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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!

Take It

Joshua Beckman's fifth collection of poetry Take It, a title suggesting both offer and imperative, is the product of a big heart and a far-ranging imagination. Published without titles, the poems read like non-sequiturs, each one unfolding with peculiar associations of imagery and thought. The language can move from high-flowing rhetoric to obscenity in a matter of lines, and the personas are a varied cast of characters. This epistolary piece, for example, could be the satirical jottings of Vasco da Gama: Continue reading “Take It”

to be hung from the ceiling by strings of varying length

Rick Reid’s full-length book of poetry, to be hung from the ceiling by strings of varying length, reads like a flip book in which lines have been inverted and language turned on its head. When read through quickly without too deep an analysis, the language evokes the impression of a fractured scene. Not only the imagery, but also the language is fragmented, the poet’s linguistic ear sometimes approximating that of an ESL speaker. Continue reading “to be hung from the ceiling by strings of varying length”

Translationin Practice

Motoko Rich in “Translation Is Foreign to U.S. Publishers,” in the New York Times last year, claimed that U.S. editors “are generally more likely to bid on other hyped American or British titles than to look for new literature in the international halls.” There are exceptions of course, like Graywolf Press and Archipelago Books, as well as university presses like Open Letter at the University of Rochester. And there’s Dalkey Archive Press, an avatar of publishing works-in-translation, boasting titles from many sorely underrepresented countries. And with their new book Translation in Practice: A Symposium, Dalkey is the trailblazer once again. Continue reading “Translationin Practice”

The Wonder Singer

In George Rabasa’s The Wonder Singer, traditional genre tropes break from convention and expectation, creating a lovely cliché-bending crime novel with the pacing and plot of Elmore Leonard and the heart and scope of Russell Banks. Rabasa opens his novel with the death of the wonder singer, the operatic diva Merce Casals. His simple-seeming characters wear their occupations as their identity in life, all stuck and starving for an unbridled happiness: the opera singer, the writer, the nurse, the wife, the agent – all searching for something greater. Continue reading “The Wonder Singer”

Narrative Winter Contest Winners

FIRST PLACE
White Space by Janet Burroway
“HIS WRIST IS furred in gold and banded with a, Jesus, Rolex. From the sidewalk it was any other clapboard student digs, but now I remember that he comes from bucks, does Goldenhair. Kenilworth Adamson Lowenthal. What kind of parents pick three dactyls for a name?”

SECOND PLACE
New Year’s Weekend on the Hand Surgery Ward, Old Pilgrims’ Hospital, Naples, Italy by Adam Atlas
“WHEN THE AMBULANCE guys finally came, they were put out and winded. They asked me if I had a plastic bag for the piece of thumb and they watched with their arms folded while I stumbled around and found them a plastic bag.”

THIRD PLACE
That Ain’t Jazz by David Bradley
“COUSIN BERNARD AGREES that I’m trouble, with a capital T. The family buzz is, I’m destined for college. If I don’t get with it now, he says, I’ll end up with some intellectual gig and be swallowed by the Negro Bourgeoisie.”

READ THE WINNING STORIES.

Upcoming Contests:

The FIRST ANNUAL POETRY CONTEST, with $3,300 in prizes.
Entry deadline: July 18.

The SPRING 2009 STORY CONTEST, with $6,500 in prizes.
Entry deadline: July 31.

Jobs :: Various

Loyola College seeks a full-time Affiliate Instructor in Writing to teach first-year core writing course and upper-level course(s) in area(s) of expertise. One year contract, with possibility of renewal.

The Savannah College of Art and Design is seeking candidates for a part-time faculty position in nonfiction writing, specifically creative nonfiction and/or magazine journalism.

Lebanon Valley College (PA) invites applications for a one-year, full-time position as a visiting assistant professor of English beginning fall 2009. July 1

Georgian Literature

No where can you find international issues more quickly anthologized through literature than in literary journals. Readers wanting to educate themselves on cultures and issues, and teachers wanting to engage students in global issues have instant access through numerous print and online publications. International Poetry Review* is one such journal, devoting its most recent issue to Georgia (v35n1). Guest Editor Dominik Irtenkauf introduces the issue with his comments, “Mythology in Georgia Today.” It begins:

“In global terms, Georgia has become more popular because of the Caucasus conflict. When it comes to attracting the attention of the media, all too often, only bad news is good news. However, the newspaper headlines aside, Georgia is a country whose rich cultural history repays our careful attention…Nowadays, Georgian writers, poets most of all, suffer from financial and cultural deprivations in their country. Nevertheless, literature is strong there because of its rich heritage and voluptuous poetic language.”

The issue includes the original poems, written in a Georgian alphabet Irtenkauf calls “all its own, not to be confused with the Cyrillic,” and Bela Tsipuria, PhD in Georgian Literature, Tbilisi State University, provides an introduction worthy of its own study for the value of Georgian history she provides readers.

This issue of IPR is an outstanding example of the importance of literature in developing a broadly informed view of world cultures.

*The IPR website it a bit outdated, but Editor Mark Smith-Soto assures me updates are in the near future.

Passings :: Sam Weller

From the Salt Lake Tribune:

Sam Weller, the venerable Salt Lake City bookseller known for his energetic personality and an uncanny ability to match a customer to the perfect book, died Tuesday. He was 88.

His death, attributed to causes of age, marks the passing of a literary era for Utah readers as well as for the nation’s dwindling community of independent booksellers.

“It’s a big ending,” said Linda Brummett, manager of the general book department at the Brigham Young University Bookstore . “Sam really became a mentor to me and many other booksellers. In one way or another, we can all trace our heritage as booksellers back to Sam.”

Glimmer Train Family Matters Winners :: June 2009

Glimmer Train has just chosen the winning stories for their April Family Matters competition.  This competition is held twice a year and is open to all writers for stories about family, with a word count range 500-12,000.  Monthly submission calendar may be viewed here.

First place:  Randolph Thomas of Baton Rouge, LA, wins $1200 for “According to Foxfire”.  His story will be published in the Fall 2010 issue of Glimmer Train Stories, out in August 2010.

Second place:  Amy S. Gottfried of Thurmont, MD, wins $500 for “Chim Chiminy”.  Her story will also be published in an upcoming issue of Glimmer Train Stories, increasing her prize to $700.

Third place:  Abe Gaustad of Germantown, TN, wins $300 for “A Month of Rain”.

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

Deadlines approaching!

Fiction Open:  June 30
This quarterly competition is open to all writers for stories on any theme, with a word count range of 2000-20,000.  Click here for complete guidelines.

Best Start:  June 30
This new category is different from their others in that the piece should be an engaging and coherent narrative, but it does not need to be a complete story; it needs to be an important part of a story in progress.  Only open to writers whose fiction has not appeared in a nationally distributed print publication with a circulation over 3000.  Maximum word count:  1000.  Click here for complete guidelines.

Passings :: Gerry Gilbert

Vancouver author Gerry Gilbert died this past week. From Remembering.ca:

“I’ve used up my reality” Tuesday, April 7, 1936 – Friday, June 19, 2009 Gerry, poet, moved into the past tense Friday in Vancouver after a lifetime dedicated to writing, photography and art. He will be greatly missed by his son Jeremy in Toronto and daughter Tamsin Bragg (Ritchie) in Saltspring Island, and by his grandchildren Cassandra and Drew Storey in Saltspring, and Matilda in Toronto. Gerry waspre-deceased by his daughter Lara, sister Linda, and parents Ralph and Betty, all of Vancouver. Gerry, once called the “Jude the Obscure of the Vancouver poetry scene,” published many books of poetry and prose, including “Moby Jane,” “Grounds” and “Azure Blues” and was for many years host of “radiofreerainforest” on Co-op radio. He published “BC Monthly,” a writing journal, and had numerous photographic and audio-visual exhibitions. Through BC Monthly and radiofreerainforest, he was the most active of all the poets in the Vancouver poetry community in promoting and supporting the work of other poets from all the many groups and schools in the city. He lived for the last 40 years in and around Vancouver’s Downtown East Side, subsisting on his writing. His family would like to extend their gratitude to Marlene Swidzinsky and James Campbell, Jamie and Carol Reid, and the staff of St. Paul’s Hospital palliative ward. Gerry’s ashes will be spread over the waters by Jericho Beach, to join his family there who preceded him.

Utah Writers’ Contest Winners

The most recent issue of Western Humanities Review (Summer 2009) includes works by the winners of the 16th Annual Utah Writers’ Contest. First prize in prose went to Matthew Kirkpatrick for “Different Distances”; first prize in poetry went to Christine Marshall for “Fits of White” (though she has several other poems published in this issue and not the one named in the contest).

Let Alimentum Adjust Your Attitude

The most recent issue of Alimentum: The Literature of Food (Issue 8) begins with a preface by publisher Paulette Licitra. Its beginning here is something I think many lit mags would agree with, and many readers will find encouraging in seeking out and not being afraid to explore the kind of literature being published these days. Licitra writes:

A couple of years ago someone took me aside and, in a wise-man-giveth-advice tone, told me to take “literature” out of Alimentum‘s subtitle.

“Literature scares people,” he said.

Imagine that. Literature – the word, the idea, the stuff itself – scary. Not scary as in frightening, but as in boring. He thought literature was synonymous with snooze. As if, from this label, people would expect to find dry, bland, sleepy stuff between our covers.

Nothing’s asleep between these covers. Every word is awake and raring to go.

The one thing we didn’t want Alimentum to be is boring. In fact, one of our modi operandi is UNboring. Along with delightful, charming, chewing, tasty (even disturbing), and whoa and wow. And GREAT writing tops our list.

And guess what great writing is called?

Literature.

Even Merriam-Webster says so:

Literature: writings in prose or verse; especially: writing having excellence of form or expression and expressing ideas of permanent or universal interest.

Now who wouldn’t want to read something like that. Turn these pages and you’ll find: literature profound and soul-searching, ironic and funny, irreverent and silly, naive and sophisticated. And sexy, too.

Contest Controversy Abated

There are numerous “controversies” that surround writing contests, and many responses to these from contest sponsors. Here’s a creative approach from PANK Magazine for their 1001 Awesome Words Contest, which offers prizes of $750/500/250:

“For the sake of transparency… We realize entry fees are controversial—acknowledged. Whether you believe us or not, this isn’t a reading fee — we consider it a privilege and pleasure to read your work. While we are hoping this will make us some money, we mostly want to hold a contest and we want to pay the winners, and we want the winners to truly benefit from participation. That said, the announced prize money is predicated on getting enough entrants (we don’t anticipate a problem). However, if PANK draws a prize pool less than $1500, we will announce how many entries we received, and we will pay the three winners on a graduated scale of 50%/33%/17% of the total prize pool. Good news last — if the prize pool exceeds $2000, PANK will lock its profit at 25% and increase the prize pool accordingly.”

List of Summer Reading Lists

The Book Beat Backroom has scoured and compiled a list of top 10 summer reading lists from a variety of educational sources as well as links to NPR, Berkley High School, and Reading is Fundamental.org: “These reading lists of recommended children’s books and young adult books are generally organized by grade level. Many of the elementary children’s reading lists include children’s picture books. Many of the recommended reading lists for middle schoolers include a mix of children’s books and young adult books. You’ll find classics and recently published children’s books and young adult books on these 2009 summer reading lists for preschoolers to grade 12.”

Shout It Out for Your Library!

The New York Public Library has created a new campaign for libraries: “Shout It Out” – hoping to raise awareness for libraries in a time of drastic budget cuts. They’ve made a video callout featuring writers Colson Whitehead, Malcolm Gladwell, Amy Tan, and Nora Ephron as well as celebs Bette Midler, Jeff Daniels, Barbara Walters, Tim Gunn, and more. They hope that people will be inspired to speak out for their libraries and help make sure we can keep providing writers, readers, students, scholars, and so many more, the resources we all need. People can add their own response video, and visit the New York Public Library for other ways to take action. (via Deanna Lee, VP of Communications of The New York Public Library)

New Lit on the Block :: Triggerfish

Triggerfish Editor C.M. Bailey answers the question “How Did We Get Here?” in his editorial to issue #1 of this new online journal: “A few years ago, we began a journey to translate the fundamental values of our poetry site (criticalpoet.com) into a journal. The Critical Poet’s mission is to provide poets with a safe harbor to engage with other writers, to work, to fail and to improve, all the while providing feedback through critiques. Not everyone takes criticism easily, however, it is only through this process that a writer can expect to grow. We wanted to bring that forward and there seemed no better way than with a journal.”

Issue #1 includes a feature with poet Carla Conley, as well as works by Heather Lazarus, Colin James, Lise Whidden, Mary Susan Clemons, Ellen Bihler, Lisa Cronkhite, Lesley Dame, Donal Mahoney, Howie Good, Jasmine Templet, Lynn Otto, S. Thomas Summers, Leanne Drapeau, Dave Mehler, and Mal.

Triggerfish is published quarterly and open for submissions: Summer deadline May 15; Fall deadline August 15; Winter deadline December 15; Spring deadline March 15.

University of Georgia Press Flannery O’Connor Award

More than fifty short-story collections have appeared in the Flannery O’Connor Award series, which was established to encourage gifted emerging writers by bringing their work to a national readership. The first prize-winning book was published in 1983; the award has since become an important proving ground for writers and a showcase for the talent and promise that have brought about a resurgence in the short story as a genre. Winners are selected through an annual competition that attracts as many as three hundred manuscripts. Winners for 2009 whose works will be published this fall are: Geoffrey Becker for Black Elvis and Lori Ostlund for The Bigness of the World.

Jobs :: Various

Seton Hill University seeks published novelist of popular fiction (preferably mystery/suspense), to teach and to mentor novel-length theses in the graduate low-residency Writing Popular Fiction program (half-load), and to teach undergraduate courses in creative writing and first-year composition. Michael Arnzen, Division of Humanities.

Full-time Editor-Berkley Books, Penguin Group(NY).

Simon & Schuster Associate Publisher, Touchstone/Fireside (NY).

Full-time Editor, John Wiley and Son’s Inc (Malden, MA).

Full-time Associate Editor, Palgrave Macmillan (New York, NY).

Writer/Editor, Membership Resources for adult audiences, Girl Scouts USA.

Residency

Kimmel Harding Nelson Center (Nebraska) offers up to fifty juried residencies per year to working artists from across the country and around the world. Residencies are awarded to visual artists, writers, composers, interdisciplinary artists, and arts or arts education scholars. Residencies are available for two-, four-, six-, or eight-weeks stays. Each resident receives a $100 stipend per week, free housing, and a separate studio. Deadline September 1, 2009.

Special Call for CNF

I have now received two notices of extended deadline from Eastern Kentucky University’s MFA program for their new publication of Jelly Bucket, so, either they’re not getting enough submissions or not enough GOOD submissions. C’mon NewPages readers/writers – get off yer summer duffs and submit:

“The new literary journal for EKU’s MFA program would like to announce a special call for non-fiction submissions. The deadline has been extended to July 15th. All submissions should be sent to: nonfiction(at)jellybucket(dot)org. All contact information should be on your submission. The inaugural issue will be released this November. Payment will be two contributor’s copies.” (Tasha Cotter, Poetry Editor/Editor-In-Chief)

First Person Arts Contest

DEADLINE EXTENDED TO JULY 15

First Person America: In These Hard Times

A national competition seeking the best videos, photographs, and stories describing how individuals, families and communities are managing during these hard times.

Writing submissions – up to 2,500 words.
Film and video submissions – up to five minutes, excluding credits.
Photography submissions – may include up to five photographs, with or without accompanying text of up to 100 words per image.

Submission deadline: June 30, 2009

2nd River Chapbook

New at 2River is Fortune Cookies, by Andrew Cox, number 19 in the 2River Chapbook Series. You can visit and read these prose poems online, or click Make-a-Book to download a PDF, which you can then print double-sided, fold, and staple. You’d then have a personal copy of the chapbook.

2nd River accepts submissions for their chapbook series. Submissions should consist of no more than 23 poems, and authors are asked to browse the series before submitting to be sure their work is a good match for 2nd River.

2nd River is also currently accepting submissions of unpublished poetry (June 1 – Aug 31) for their fall 2009 issue.

Narrative Puzzler

Narrative has a weekly Literary Puzzler feature, challenging readers to participate. Last week it was the infamous six-word story form, and this week: Neologisms, which asks readers to submit their own best new words. Winners receive a three-month pass to Narrative Backstage or a digital edition of 18 Lies and 3 Truths. Win or not, the puzzlers are fun to play.

Pongo Seeks Volunteers (WA)

From Richard Gold, Pongo Publishing Teen Writing Project:

Pongo is doing wonderfully and looking for volunteers for the fall. Pongo volunteers will make a six-month commitment (once a week for three hours plus), and they will learn our techniques for helping abused, neglected, and other traumatized youth to express themselves therapeutically through poetry. More information is included below.

WHAT IS PONGO? Since 1992, the Pongo Publishing Teen Writing Project has worked with teens who are in jail, on the streets, or in other ways leading difficult lives. We help young people express themselves through poetry, and the teens often write about traumatic life experiences. Through creative writing, Pongo helps its authors communicate feelings, build self-esteem, and take better control of their lives. Each summer we publish chapbook compilations of the teens’ work. The chapbooks are distributed free to incarcerated youth and others. You can find out more about us at www.pongopublishing.org .

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES AND FREE TRAINING: Are you interested in learning how to use creative writing therapeutically with incarcerated, homeless, and other distressed youth? The Pongo Publishing Teen Writing Project is offering volunteer opportunities and trainings at several sites this fall, to run mid-September 2006 to mid-April 2007. The sites and possible schedules include:

King County Juvenile Detention, Seattle, Tuesdays, noon-3:15 PM
Child Study and Treatment Center (state psychiatric hospital), Tacoma, Mondays, noon-3:15 PM
(Please feel free to contact us if you will not be available on these schedules but would like to be informed about schedule changes or other volunteer opportunities.)

People who join the Pongo program will be well-trained and well-supervised, and they will work as part of a close-knit team of four to six people, under the direction of a Pongo project leader. Every weekly session includes one hour of training (with discussion about poetry, traumatized youth, and writing activities).

We are looking for mature individuals who have a clear understanding of personal boundaries and an ability to adapt to institutional rules. Ideal candidates will write poetry, have education as teachers or counselors, and have experience working with distressed youth. Candidates must make a commitment to attending the weekly Pongo sessions, being on time, and staying with the program until its completion in April.

If you are interested in becoming a Pongo volunteer, please contact us soon. Spaces are limited, and the application and interview process must be completed in early August. You can begin this process by emailing us a copy of your resume and samples of your poetry. Our address is info-at-pongopublishing-dot-org . We welcome your questions, too.

Art :: Brock Davis

Brock Davis set out on January 1, 2009 to “Make Something Cool Every Day.” The result is some creatively whacky art with fascinating series (including painting his own hand with gold spray paint – which he does not recommend). Brock is “an artist and musician who works in a variety of mediums. Professionally, I work as a group creative director and art director for an ad agency in Minneapolis.”

Online Artists Community: Create Culture

“Create Culture is a non-profit organization based in Brooklyn, NY. We promote and co-produce arts learning programs with artists around the world. You can visit www.createculture.us to learn more about the organization and the trip we are co-producing in Morocco next year. The social network www.createculture.org is a project of Create Culture intended to break down barriers for artists and arts lovers around the world. The network is evolving but currently has a unique focus on workshops, an incredible gallery, and a wonderful mix of members from Kuala Lumpur to Kailua.”

Hudson Prize Contest Winner Announced

Black Lawrence Press has announced Patrick Michael Finn as the winner of the 2009 Hudson Prize. His short story collection From the Darkness Right Under Our Feet will be available from Black Lawrence Press in 2011. Finalists and semi-finalists are listed on the Black Lawrence Press website.

Each year Black Lawrence Press awards The Hudson Prize for an unpublished collection of poems or short stories. Winning manuscripts are published by the press and their authors are awarded cash prizes of $1,000.

New Pages Updates

The NewPages Big List of Literary Magazines
One Page Stories – fiction, memoir, personal essay
Chtenia Readings – Russian fiction, translation
Arroyo Literary Review – poetry, fiction, artwork
Second Run – poetry, fiction, plays, essays
The Sienese Shredder – poetry, critical writing, art, music
Cafe Review – poetry, reviews, artwork
Gigantic – fiction, dialogues, artwork
Hobble Creek Review – poetry, nonfiction
Siren – poetry, prose, nonfiction
Everyday Genius – poetry, fiction
Eyeshot – fiction, essays, rants, reviews, photographs
Farrago’s Wainscot – poetry, fiction, nonfiction
Fiction Weekly – fiction
On the Premises – fiction
Lalitamba – poetry, fiction, essays, translations, interviews
Paul Revere’s Horse – poetry, fiction
Guernica – poetry, fiction, features, interviews, art, photography (a long-time favorite listed as alternative, now also listed as lit)

Alternative Magazines
World Affairs

Independent Bookstores
[THANKS NP blog readers for the adds on this list!]
Book Trout, Old Saratoga Books (Schuylerville, NY)
Buy the Book (Kawkawlin, MI)
Loganberry Books (Shaker Heights, OH)
Wolfgang Books (Phoenixville, PA)
Yesterday’s Muse (Webster, NY)
The Bookery Nook (Denver, CO)
Urban Think! Kids (Orlando, FL)
Inner Wisdom (Galesburg, IL)
Old Saratoga Books (Schuylerville, NY)
Big Sleep Books (St. Louis, MO)
Next Chapter Bookshop (Mequon, WI)
Paragraphs (South Padre Island, TX)
[Words] (Maplewood, NJ)
Barner Books (New Paltz, NY)
Sandman Book Co (Punta Gorda, FL)

Writing Conferences, Workshops, Retreats & Book & Literary Festivals
Wildbranch Writing Workshop
NorthWords Writers Festival
Whitehorse Poetry Festival
Squire Summer Writing Residency

June Lit Mag Reviews Online

Stop by and check out the freshest batch of NewPages Literary Magazine Reviews of the following print and online publications: Alaska Quarterly Review, American Poetry Review, American Short Fiction, Black Warrior Review, Freight Stories, Georgia Review, Hawk & Handsaw, Jabberwock Review, The MacGuffin, Michigan Quarterly Review, Ploughshares, Poet Lore, Sentence, Sewanee Review, South Loop Review, West Branch, World Literature Today, ZZYZYVA.

Passings :: Harold Norse

“Harold Norse, whose poetry earned both wide critical acclaim and a large, enduring popular following, died on Monday, June 8, 2009, in San Francisco, just one month before his 93rd birthday. Norse, who lived in San Francisco for the last thirty five years, had a prolific, international literary career that spanned 70 years. His collected poems were published in 2003 under the title In the Hub of the Fiery Force, and he continued to read publicly into his 90s, bringing his work to new generations.”

Read more about Norse on his site and on his page with the Beat Museum.

The Beat Museum will be hosting a Memorial for Harold on Sunday, July 12th, time TBA.

Espresso Isn’t Just for Coffee Anymore

The new Espresso Book Machine is out – currently in 15 bookstores, and another 100 projected (Strauss). “The EBM is a fully integrated patented book making machine which can automatically print, bind and trim on demand at point of sale perfect bound library quality paperback books with 4-color cover indistinguishable from their factory made versions.”

Badgerdog Instructors and Internships

Badgerdog Literary Publishing of Austin, Texas, runs both in-school and after-school creative writing workshops in elementary, middle, and high schools throughout Central Texas for which there are Workshop Instructor positions. Badgerdog also has internships available: Youth Voices in Ink editorial internships; Badgerdog teaching internships; American Short Fiction internships; business internships; and PR and journalism internships. More information about each and the application process can be found on the Badgerdog website.

Poetry is Everywhere

The Found Poetry Project was conceived by Timothy Green and Megan O’Reilly Green back in 2005 and launched December 2008. The intention of The Found Poetry Project is “to raise awareness of the poetry that appears anywhere we choose to look.” To that end, the editors have established the following guidelines for found poetry, or FoPo, to be considered on their ongoing blog site:

1. The original author must not have intended the text to be poetry.
2. The found poem may not be sourced from literary fiction, non-fiction, or poetry. If the author seems to have been intentionally using poetic elements, it does not qualify for our purposes, even if those elements were employed in prose.
3. The original source of the text must be known. Source material may be anonymous, such as graffiti, signage, etc., but all published works must be properly cited.
4. The original text must not be edited by the finder, except by omission, punctuation, or lineation. Finders may cut words and add line breaks, but may not add words or rearrange text.
5. Finders may either choose to leave the poem untitled, or add their own.

Submissions are open, limited only by your own vision to see the poetry.

New Lit on the Block :: A River & Sound Review

Based out of Puyallup, Washington, it is partly true to say that A River & Sound Review is one of many efforts created “to promote the literary arts in a rural community with an undernourished appreciation for belles lettres.” For the rest of the truth, visit the website! AR&SR publishes an online literary journal that features the best in poetry, fiction, nonfiction,and humor (currently reading August 1 to October 31, 2009).

Issue Number 1 features poetry by Wendy Taylor Carlisle, Adrian Gibbons Koesters, Anne McDuffie, Kristine Ong Muslim, Peggy Shumaker, Patricia Staton, and Julie Marie Wade; fiction by Simon Fruelund and David Huddle; essays by Susan Casey, Leslie Haynesworth, and Anne-Marie Oomen; humor by Brian Doyle.

AR&SR also produces a live literary productions and releases them as podcasts: “it’s a fresh and humor-filled presentation of a literary reading, one like you’ve never heard or seen before.” Averaging nee show every 12 weeks AR&SR will open to booking performances. Their upcoming live shows include Tacoma, WA on August 9, featuring David Huddle and Jennifer Culkin with musical guest Jerin Falkner, and on to Seattle in October with Crab Creek Review.

Alaska Quarterly Review – Spring/Summer 2009

“Late morning, and my sister and I have arrived,” begins Nancy Lord’s essay, “About a Moment,” the first line in the journal, an inviting opening, and a promise of not only what is to come in Lord’s piece – beautiful writing about a difficult subject, a visit to parents in a nursing home – but a great start to an issue that is replete with great starts (and great finishes). The other three essays in the issue begin with equally original and inviting leads (work by Timothy Irish Watt, John Gamel, and Kim van Alkemade). Continue reading “Alaska Quarterly Review – Spring/Summer 2009”

World Literature Today – May-June 2009

Newspapers everywhere are disappearing. Magazines are closing shop. The New York Times is consolidating sections, no more “Escapes,” no more Sunday “City.” Yet, somehow, WLT, as gorgeous as always, manages to survive into its eighty-third year with as expansive and broad a vision as ever. The first eighty years (way back to when WLT was Books Abroad!) will soon be available online through JSTOR. So, now we have the best of both worlds. Continue reading “World Literature Today – May-June 2009”