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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!

Narrative Goes Kindle

It was just a matter of time: “Narrative, the first and only literary magazine on Kindle, was selected by Amazon for its technological leadership in literary publishing and for its first-class value in reading entertainment.” How long before others follow this lead? Is the readership there? Right now, only Narrative can tell that story…

The *New* Longest Literary Sentence

1. 150,000 words in Zone, by Mathias Enard (published in French in 2008)

2. 40,000 words in Gates of Paradise, by Jerzy Andrzejewski (Polish, 1960)

3. 30,000 words in Dancing Lessons for the Advanced in Age, by Bohumil Hrabal (Czech, 1964)

4. 13,995 words in The Rotters’ Club by Jonathan Coe (English, 2001)

Read the rest of what Patrick T. Reardon of the Chicago Tribune (12/28) has to say on the matter, including why The Blah Story by Nigel Tomm is not considered.

Save Polaroid?

Yes, that fun instant-spit-the-film-out party camera is, well, about to be spit out of circulation, for good. In his New York Times commentary (12/27) “The Polaroid: Imperfect, Yet Magical,” Michale Kimmelman gives a historical overview of artists closely associated with the use of the camera and its imperfect yet captivating style. Also linked from the article is an online community out to do what they can to Save Polaroid.

Artist Camp :: Muskwa-Kechika

2009 Muskwa-Kechika Artist Camp
August 1-8, 2009

The M-K Artist Camp, now in its fourth year, seeks to raise awareness of the values of the Muskwa-Kechika Management Area and to allow artists working in a wide variety of disciplines (ie visual art, writing, photography, video, music) to broaden their individual perceptions of nature and wilderness. The artwork created is being exhibited in galleries and online.

Writing on the Ridge gratefully acknowledges the support of Arts Now, the Spirit of BC program, the BC Arts Council, and the Canada Council for the Arts for their support of the M-K Artist Camps and Shows.

Call for Funny Poetry by Women

And You Think That’s Funny??
Woman Made Gallery
685 N. Milwaukee Ave.
Chicago, IL 60642

Who says poetry has to be serious all the time–or even any of the time? Or that poetry can’t be serious and hilarious at the same time? Woman Made Gallery is looking for writing by women that explores the many ways humor can be used in poetry–e.g., humorous imagery, funny subject matter, political and social satire, parodies of well-known poems/poets, and poems that use humor to make serious statements (or vice versa). All styles and themes will be considered, from the subtly wry to the sidesplitting, that’s rich, this woman is funny!

Please submit up to three original works by emailing gallery(at)womanmade.org. Entry deadline is January 10, 2009. Selected readers must be able to read in person at Woman Made Gallery on February 8, 2009.

Co-Curators: Nina Corwin and Pamela Miller
Pictured: “My New Word” by Heather Klinkhamer
(oil on board; 8×15 inches; U.S. $ 1,260)

See more of the art contributions here.

NewPages Updates :: Listings :: January 2009

Added to NewPages Guide to Literary Magazines Online and in Print

The Chaffey Review – fiction, poetry, creative non-fiction
New River Journal – digital writing and art
Simply Haiku – haiku, haiga, related essays, articles and reviews
The Literary Bohemian – poetry, postcard prose, travelogue
Velvet Mafia – queer fiction, poetry

To Dumb Down or Not to Dumb Down

A Writer And Reader On Why Book Publishers Fail
Lawrence Osborne
Forbes.com
December 12, 2008

The commentary begins: “They dumb everything down.”

And further, this:

“Here, then, is my memo to publishers. Why are you not venturing out to connect with the vast market of recent college graduates who are thirsting for serious writing and who have been grappling with difficult and often sterile texts for years and want something different?

“My son and his friends, who are in their early twenties, read Houllebecq and Bola

Book Art :: This is Where We Live

This is Where We Live – in a book-world city – is an amazing stop-motion film created for 4th Estate Publishers’ 25th Anniversary (Produced by Apt Studio and Asylum Films). Only about 2 minutes long, it took over three weeks to produce. “Each scene was shot on a home-made dolly by an insane bunch of animators.” Insanely beautiful.

Did Oliver Really Need More?

Looking for the fact in fiction, researchers set out to determine if Oliver’s famous line – “Please, sir, I want some more” – would ever really have needed to be uttered.

“But what if we coldly ask whether Oliver really needed any more — that is, was the Victorian workhouse diet sufficient for a 9-year-old boy? A group of British researchers — two dietitians, a pediatrician and a historian — asked just that question in a study published online Dec. 17 in The British Medical Journal…” [read the rest here]

International Herald Tribune by Nicholas Bakalar
December 30, 2008

New Lit on the Block :: College Hill Review

Editors James Barszcz, Steven H. Jaffe, Andrew Gyory, and Edward Myers introduce The College Hill Review, an online quarterly exploring style in the arts and humanities through essays, articles, and other forms of nonfiction that a) address issues of style in works of literary or visual arts; b) report on trends relating to style in all disciplines of the humanities; c) reward stylistic study in themselves. Some poetry and fiction may also be included.

Of special interest to NewPages readers in this first issue: “What’s Right With MFA Programs?” by Clifford Garstang – a daring, positive look at what others so often bleakly describe as the inundation of MFAs onto the world.

Also included: “The Technique of Time in Lolita” by William Vesterman; “The Kingdom of Geek” by Mary Akers; “Analog” a photo essay by Ray Kilmek; “Down the Shore with Henry James” by James Barszcz; and poetry by Mark Scott.

Submissions are being accepted for the Spring 2009 issue, deadline 31 January 2009.

Alt Watch :: Women & Environments

The latest issue of Women & Environments International Magazine focuses on Women and Toxins, and includes feature articles “Mercury Research Bears Fruit in the Amazon” by Kelly Haggart and “The Toxic Treatment: Harmful Chemicals in Canadian Cosmetics” by Madeleine Bird and Sandra Madray. WE Research feature articles include a wealth of topics: breast cancer and the link with pesticides; the U.S. nail salon industry; what every woman should know about mercury, fish and childbearing; the toxic truth about “safe” cosmetics; the need for global breast milk monitoring; and street sales of pesticides in South Africa.

WE also includes poetry, book resources, film & video resources, and other information about related organizations. Past topics covered by WE include Women and Global Climate Change; Women, Art & Community Activism; Women and Urban Sustainability; Young Women Working.

Definitely and alt magazine worth taking a look at, not only for women concerned about their own health and well being, but for anyone who has women in their lives they care about.

The Nation Student Writing Contest Winners

The Nation
Student Writing Contest
Sponsored by the BIL Charitable Trust to recognize and reward the best in student writing and thinking in answering this question: What have you learned from a personal experience that the next president should know before setting the agenda for the country?

Winners
College: “Transcending Trauma” by Victor Lopez, Guildford Tech Community College by way of High Point, NC
High School: “Addressing Inequality in Education” by Laine Alison Zalac, Columbus Alternative HS, Columbus, OH

Finalists
High School
Daniel Zhou, Shaker Heights HS, Shaker Heights, OH
Tim Reveri, Ridgewood HS, Ridgewood, NJ
Henrik Petaisto, Wayzata High School, N. Plymouth, MN
Natalia Thompson, West High School, Madison, WI

College
Xan White, Yale University by way of Denver, CO
Hugh Baran, Yale University by way of Paramus, NJ
Willa Andrew Thompson, New York University by way of Key West, FL
Sean Dennison, Middlebury College by way of Helena, MT

Should the Newberry be Revamped?

In a recent article by Valerie Strauss, “Book world debates value of Newbery Medal” (The Washington Post December 21, 2008), the contemporary value of the Newberry and surrounding debate in the literary community are explored. Should works of quality, no matter how difficult their social and cultural content, take precedent over works that are – or have the potential to be – more “generally” popular? What is the responsibility of this, and any, literary award?

New Lit on the Block :: Quicksilver

Quicksilver is a literary magazine produced by students of the University of Texas at El Paso’s online MFA program, publishing poetry, fiction, and non-fiction, visual art and photography.

The inaugural issue includes new work from Gary Fincke, Erin McMillan, Krystal Languell, Michael Chacko Daniels, J.R. Solonche, Donal Mahoney, Laura Le Hew, Brian Doyle, Jay Varner, and Blake Butler.

Submissions are being accepted for the next issue planned for May 09.

Jobs :: Various

Creative Writing Western State College of Colorado invites applications for a tenure-track position in English starting August 2009. Jan 26

Columbia College Chicago Elma Stuckey Liberal Arts and Sciences Emerging Poet-in-Residence. Annual, one-year nonrenewable position: starts August 2009. Poets from underrepresented communities and/or those who bring diverse cultural, ethnic, theoretical, and national perspectives to their writing and teaching are particularly encouraged to apply. Tony Trigilio, Director, Creative Writing – Poetry. Feb 15

The University of Alaska Southeast seeks applications for a tenure-track position as Assistant Professor in English in the area of Creative Writing/Distance Composition starting fall semester 2009. Sue Oliva, Personnel Services.

Minnesota State University, Mankato is seeking applications for an Assistant Professor, probationary/tenure-track position in Creative Writing – Fiction. Start date August 24, 2009. Jan 23

A Series/A Sequence

Dirk Stratton’s new chapbook of poems, A Series/A Sequence, is a throwback of sorts. In an age where E-Books and particularly E-Chaps are abundant due to the explosion of the blogosphere and readily available publishing software, Stratton’s chap is handmade and released in a very limited run. The book is constructed “old-school”: side stapled, stock cover, paper one could find at a neighborhood Kinkos. Rather than seeming fly-by-night and hurried, however, A Series/A Sequence is lovingly made, with beautiful embossed imprints on each cover – notice I do not say the “front” and “back” of the book. A Series/A Sequence is actually two separate suites of poems that are thematically and aesthetically linked. Hold the book one way, one can read through “Capitulation Suite,” which constitutes the Series part of the chap. Flip the book over and one discovers another suite of lyrical, borderline-concrete poems entitled “Laiku,” which makes up the Sequence. In constructing the chap in this manner, NeO Pepper has joined a growing movement of grassroots to make poetry books that are pieces of art as opposed to mass-produced commodity. The pleasures of A Series/A Sequence rest in its construction as much its poetry, though one feels inextricable from the other. Continue reading “A Series/A Sequence”

The Pets

Everything I know about Iceland could fit into a shoebox: two Björk CDs, a six of Viking beer, a tin of cured ram scrota (a gag gift by one of my “friends”). But I do find the unique and au courant alluring, and my ventures into the unknown often prove worthwhile or at worst innocuous (the only extreme exceptions being Riverdance and Robo-Tripping – I seriously advise you to lay off both, no matter what the cool kids say.) Continue reading “The Pets”

What Stirs

Reading Margaret Christakos’s poetry on the page is like reading sheet music. You don’t get the full effect until you hear it. And when you do hear it, when you read it aloud to yourself, you realize that the music is wildly experimental and takes some participation. Christakos, in What Stirs, challenges you to meet her halfway. There’s nothing passive about these poems. Continue reading “What Stirs”

The Imagist Poem

It was during the decade of the First World War, 1910-1920, that the Imagist poem came to fruition. Imagist poetry was part of the literary revolt in the United States and England against the staid and formal techniques of the nineteenth century. William Pratt, in the introduction to his indispensable anthology The Imagist Poem – Modern Poetry in Miniature, quotes Imagist poet F.S. Flint’s three rules by which the Imagist poem exists: Continue reading “The Imagist Poem”

In Memoriam :: Grant Burns

Today marks the three-year anniversary of the loss of one of our dearest friends here at NewPages: Grant Burns, a university librarian, better known to our readers as Uncle Frank in his regular column of socio-political commentary.

His articles were fiercely poignant, politically charged, and steeped with emotion and intellect. Had we not lost Grant a few years back, I’m sure he’d still be writing for NewPages today and as fiery as ever about what’s now going on in politics and around the world – most especially this last campaign bout. Reading back through his archived columns is a sharp reminder of pains suffered these past eight years, and brings a twinge of remorse that Grant could not have been here to witness the end of the Bush regime.

His guiding words are sorely missed, as is the kind character of the man behind them.

Jewish Fiction Writers’ Conference

If you write adult fiction for the Jewish market, this conference is for you. Meet and network with top publishing professionals, including publicist Shira Dicker (Shira Dicker Media International), writer Erika Dreifus (The Practicing Writer), literary agent David Forrer (Inkwell Management), publicity direc-tor/acquiring editor Cary Goldstein (Warner Twelve), author Jeffrey Hantover, editor Lara Heimert (Basic Books), editorial director Altie Karper (Schocken Books/Random House), author Binnie Kirshenbaum (Columbia University Graduate School of the Arts), author Liel Leibovitz, publisher Elisabeth Scharlatt (Algonquin Books) and author Darin Strauss. Whether you are a new author or have already been published, meet experts who can help you get your work into print. Call 212.415.5544 or email library-at-92Y.org for information.

Sunday, March 15, 2009, 9:00am-5:00pm
Lexington Avenue at 92nd Street
New York, NY

CFS :: Shenandoah Celebrates Flannery O’Connor

Shenandoah announces the celebration of the journal’s 60th anniversary with a special issue centering on the works of Flannery O’Connor. The editor seeks essays, poems, short stories, reviews, photographs and other artwork about, related to or in honor of the fiction and life of Ms. O’Connor.

Deadline: October 1, 2009

A prize of $1,000 will be awarded to the best O’Connor-related work published in the issue, which is planned for fall 2010. See website for complete details.

Perennial Poetry Postcard Project

Okay, so you’ve gone and done it. You have made the New Years Resolution to write more, to be diligent, to keep to a schedule, yadda yadda. Alrighty then, this is just the kick in the pants you need: The Prerennial Poetry Postcard Project from Concrete Wolf Press. Add your name to the list of over a hundred others, and then each week, you send a postcard poem to the next person down on the list from your name. In return, the bottom of the list goes to the top of the list, so you will receive poems as well.

This is organized by Paul Nelson and Lana Ayers (Concrete Wolf), the same people who created the August Poetry Postcard Project, which entails writing and sending a poem a day for the month of August. I participated in this last year, and HIGHLY recommend it! I’ll admit – I didn’t always send a poem a day, but I did make up for it when I could, and finished out the month on time.

As for the Prerennial Project – I guess we’ll see how it goes! Won’t you join me?

Narrative Fall Fiction Contest Winners

Narrative Magazine announced the winners and finalists of their Fall Fiction Contest:

FIRST PRIZE
Jackie Thomas-Kennedy “You Cannot Lie about a Mountain”

SECOND PRIZE
Richard Bausch “Reverend Thornhill’s Wife”

THIRD PRIZE
Russell Working “Evil Onions”

FINALISTS
Nathaniel Bellows “Forgiveness”
Patricia Engel “The Bridge”
Peter Fromm “Peas”
Abby Frucht “The Dead Car”
Alicia Gifford “Afterlife”
Laura Marello “First Love”
Jerry D. Mathes II “Red Flag Warning”
Viet Thanh Nyugen “Arthur Arellano”
Jason Magabo Perez “Megastardom
Ron Tanner “Art Lesson”

The Third-Person Story Contest, with a First Prize of $3,000, a Second Prize of $1,500, a Third Prize of $750, and ten finalists receiving $100 each, is open to fiction and nonfiction entries from all writers.

Entry deadline: March 31

Glimmer Train Family Matters Winners :: 2008

Glimmer Train has just chosen the winning stories of their October Family Matters competition.

First place: Karen Outen of Upper Marlboro, MD, wins $1200 for “Inside the Universe of His Parents”. Her story will be published in the Spring 2010 issue of Glimmer Train Stories, out in February 2010.

Second place: Dana Kinstler of Tivoli, NY, wins $500 for “Eclipse”. Her story will also be published in an upcoming issue of Glimmer Train Stories, increasing her prize to $700.

Third place: Luke Fiske of Cold Spring, NY, wins $300 for “Beautiful Jewish Women Will Sleep with You for Free”.

This quarterly competition is open to all writers for stories about family, with a word count range of 500-12,000.

Also: Fiction Open competition (deadline soon approaching! January 2)
Glimmer Train hosts this competition quarterly, and first place is $2000 plus publication in the journal. It’s open to all writers, no theme restrictions, and word count range is 2000-20,000.

Writing Institute :: Juniper at UMass

Juniper Summer Writing Institute
& The Institute for Young Writers
University of Massachusetts Amherst
June 21-27, 2009
The University of Massachusetts MFA Program, one of the nation’s oldest and finest creative writing programs, invites you to the beautiful Pioneer Valley for a week of intensive writing workshops, craft sessions, readings, Q&As, and manuscript consultations. Faculty include: James Tate, Lydia Davis, Mark Doty, Charles d’Ambrosio, Dara Wier, Noy Holland, Matthew Zapruder, Paul Lisicky, Thomas Sayers Ellis, Holly Black, Lisa Olstein, Kelly Link, Alex Phillips, Chris Bachelder, Arisa White, and Shauna Seliy.

New Lit on the Block :: The Chaffey Review

The Chaffey Review is dedicated to the promotion of literary arts and is published annually by the students and faculty of Chaffey College. The editorial collective culls from the creative writing and journalism programs, providing effectual experience for students to learn about the publishing industry.

The inaugural issue includes a piece given to the journal by David Foster Wallace before his death. The editorial for the journal includes the details of Michelle Dowd’s meeting with Wallace and a dedication of the journal in his memory.

Also included in this issue are works of fiction by John McIntyre, Chelsea Redford, S.D. Asher, and Breinne Morasse, poetry by D.M. Shepherd, Chase Pielak, Brian McConnell, Robert Piluso, and Eleanor Paynter, and creative non-fiction by Renee Summerfield, Sandy Harber, and Angela Bartlett – as well as many other authors.

The Chaffey Review accepts poems, short stories, and creative non-fiction. From the numerous submissions we receive, we accept only the finest, regardless of genre, selections filled with style and surprise, that pay attention to craft, language, and the story well told.

Grace Paley Fans

Grace Paley fans, you’ll want to pick up a copy of the most recent Massachusetts Review (or better yet, subscribe!). The entire issue is devoted to Paley and includes works by Mark Doty, Janet Kauffman, Terry Gross, Naomi Shihab Nye, William O’Rourke, and of course many selections by Grace Paley as well as contributions from her daughter, Nora Paley. Eight pages of Paley’s manuscript are included, complete with her handwritten notes.

In Memoriam :: Harold Pinter

Harold Pinter, universally acclaimed as one of the greatest British playwrights of his generation, has died.

The Nobel Prize winner lost his battle with cancer on Christmas Eve, his agent confirmed. He was 78.

Pinter, who also enjoyed success as a screenwriter for film and television, was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2005, being hailed by the awarding committee as “the foremost representative of British drama in the second half of the 20th century”.

Read more on The Times website.

Awards :: New Letters Readers Awards

Announcing Winners of the 2008 New Letters Readers Awards, distinguished by readers from volume 74, issues 1, 2, 3, and 4:

Winning Poem: “Hangman,” by Jennifer Maier

Winning Essays (a tie): “How to Succeed in Po Biz,” by Kim Addonizio, and “Mrs. Wright’s Bookshop,” by Thomas Larson

Winning Story: “Two Studies in Entropy,” by Sara Pritchard

Essay Runner-Up: “Authority,” by Kelly Cherry
Poetry Runner-Up: “Ultrasound,” by Kristin Berger

Honorable Mentions:
In Fiction: “Intercourse: Couples in Six Short Stories,” by Robert Olen Butler; “In Africa,” by Edward Hoagland; “Mixed Breeding,” by Scott Solomon; “Honesty,” by Ellen Wilbur; “Black Step,” by Daniel Woodrell.

In Poetry: “Blue Room,” by Peter Balakian; The Inferno of Dante Alighieri, Cantos I-V, a new translation, by Mary Jo Bang; “Once Out of Nature,” for Jim Simmerman 1952-2006, by Mark Irwin; “some other god,” by Michael Joyce; “The Palmer Method,” by William Trowbridge.

In the Essay: “Why I Write Now,” by Kelly Cherry.

Other Writers Distinguished by Our Readers:
Willis Barnstone, Beverly Blasingame, Deborah Bogen, Catherine Browder, Patricia Clark, Desmond Egan, Nathan Englander, B.H. Fairchild, Inge Genefke, Robert Gibb, Albert Goldbarth, M. Nasorri Pavone, David Ray, Adrienne Su, Melvin B. Tolson, David Wagoner, Nancy White, Anne-E. Wood.

storySouth Change of Guard

storySouth‘s new publisher will be Spring Garden Press in Greensboro, North Carolina. storySouth‘s new editor is Terry Kennedy, the Associate Director of the MFA Writing Program at UNCG Greensboro and the editor of Spring Garden Press. Joining him as fiction editor is Drew Perry, a UNCG alum who teaches fiction writing at Elon University. Julie Funderburk, who previously served as one of storySouth‘s associate editors, will be the poetry editor, while Andrew Saulters, who created the websites for the UNCG MFA Program, The Greensboro Review, and Spring Garden Press, will be storySouth‘s new designer.

Jason Sanford, founding editor and former publisher, will continue to run the magazine’s Million Writers Award, but otherwise all the current storySouth editors will be fading into the journal’s background.

In Memoriam :: Ian MacMillan

MANOA: A Pacific Journal of International Writing recently bid farewell to Ian MacMillan, who served as its fiction editor for many years. A recipient of the Hawaii Award for Literature, the Elliott Cades Award for Literature, and numerous other prizes and distinctions, Ian passed away on 18 December after a year-long battle with pancreatic cancer.

Ian was also a professor of English at the University of Hawai‘i, where he taught creative writing since 1966. His first book, Light and Power (University of Missouri Press, 1980), won the Associated Writing Programs Award. He has published four books set in Hawai‘i: a novel entitled The Red Wind (Mutual Publishing, 1998); and three story collections from Anoai Press, Exiles from Time (1998), Squid-Eye (1999), and Ullambana (2002). He also published a trilogy of novels set in World War II: Proud Monster (North Point Press, 1987), Orbit of Darkness (Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1991), and Village of a Million Spirits: A Novel of the Treblinka Uprising (Steerforth Press, 1999, Penguin Books, 2000), which won the 2000 PEN-USA-West Fiction Award. He made over a hundred appearances in such literary and commercial magazines as Paris Review, Iowa Review, Gettysburg Review, and MANOA and appeared in such anthologies as The Best American Short Stories, Prize Stories: The O. Henry Awards, The Pushcart Prize, and The Best of Triquarterly. For his work as a writer and teacher, he received the 1992 Hawai‘i Award for Literature, the highest literary honor in the state.

POWDER (book trailer Nov. 2008)

Powder: Writing by Women in the Ranks, from Vietnam to Iraq
An interesting look at the latest in book marketing – the book trailer. Powder is now available from Kore Press – with a unique online feature: “Send a Copy to Your Congressmember.” You click and pay, and Kore will ship it directly to your favorite or least favorite senator. House Members and Military Generals will soon be added.

ArtBistro :: Artist Community Online

ArtBistro brings members of the visual art community together to network, advance careers, and to foster a community with exclusive benefits where information about artists and designers is provided by artists and designers. Included on the site: News, Portfolios, Videos, Jobs, Education, and more – free sign-up required to access some content.

Conference & CFP :: African American Literature

Celebrating African American Literature: The Novel Since 1988
Penn State U
Oct 23 – 24, 2009

This conference will cover contemporary novelists and their novels produced and published since 1988. The meeting is designed to attract scholars and educators from a variety of fields, including American and African American literary studies, cultural studies, rhetoric, African American studies, and ethnic studies.

CFP: paper, panel, and roundtable proposals on theoretical, critical, or pedagogical approaches to works produced since 1988. Especially interested in proposals that address the work of featured novelists Alice Randall and Mat Johnson. Proposals focusing on satire, transnationalism, cosmopolitanism, or any of the topics listed below are also welcomed. Selected essays will once again be edited for publication. Deadline: Feb 5

Kore Press Award Announced

Kore Press First Book Award
Judged by Patricia Smith

Congratulations to Heather Cousins of the University of Georgia, winner of the Kore Press 2009 First Book Award for her poetry collection Something in the Potato Room.

1st runner-up
Mortal Geography by Alexandra Teague
Oakland, CA

2nd runner-up
Threshold by Jennifer Richter
Corvalis, OR

3rd runner-up
American Elegy by Elisa Pulido
San Juan Capistrano, CA

Settling on War and Peace

The most recent issue of New England Review includes in its Readers Notebook feature an essay by Michael R. Katz, “War and Peace in Our Time.” This essay is also generously provided online, full-text. In it, Katz comments on why the resurgence of interest in Tolstoy’s work, focusing on the three most recently published translations and the controversy surrounding each. Katz’s survey, which he humbly calls a “brief comparison,” is indeed thorough and provides a final recommendation, which is worth the full read of his commentary to understand.

Jobs :: Various

Gettysburg College Department of English Emerging Writer Lecturer. One-year appointment, beginning August 2009, for a creative writer who plans a career that involves college-level teaching, to teach three courses per semester, including Introduction to Creative Writing and an advanced course in the writer’s genre, as well as to assist with departmental writing activities. Mentorship for teaching and assistance in professional development provided.

The DePauw University English Department and its distinguished Creative Writing Program invite poets to apply for one-semester appointment in fall or spring of 2009-2010 as the Mary Field Distinguished Visiting Writer.

Normandale Community College Faculty in English Visiting Scholar in Creative Writing. Cyndee Robinson, Human Resources. January 15, 2009

Composition and Professional Writing, American University of Sharjah. Dean William Heidcamp at cashr-at-aus.edu

In Memoriam :: Dorothy Sterling


Kid’s literature luminary Sterling dies at age 95
By Elaine Woo
Los Angeles Times

Dorothy Sterling, a significant figure in 20th century children’s literature for her well-researched portrayals of historical black Americans written decades before multiculturalism became mainstream, died Dec. 1 at her home in Wellfleet, Mass. She was 95.

A self-described accidental historian, Sterling wrote more than 35 books, among the best known of which is “Freedom Train: The Story of Harriet Tubman.” Published in 1954 and still in print, it was one of the first full-length biographies of a historic black figure written for children.

The author drew attention to more obscure but important figures in “Captain of the Planter: The Story of Robert Smalls” (1958), the first children’s biography of the slave who captured a Confederate gunboat during the Civil War. “The Making of an Afro-American: Martin Robison Delany” (1971) helped stir interest in the little-known abolitionist, Harvard-educated physician and early proponent of black nationalism…[read the rest here]

NewPages Updates :: December 20, 2008

The New Plains Review – poetry, fiction, essays and creative nonfiction
Sidebrow – poetry, prose, art
Holly Rose Review – poetry, tattoos
Wilderness House Literary Review – poetry, fiction, non-fiction, art, book reviews
Qarrtsiluni – non-fiction, poetry, and short fiction, photographs, digitized artwork, and short films
Buffalo Carp – poetry,short story, fiction, non-fiction, essays, playlets

Rain Taxi Online Auction

There’s still time left support Rain Taxi and get your bids in on signed first editions, gorgeous broadsides, rare chapbooks, seminal graphic novels, quirky collectible books, handcrafted items, and more! M.T. Anderson, John Ashbery, Paul Auster, Charles Bernstein, Robert Bly, Paul Bowles, Stephen Colbert, Samuel R. Delany, Neil Gaiman, Patricia Hampl, Richard Hell, Jaime Hernandez, Garrison Keillor, Jonathan Lethem, David Markson, Henry Miller, Rick Moody, Barack Obama, Ron Padgett, Jerome Rothenberg, Joe Sacco, Arthur Sze, Jeff Vandermeer, Anne Waldman, Keith and Rosmarie Waldrop, and Marjorie Welish are just some of the authors whose works you’ll find. To see the full listings, go to Rain Taxi’s online benefit auction.