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NewPages Blog

At the NewPages Blog readers and writers can catch up with their favorite literary and alternative magazines, independent and university presses, creative writing programs, and writing and literary events. Find new books, new issue announcements, contest winners, and so much more!

Sugar House Review – Fall/Winter 2009

The inaugural issue of this self-defined “independent poetry magazine” presents the work of three dozen poets with no fanfare, pronouncements of intentions or predilections, no submission policy statement, no announcement of prizes or awards, no editorial commentary, and no explanation of its name. In fact, the only information about the journal appears at the end of the its 74 (small format) glossy pages: one page listing the four staff members and editorial address in Salt Lake City, UT and a note that the journal is published biannually; the other a “thank you” to the journal’s sponsor (“Thank you to our sugar daddy”), Nations Title Agency, Inc. in Midvale, Utah. Continue reading “Sugar House Review – Fall/Winter 2009”

Eleven Eleven – 2009

If The Paris Review is your worldly college roommate who unselfconsciously regales you with travel stories from “the continent,” Eleven Eleven is the cool kid in your creative writing class who refused to follow rules or obey the professor. The journal is produced by the California College of the Arts, possibly the reason that the editors strike an interesting balance between poetry, prose and visual art. Continue reading “Eleven Eleven – 2009”

Umbrella – Winter 2009/2010

As an inveterate online surfer, I often find that online poetry magazines too often present work that is puerile and pretentious, without music and without depth. I was, therefore, overjoyed when I discovered this literary journal which has been around for the past three years. It is a very attractive production which is well organized and publishes some first rate poetry. Continue reading “Umbrella – Winter 2009/2010”

Fifth Wednesday Journal – Fall 2009

Fifth Wednesday Journal provides readers a wide selection of fiction and poetry, as well as photography and a nonfiction essay. The journal’s goal, “Defining literature. In real context.” is achieved in this issue by examining people in a variety of places and situations. Featured poet, Michael Van Walleghen, creates colorful and almost tangible images of different stages of his life. “The Golgotha Fun Park” reads, Continue reading “Fifth Wednesday Journal – Fall 2009”

Zone 3 – Fall 2009

Some lovely, carefully crafted and enticing work here, including poems by Joan I. Siegel, Lynnell Edwards, and Kate Gleason, as well marvelous hybrid work (verse, prose poem, prose) by Nancy Eimers, and Christina Mengert, who is interviewed by Amy Wright. Wright’s questions are provocative (“Do you have recurring dreams?”). Mengert’s responses to Wright’s questions are as captivating as the excerpts from her piece, “Anatomy of Ascent.” Of the reference to “true things” that appears in the work, Mengert says: Continue reading “Zone 3 – Fall 2009”

The Georgia Review – Winter 2009

Jeff Gundy’s essay, “Hard Books,” in this issue of The Georgia Review says, “Sturdy cloth covers, it is true, rarely house the most daring experiments or frontal assaults on literary norms.” He is right, of course, and his quote is somewhat appropriate for Georgia Review. I didn’t find much daring work here, nothing that shattered my perceptions of poetry and writing, though there is much to enjoy. Gundy also says in this essay “persistence over time is still real, and … being of the moment is not the only value.” So, there it is. Continue reading “The Georgia Review – Winter 2009”

Knock – 2009

There is a collection of art pieces by Tyler Ingram within the most recent issue of KNOCK that perhaps captures the journal’s idiosyncratic and smart aesthetic better than any words written here can. Working with acrylic, canvas, paper, and Smith & Wesson – not to mention a Winchester Model 25 .12 gauge shotgun and Remington .22 caliber rifle – Ingram quite literally blasts ordinary images and plain paper with paint, creating a wild paroxysm of colorful abstractions and unorthodox configurations. This sensibility – color! zeal! nonconformity! – is at the gonzo heart of KNOCK, and if you’re willing to move with its freaky beat, then you’re going to like what you find between its garish covers. Continue reading “Knock – 2009”

Lalitamba – 2009

The front page of Lalitamba states, “During our travels was born the idea for a literary magazine that would uplift the spirit.” Lalitamba presents within its rich 250 pages a variety of poetry, essays and short fiction that explore faith and spirituality, with writing that is rooted in everything from Buddhism to Christianity. As would be appropriate for a spiritual magazine, Lalitamba opens with a section titled, “Letters and Prayers.” Although short, these are the perhaps the heaviest pieces of writing in the issue. They reflect a profound sense of suffering and loss that would speak to the kinds of readers most drawn to this kind of magazine. Continue reading “Lalitamba – 2009”

New Genre – Summer 2009

At first glance, the content of New Genre looks just as its title asserts: a super modern magazine fitted out with cutting edge writing and concerns. This impression is accurate. Take “A Sing Economy” by Adam Golaski, for example. Golaski attempts to explain the plight of the poet in a money-based society. Golaski disagrees with the attitude that such writers, those of short stories included, are to blame for their pitiful financial situation. It is in fact marketable print that lowers the overall intelligence of the population – or specifically the population’s ability to actually recognize thought-provoking writing – and the responsibility for that sorry state of affairs rests with publishers not writers. Golaski says: “Blame the publishers, then blame the editors, then blame the writers, and not the other way around.” Continue reading “New Genre – Summer 2009”

Quick Fiction – Fall 2009

This journal captivated my interest from the beginning with its colorful and surreal cover art of a boy drawing while a fez-wearing turtle directs him (“Boy and Turtle Drawing” by Judy A. Muscara-Orfanos, acrylic on cigar box). At only 6” x 6” and about 40 pages in length, even the physical size of the journal captured my attention and begged to be taken along for an enjoyable read on the go. It held me through to the end with the imaginative prose, much of it written so beautifully it borders on poetry. Kirsten Rue writes in her piece “Spelling,” that “she is the child born between others. She is the one with the sandy-sprouting skull, pink-shelled fingertips, snowflake collars . . . She rides a bandy-wheel and counts the glitter in the sky.” Continue reading “Quick Fiction – Fall 2009”

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 (

Glimmer Train Very Short Fiction Winners :: March 2010

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.

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.

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.

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!