Paul Dry of Paul Dry Books that is worth reflection:

Dear Reader,

What words would you use to describe yourself as a reader? Recently I came across two that describe the kind of reader I’d like to be: Ingenuous and Discerning. Since they suggest opposing tendencies I think they describe a good reader. By putting each at the center of a trio, I hope you’ll see what I mean.

Place “Ingenuous” between “Gullible” and “Close-minded”:

Gullible———-Ingenuous———-Close-minded

And place “Discerning” between “Picky” and “Clueless”:

Picky————Discerning———Clueless

In each trio, the term to the left of the middle one is its degraded caricature, and the one to the right, its contrary.

The Ingenuous Reader reads without preconceptions of the author’s intentions or abilities. She’s ready to enjoy and learn from the writing. But there’s a risk to her openness: the Ingenuous Reader may be gullible. Discernment protects her from gullibility. On the other hand, a reader may come to an unknown book so leery of it that she is closed to its possibilities. At this end of the scale of judgment, discernment again guides the reader. To remain ingenuous, we need discernment.

The Discerning Reader makes distinctions, notices and evaluates style, and appreciates a writer’s rhetorical and dialectical abilities. Pickiness is this reader’s characteristic vice. He may have decided that his taste is impeccable and, hence, be unwilling to consider new styles and genres. But in avoiding pickiness, this reader doesn’t want to fall on the other side of discernment into what I’ll call cluelessness. Ingenuousness keeps The Discerning Reader open but not clueless.

The qualities of ingenuousness and discernment are twin pilots, each helping the other to hold the center. Ingenuousness alerts readers to good writing, wherever it comes from. Discernment allows the reader to praise (or criticize) a book, no matter what associations the book carries with it. These paired virtues lead to accurate enthusiasm.

I think we develop these qualities by reading a lot and thinking about what we’ve read and talking or writing about it-and then by reading more books. It’s a happy, and happily endless, cycle.

Sincerely,

Paul Dry
Paul Dry Books

Send Birthday Card to 102-year-old

From our local paper, The Bay City Times:

STERLING – The MediLodge of Sterling, a rehabilitative and skilled nursing facility, is asking area residents to send birthday cards for a resident who is turning 102 on July 11.

Eleanor Wenner has lived at the facility for two years and will be celebrating her 102nd birthday with her husband of 64 years, Al, on July 11.

Other than her husband, who resides in the facility with her, Wenner has no other family members to help her celebrate, said Jeri Harris, marketing director at MediLodge.

The cards will be opened at 2 p.m. July 14, during the birthday celebration with staff and residents fo mediLodge. The event is open to the public.

If you would like to send Wenner a card, mail them to Eleanor Wenner, c/o MediLodge of Sterling, 500 School Road, Sterling, MI 48659.

For more information, call Jeri Harris at the MediLodge of Sterling (989) 701-0071.

NewPages Updates :: July 02, 2009

New additions to NewPages guide to Lit Mags:
From East to West
Ink & Ashes
The Moose & Pussy
Able Muse
Think Journal
Coal Hill Review

New additions to NewPages guide to Alt Mags:
Science & Society
Edge – The Third Culture

New additions to NewPages guide to Publishers:
Tightrope Books (Canada)

New additions to NewPages guide to Conferences/Workshops/Etc:
Surrey International Writers’ Conference
John R. Milton Writers’ Conference
Writing the Midwest: A Symposium of Scholars and Writers
Wildbranch Writing Workshops
Blow-Out! Festival
Somerville News Writers Festival
Writer’s Edge Innovative Fiction Workshops

New additions to NewPages guide to Indie Bookstores:
Blue Sky Collective

From minds more creative…

Seems some Harvard guys got together for this behind-the-scenes remake of Marcel Proust’s Swann’s Way – remade in the zombie version, Swann’s Blood.

On the coattails – or should I say dragging entrails of – Seth Grahame-Smith’s zombiefied Pride and Prejudice, this making-of video is a nice jab at the remake (dare I say) genre.

James Leaf as Director William St. Forte introduces the work: “To me a great film tells you something about yourself, and often I find that something is: you’re a zombie.”

St. Forte later comments on working with the scriptwriter: “His first draft was very introspective. But I found if I just changed the word ‘memory’ to ‘bloodsplosion,’ well, everything worked out alright.”

Steven De Marco as BJ Hardon (really?) as Marcel Proust: “When did this happen? I have no bloodsplosion about it.”

Ten minutes of total literary fun.

Job :: Managing Editor, River Styx

River Styx independent literary magazine invites applications for the part-time position of Managing Editor. The areas of primary responsibility include general editorial, event coordination, volunteer management, grant writing, and data base management. Candidates must have a minimum of a BA, with experience in literary publishing and computer literacy in both MAC and PC environments. Attention to detail, creativity, self-initiative and a passion for literature are critical to success in this position. Experience with nonprofit management is highly desirable. Please send application letter, resume, and writing samples by July 6 to: Richard Newman, Editor, River Styx, 3547 Olive St., Suite 107, St. Louis, MO 63103 or email to richard.newman<-at->riverstyx<-dot->org

The Splinter Generation

In a previous post, I had a bad link to The Splinter Generation, so I hope to correct that here, and also make a quick note that they are looking for more fiction submissions. So, all you summer-time story writers, get those drafts polished up and sent in! Their new site is looking great!

***[previous post content]***

The Splinter Generation, a one-time-only publication received so much positive attention, the editors have decided to re-launch the journal as an ongoing publication featuring short fiction, poetry and nonfiction from writers born between 1973 and 1993. They’ve also given the site a new look, added some great new editors and are now accepting submissions.

The Splinter Generation is looking for the best poetry, creative nonfiction and fiction. In particular, they’re looking for work that captures what it is to be a member of this generation. Submissions are accepted on a rolling basis, but the reading period will end on November 1.