Poetry East has introcuded its new app, The Poet’s Almanac, available for free download on iOS and Android devices. This unique app analyzes the weather report and couples it with Poetry East’s customized archive to create a new way for users to discover and engage with poetry every day. Matthew Murrey heralds a rainy day with a piece, and an afternoon of San Francisco fog invites the reader to enjoy Sally Fisher. All of the poems have been handpicked by the staff at Poetry East and graduate students, as well as faculty, at DePaul University have attributed to each a temperature and weather type.

While science, technology, engineering and mathematics – STEM – is the recent focus in education, I am pleased to find pockets where the value of arts is retained: STEAM. The online literary/arts journal [Slippage] is “dedicated to the discovery and publication of unique, creative pieces fusing art with science . . . to bridge the gap between the two worlds of art and science by inspiring artists to think about science and encouraging scientists to transcend rote reductionism.”

[Slippage] journals are available full access online, publishing scientific literary writing in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction, artwork, and nonfiction science studies/research papers and science articles/nonfiction, with the note that the editors are looking for “scientific studies testing artistic hypotheses, or that are art-related in nature.” The editors have provided brief explanations of their definition of “scientific literary writing (and its artistic equivalent)” and “good scientific writing (nonfiction).”

In addition, the [Slippage] website features a “Need Inspiration?” page that would be better labeled “The Value of Arts in the World of Science.” Okay, maybe that’s too long. But the page provides a list of “Did you know. . . ” with specific connections between the arts and science, a brilliant comment from Dr. Robert Root-Bernstein, Professor of Physiology at Michigan State University, which names artists and their contributions to science and the closing comment that “the modern world would not be possible without the insights and inventions of artists. We lose sight of this conclusion at our peril. . . “

There is also a list of science/art readings, artists, writers, influential figures and organizations, scientific theories and concepts, and “sister genres.” It’s a resource useful for helping connect artists to the sciences and vice versa, and a great resource for teachers working with students in one discipline to help them see the value in crossing over and ways in which to do so – the publication itself a living example of how this can be achieved.

The Broadsided Editorial Team is once again planning their Haiku Year-In-Review (HYIR). Writers are asked to “render the events of the previous year in short poems.” These poems will then be matched with seasonal images for a broadside that can be downloaded for posting. “When you write out your resolutions,” the editors suggest, “look back and write a haiku (and send it to us!)”

A list of suggested topics has been posted on the Broadsided guidelines page. Submissions are being collected on Twitter with an alternative submission method for non-Tweeters. Those selected will be published in January as the 2014 HIYR. Deadline: January 10, 2015.

Textual Overtures is a new online academic journal created by graduate students for graduate students in an effort to create an intellectual relationship between the studies of rhetoric & composition and literature. The mission statement of Textual Overtures focuses on the publication’s dedication to “creating a space in which rhetoric, composition, and literature can coexist, and further, create a harmony of textual explorations.”

The editorial staff is “a coalition of graduate students at Washington State University committed to promoting a community of graduate scholarship and discourse.” The current board is Editor-in-Chief: Lindsay Williams; Tech Editor: Kerry Clark; Junior Tech Editor: Hallie Kaiser; Literature Editor: Benjamin Carlton; Rhetoric/Composition Editor: Lauren Kelly; and Communications Editor: Edie-Marie Roper.

The first two issues are available to read online, with the first focused on “Texts, Technologies, and Remediation” and the second “Representing the Body.” The journal can be read online via Scribd and individual articles can be downloaded as .pdfs.

I’ve noticed lately that print literary journals take a variety of approaches to how they use the back cover of their publication. Their backsides might be completely blank, carry over the cover art from the front, feature a separate artwork, be a money-making ad spot for anything from creative writing programs to publishing to chocolates, list contributors – and perhaps even include a tag line for the works inside.

The newest issue of SubTropics caught my eye for something quite different: Using the back cover to publish a contributor’s piece. I’ve seen snippets on the back cover before, but not a whole work. Seeing Amy Hempel’s name in table of contents, I went to the end of the magazine to find her work. Not there. I checked the contents again and saw “back cover” where the page number should have been. No kidding. What a great way to both include and feature a writer, and a great way to allow readers to do what we do naturally – look at the cover then flip to the back to get a quick “free” sample.

Subscription that is! Still looking for a great gift for someone on your list? One of my favorites is HOOT postcard review of (mini) poetry and prose. This postcard publication arrives monthly with artwork and written work featured on the front and artist and author information on the back. As a postcard connoisseur, I can attest that these are well made – solid paper stock that does not get ruined by the postal machines. Minor smears and smudges of postal inking, but that’s a part of the postcard character. If you like your cards pristine or to deliver them yourself, you can also purchase blank sets to send out. HOOT will also send a postcard to someone for you and write a message on the back. I can also attest to their staff having good, clear handwriting! Check them out today.

Pongo Teen Writing, long based in Seattle, Washington training writers to work with troubled youth, is now prepared to bring Pongo training to your city!

According to founder, writer, and teacher Richard Gold, “The Pongo methodology serves multiple audiences: (1) Therapists and teachers who work with at-risk youth, in private practice or through agencies or in special schools; (2) College students, therapists, artists, and teachers who are interested in starting writing programs in jails, shelters, hospitals, and special schools; (3) College students and faculty in schools of social work, medicine, creative writing, psychology, and education; (4) Staff in institutions, such as jails and hospitals, who are interested in expanding their programming. Multiple agencies, colleges, and institutions can come together to sponsor a Pongo visit and training.”

You can read more about the training and a suggested outline for how it could work for you here.

Still Point Arts Quarterly is a print publication of the Still Point Art Gallery of Brunswick, Maine. The gallery also features an online exhibit space. The current exhibit, Blue: Color of the Clear Blue Sky and the Deep Sea, can be viewed in the online gallery and will be a featured exhibition through February 28, 2015. The current print publication has beautiful, full-color reproductions of select images from the exhibit, including best in show for portfolio (Louis Ebarb), best in show for a single image (Sheri Marcus), bets in photography (Marko Susla), best painting or drawing (Roberta Dixon), and best mixed-media artwork (Ellen Kalin). Song by Zoey Frank is pictured on the publication’s cover.

Here’s a great holiday gift for any poetry lover on your list: limited edition, (some) signed poetry broadsides from The Hampden-Sydney Poetry Review. I can personally attest to the quality of these beautiful, limited edition, letterpress (some of handmade papers) editions – having purchased a number of them at past AWP conferences. These are absolute collectibles and will definitely impress. Period. End of story. Order now to get them in time – but even late, they’re worth the wait (for one, there is a pre-order for July delivery).

As noted in the Fall 2014 Forward of Concho River Review, “A forward has become a rare occurrence in CRR, and its appearance in an issue signals changes afoot in the journal. There have been a few.” General Editor R. Mark Jackson goes on to explain that Erin Ashworth-King has stepped down as General Editor to assume responsibility’s in the university’s English department. She’ll be phasing out her role over the next several issues. At the same time, Carol Reposa, nonfiction editor since 2008, has resigned and handed over her role to Albert Haley, Writer in Residence at Abilene Christian University since 1997 and author of numerous works published in the likes of The New Yorker, The Atlantic Monthly, and Rolling Stone.

If you’re looking to read from an independent, writing a bit on the gritty and grimy side, cutting-edge, and fresh – all words Editors Seth Porter and Dan Reilly use to describe The Rag, then you’ll want to get The Best of The Rag for free! Here are gathered 11 of the editors’ favorite stories from first five issues of The Rag. Download The Best of The Rag here, available in three different formats: PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Cover and featured art by Alex Eckman-Lawn.

The Rag editors encourage good reading, and for writers who are considering submitting, “it’s always wise to first read some of the material we’ve published in the past, so you can get a feel for the tone of our magazine. So before you commit to submitting, grab this free issue. We accept submissions online via Submittable and through the regular mail.”

Founded by Alexandra Berlina, Department of American Studies, University of Duisburg-Essen, Readings: A Journal for Scholars and Readers is accepting submissions for its inaugural issue.

“Readings is a new peer-reviewed journal in literary studies intended to be read by both scholars and the general public. Like other journals, we look for academic quality and originality. Unlike most, we also care for high readability and the potential interest of literature-loving non-scholars. We welcome submissions on all aspects of world literature (be it canonical or contemporary, children’s, ‘genre’ or ‘literary’ fiction), including the interplay of literature and other media as well as issues of translation and reception. Imagine a friend who loves literature but is no scholar as your ideal reader. To put it more grandly: our idea of a Perfect Paper hovers between PMLA and The New Yorker.”

From the Editorial Team at Broadsided:

We hope you are feeling deeply connected to the things in your lives for which you are grateful. Among our many gratitudes is that Broadsided is a responsive entity, developing its interactions with the world as situations arise. The events in Ferguson, Missouri have, as we all know, radiated outward to touch upon deep issues in American culture. Race, power, violence, justice, and questions of how we can create and maintain a society that is just and safe for all its citizens.

We have seen powerful poems offered in response–by writers of those poems themselves and also by those looking for voices to help them speak. We want to help gather and honor those voices. To do so, we have launched a new initiative: Groundsourced Anthologies.

We want you to tell us what poems have been meaningful to you in relation to Ferguson. We want you to share them on our Tumblr page so that others can see the chorus of words available to them as they grapple.

Visit this link, scroll to see what’s there, and add your voice:

http://broadsidedpress.tumblr.com/tagged/PoemsForFerguson

You don’t need to “join” Tumblr to share or view.

With Thanks,

The Broadsided Editorial Team

The Missouri Review editor Speer Morgan begins the forward for the Fall 2014 issue themed Ultra-Violence: “Violence in literature and entertainment continues to be debated, and for good reason. One does get tired of it being so casually depicted in every imaginable format, from television and games to novels. However, in this issue of TMR I notice a good measure of violence and pain, reminding me of a truism about this and other subjects in literature—that it all depends on the handling.”

Morgan goes on to discuss Shakespeare and Anthony Burgess, commenting, “Unfortunately, what’s hard to avoid in life becomes a fundamental subject in serious art.” He then introduces the works in this issue, sussing the art of that which we find hard to avoid, various forms of violence we wish not to know, but which, as “handled” by these authors, has much to offer readers.

The Cascadia Poetry Festival, the third in an annual festival series that originated in 2012 in Seattle will be held in the Vancouver Island city of Nanaimo, BC, April 30 – May 4.

Organizers have received a $5000 grant from the Tourism Development Fund of Nanaimo, and a $2500 grant from the Canada Council for the Arts for this festival. In addition to business, organization and individual sponsors, there will be a number of small presses purchasing tables at the festival, and tables are available for reservation.

Entrance is available via Gold Passes at $25.00 for a four-day all events pass (Workshops are separate.), $10.00 for students. There will be four workshops delivered by Canadian and International featured and headliner poets.

The NewPages Writing Conferences & Events Guide this and more conferences, book & literary festivals, workshops and retreats, residencies and writing centers. Check it out!

We were saddened to hear the news today that Coffee House Press founder Allan Kornblum has passed away. NewPages writer Jessica Powers interviewed Allan back in 2006: “The impulse to publish is the impulse to share enthusiasm.” We shared this impulse and enthusiasm with Allan for decades. We will miss him dearly. We will all miss him dearly.

M. Scott Douglass, publisher and editor of Main Steet Rag, is one of the most doggedly and passionately persistent people I know, especially when it comes to poetry. His efforts turned a bit more political this past year with the controversy surrounding the annual appointment of North Carolina’s Poet Laureate. In Scott’s words:

“In Mid-July, North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory bypassed the established protocol for selecting [former Poet Laureate Joseph Bathanti’s] replacement in the position of NC Poet Laureate. An internet donnybrook ensued because his selection seemed out of touch with the state’s writing community. A spokesperson from the governor’s office said the position was largely symbolic, didn’t require qualifications, and called those who were complaining ‘elitists.’ The governor’s selection for Poet Laureate then resigned. No replacement has been named. National news was made.”

It turns out that Lisa Zerkle had just finished an interview with Bathanti for this issue of MSR during the news of this controversy, but said Bathanti didn’t seem ready to talk about it yet. Scott would not be deterred when he later saw Bathanti would be speaking publicly on the issue. He attended the meeting, asked his own questions, then ask Bathanti if he would be willing to do a follow up on the issue with Zerkle. Bathanti agreed, and the resulting interview is published in this issue, with several pages devoted to the governor’s treatment of the role of Poet Laureate.