Gay Comic Momements

The 10 Most Important Gay Moments in Comic Book History By Eric Diaz

Lit Mag Cover Sex

Do you think the bookstores will cover up this cover of Granta when it hits the shelves? Will Granta have to wrap it in brown paper to send it in the mail? It reminds me of the 'soft-core porn' cover on Fence a few years back that garnered so much discussion about using sex to sell lit (or was it selling lit as sex?). Wheres Granta's issue is themed "Sex," I don't recall the content of Fence having a direct connection with the cover. It was simply used to help "sell" the mag. Did it work? I don't know, but I figured there were going to be some pretty disappointed young boys who most likely would have stolen the magazine out of the bookstore only to find it filled with - poetry?! Or, who knows, maybe it's covers like these that will someday be credited for having, well, turned some young readers on to literature.

New Lit on the Block :: Storychord

Each Monday beginning today, Storychord.com features one story, one image, and one song - each by a different underexposed, talented up-and-comer. Editor Sarah Lynn Knowles "curates" each issue. The premier features short fiction by Tao Lin, photography by Helena Kvarnström, and a one-song soundtrack by Katie Mullins. Knowles welcomes contributions from similarly talented fiction writers, photographers/visual artists, and musicians for future issues.

New Lit on the Block :: Artifice

James Tadd Adcox, Editor-in-Chief, Rebekah Silverman, Managing Editor, Paul Albano, Web Editor, are the working force behind Artifice Magazine, a nonprofit fiction and poetry biannual (February & September).

The first issue features works by Carol Berg, Jessica Bozek, Blake Butler, Neil de la Flor, Andrew Farkas, Ori Fienberg, Elisa Gabbert, Kelly Haramis, Roxane Gay, Kyle Hemmings, Tim Jones-Yelvington, Gregory Lawless, Jefferson Navicky, Lance Olsen, Joel Patton, Christopher Phelps, Derek Philips, Cynthia Reeser, Kathleen Rooney, Davis Schneiderman, Maureen Seaton, David Silverstein, Susan Slaverio, Kristine Snodgrass, and William Walsh.

"Artifice is looking for previously-unpublished stories, prose works, and poems, pieces that are (as the name implies) aware of their own artifice." In addition, Artifice has pretty lengthy and entertaining Wishlist of "things that we'd be pretty excited to see in our submissions." I can't even begin to tell you what these are (you won't believe me) - check it out for yourself.

The List Anthology Extended Deadline

Try this on for size. Take these six words - Anteros, crippled, spindles, stairwell, threshold, and whirligig - and incorporate them into a poem for possible inclusion in an exciting and daring anthology.

There are no minimum or maximum length requirements for individual poems. We, however, have a three-poem limit for submissions. The only requirement is that you incorporate all six words into one poem. We are most interested in fresh and surprising poems that seamlessly integrate the list words.

Submissions will only be accepted via e-mail. Please e-mail submissions to:

thelistanthology-at-gmail-dot-com

by May 15, 2010.

Please visit www.kennesaw.edu/thelistanthology for more information.

Words to Go Podcast

Newly added to NewPages Guide to Multimedia: Podcasts, Audio, Video: "Author Carole Giangrande hosts Words to Go, a showcase for up-and-coming writers, great reads and the spoken word...Carole would like to read your published stories, novel excerpts, or memoirs to her listeners. All forms of storytelling are welcome." Giandrande also includes commentary on issues of interest to readers and writers, such as a recent post that "blasts away at literary shoplifters, memoir fakes and artsy excuses for stealing work" - the "Bernie Madoffs of the writing world" as she calls them.

Writing With Troubled Teens

Pongo Teen Writing Project blog is actively adding posts of interest to those working with young writers, especially in similar populations as Pongo's focus - teens who are in jail, on the streets, or in other ways leading difficult lives. Here are some of the most recent posts:

Poetry, Demons, and Dragons (about a boy who created a poetic dragon to battle an inner demon)
Mike (about Seattle's Poet Populist - and Pongo volunteer - who brings the tempests of his own life into the public discussion of poetry)
Hearts Out Loud (about kids who wrote on murder and loss, and now write with purpose and gratitude)
Shannon (about an ex-offender who volunteers in the prison where she was once incarcerated)
I Feel Like Weights Have Been Lifted (about how much the Pongo teens love writing and use it to relieve distress)
Mission Creek (about my current workshop with incarcerated women)

Utah State University Student Reviews

In response to a call for reviewers, I heard from two university professors who offered to have their students write literary magazine reviews for NewPages. The first group of reviews came from Kathlene Postma at Pacific University in Oregon, and the second, posted in March and forthcoming in April, are from Professor Jennifer Sinor at Utah State University. Sinor provided the following statement on her students:

"The journal reviewers from Utah State University are all graduate students, many of whom also teach introductory level writing courses to first and second year students. Several have interned with Isotope: A Literary Journal of Nature and Science Writing and with Western American Literature. As part of their creative nonfiction workshop, students had the opportunity to read some of the best writing being published by small and literary presses. They were impressed by the quality and diversity found in the journals, as well as by the exciting use of image. The Utah State University reviewers can be reached by contacting their instructor, Jennifer Sinor: jennifer.sinor-at-usu-dot-edu"

The student reviews are noted by the addition of "Utah State Univeristy" or "Pacific State University" after the reviewer's name. Check out what these avid readers, current editors, and up-and-coming writers have to say about the publications.

New Lit on the Block :: Two-Bit Magazine

Editor Matthew Williams has announced the first issue of the biannual Two-Bit Magazine, for which he has single-handedly edited and created the (stellar) layout and design. The issue features the works of Andrew Coburn, Alan Elyshevtiz, Barbara Donnelly Lane, Tisha Nemeth-Loomis, Wesley Moerbe, M. V. Montgomery, E. K. Mortenson, Lora Rivera, anna Saini, and Rebecca Straznickas.

The publication is online and can be downloaded as a PDF, which features bookmarks linking to each of the works. There is also an embedded version available at Scribd.com. Starting with Issue 2, Two-Bit Magazine will also be available print-on-demand through MagCloud.

For submissions, Williams says, "Two-Bit Magazine is a publication dedicated to exposing emerging, talented writers and artists, as well as new work from veterans. We are looking to build an eclectic body of work: short fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry of any genre or form, serialized novels and novellas, and graphic novels and comics. We will also accept academic work, reviews, essays."

Scholarship :: Antioch Writers' Workshop

The 2010 Antioch Writers' Workshop (Ohio) will award three scholarships - with both a first and second placement for each - Second place awards are NEW for the 2010 AWW.

Betty Crumrine Scholarship to a single parent who is committed to writing and who could not otherwise attend the workshop.

Judson Jerome Poetry Scholarship for a week-long conference of intensive study in poetry and an honorary seat at the banquet opening night.

Bill Baker Scholarship for a writer who is nominated by someone who can testify to his or her qualifications both as writer and community member.

Deadline: May 1, 2010

Bloodroot Contest Winners

Bloodroot Literary Magazine Volume 3 (2010) features works by the winners and honorable mentions of their 2010 contest:

First Prize: David Sullivan - "Angel Jibril, the Messenger"
Second Prize: Danny Dover - "Yukon Territory"
Third Prize: Regina Murray Brault - "Genealogy"

Honorable Mentions (in alphabetical order)
Scott Atkins - "Arrival"
Eileen Malone - "What's All This Crap About Closure?"
Ivy Schweitzer - "Elegy for a Miniskirt (Fawn, Suede)"

Smories: Kid's Reading for Kids

Ralph Lazar & Lisa Swerling are the creators of Smories, a free website for kids to watch little films of new stories being read by other kids. Inspired by their daughter, Smories "is a place for unpublished children's story writers worldwide to get their work published free online, whilst retaining all rights. The stories will be text only (not illustrated), which will remove a common obstacle to publication for many aspiring writers." The FAQs on the site provide complete information about rights, content, and submissions.

In order to attract great stories, Lazar and Swerling have created a US$1,500 (£1,000) prize for the best one submitted each month. From the submissions, 50 stories will be shortlisted each month, get narrated by kids and filmed, and the film attracting the most traffic on the site will win the prize. The first selection will be announced April 5.

NY Poet Laurate Tina Chang

A Poet Who Doesn’t Do Lofty

Glimmer Train Very Short Fiction Winners

Glimmer Train has just chosen the winning stories for their January Very Short Fiction competition.  This competition is held twice a year and is open to all writers for stories with a word count not exceeding 3000.  No theme restrictions.  The next Very Short Fiction competition will take place in July.  Glimmer Train’s monthly submission calendar may be viewed here.

First place:  Mike Schiavone, of Gloucester, MA, wins $1200 for “Wackers.”  His story will be published in the Summer 2011 issue of Glimmer Train Stories.  [Photo attached.  Photo credit:  Sarah Tew Photography.

Second place:  Jake Wrenn, of Downers Grove, IL, wins $500 for “The Accidental Marathon.”

Third place:  David Abady, of Brooklyn, NY, wins $300 for “Big Girl.”

A PDF of the Top 25 winners can be found here.

Deadline soon approaching!

March Fiction Open: March 31

This competition is held quarterly and is open to all writers.  Word count range:  2000-20,000.  No theme restrictions.  Click here for complete guidelines.

An Ad I Can Love

New Lit on the Block :: Wrong Tree Review

Wrong Tree Review has hit print, thanks to Founding Editors Jarrid Deaton and Sheldon Lee Compton. The first issue of this independent literary magazine features an interview with Joey Goebel, author of Commonwealth and Torture the Artist, as well as fiction from Rusty Barnes, Matt Bell, Mel Bosworth, K.L. Cook, David Erlewine, Foust, Roxane Gay, John Oliver Hodges, Stephen Graham Jones, Kilean Kennedy, Sean Lovelace, Cami Park, Ethel Rohan, J.A. Tyler, Charles Dodd White and xTx, with cover art by Dalibor Pehar.

Unfortunately, WTR suffered a major web-tastrophy, and are in the process of rebuilding their site. The main page is up, as well as the purchase page, but others, such as the submissions page, will be forthcoming.

Green Prints Celebrates 20 Years

Green Prints "The Weeder's Digest" celebrates 20 years of publishing with their Spring 2010 issue. With no greater fanfare than the cover, the contents are the same carefully selected and earnestly illustrated gardening "sharing" stories as always. Editor Pat Stone says he did add two different features to this issue: 1) he briefly introduces each piece to explain why it was selected - some great editorial insight, and 2) he adds his own writing to this issue by way of a 20-year retrospective - again, brief. Congrats Green Prints, may you keep on digging for another 20, at least!

New Lit on the Block :: Poetry Is Dead

Hailing from Canada, the masthead for the biannual Poetry Is Dead starts with Editor Daniel Zomparelli, Art Director & Designer Easton West, Assistant Editor Leah Rea, and goes on to include a long list of hearts and souls supporting the work of this newly established non-profit (Poetry Is Dead Magazine Society).

This first issue includes:

Essays "Poetry Is Dead: The Autopsy: What does this mean for Canadian poetry?" by Editor; "The Shrinking Space of Poetry" by Betsy Warland; "The Living Language of Spoken Word" by Chris Gilpin.

Poems by Chris Gilpin, Sean Horlor, David Brock, Rachel Rose, Jill Mandrake, Elee Kraljii Gardiner, Ahmed El-Hindy, Leah Rae, Sandra Bigras, Ryan Longoz, Leni Goggins, Yi-Mei Tsiang, Mirak Jamal, Natalie Gray, and Kat Friedman.

Interview with James Deahl.

Issues are currently themed, and submissions are being accepted for the next issue: TV, Beer and Video Games. Deadline May 31.

Shenandoah Shifts to Online Only

"This spring, Shenandoah: The Washington and Lee University Review, celebrates one milestone and prepares for another. First comes the 60th anniversary issue of the journal, a tribute to writer Flannery O'Connor. And then comes a change, when Shenandoah shifts from print to Web." Shenandoah's attitude is upbeat, seeing the shift as one that will help them better meet their publishing needs (the last issue having hit 300 pages). Established writers will continue with the publication, but the first online issue to launch in 2011 will also allow Shenandoah to introduce new content: "Other facets of this ongoing Web conversation will be such features as songs, artwork and photography, as well as videos of poets reading their verse and authors discussing their stories."

Call for Readers

From War, Literature & the Arts Journal Fiction Editor Jesse Goolsby:

"The 2010 War, Literature & the Arts Conference (Sept 16-18, Colorado Springs, CO) seeks authors and poets to read their work (fiction, non-fiction, poetry) at this distinguished, international conference. The theme of the conference is the "Representation and Reporting of America's Wars: 1990-Present". Mark Boal, screenwriter and producer of The Hurt Locker, heads our keynote speakers." Deadline May 1, 2010.


The conference is also open for submissions for conference sessions until May 1, 2010.

Hunger Mountain YA & Children's Lit

Vermont College of Fine Arts' Hunger Mountain (n14, 2009) features a section on Young Adult and Children's Literature that includes Katherine Paterson's keynote speech at VCFA, October 2008 ("Fellow Travelers"), Liz Cook's winning entry for the 2009 Katherine Paterson Prize for Young Adult and Children's Writing (Crazy Cat), and Janet S. Wong's discussion with examples of the Poet's Process.

The Hunger Mountain web site includes a full-content section on Young Adult and Chilren's Literature, including a tribute to Norma Fox Mazer, essays on controversial issues (writing about sex and whether or not children's poetry "matters"), discussions of female fairy tale characters, a tool box, fiction, poetry, and more.

Passings :: Ai

Ai (American poet born Florence Anthony, October 21, 1947) passed away March 20. You can read her obituary via the Oklahoma State University website, as well as some kind words of remembrance on Oliver de la Paz's blog.

Job :: VP of Instruction and Learning Services

Delta College, Michigan - Vice President of Instruction and Learning Services. Open until filled, but was posted today (March 22).

Jobs :: Various

Copy Editor for Coastal Living Magazine, Birmingham, Alabama.

Distinguished Visiting Writer at Bowling Green State University for 2011. Begin review June 14.

BECA: Bridge for Emerging Contemporary Art is seeking a Development Director.

Question on "Multiple Submissions"

A note from Yelizaveta P. Renfro: "Thank you for your recent post on 'Bruce Guernsey and Multiple Submissions.' I am wondering, however, about the term 'multiple submissions.' In my understanding, the term 'simultaneous submission' means that a piece has been submitted to more than one magazine or journal at the same time -- which is what is being described in the post. The term 'multiple submission,' I believe, means submitting more than one work to the same magazine or journal at the same time, though it seems to me that this term is often misused. There are a number of markets that do make a distinction between the two, including Third Coast and Rattle. Other journals, however, seem to confuse the terms or use them interchangeably."

Thanks for your question/comment Yelizaveta. I'll open this one up for comments/conversation.

Tin House Plays Exquisite Corpse

Issue 43 of Tin House, themed "Play," includes a poetry section titled, "Exquisite Corpse: Sure it's a little game. You, me, our minds." The game, as is explained, has its beginnings in 1925 at 54 rue du Chateau in Paris with Andre Breton and his friends: "one player writes down a phrase and passes it to another player, who writes her own phrase below the first, then folds the paper to hide the first phrase from the next person, who herself then writes, folds and passes, only the previous addition visible to the next person in line. The result is an accordioned piece of paper printed with a bewildering narrative that often has its own strange sense." Others have emulated and adapted this game, and Tin House now throws in their own version with players Mary Jo Bang, Nick Flynn, Alex Lemon, Matthea Harvey, Eileen Myles, and D.A. Powell each writing their own section and the next player picking up the last line as their first.

Minnetonka Review Editor's Prize

The Winter 2010 issue of Minnetonka Review features the works of Editor's Prize Awards winners for poetry, Brandon Krieg, and for prose, Stephen Graf. The Editor's Prize generally recognizes writers who've not published a major book by awarding $150 to one prose and one poetry author from each issue.

Young Me / Me Now

Here's something to do on a rainy day: Young Me / Me Now.

Allegheny Review Award Winners

The Allegheny Review, publishing undergraduate poetry, artwork and prose since 1983, established the Allegheny Review awards in poetry and prose eight years ago. Mark Doty selected Jacques Rancourt (University of Maine) to receive this year's poetry award, and Paul Lisicky selected prose winner Marilyn Miller (University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown). Both winning authors' works can be found in the newest edition of The Allegheny Review (v27) along with honorable mention poet Jes Gearing (Emory University).

Animated Netbook of Letters

AlphaAlpha, an animated netbook of letters: "The concept of this netbook is the proper "history of writing, which is, in a way, the history of the human race, since in it are bound up, severally and together, the development of thought, of expression, of art, of intercommunication, and of mechanical invention."

AlphaAlpha is composed of 365 instances of the letter "A" plus one more for the leap year. The letters are collected in groups of about ten. "AlphaAlpha" is a collaborative work and includes participants artists & poets from several places around the world. AlphaAlpha is a good example of the possibilities of net art.

It is better visualized with Firefox and 1200 X 800 screen resolution.

[via Regina Pinto]

Book Club Med

From the Morning Sentinel: Book clubs for health professionals and humanities requirements in med school as a way to help those in the medical profession "connect" with the whole human: "If you want to understand what someone who is dying is going through, the highs and lows, the emotions, read Tolstoy's `The Death of Ivan Ilych,'" said Dr. Robin Blake. "One hundred years before Kubler-Ross identified the stages of dying, Tolstoy had it."

J Journal Adds Photography

With its fourth issue, J Journal, published by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice at The City University of New York, introduces photography as a regular feature. Though, they are hoping to "stay away from shots of generic justice - police, inmates, judges, balancing scales," and instead hope that the images, like the poetry and prose included, "speak to the justice issue from unusual, subtle, evocative angles." Readers, you'll be the judge of that.

New Lit on the Block :: Nowhere

Not your standard fare in travel writing, Nowhere is travel writing about "a place between places, an imagined depot for stories from the road. We collect found experiences through writing, art, video and sound then illustrate them with objects brought back from the field." It is not travel that has been "confused with tourism" nor lists of "ten awesome things to do," but that remainder of honest field writing that once used to so fascinate us before we thought we had discovered the whole planet. We haven't, and Nowhere proves that the written word still has a great deal left to explore.

Editor: Porter Fox
Designer: Manda Yakiwchuck
Interactive Producer: A’yen Tran
Liberal Copy Editor: Kim Stravers
Contributing Artists: Kara Blossom, Tony Bones, Antonin Kratochvil, Orien McNeil, Swoon
Contributing Writers: Bill Berkson, Alan Bernheimer, Arthur Bradford, Larry Fagin, Heidi Julavits, Josip Novakovich, David Quammen

Nowhere does not accept unsolicited writing, but welcomes letters to their online forum.

Naked Girls Reading

"Despite the beauty of the five naked women, the titillation part of the evening ended fairly quickly. There was no dancing, twirling, or bending over backward; legs remained primly crossed or tucked together. Unless you're a 13-year-old boy (with remarkable facial hair and a really good fake ID), you're not going to be aroused by the mere proximity of naked women sitting in front of a coffee table covered with Star Wars paraphernalia. Which means that the reading itself has to be good, or else you're going to get pretty fucking bored pretty fucking quickly. Luckily, the reading was very good." Read more on Fleshing Out the Narrative by Paul Constant for The Stranger.

Sycamore Review Welcomes Anthony Cook

Anthony Cook has taken over as Editor-in-Chief of the Sycamore Review, trying, as he says, to "build on the legacy" of Mehdi Okasi. "Not easy," he comments, "at a journal where, by design, editorships roll over every year or two. I sometimes envy journals that are able to develop a focused and consistent aesthetic. Such focus makes a journal easier to market; you can find your readership and generate a following." But, after six months at the helm preparing this newest issue, he's convinced that "while such a set-up might seem ideal, it would greatly diminish the value of what, I believe, our journal can offer...In short, dissonance and diversity are our strengths, and they make for the kind of stimulating reading experience for which I long." And for which Sycamore Review is known to deliver!

Limestone Publishes Award Winners

The newest issues of Limestone, from the Department of English at the University of Kentucky features fiction by Jason Grant, winner of the Dantzler Award for Fiction, and Bianca Bargo, winner of the Farquhar Award for Poetry.

Take the Film Noir Poetry Challenge

Poetry Noir, sponsored by the Montgomery County Poet Laureate Program, invites you to view a black and white film available on their site and "use the feelings, memories, reflections, landscapes, characters or behaviors of the film imagery and sounds (selected by PoetryNoir) as a source of inspiration for poetry writing." Currently on tap: Buster Keaton's 1928 film The Cameraman.

Trees I Have Known and Anne Frank

In the latest issue of Drash, Pam Grossman's poem "Kaddish" - a Hebrew prayer for the dead - is offered to a tree. It begins: "Our tree is dying / hunks of splintered bark peel away / branches creak ominously / then litter the yard with brittle bones // The tree surgeon arrives, surveys the damage / proffers a prognosis / two years at most."

It reminded me of trees I have known, and the willingness of some people to care for them rather than just tear them down when they are ill or diseased. It also brought to mind the chestnut tree at the Anne Frank house in Amsterdam, that years ago was very ill and many feared would need to be removed. The tree had been mentioned numerous times in Anne's diary - being one of the few images of nature she could see during the day through the uncovered attic window. The tree was not only saved and remains under care, but seedlings from its chestnuts were sprouted and shared. You can read more about it on the Anne Frank Museum Amsterdam website, including an interactive monument to the Anne Frank Tree where you can "Leave a Leaf."

Bruce Guernsey on Multiple Submissions

The Spoon River Poetry Review Editor Bruce Guernsey adds his two cents in the Summer/Fall 2009 issue on the misuse of multiple submissions. Though he completely understands their use given the "exasperating expectation of waiting," only to receive a rejection letter, he recounts his having read several cover letters for contest poems also submitted to other contests, with checks written out to those other contests - and others not signed or bounced - and of going through the time-consuming process on his end, only to have the poems rescinded because they were accepted elsewhere. It's also general submissions as well that he is more often receiving at SRPR, but with another publication's name on the letter.

Guernsey recalls Donald Hall's labeling of this multiple submissions batching as "McPoem" and the movement of "poe-biz." Guernsey writes: "In addition, the letters themselves have taken on a generic sameness: an opening paragraph asking that the poems be considered...then an indented section in bold face listing the poems, and last by a longer paragraph listing the poet's publications and mandatory M.F.A. I have also heard (with horror) that there are actual services out there that will handle all of one's submissions and rejections, getting poems constantly in the mail and frantically keeping them there.

"'Multiple submissions' is conducive to mass production, and acquiring a long list of publishing credits has become, for some, their goal. But poetry is not some kind of commodity like pork bellies. We should care where our poems go and who reads them. Anne Bradstreet even thought of her poems as her children - a sentimental notions perhaps, but one that kept her from sending them carelessly into the street."

BPJ Barks Interview

In addition to the beautiful cover (Ding Jitang "Picking Persimmons," Xi'an, China, 2000) and the carefully selected poetry to fill its pages, this issue (v60 n3) of Beliot Poetry Journal includes a conversation with Coleman Barks by John Rosenwald and Ann Arbor. In it, they talk about "the relationship between music and poetry, isolation and community, judgment and acceptance."

For anyone who has seen Barks read along with musicians (visit YouTube if you have not), this interview adds another layer of depth to the idea of poetry and music combined, as well as to the complexity of Barks. As Barks says of joining his reading with musicians, "I work regularly with cello; I mean any instrument. The poem feels just so bare or something; I think the music puts it out of the mind, puts it in that layer below, back down in the water table. Somewhere the music lets the personality maybe dissolve a little more, or the ego. A lot of people think that the poem should stand on its own, but it feels good; it feels like I'm giving up some of my proudness, pride in the language of selection, when I let the music carry it along."

Fresh Lit Mag Reviews March 15

NewPages Literary Magazine Reviews

The Antigonish Review
The Barcelona Review
Black Warrior Review
Cadences
Carpe Articulum
The Gettysburg Review
Iron Horse Literary Review
The Kenyon Review
The Laurel Review
The Literary Review
The Massachusetts Review
New Letters
Ninth Letter
North Dakota Quarterly
Poetry
Southern Humanities Review
THEMA
The Threepenny Review
West Branch
World Literature Today

Ruth Lilly as She Should be Remembered

Poetry's Christian Wiman comments on the passing of Ruth Lilly, others' responses to her life ("Willy Nilly Lilly" NYT and Slate), and his own, more gracious and informed reflection. Should you have any misgivings at all, or just an empty space of knowledge, in regards to the life and legacy of Ruth Lilly, you owe it to yourself to read this one-page memorial.

Spring Lit Quiz

Take your Spring Literature Quiz on the Guardian.uk

Sou'wester Welcomes Adrian Matejka

With the newest issue of Sou'wester, Adrian Matejka steps in as the new Poetry Editor, taking the place of Allison Funk, a job Matejka recognizes as "daunting." Still, Matejka hopes to "perpetuate the precedent set forth by Allison, who was dedicated to publishing thoughtful, provocative poetry, while also working to cultivate a dialogue between the diverse aesthetics in contemporary American poetry." Welcome Adrian - may this be the first of many more issues of Sou'wester for you!

Are Lesbians Going Extinct?

Trivia: Voices of Feminism, Issue 10 focuses on the conversation "Are Lesbians Going Extinct?" Edited by Lise Weil and Betsy Warland, Trivia proclaims this the "longest and possibly most thought-provoking issue we've published to date," featuring seventeen writers responding to the question "Are Lesbians Going Extinct?". Trivia 11: "Are Lesbians Going Extinct" #2, also edited by Weil and Warland, will appear in September 2010 and is open for submissions.

[via Ruthann Robson, "Before and after Sappho: Logos"]

New Lit on the Block :: Umbrella Factory

In his Editor's Note, Anthony ILacqua says that a recent call-to-jury-duty experience made him want to "campaign the world - everyone needs to read. And what a better place this world can be if everyone did." Umbrella Factory is his effort, combined with fellow "workers" Oren Silverman, Mark Dragotta, and Jana Bloomquist at jumping into this very campaign. And, they are joined in good company with the writers featured in this first issue: Fiction by John Mcmanus, T.M. De Vos, T.L. Crum, Elinor Abbott; Nonfiction by Samantha L. Robinson, Charles Malone, Elizabeth Bernays; Poetry by John Mcmanus, Samantha L. Robinson, Mathias Svalina, Erin Costello, Justin Runge, Serena Chopra, Seth Landman.

Umbrella Factory is open for submissions. Their site also includes a feedback forum and information about workshops held in the Denver, CO area.

NewPages Updates

NewPages Big List of Literary Magazines
Scapegoat - poetry, flash fiction, book reviews
The Pennsylvania Literary Journal - poetry, book reviews, non-fiction essays
Puritan Magazine - poetry, fiction, interviews, reviews

Independent Publishers and University Presses
RockSaw Press - poetry, chapbooks

Writing Conferences, Workshops, Retreats, Centers, Residencies &
Book & Literary Festivals
Lake Forest Literary Festival

Liverpool Online Lit Fest March 15 - 19

The Liverpool Daily Post Online Literary Festival takes place on their website March 15 - 19. It includes interactive sessions with writers, interviews, workshops, and readings.

Poet Hunt Contest Winners

The Winter 2010 issue of The MacGuffin from Schoolcraft College includes the 14th National Poet Hunt Winner, Helen Marie Casey as well as honorable mention, Carol Gilbertson, as selected by Poet Hunt Judge Thomas Lynch.

AWP - It's Time

Yes, NewPages will be attending AWP in Denver this year! We'll be at the bookfair - Tables F4 and F5, so stop by and say hello. We certainly enjoy being able to get out from behind our computers and meet people F2F at this annual event.

NewPages has never been to Denver before, so we're looking for recommendations for nearby/walking distance stops - like restaurants (ethnic fare?), bars (nearby microbrews?), liquor stores with local wines and beers, bookstores, museums, cool shops, etc.

Copper Nickel Guide to AWP Denver is extremely helpful. We'll be keeping an eye on that. Anyone else out there doing something similar? Individual recommendations are fine, but having a guide like this is great.

RiP! A Remix Manifesto

"Immerse yourself in the energetic, innovative and potentially illegal world of mash-up media with RiP: A remix manifesto. Let web activist Brett Gaylor and musician Greg Gillis, better known as Girl Talk, serve as your digital tour guides on a probing investigation into how culture builds upon culture in the information age."

Spoon River Poetry Review Contest Winners

Just in: The Spoon River Review Summer/Fall 2009 issue features the The Spoon River Poetry Review’s Editors’ Prize as judged by Claudia Emerson: First Place Rebecca Warren; Runner-up Hanna Marta Norris and Stephanie Coyne DeGhett; and Honorable Mention: Michael Meyerhofer, Lusia Slomkowska, Jared Walls, Rebecca Warren, and Jeff Miles.

David Foster Wallace Archive

From the UTexas News Release: The Harry Ransom Center, a humanities research library and museum at The University of Texas at Austin, has acquired the archive of writer David Foster Wallace (1962-2008), author of Infinite Jest (1996), The Broom of the System (1987), Girl with Curious Hair (1988) and numerous collections of stories and essays. The archive contains manuscript materials for Wallace's books, stories and essays; research materials; Wallace's college and graduate school writings; juvenilia, including poems, stories and letters; teaching materials and books. [read the rest]

Underrated Lesbian Books

Aren't they all? Still, check out Curve Magazine's list of the 10 Most Underrated Lesbian Books.

Film :: Women Artists

Who Does She Think She Is? is a documentary featuring "five women who navigate some of the most problematic intersections of our time: parenting and creativity, partnering and independence, economics and art. Through their lives, filmmaker Pamela Tanner Boll explores what it means to nurture children and family, and keep the creative fire burning within."

DVD purchase option for teachers includes a curriculum guide with questions and assignments for students as well as research resources.

Job :: Managing Editor BOMB Magazine

BOMB Magazine, the 29 year-old arts and culture publication, is seeking a managing editor to work with the editor in chief and senior editor on the coordination, commissioning, editing, and proofreading of BOMB print and web interviews and related magazine material. In addition, the managing editor oversees the quarterly production cycle and is the primary liaison between press, design, advertising, and marketing departments. This position is also responsible for various administrative duties.

Applicants should have strong writing and editing skills and a background in the arts, as well experience in production of print and online media. BOMB is a small office and the ideal candidate will communicate well with the staff.

Send a CV and cover letter to Nick Stillman at nick@bombsite.com no later than March 19. Salary is commensurate with experience.

The Believer Book Award Editor's Shortlist

Each year, the editors of the Believer generate a short list of the novels and story collections they thought were the strongest and most underappreciated of the year. In the January issue, readers were asked to send in their nominations for the best work of fiction from 2009; their answers, along with the winner from the following shortlist, will appear in the May 2010 issue of the Believer:

Christopher Miller, The Cardboard Universe: A Guide to the World of Phoebus K. Dank (Harper Perennial)

Percival Everett, I Am Not Sidney Poitier (Graywolf)

Mary Robison, One D.O.A., One on the Way (Counterpoint)

Blake Butler, Scorch Atlas (featherproof)

Padgett Powell, The Interrogative Mood (Ecco)

Internships :: Narrative Magazine

Narrative is currently seeking internship candidates to assist with production of the magazine, including editorial and technical tasks, public outreach, and other programs.

PURPOSE:
Narrative is a premier online literary magazine with the mission of transitioning great literature into the digital age and uniting readers and writers around the world and across generations. In its seventh year, Narrative operates under an original model, combining the values and standards of a nonprofit institution with the ethos and sensibility of a start-up: a fast pace, a tireless staff, and ceaseless determination to stretch every dollar to its fullest in support of the mission.

INTERNSHIP QUALIFICATIONS:
You have a passion for literature, strive for excellence in everything you do, thrive in a fast-paced and dynamic workplace, and are eager to envision, collaborate on, and execute ideas and tasks. You are a high-energy, low-maintenance, well-rounded person with the ability to ensure that projects, people, paperwork, schedules, and other responsibilities are timely, exceptional, and on target. For this position, we need someone who is friendly, professional, reliable, diplomatic, extremely organized, a good conversationalist, a solid writer, computer savvy, and conversant with traditional publishing, social media, electronic publishing, iPhone applications, public relations, and marketing.

Narrative is located in San Francisco and needs local interns but, as a Internet-based, digital publication, also works with interns in various locations.

How to Apply: Please send your CV and a letter indicating what you can bring to Narrative: interns-at-narrativemagazine-dot-com

Sherwood Anderson Foundation Grant

The Sherwood Anderson Foundation grant is avaialbe for a writer who has published no more than two books of fiction. These may be one novel and one book of short stories but not more than two altogether. These must have been published by respected literary journals and/or trade or university publishers. The amount of the award each year depends on a number of factors, including the investment market. The 2009 award was $15,000. Applications must arrive postmarked no later than April 1 of each year.

Passings :: David Nolan

From the Poetry Project Blog: "It is with great sadness that we share the news of the passing of our longtime friend David Nolan. David suffered a heart attack last Thursday, February 25th...Many of you know David through the countless volunteer hours he spent at Project events helping us with sound and guiding us through technical knots. He spent all of New Year’s Day, this year and last, along with David Vogen, making sure each performer everything they needed for their performance, and making sure the Project always got the highest quality recording. It was clear that he got a lot of joy from the work that he did for us as well as so many other organizations he was connected with. He loved being here and we loved him and will miss him dearly. Look for an extended obituary in the Fall issue of the Newsletter. Our deepest condolences go out to David’s family and friends."

Jobs :: Undergrad Co-Editors

From Mary Meadows, Grassroots Co-editor;

Grassroots Undergraduate Literary Magazine of Southern Illinois University at Carbondale is looking for two new co-editors for the 2010-2011 academic year. The position is a paid undergraduate assistantship. Job responsibilities include helping to organize meetings with the Grassroots staff and other Grassroots editors, soliciting submissions and advertising the magazine, helping to design and lay out the magazine, assisting with the Devil's Kitchen Literary festival, and plenty of other odd tasks that the magazine requires. As a co-editor, the student will work with two other editors, another co-editor and an editor in chief, as well as the grassroots staff and various members of the English department staff. This is a great opportunity for anyone who is interested in publishing, literature, or creative writing!

The job is $10/hour and is 10 hours a week. Co-editors are required to keep some set office hours every week in the Grassroots office. An interest and a passion for literature is a must have; InDesign skills are desired, but not necessary.

If you have a student you think would be interested, please forward this information to them. To apply for this position, the student must submit a complete resume and cover letter to Pinckney Benedict in the English Department Office, Faner 2380. Any questions about the position can be sent to grassrootsmag-at-gmail-dot-com.

Application deadline is Friday April, 9th.

CNF: To think / To write / To publish

Via the Creative Nonfiction Newsletter:

Application deadline: March 15

Learn creative nonfiction techniques, work with science, technology and public policy scholars, consult with editors of major magazines and more ... and get paid for the experience!

The Consortium for Science Policy & Outcomes (CSPO) at Arizona State University is presenting an intensive two-day workshop, "To think / To write / To publish," led by Lee Gutkind, Editor of CNF and Distinguished Writer in Residence at CSPO. Thanks to funding from the National Science Foundation selected writers can attend this workshop absolutely free.

This is an opportunity to hone your craft, meet with editors, get feedback and make connections in the science writing community. You will learn how to apply creative nonfiction techniques, to work with scientists, to consult with editors of major magazines and to publish creative nonfiction.

Poets, fiction and nonfiction writers, journalists, documentary filmmakers, bloggers and other writers involved in alternative media, and museum communicators may apply. Applicants should be at the beginning stages of their careers; please see the application for complete guidelines.

There are a limited amount of spaces but those selected will receive an honorarium and all expenses for the two days of the workshop and the three day conference ("The Rightful Place of Science?") that follows. The application includes a two page letter describing your interest/background in science, technology, and public policy - as well as a one page biographical statement.

For more information about the application process, the workshops and the conference, visit the CSPO website and click on "Opportunities for Writers."

The National Collegiate Book Collecting Contest

The National Collegiate Book Collecting Contest was established in 2005 by Fine Books & Collections magazine to recognize outstanding book collecting efforts by college and university students, the program aims to encourage young collectors to become accomplished bibliophiles.

Each contestant must be the top prize-winner of an officially sanctioned American collegiate book collecting contest. The principal criteria will be the intelligence and originality of the collection and the potential of the entrant to evolve the collection and develop new collections. The contestant’s understanding of the collection’s subject and its bibliography as well as the creativity of approach are the primary criteria.

Entries for the 2010 competition must be submitted by June 4, 2010.

Art :: Fourteen Hills

Fourteen Hills has always had the talent for selecting cover-poppin' art, and their latest issue is no exception. "Stuck on Morning Thoughts" by The Pfeiffer Sisters is the appetizer for the center portfolio section of the journal, which features more of their sadly/sweetly haunting characters. Fourteen Hills also provides a link to a web portfolio of The Sisters' (Jenny and Lisa) work, featuring some divine nude-art & graphics prints (for which they not only created the works, but modeled for them). Worth the click (and then some) to check it out.

Perugia Press Prize Winner

Winner of the 2010 Perugia Press Prize for a first or second book of poetry by a woman is Each Crumbling House by Melody S. Gee of St. Louis, Missouri. Each Crumbling House is due to be released in September 2010.

The Perugia Press Prize is given annually for a first or second unpublished poetry collection by a woman. The prize is $1000 and publication by Perugia Press.

Finalists: Susanna Childress, Entering the House of Awe; Danielle Cadena Deulen, Lovely Asunder

Semi-Finalists: Shannon Amidon, The Garden After; Joanne Diaz, Violin; Emari DiGiorgio, Hot Bullets; Mary Kaiser, The Paradiso Shuffle; Christina Lovin, A Stirring in the Dark; Beth M. Martinelli, A Quiet Room; Barbara Paparazzo, The Corridor of Lost Steps; Anna Ross, In the Room Next Door; Bethany Schultz Hurst, Birds, Disappearing; Joan I. Siegel, Soundings; Eva Skrande, My Mother’s Cuba; Annette Spaulding-Convy, In Broken Latin

Hay(na)ku for Haiti

Open Palm Press (an imprint of Meritage Press), announces the series: Hay(na)ku for Haiti - a fundraiser for Haiti. Poets who write in the hay(na)ku form have consented to create hay(na)ku for helping Haiti's recovery efforts. The results are to be released as "pocket poem booklets" by Open Palm Press. Each will be sold for $3.00, reflecting the hay(na)ku's three lines, with all proceeds to be donated for Haiti relief.

Misspellings

Ten Words You Need to Stop Misspelling on Oatmeal (among other irreverently funny information - all of which can be purchased on posters). Thanks Gerry.

Jane Kenyon Poetry Prize Winner

The most recent issue of Water~Stone Review includes the winner of this year's Jane Kenyon Poetry Prize: "Four Corners" by Michelle Bonzcek. Also included in the issue are two poems selected for honorable mention: Myron Ernst's "Beyond the Green Line" and Brett Foster's "Sponge Bath as Answer to the Problem of Knowledge." Marck McMorris was the judge for this year's prize.

The In Between Years

While previous posts have shared news of literary magazine changes in editorship, Jeanne M. Leiby of the Southern Review writes of SR's "lost years."

The story of how SR began is recounted in the introduction to An Anthology of Stories from the Southern Review (LSU 1953). It has been 75 years since the Louisiana State University president, James Monroe Smith, first began the journal. It was in 1942 that "because of the war and the national economic crisis, the university suspended publication of the journal" - until 1965. Leiby writes, "It's sad for me to thing about this gap in our history, the words and works we could have brought to readers in those intervening twenty-three years. And it's not lost on any of us here that we are again a country at war, a nation deeply affected by bleak economic realities."

But, Leiby shows her gratitude to a supportive administration and especially to readers who have kept the magazine running, who have helped to maintain SR as a "grand literary legacy."

At such times of struggle for so many in the literary community, her words of appreciation are well received. We do not want to have to wonder about lost years of voices and words, and we won't have to, as long as we keep our readership and support of literary magazines strong.

60 Writers / 60 Places

60 Writers / 60 Places (2010), a film by Luca Dipierro and Michael Kimball, is about writers and their writing occupying untraditional spaces, everyday life, everywhere. It begins with the idea of the tableaux vivant, a living picture where the camera never moves, but the writers read a short excerpt of their work instead of silently holding their poses.

There is Blake Butler reading in a subway, Deb Olin Unferth in a Laundromat, Jamie Gaughran-Perez in a beauty salon, Tita Chico in a dressing room, Gary Lutz at the botantical gardens, Will Eno in a park, Tao Lin next to a hot dog cart, and Rick Moody on a baseball field.

The writer and the writing go on no matter what is going on around them.

Film Contest for Youth

The Palo Alto Humane Society is accepting submissions for their first annual Humane Planet Film Contest for young filmmakers, ages 14 to 24 year olds, who PAHS thinks "can offer a fresh, innovative approach to highlighting and awakening people to the many critical issues impacting animals in today’s world." Deadline March 31, 2010.

This and other contests for youth are listed on NewPages Young Authors Guide.

Iowa Short Fiction Award Winners

The Iowa Review has announced the 2009 Short Fiction Award Winner, "All That Work and Still No Boys" by Kathryn Ma, and the 2009 John Simmons Short Fiction Award winner, "How to Leave Hialeah" by Jennine Capó Crucet.

Another Farewell and Hello

Editor Neil Shepard offers his Editor's Farewell in the latest issue of Green Mountains Review. He recounts his beginning with the journal in 1986, and spotlights many of the accomplishments over the decades. Shepard will stay on as Senior Editor, while Elizabeth Powell, a new faculty at Johnson State College, will be taking the role of Poetry Editor and General Editor.

Closings :: La Moderna Poesía, Miami

A piece of history is lost as bookstore closes (Miami Herald).

New Lit on the Block :: Sakura Review

Sakura Review is one of those sleek, zen-like journals that packs a wallop of contributors backed by a powerhouse staff: Editor David Green; Managing Editor Natalie Corbin; Poetry Editor Jen Dempsey; Prose Editor Tom Earles; and Art and Layout Director Joel Selby. It started with a lunchroom discussion and the vision to create "a magazine that would represent the unique character of the District, a town embodied by location temporary yet always maintaining an indefinable shape."

This inaugural issue includes prose and poetry by Erinn Batykefer, Richard Boada, T.M. De Vos, Kathleen Hellen, Kevin Debs, Colin James, Dorine Jennette, Richard Jordan, Rachael Lyon, Beth Marzoni, Nick McRae, Carine Topal, Lenore Weiss, Theodore Worozbyt, and Alison Hennessee.

Sakura Review is currently open for submissions until March 15.

Carpe Verbum Fiction Contest Winners

The newest edition of Carpe Articulum features winners of the Carpe Verbum Novella/Long Short Fiction Contest:

First - Carol Howell
Second - Aashish Kaul
Third - Eric Wasserman
In Curso Honorum - Lisa Ni Bhraonain
Honorable Mentions: Paul Fahey, Brian Duggan, Chellis Glendinning, and Loree Westron

The editors write of the contest: "The Novella Award was a new addition to Carpe Articulum this year. Many nay-sayers thought that it wouldn't garner the attention it needed to sustain itself since the Carpe Verbum Short Fiction Award was already offered here. We are proud to announce that it has been the most cussedly attended award series in Carpe Articulum's seven-year history. We were heart-broken to leave out many of the incredible pieces that had so much to offer Carpe's reader...but then, this quarterly collector's volume would have been 700 pages long! We hope to encourage other Literary Reviews to likewise offer this particular genre as an award series. So many fascinating stories are ineligible for print in journals simple due to their length. Such a sad reason for them to never see the light of day..."

Deadlines for upcoming Carpe Articulum contests are outlined in this issue as well as on the publication's website.

New Beginnings

In his Editor's Note to the Winter 2009 issue of The Hampden-Sydney Poetry Review, Nathaniel Perry writes of beginnings: "Beginnings always fascinate us: we remember the first lines of novels, the first lines of well-worn poems. We relish memories of childhood. Storms build up over the far ridge and ride into town, and we stand and crane our necks to watch them." With this issue of, Perry takes over the role of editor from Tom O'Grady, who has stepped down.

As part of his own new beginning the journal itself will take on some newness, including a larger format and full-color cover, a new section of reviews, which Perry considers an "attempt to expand [their] own participation in the larger poetry community," and, finally, a new feature: 4x4. Each issue will include the same four questions asked of four of that issue's contributors.

As all good things must come to an end, our farewell to Tom O'Grady, and to Nathaniel Perry: here's to new beginnings!