Cynthia Reese, Editor-in-Chief of Prick of the Spindle invites readers to vote for their favorite poem. Prick of the Spindle will be selecting five poems from vol.1.2 for the Featured Poets. Cast your vote for your favorite poem by sending an email with the title of your favorite poem from this issue! Email address is available on the website.
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!
New Lit on the Block :: Plankton
From Jeoslyn Roebuck: “Plankton was born out of the Virginia Tech tragedy and seeks to showcase new and emerging artists, poets and writers. Each issue will reflect a different angle of creativity. The first issue is designed more or less as a concept album that crafts of story of its own out of eachi individually accepted submission.” Plankton is published quarterly and is available as a full-color, full-text PDF (takes several minutes to download). Plankton accepts poetry and art submisisons.
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Jobs :: Various
Delta College, “one of America’s leading community colleges,” has openings for full-time faculty in the following areas: Business & Information Technology Accounting Instructor (One-year Renewable); Business & Information Technology Computer Science & Information Technology Instrutor (Tenure-track); Business & Information Technology Marketing Instructor (Tenure-track); English Division (Two positions – One Tenure-track, One One-year Renewable). Evaluation of potential candidates will begin in October Fall, 2008; all positions open until filled.
The Department of English at Old Dominion University invites applications for an entry-level, tenure-track appointment in fiction-writing. Dr. David Metzger, Chair, Department of English. November 15, 2007.
Gettysburg College invites applications for a tenure-track appointment at the assistant professor level, beginning August 2008, for a poet to teach five courses over two semesters (3/2) in introduction to creative writing and advanced poetry writing. M.A., with a concentration in creative writing, M.F.A., or Ph.D., with creative dissertation, required. Prof. Jack Ryan, Chair, Department of English. November 9, 2007.
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Film :: AIFI Film Fest
The 32nd Annual American Indian Film Festival
San Francisco, CA
November 2-10, 2007
The American Indian Film Institute (AIFI) and Title Sponsors, the Rumsey Band of Wintun Indians and the Seminole Tribe of Florida, proudly announce the 32nd annual American Indian Film Festival, premiering over 70 innovative feature films, shorts, documentaries, public service announcements, and music videos from USA American Indian and Canada First Nation communities. The 2007 American Indian Film Festival is a nine-day event with an anticipated attendance of over 6,000. The Film Festival takes place at two theatre venues in San Francisco. The Landmark Embarcadero Center Cinema, One Embarcadero Center, Promenade Level, will hold screenings November 2-7; The Palace of Fine Arts, 3301 Lyon St. @ Bay St., November 8-10. A complete schedule will be available October 8, 2007 on the AIFI website. The American Indian Film Institute (AIFI) is a non-profit media arts center founded in 1979 to foster understanding of the culture, traditions and issues of contemporary Native Americans.
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Submissions :: Barnaby Jones
Pinch Pinch Press is a new small press in Ashland, Oregon, now taking submissions for the first issue of their journal Barnaby Jones. They are looking for poetry, short fiction and visual art for the first issue due out early 2008.
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A Literary Journal is Reborn
Quarterly ‘Hopkins Review’ will launch this month
From Greg Rienzi’s contribution to The JHU Gazette:
“Dormant for more than five decades, The Hopkins Review makes a triumphant return to the literary landscape this fall.
“The original Hopkins Review was launched in 1947 by the Writing Seminars, then called the Department of Writing, Speech and Drama. The literary magazine back then was a thin paperback volume that sold for 25 cents a copy. Acclaimed novelist and short-story writer John Barth, a Writing Seminars alumnus and later a JHU faculty member, published his first story in its pages, which also included the works of such celebrated poets as Richard Wilbur and E.E. Cummings.
“The magazine eventually languished due to a lack of funds and a dwindling number of full-time faculty in the department. It folded in 1953.
“The 190-page quarterly literary magazine will publish fiction; poetry; memoirs; essays on literature, drama, film, the visual arts, music and dance; and reviews of books in all these areas, as well as reviews of performances and exhibits.”
Read more about JHR Reborn.
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Lit mag reviews
New reviews of literary magazines now posted at www.newpages.com.
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The Deep South Festival of Writers 11.01.07
One of the oldest literary conferences in the country, the Deep South Festival of Writers is an annual event run by the Creative Writing Program at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. The Festival encourages innovative cultural exchange by providing panel discussions, performances, readings and craft lectures by prominent artists and writers from across the nation. This year’s featured writers include Mary Gaitskill and Rikki Ducornet. Festival dates: November 1st—4th 2007. Location:
UL Lafayette Alumni House
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The Humanist Essay Contest 3.3.08
The Humanist Essay Contest is geared toward exposing students in grades 9-12 to humanism and issues of importance to humanists while financially helping these young scholars advance in their studies. Prizes are awarded for originality of thought, sense of emotional engagement, clarity and quality of presentation, amount of research evidenced, and future potential shown by the author. Deadline of March 3, 2008.
Shadow Massacre
by J.B. Marek
Humanist Essay Contest
1st Place Winner 2007
“I always forget them after I kill them.” These are chilling words from a bold and
intrepid leader known the world over. This youthful hellion led a surefooted band of ruffian orphans through hostile territory seeking blood and revenge. They crept noiselessly along warpaths, silent as shadows, disappearing as quickly as rabbits. Who is this indomitable commander with the courage to challenge a lion, the ability to hear danger in his sleep, and the ruthlessness to chop off a man’s hand?
He is a child, the notorious Peter Pan.
[. . .]
Although J.M. Barrie died in 1937, he would not be surprised if he were alive today to hear that many teenage rebels in Sierra Leone were often scared of what Singer refers to as the ruthless “small-boy” units. And yet, while Barrie’s character Peter Pan sees many tragedies during his make-believe adventures, he forgets them all. Peter Pan and his cadre of orphans are galvanized by their short memory and the innocence of youth provided by the author. The child soldiers in Sierra Leone had no such protection. They are scarred for life by the violence forced upon them.
[Read the rest of this 17-year-old’s compelling essay here.]
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Sunday Beer Talk
Since putting up the “Buy NewPages a Pint” link, we have received a few donations – THANKS! It may seem silly, but it’s fun to find those notices in the mailbox among the daily spam. No amount is too small to make us smile and feel appreciated!
What’s NewPages drinking? Luckily enough, we live within walking (stumbling?) distance of the bar district in our town. Wait, luck? No, actually, we planned it that way when we moved here. “Walking distance to the bars” was on our list of new home requirements. Where we lucked out was finding, also within walking distance, a party store unlike other corner beer shops. The guy who owns this place likes to stock unique beers, wine and liquors, so when we stop in, we’re bound to be walking out with something we’ve never tried before.
Lately, we’ve been hooked on He’brew: The Chosen Beer from Schmaltz Brewing. The Messiah Bold is a nice ale, and the Bittersweet Lenny’s R.I.P.A. is indeed to die for – a rye-based double IPA “brewed with an obscene amount of malt & hops.” Obscene just barely begins to describe how good this beer is, but at five bucks a bottle – even though it’s a big bottle – it’s a bit of a luxury beer.
Another couple we’ve tried recently are from Unibroue, who’s motto is “Drink less. Drink better.” They don’t make a beer under 5.5% alcohol. We’ve tried the La Fin Du Monde, which is a triple-style golden ale, and Maudite, an amber-red ale. Both very good and neither losing taste to the alcohol content, which some high-content beers will do.
Our current twelve-pack beers just to have on hand (it is football season, you know) are Guinness, Bass and Stella (“Stella!”). Stella is new on our list, and we don’t know how we didn’t know about it for so long. What a great beer to have on hand. Or rather, IN hand. And in case you’re thinking we’re some kind of beer snobs around here, well, we are. But hey, I grew up on sneaking sips of my dad’s Falstaff (and trying to solve the rebus puzzles printed on the caps), so I still maintain a taste for flavored water: Stroh’s and Busch Lite are my slummer beers. As much as I hate Miller products, I also have to admit, I really like their Chill beer. It sounds disgusting – a lime and salt flavored beer – but it did hit the spot this summer! To steal another beer’s line: Brilliant!
That said, readers, any recommendations are welcome. We tend to favor IPAs and ESBs, nothing overly sweet. Tell us what you’re drinking out there, especially ye small brews, and we’ll ask our corner shop guy if he can get it for us.
Cheers!
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Jobs :: Various
Colgate University Department of English. Tenure-track position in fiction writing, rank of assistant professor, beginning fall 2008. Jane Pinchin, Chair, Department of English. November 15, 2007.
Cleveland State University Assistant Professor/Director of Creative Writing Programming Department: English. Dr. Louis Barbato, Chair, Department of English. November 1, 2007.
The University of Iowa Department of English invites applications for a tenure-track assistant professor specializing in literary nonfiction writing. Professor Robin Hemley, Department of English. November 2, 2007.
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One YA Novel + Ten Authors = Click!
“A video message from a dead person. A larcenous teenager. A man who can stick his left toe behind his head and in his ear. An epileptic girl seeking answers in a fairy tale. A boy who loses everything in World War II, and his brother who loses even more. And a family with a secret so big that it changes everything. The world’s best beloved authors each contribute a chapter in the life of the mysterious George “Gee” Keane, photographer, soldier, adventurer and enigma. Under different pens, a startling portrait emerges of a man, his family, and his gloriously complicated tangle of a life.” – Scholastic Books
“The idea was that one author would kick things off by writing a chapter, and then that chapter would be passed it along to the next author on the list, and from there the chapters would accrue and the book would grow. We were told we could take as our inspiration any aspect of the chapter or chapters we received in our turn—a character, or an event, or a location, or a word or object—and that we should feel free to follow the story in any direction it took us, forward or backward, up or down, in time or through space.” – Ruth Ozeki, contributing author
The full list of authors includes: Roddy Doyle, Nick Hornby, Ruth Ozeki, Margo Lanagan, Linda Sue Park, David Almond, Gregory Maguire, Tim Wynne-Jones, Deborah Ellis, Eoin Colfer.
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Zines :: New Zine Site Launched
Zine News & Reviews
Zine News & Reviews is a resource available to the zine, small press, DYI, and self-publishing communities. The only requirement for participation is you agree to information (primarily news and reviews) being harvested from your site/blog and reposted elsewhere for maximum exposure. Includes free listings for zine makers, zine distributors, zine reviewers, zine-related news and announcements. Volunteers are also currently wanted to manage a news blog, and possibly a calendar. Email: [email protected]
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Festivals :: Various Events – Canada
WordFest
October 9-14, 2007
Banff-Calgary International Writers Festival is a six-day literary festival that takes place annually in the Calgary, Banff and the Bow Valley region. The Festival attracts more than 12,000 individuals each year and is considered amongst the top three literary Festivals in Canada. WordFest features more than 75 writers from the local, national and international stage and hosts more than 65 events.
The Vancouver International Writers & Readers Festival presents 61 events with writers from around the world from October 16-21, 2007 on Granville Island.
The International Festival of Authors
International Readings at Harbourfront
Toronto, Ontario
October 17-27, 2007
IFOA was inaugurated in 1980 with a mandate to bring together the best writers of contemporary world literature and includes readings, interviews, lectures and round table discussions as well as public book signings and a festival bookstore. The IFOA also presents a number of special events including readings by Scotiabank Giller Prize and Governor General’s Literary Awards finalists, as well as and the highly anticipated awarding of the Harbourfront Festival Prize.
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Jobs :: Various
The Department of English of the College of Staten Island, a senior college of The City University of New York, seeks candidates for an anticipated tenure track position as Assistant Professor of English in Creative Writing beginning September 2008. Professor Mary Reda, Chair Creative Writing Search Committee. November 15, 2007.
Western Michigan University seeks applications for a tenure-track position in Creative Writing (Fiction) to begin Fall 2008 at the rank of Associate Professor or Full Professor, depending on qualifications, experience, and budgetary approval. Dr. Richard Utz, Chair, Department of English.
The Wellesley College English Department, in connection with the Newhouse Humanities Center, invites applications for the position of Newhouse Professor/Writer-in-Residence, a non-renewable position in creative writing extending from one to three years depending on the interest & availability of the candidate.
Muhlenberg College. MFA in Creative Writing for an appointment beginning January 2008 & renewable through May 2009. Primary interest in either fiction or poetry writing with a secondary interest in nonfiction & literary nonfiction.
The English Department at Columbia College Chicago seeks a nonfiction writer, with a strong secondary interest in poetry, for a tenure-track creative writing faculty position, to begin Fall 2008. David Lazar, Chair, Creative Writing Search Committee Department of English. November 1, 2007.
California State University, Stanislaus. Assistant Professor of English with an emphasis in professional writing or creative writing. Dr. Mark Thompson, Chair, Department of English. November 15, 2007.
University of New Hampshire. The Department of English invites applications for two tenure-track positions in English, in fiction writing, beginning September 2008. Mekeel McBride, Chair of the Search Committee.
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New Issue Online :: JMWW
From Editor Jen Michalski: “The Fall 07 issue of JMWW is now floating in space–featuring artists Elizabeth Crisman and Peter Schwartz; Eric D. Goodman’s five favorite Johns; and new expanded fiction, flash, essays, poetry, and book reviews! We are seriously rich with pleasure this issue, so sit back and have a cuppa.”
Find this and many more quality online lit mags on the NewPages Guide to Online Literary Magazines.
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Born Again – But Not G-A-Y
Queer Magazine Born Again
Founder of Venus, a publication for black lesbians, repudiates lifestyle
By Joseph Hart
Utne Reader September / October 2007 Issue
“Regular readers of Venus magazine got a shock when they picked up the January issue. Instead of the usual rabble-rousing stories for African American gays and lesbians, they found a cover photograph of editor and publisher Charlene Cothran with the headline: “Redeemed! 10 Ways to Get Out of ‘The Life’ if You Want Out!” Overnight, and without warning, the country’s leading publication for the black queer community had gone straight…” [read the rest on Utne Reader]
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Tupelo Press :: Dorset Prize Publication and Fundraiser
Tupelo Press has announced the publication of Dorset Prize winner Davis McCombs’s Dismal Rock. In addition to the paperback publication, signed, numbered, limited hardcover edition of 100 are available for $100. The purchase of the special hardcover edition supports the Tupelo Press National Poetry in the Schools initiative, bringing the literary arts alive to students in elementary schools across the country.
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New Issue Online :: 2River
New release: The 2River View, 12.1 (Fall 2007) issue with new poems by Ingrid Chung, Michelle Bitting, Michael Flanagan, EllenKombiyil, Robert Nazarene, Amy Pence, Lynne Potts, Terry Savoie, Sarah Sorenson, Anne Whitehouse, and Erica Wright, with art by Robert Biscayart.
With the publication of the Fall 2007 issue of 2RV, 2River is now reading for Winter 2008. Before submitting, please read the guidelines. 2River is also interested in reading chapbooks for possible inclusion in the 2River Chapbook Series. Before submitting, please read several entries to get a sense of the series.
Find this and many more quality online lit mags on the NewPages Guide to Online Literary Magazines.
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The Banned Books Challenge: Are you reader enough?
From The Inkwell Bookstore Blog, Tuesday, October 2, 2007:
“Banned Book Week is the book industry’s annual celebration of their own self-satisfaction and self-importance. Bookstores everywhere (including us) hang signs in their windows and around their stores boasting that THEY. SELL. BANNED. BOOKS. They get a write up in the local paper, place little white cards around their store and (inevitably) blog about it, and for what? To make themselves feel progressive and important. But of all the books that they are so ‘bravely’ selling, how many have been considered ‘dangerous’ in the past ten years? How many have been banned in a marginally enlightened society in the past twenty years? None. Ooh…you sell Uncle Tom’s Cabin and Huck Finn. How cutting edge! That really sticks it to The Man. Are you serious? I bet you Bill O’Reilly wouldn’t even say anything bad about freakin’ Huck Finn. But how many copies of the Anarchist’s Cookbook does your store have on hand? Or Mein Kampf? Or…”[Read the rest.]
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New Issue Online :: Prick of the Spindle
Prick of the Spindle has just launched its second issue!
Interview with Gail Adams by Ann Claycomb, Prick of the Spindle Fiction
Editor
Editorials: Reviews for How We Were Lost and Fairytales for Writers
Poetry by Eric Mohrman, Sarah J. Den Boer, Evan Daily, and more
Fiction by Shannon Joyce Prince, K. Rose Miller, and Jacqueline May
Drama by Michael Wright and Sandra Gail Teichmann
Nonfiction by Derek Holst
Congratulations to Prick of the Spindle’s nominees for the Best of the Web 2007 Anthology:
Maggie Glover for “Free Stitchery on Readily Countable [Love]”
Sandra Maddux-Creech for “Bibliomasochism”
Alice Rhee for “Darkroom”
Congratulations also to Prick of the Spindle‘s 2007 Nominees for the Best of the Net Anthology:
Juliet Cook for “Some Explanations for Fainting Goats”
Maggie Glover for “Free Stitchery on Readily Countable [Love]”
Leigh Holland for “For I Will Consider Becoming a Nun”
Sandra Maddux-Creech for “Bibliomasochism”
Yousi Mazpule for “Becoming Americana with a Stolen Line” and “Myopia”
Joseph Murphy for “The Vanity”
Qiana Towns for “Sestina for Mamas”
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Lit Mag Mailbag :: October 2
For information about these and many other quality literary magazines, click the links or visit The NewPages Guide to Literary Journals. Also visit the NewPages Literary Magazine Reviews for new reviews as well as an archive of past reviews.
The American Scholar
“Brooklyn Books of Wonder”
Volume 76 Number 4
Autumn 2007
Quarterly
American Short Fiction
Volume 10 Issue 38
Summer 2007
Quarterly
Bellevue Literary Review
Volume 7 Number 2
Fall 2007
Biannual
Event
Volume 36 Number 2
2007
Triannual
Fourth Genre
Volume 9 Number 2
Fall 2007
Biannual
Harpur Palate
Volume 7 Issue 1
Summer 2006
Biannual
Light: A Quarterly of Light Verse
Numbers 56-57
Spring-Summer 2007
Quarterly
Featured Poet: Melissa Balmain
Michigan Quarterly Review
Volume 46 Number 4
Fall 2007
Quarterly
Nimrod
Volume 51 Number 1
Fall/Winter 2007
Biannual
29th Annual Awards Issue
Poetry
Volume 191 Number 1
October 2007
Monthly
Porcupine
Volume 10 Number 2
2007
Biannual
Prairie Schooner
Volume 81 Number
Fall 2007
Quarterly
Santa Monica Review
Volume 19 Number 2
Fall 2007
Biannual
South Dakota Review
Volume 45 Number 2
Summer 2007
Quarterly
Virginia Quarterly Review
Volume 83 Number 4
Fall 2007
Quarterly
South America in the 21st Century
Yellow Medicine Review
A Journal of Indigenous Literature, Art and Thought
Volume 2
2007
Biannual
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Submissions :: Alternative Medicine Literature
A Call for Poems & Stories on Complementary & Alternative Medicine (CAM)
BRINGING CAREGIVERS CLOSER: WHERE THE HUMANITIES, LITERATURE, AND MEDICINE MEET.
A retreat for medical residents sponsored by The AtlanticCare Regional Medical Center, Department of Graduate Education to be held in Atlantic City in December, 2007.
We are looking for poems (Up to 30 lines) and short prose pieces (Fiction & Creative Non Fiction up to 500 words) on Complementary & Alternative Medicine* to use as discussion pieces for a medical retreat for residents in internal medicine and psychiatry, as well as nurses, social workers, administrators, physician educators, clergy, ethicists, poets, writers and patients, all with stories and knowledge to share.
This is NOT a request for publication, and there will there no payment of any kind including copies. Your work, should it be accepted, will become part of a small anthology of imaginative texts to be read and discussed during the day for the benefit of the medical residents and other attendees.
*CAM includes but is not limited to:
Chiropractic, Acupuncture, manipulation & massage
Homeopathy, Naturopathy
Aromatherapy, Magnetic Therapy, Pet Therapy
Traditional Chinese & Native American Medicines
Meditation, Yoga, Reiki
and the healing qualities associated with poetry, literature, art, music,
religion & belief systems.
All submissions should be original, unpublished or published (Please include details), in English and original languages with English translation.
Submit your work attached as a word doc to Peter Murphy at litmed(at) murphywriting.com (replace (at) with @) by November 15, 2007. Include your name, address, emaill & phone number on each page.
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Submissions :: Paradigm
Paradigm, Issue Five. To be released in January 2008, Rain Farm Press’s quarterly journal is looking for a wide range of poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction, plays, and visual art. We’re continuing our mission to find new and innovative writers, poets, and artists in the hope of developing a community of artists whose work we can publish and promote. For more information on submissions, visit Rain Farm Press
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Aufgabe – 2007
With a name like Aufgabe, I had no idea what to expect from this journal. What I found was a brilliant collection of avant-garde poetry that knocked my socks off. Guest editor Raymond Bianchi explained in the introduction that this issue was chosen to “showcase both established and emerging Brazilian poets,” some whose works are translated here for the first time. Some of the poetry is “Concrete, or visual poetry,” which Bianchi explains “is everywhere in Brazil.” There is no way to explain it except to tell you to look at it, please! Continue reading “Aufgabe – 2007”
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Bayou – 2007
According to the Editor’s Note, this is the first issue of Bayou Magazine from the University of New Orleans to be produced after Hurricane Katrina. The cover features a photograph of Bayou St. John, which flooded during the hurricane. In this context, it’s hard not to see this magazine as a small miracle, a reflection of “both the promise of new beginnings and the determination to persevere,” as editor Joanna Leake writes. Continue reading “Bayou – 2007”
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Clackamas Literary Review – 2006
Today at lunch my friend Libby told me about her plans to teach a course in dangerous writing. “You write about the thing that scares you the most,” she explained, “and turn it in to art.” In this issue of Clackamas Literary Review, my favorite pieces were ones that might be categorized as “dangerous.” For example, in Paul Yoon’s story “Lys,” the narrator skids through the precipitous terrain of subtle, taboo desire with his recently deceased father’s French mistress. Jose Skinner’s astonishing fiction, “Counting Coup,” the most provocative piece in this issue and definitely dangerous, cuts as close to the bone as any story can, laying bare an Apache boy’s sexual coming-of-age and subsequent betrayal. And Nancy Mayer’s essay, “Becoming Her Daughter,” honestly and unflinchingly explores the author’s relationship, past and present, with her ailing mother, and her complicated feelings upon her death. Continue reading “Clackamas Literary Review – 2006”
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Eclipse – Fall 2006
The Fall 2006 issue of Eclipse is a dark one. Death is the most prevalent subject, followed by tragedy and despair. Not a magazine to be read all in one sitting if you’re susceptible to depression. Taken one at a time, though, the stories and poems here are refreshing and thought-provoking. Continue reading “Eclipse – Fall 2006”
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Frogpond – Spring/Summer 2007
For most of us in the U.S., “haiku” conjures memories of fourth grade teachers, 5-7-5 syllable counts, and the camaraderie of a bake sale. But, if you read Frogpond: The Journal of the Haiku Society of America, you’d be wrong except for the camaraderie. Continue reading “Frogpond – Spring/Summer 2007”
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Luna – Spring 2007
Luna, which is just the right size to conveniently slip into a purse, offers up multiple works by such poets as Mark Conway, Sara McCallum, Dobby Gibson, Rigoberto Gonzáles, and Crystal Williams, among others. The editors’ preference is for free verse, some so free, in fact, as to cross the boundary into prose. For example, Denise Duhamel’s “You’re Looking at the Love Interest” is a wonderful anecdote set on the page to look like a poem. And while the most basic requisite of a poem is that length of the line be determined by the content, I gravitate toward verse that uses a variety of poetic devices. Continue reading “Luna – Spring 2007”
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Minnetonka Review – Summer 2007
The extremely high quality of the very first issue of Minnetonka Review – a varied, 170 pages of short-stories, poetry, non-fiction and an excerpt of a novel and interview of the author – is set at the very beginning. My breath was taken away by Robin Lippincott’s “Hibakuska (August 6, 1945)” from his novel, In the Meantime. The excerpt is from Japan shortly after the dropping of the first A-bomb – and Lippincott manages to make us believe he was there, and a native. It is so gripping, I was ashamed of being an American as I read of the destruction wrought there as told through the poetic, fatalistic eyes of a young Japanese man. Continue reading “Minnetonka Review – Summer 2007”
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Paterson Literary Review – 2007
The editorial staff dedicated this issue of the Paterson Literary Review to Allen Ginsberg, native son of Paterson, New Jersey. Much of the nearly four hundred pages in this volume are devoted to reminisce of Allen Ginsberg by those who knew him, were mentored by him and were profoundly influenced by him. They call him “bard,” “lover of earth and foe of the fascist state,” “poetry father,” “catalyst of utopia,” and “courage-teacher.” They recount vivid memories, reflect, and describe their sense of loss at his death. The poet Jim Cohn wrote, “Allen’s thinking had a way of causing a roar in your head.” The poet Eliot Katz wrote in an elegy, “Ah, Allen, you gave America a new shape & now you’ve lost yours.” Continue reading “Paterson Literary Review – 2007”
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PMS poemmemoirstory – 2007
To my mind (and perhaps those of women all over America), the acronym PMS as it appears boldly on the journal cover arouses thoughts of the combination of discomforts women experience at a certain time of the lunar cycle. So why, when it would have been so simple to scramble the letters into other combinations, is this quality journal called PMS? Title aside, there is much to appreciate in this review, which exclusively features women’s works and is divided evenly between the three genres. Continue reading “PMS poemmemoirstory – 2007”
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Ruminate – Summer 2007
Ruminate publishes “work that accounts for the grappling pleas, as well as the quiet assurances of an authentic faith.” They mean Christian faith, but you don’t have to be a Christian to enjoy the thought-provoking poetry and prose in the current issue. Continue reading “Ruminate – Summer 2007”
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Art Exhibits :: Loaded Landscapes
Loaded Landscapes
August 16 – October 13, 2007
Museum of Contemporary Photography
Chicago, IL
“Loaded Landscapes offers a peculiar type of landscape photography, one concerned with place, but place laden with human experience. The twelve contemporary artists in this exhibition seek politically charged sites with significant histories, yet their images offer little or no discernible evidence of either past events or current tension. Often invoking the conventions of romantic landscape painting and photography, these artists directly raise the question of photography’s real ability to document a place and expose its history. A picture of a field can be simply a picture of a field; its significance can only be materialized by human experience…” [read the rest]
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Music :: Give US Your Poor
From Appleseed Recordings: a multi-artist fund-raising project for the homeless, Give US Your Poor, is now available, containing 17 new recordings by Springsteen and Seeger (a second collaboration), Jon Bon Jovi, Natalie Merchant, Sonya Kitchell, Madeleine Peyroux, Keb’ Mo’ and Bonnie Raitt, among others – many of them paired with currently or previously homeless musicians. The majority of the profits raised by Give US Your Poor will be spent, on the national level, in pushing for legislation and awareness/action programs designed to stem the growing crisis of homelessness, and, on the local level, to fund homeless shelters. All of the professional musicians involved donated their time and are waiving artists’ royalties for contributions. For more information, visit Give Us Your Poor or Appleseed Recordings.
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Kore Press :: Grrrls Gone Literary
Highschoolers take their writing public: The Grrrls Literary Activism Project takes a leap forward with a grant from the Every Voice in Action Foundation, which has awarded Kore Press $15,000 to launch an Advanced Class on literary activism. The program is currently accepting applications for advanced and beginning workshops. Young women ages 14 to 18 living in Tucson are eligible to participate. For more information or to apply, contact Lisa Bowden at [email protected]. Photo: grrrls wear their own poetry. Visit Kore Press to what other cool things they do.
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Submissions :: Abacot Journal
The Abacot Journal, an online short story magazine, is looking for quality magic realism, urban fantasy, and fabulist fiction for its first issue. Please see our website for full guidelines. Electronic submissions only. The Abacot Journal is a quarterly publication, with new issues appearing in January, April, July, and October. It will debut in January 2008.
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Books to Movies
From Bitter Lemon Press:
Location work has begun on the filming of Tonino Benacquista’s bestselling novel Holy Smoke, which BLP published in 2004. The film, retitled Holy Money, features Aaron Stanford (X-Men, Live Free or Die) in the lead role and features Anouk Aimée and Ben Gazzara. It is directed by Maxime Alexandre.
BLP has acquired the rights to the Italian bestseller Blackout by Gianluca Morozzi. Set in Bologna in mid-August, it’s a thriller about three people trapped in a lift for twelve hours. A waitress still in her Lara Croft uniform, a punk and a serial killer. The novel will be out in English in June 2008. Blackout is soon to be a Hollywood film starring Amber Tamblyn (Grudge, Stephanie Daley) and Aidan Gillen (Mojo and The Wire) and directed by Mexico’s Rigoberto Castaneda.
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New Issue Online :: NO
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Jobs :: Various
Northern Arizona University. Visiting Writer/Instructor of English in Creative Writing for Spring 2008. Dr. Jane Armstrong Woodman, Chair of Instructor/Visiting Writer Search Committee. October 24, 2008.
Central Michigan University. Creative Writing: Poetry. Two tenure-track positions as Assistant Professor of English, beginning fall 2008. Dr. Marcy Taylor, Chair, Department of English Language & Literature. October 26, 2007.
Brooklyn College, Brooklyn, NY. Full-time Associate or Full Professor (Fiction Writing). Michael T. Hewitt, Assistant Vice President for Human Resource Services. Application Due: Open Until Filled.
The English Department at Washburn University is seeking a Creative Nonfiction writer to join a vital writing program, with well-published colleagues in fiction and poetry. Professor Thomas Fox Averill, Department of English. October 29, 2007.
University of Kansas. Assistant Professor of Fiction Writing. Tenure-track; expected start date: August 18, 2008. Dorice Elliott, Chair, Department of English. November 15, 2007.
The University of Iowa Department of English invites applications for a Director of Undergraduate Creative Writing within the English major to be appointed as tenured or tenure-track Associate Professor of English. Professor Judith Pascoe, Undergraduate Creative Writing Search. November 2, 2007.
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Conferences and CFPs :: African American Studies
The National Association of African American Studies Conference
Baton Rouge Marriott, Baton Rouge, LA
February 11-16, 2008
The ALA African American Literature and Culture Society Symposium
“Traditions and Revisions: New Directions in African American Literature and Scholarship”
Saint Louis University St. Louis, MO
October 25-27, 2007
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Country Girl – Rissi Palmer
The first black woman in 20 years to make the country charts. More crossover than country, you can’t help but be charmed by her smile and style. Her first CD comes out today, and I have to admit, I’m going to be listening…
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New Issue Online :: Carve
Carve, Volume 8 Issue 3, Fall 2007 is online now!
Authors and stories include:
“This One Thing” by Jaren Watson
“We cruised back the way we had come with Susan holding the puppy in her lap. Just before we got to the house, Susan turned to me in the car and said, “What the hell kind of animals are llamas, anyway?”
“When My Body Smashed into the Sidewalk” by Yuvi Zalkow
“I might not believe in God, but I do believe in the power of words on a page. I even believe that a story can bring the dead to life. I have to believe that.
“Weekend with the Boy” by Ezra K. E.
“You were born out of great love,” I explain to the boy in trembling sincerity, but he doesn’t seem particularly impressed, head tilting in what could be a shrug. “You were conceived in Rome,” I continue lightly. “That makes you a Roman!”
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New Issue Online :: Contrary [links fixed]
The Autumn issue of Contrary is now published:
poetry: Grace Wells, Katie Kidder, Lindsay Bell, Amy Groshek, and Allison Shoemaker
fiction: Edward Mc Whinney, Thomas King, and Damian Dressick
reviews: At the Axis of Imponderables by Neil Carpathios; Museum: Behind the Scenes at the Metropolitan Museum of Art by Danny Danziger; The Boy in the Ring by Dave Lordan; Later, At the Bar: A Novel in Stories by Rebecca Barry; Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert; The Story of French by Jean-Beno
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Looking at Book Reviews in a Blog-Filled World
From Bookselling this Week, by the American Booksellers Association
September 19, 2007
As part of its Save the Book Review Campaign and overall mission to promote book discussion, the National Book Critics Circle [NBCC] held a symposium, “The Age of Infinite Margins: Book Critics Face the 21st Century,” last week in New York City. At the Friday, September 14, afternoon roundtable, “Grub Street 2.0: The Future of Book Coverage,” NBCC President John Freeman moderated a discussion focusing on the state of book review coverage, its expansion to include blogs, podcasts, and other Web formats, and more. Panelists were Emily Lazar, producer of The Colbert Report; Melissa Eagan, producer of The Leonard Lopate Show; Erica Wagner, literary editor of the Times (UK); Jennifer Szalai, NBCC member and senior editor of Harper’s magazine; Steve Wasserman, incoming literary editor of Truthdig.com; and Dwight Garner, senior editor of the New York Times Book Review.
Read a synopsis of the panel here.
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Submissions :: Slice
Slice magazine is proud to announce that their groundbreaking debut issue will be available in print on September 28, 2007. Slice is a New York-based literary magazine created to provide a forum for dynamic conversation between emerging and established authors. By combining these two groups, Slice aims to pave a space for writers who may not have a platform but show the kind of talent that could be the substance of great works in the future. Submissions: Slice magazine welcomes short fiction, nonfiction, and novellas for serialization. See website for details.
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Poetry :: ELevated Verse in Chicago
IN THE DIRECTION OF POETRY DOORS OPEN ON THE RIGHT AT ELEVATED VERSE
CHICAGO– The Poetry Center of Chicago’s ELevated Verse will be arriving at platforms across Chicago on Monday, September 10, 2007. The project, now in its second year, places the poetry of Chicago public schoolchildren on Chicago Transit Authority posters located in CTA stations all over the city. The project is entirely sponsored by The JP Morgan Chase Foundation.
ELevated Verse uses poetry created by students enrolled in Hands on Stanzas, The Poetry Center’s literacy-through-poetry program. The project is part of the Poetry Center’s Public Art Initiative, which attempts to stimulate the public’s interest in and knowledge of poetry by placing it in highly visible, much-trafficked areas. The posters will officially be on display From September 10 to October 7.
“I believe there is a need for a more public poetry, “said Poetry Center Executive Director, Francesco Levato. “One that engages an audience who might not otherwise read it and one that gives voice to those who might not otherwise be heard. By placing the poetry of Chicago schoolchildren in the familiar settings of everyday life ELevated Verse does that and so much more.”
The project’s posters, created by designer Emily Calvo, feature a representation of a CTA track behind a featured poem. Said Calvo about her design, “I really like the idea of train track as metaphor for ladder, especially in this context.” PDF files of the posters are available on request.
This year the Hands on Stanzas program reached approximately 5,000 students in 35 public schools across Chicago. Participants are public school students from underserved Chicago neighborhoods, ranging from kindergarten to 12th grade. Roughly 45% are African American, 45% are Latino, and 10% come from other ethnic backgrounds. An average of 85% are from low-income families.
“The poetry-in-the-schools program reinforces the literacy skills we teach in the classroom while providing our students with an amazing opportunity to express themselves and learn more about poetry,” said Arne Duncan, Chicago Public Schools CEO. “We are very proud of our young poets and the example they have set for other CPS students.”
Founded in 1974, the award-winning Poetry Center of Chicago is an independent not-for-profit arts organization that is committed to building Chicago’s access to poetry through readings, workshops, residencies and arts education. The Poetry Center is currently in residence at the School of the Art
Institute of Chicago. Visit www.poetrycenter.org for more. For more information about the Poetry Center or the ELevated Verse project, please contact Francesco Levato at 312 899-7483 or at [email protected].
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Jesca Hoop – Big Fish
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Jobs :: Various
The English Department at Illinois Wesleyan University invites applications for an Assistant Professor (Creative Writing) to begin 2008-2009. Alison Sainsbury, Chair, Department of English. November 15, 2007.
Creative Writing Job: SUNY Purchase. The Creative Writing Board of Study offers an undergraduate major in Creative Writing.
Poetry and Fiction Fellowships (2 positions). Writers who have received their terminal degree within the last five years in Creative Writing are invited to apply for an Axton Fellowship in Creative Writing. Paul Griner, Director of Creative Writing, Department of English. November 2, 2007.
Gettysburg College: one-year appointment as a sabbatical replacement, beginning August 2008, for a fiction/nonfiction writer with demonstrated expertise in both genres to teach three courses per semester (“Introduction to Creative Writing” and advanced writing courses in memoir, personal essay, and fiction writing) and assist with departmental writing activities. Prof. Jack Ryan, Chair, Department of English. November 16, 2007.
University of Albany. The Department of English invites applications for a tenure-track position in creative writing & literature at the rank of Assistant professor to begin August 2008. Pierre Joris, Chair, Search Committee, English Department. November 9, 2007.
University of Wyoming. The English Department invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor in Nonfiction to join the MFA faculty, appointment to begin in the fall 2008 semester. H. L. Hix, Director, Creative Writing. November 1, 2007.
Stetson University. Assistant Professor of English. Stetson University seeks a Fiction Writer for a full-time, tenure-track position in English. Terri Witek, Chair of the Search Committee. November 15, 2007.
