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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!

ICYMI :: Posit Issue 27

Screenshot of Posit Issue 27

Sure, it’s been about two months since it’s release, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t check it out if you haven’t yet! Posit Issue 27 features poetry and prose by V. Joshua Adams, Michael Brosnan, Gabe Durham, Joey Hedger, Kylie Hough, Patrick Kindig, Peter Leight, Elizabeth Robinson, Zach Savich, Edwin Torres, and Lucy Zhang.

You’ll also find Text+Image by Janis Butler Holm and Gina Osterloh as well as Nance Van Winckel. This issue features visual art by Christina Haglid, Dee Shapiro, and Hester Simpson.

Published three times a year, Posit is currently open to submissions of videos and animations of no more than 3 minutes as well as visual art and photography (no fee to submit!).

Reunion Online 2021 Features

While you await the release of Reunion: The Dallas Review‘s 2021 issue, don’t forget about Reunion Online. There they feature a new piece from talented writers each month.

In May they featured Kevin Brown’s “A Good Story to Tell”; in April Teresa Sutton’s “Venus Wishing for More than a Half Shell”; and in both February and March they featured Ra’Niqua Lee’s “What Cures Us (Part One) and (Part Two).

If you haven’t done so already, grab a copy of Volume 10, 2020, too.

They will reopen to submissions on October 1. All submissions are considered for print publication as well as online publication.

‘Ancient Promises’

Guest Post by Neelima K E.

Jaishree Misra’s Ancient Promises can easily serve as a beginner’s guide to arranged marriages in India. The patrilocal toxicity of Indian domestic framework permeates the novel’s narrative and can be nauseating. Janu, the protagonist is a survivor and in a way the novel is her coming of age story. She makes mistakes, gets out, and finds purpose and will to live again all along the course of the narrative.

The Malayalam phrase ‘manam pole mangalyam’ frames the myth of an ideal marriage where love and affection dance to the tunes of matchmaking aunties and uncles from every nook and corner. The novel attempts to place familial loyalty, affection, and virtue in this mire of duty and stifling morality. Every action has its consequence and Janu learns to fight for her share of happiness in this world of do’s and do not’s.

Within the complicated narrative, the novel conceives a string of unanswered questions. Fate and predestiny elude the protagonist as she struggles to find her place moving against the tide in unforeseen circumstances. Is it wrong to covet pleasure and love outside a frigid marriage? What is it that connects two hitherto strange individuals in a supposedly sacred ritual? The fine lines between love, affection, and commitment makes for an interesting read.

The reader will be moved to tears, choking in helpless agony time and again as the protagonist is loved and betrayed repeatedly. The light at the end of the tunnel couldn’t have come sooner for Janaki and the novel remains a gaping wound for many a day forward, reminding the reader to never give in.

Ancient Promises by Jaishree Misra. Penguin Books, January 2000.

Reviewer bio: I am an Indian girl in love with words. People and life in general fascinate me and I look forward to publishing my books someday.

The Fiddlehead YouTube Channel

screenshot of The Fiddlehead's YouTube channel

Do you love being able to see writers reading their work? Did you know that literary magazine The Fiddlehead has its own YouTube channel where it uploads authors reading their work?

They do! There you can watch readings by acclaimed up-and-coming and established Canadian writers. Their last featured reading is of Lee Maracle who shared two of her poems “Belly Bulging” and “Old Tapes.” Swing by the channel to see more readings with Nicole Breit, Barbara Pelman, Margo Wheaton, Susan Musgrave, and more.

In other news, their 2021 Fiction Contest just opened to submissions last month. Deadline to enter is September 1. This year’s judge is Yasuko Thanh.

Southern Humanities Review – 54.2

The latest issue of Southern Humanities features poetry by Hala Alyan, Anne Barngrover, Jordan Escobar, Rhienna Renée Guedry, Sjohnna Mccray, Immanuel Mifsud, Anna Newman, Kimberly Ramos, Karen Rigby, Brett Shaw, Travis Tate, and Ruth Ward; fiction by Ser Álida, Leslie Blanco, Benjamin Murray, and Glen Pourciau; and nonfiction by Myronn Hardy and Ian Spangler. Find more info at the Southern Humanities Review website.

Poetry – July August 2021

In this issue of Poetry, enjoy poetry by L. Lamar Wilson, Aliyah Cotton, Joann Balingit, Debora Kuan, Kimberly Casey, Jacqueline Allen Trimble, Pablo Otavalo, Elizabeth Bradfield, Nabila Lovelace, Hyejung Kook, Kwoya Fagin Maples, Crystal Simone Smith, Laura Secord, Jason Méndez, Charlotte Pence, Janice Lobo Sapigao, Alina Stefanescu, Beth Ann Fennelly, Josh Alex Baker, Sofia M. Starnes, Voice Porter, and more.

Jewish Fiction . net – Summer 2020

Thrilled to announce the new summer issue of Jewish Fiction .net! A gift to imbibe this summer along with your favourite cool drink: 10 beautiful stories, originally written in Hebrew, Yiddish, and English. We invite you also to join Jewish Fiction .net on July 13 for an online program in celebration of our 10th anniversary year: “Jewish Fiction Written in 16 Languages: Stories as Reflections of Jewish Life Across Time and Place.”

december – 32.1

Volume 32.1 is here! Hot off the press, and filled with beautiful poems, stories, essays, and art. Poetry by Mary Ardery, Joshua Boettiger, Tianna Bratcher, Dana Curtis, Kenneth Jakubas, Naomi Ling, Sara Mae, Myles Taylor, and more; fiction by Jeremy Griffin, Greg Johnson, and Candice May; and nonfiction by Gary Fincke, Ainsley McWha, and others. See more contributors at the december website.

Contest :: Under 2 Weeks Left to Enter 2021 Francine Ringold Awards for New Writers

Screenshot of Nimrod's flier for the 2021 Francine Ringold Awards for New Writers
click image to open full-size flier

Deadline: July 15, 2021
The submission period for Nimrod’s Francine Ringold Awards for New Writers ends on July 15. The Ringold Awards offer prizes of $500 and publication for fiction and poetry. They are open only to writers with no more than two previous publication credits in their genre. For poetry, submit up to five pages; for fiction, one short story, 5,000 words maximum. The contest is open internationally. All finalists will also be published and paid at our normal rates. Manuscripts may be mailed or submitted online: nimrodjournal.submittable.com/submit. Each entry must be accompanied by a $12 entry fee. Email [email protected] or visit artsandsciences.utulsa.edu/nimrod/ for complete rules.

The Malahat Review’s 2021 Open Season Awards Winners

The winners of the 2021 Open Season Awards are in the Spring 2021 issue of The Malahat Review. This year’s judges were Rebecca Salazar for poetry, Philip Huynh for fiction, and Lishai Peel for creative nonfiction.

Fiction
“Crossing” by Zilla Jones

Creative Nonfiction
“Mondegreen Girls” by Tanis MacDonald

Poetry
“Merchant Vessels” by Matthew Hollet

Check in with The Malahat Review in August when this contest opens for submissions again.

2020 Allen Ginsberg Poetry Award Winners

Grab a copy of Paterson Literary Review to check out the writers who placed in the 2020 Allen Ginsberg Poetry Award.

First Prize
“To My Husband, Driving into Bad Weather” by Sara Henning
“What I Wanted When I Was Twelve” by Ray Petersen

Second Prize
“Augury” by Mary Crosby
“The Truth about Cats” by Jason Craig Poole

Third Prize
“I Worry about Atatiana Jefferson’s Nephew” by Rachelle Parker

Honorable mentions and editor’s choice pieces are also included in the issue.

Creative Nonfiction Updated Subscription Options

With the launch of the new website, Creative Nonfiction has moved the majority of its archived content online (that’s more than 27 years worth!). With this, they now offer more ways to subscribe and access the content from past issues of their journal, True Story, online exclusives, and their Sunday Short Reads.

For just $4/month or $39/year, you can become a Digital Subscriber and get access to new issues, the entire archive, and all web exclusives. You are able to access this digital content across all of your devices and subscription is setup for automatic renewals so you never miss out.

If you still love holding the printed page in your hands, you can become a Print & Digital Subscriber for $6/month or $59/year. You get everything digital subscribers get plus four issues a year mailed directly to your home.

Interested in purchasing merchandise or joining their online classes? Supporting Subscribers ($10/month or $99/year) get all the benefits of the first two subscription options plus a 10% discount on programs and merchandise. Oh…and did I mention priority registration for online courses as well as early access to events?

Speaking of their online courses, there are still a few slots available for their summer classes!

The final subscription option contains all the benefits of the previous subscriptions and adds on a charitable donation to Creative Nonfiction in the amount of $10/month ($120/year) and your name listed as a donor in the print magazine as well as online. The cost of this is $25/month or $249/year.

So if you aren’t subscribed to this powerhouse for creative nonfiction, join them today!

Lalitamba Changes its Name

Screenshot of Lalitamba's website

Literary magazine Lalitamba has announced a name change. The journal was inspired by a devotional pilgrimage through India where they went village to village seeking to alleviate sorrows that come with poverty, illness, and loss of hope.

The original name came from a bhahan song “Lalitamba, Lalitamba” which means Divine Mother. The new name The GANGA REVIEW honors the sacred river that is an emanation of Divine Mother.

Back in March they announced their 2021 issue is at the printers and they were waiting on proofs which can take several weeks, so it will hopefully be on its way to subscribers soon if all goes well.

A fun fact. Did you know that for every issue purchased, a tree is planted?

Contest :: 2021 Tom Howard/Margaret Reid Poetry Contest

drawn lion head on peach colored backgroundDeadline: September 30, 2021
19th year, sponsored by Winning Writers. Win $3,000 for a poem in any style and $3,000 for a poem that rhymes or has a traditional style. Total prizes: $8,000. The top two winners will also receive two-year gift certificates from our co-sponsor, Duotrope (a $100 value). Both published and unpublished work accepted. Winning entries published online. Submit two poems for one $15 entry fee. Length limit: 250 lines per poem. Judged by S. Mei Sheng Frazier. This contest is recommended by Reedsy. See past winners, advice from the judge, and submit onlne at winningwriters.com/tompoetrynp21.

Contest :: Puerto del Sol 2021 Poetry & Prose Contests Currently Open

Puerto del sol 2021 Poetry & Prose Contests bannerDeadline: September 1, 2021
Two months remaining! Puerto del Sol is accepting entries to our annual contest in poetry and prose through September 1. Judges are Eileen Pollack in prose and Todd Dillard in poetry. Winners receive $500 and publication. $9 entry fee includes one-year subscription. All manuscripts entered will be considered for publication. See website for complete guidelines—puertodelsol.org.

Consequence Forum Monthly Features

Screenshot of the June 2021 featured events, articles, and pieces of Consequence ForumBesides publishing the annual literary magazine Consequence in print, they also feature work on their website each month. On June 28, they released a new story by Cynthia Boorujy titled “Strange Teacups.” Besides reading the story, you can also listen to an audio recording. Also, don’t forget to check out the visual art series “I’m An Animal” by River LaMer for some stirring food for thought.

Consequence will open to submissions again on July 15! They are particularly interested in nonfiction and translations, but would love to receive any quality work centered on “the human consequences and realities of war or geopolitical conflict.”

Lannie Stabile Strikes Lightning Back at Zeus and Men Who Name Their Dogs After Him

Guest Post by Chris L. Butler.

In poetry, you often see the connections between people and animals in a way that demonstrates the humanity that can be found in animals. With Good Morning to Everyone Except Men Who Name Their Dog Zeus, Stabile explores the opposite: why men name their dogs Zeus and how that connects to the god’s often overlooked abusive legacy.

What I love about reading Lannie Stabile’s work is that I always learn something. This is absolutely the case with her debut full-length collection, published this month (June 2021). I was immediately drawn to the book because I truly believe the title itself is a poem. I also love dogs and reading mythology.

Stabile places toxic masculinity on trial by unearthing the havoc Zeus reigned among his fellow godly peers as well as humans; while connecting it to modern patriarchal society. With lines like “the beast will burrow himself into the gentlewoman,” Stabile shows many men have a tendency for god-complex thinking and believe that they can do whatever they wish, as Zeus did.

I believe this collection is important not only for the genre of poetry but also could be utilized in women’s and feminist literature courses. We are in a time when we look at art and society for the entire truth, and not the parts we favor most. Good Morning to Everyone Except Men Who Name Their Dog Zeus is a collection that pushes us in that direction by exposing Zeus and the impact he continues to have on the modern male.

Good Morning to Everyone Except Men Who Name Their Dog Zeus by Lannie Stabile. Cephalo Press, June 2021.

Reviewer bio: Chris L. Butler is an African American and Dutch poet and essayist from Houston, Texas living in Canada. He is the author of the microchap BLERD: ’80s BABY, ’90s KID (Daily Drunk Press) which is set to be released on August 2, 2021.

Heartbreaking & Exhilarating Depiction of Real Life

Guest Post by Natalie Hess.

The emotional impact that Stephen Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower had on me from the very beginning was incredible. This story is told through letters to an anonymous friend, and it depicts the life of Charlie, a teenage boy, who is simply growing up. Everything about this novel is so real.

Chbosky does not try to sugarcoat the hardships of life and what it’s like to discover those hardships and have to live with them. Charlie experiences everything from the death of a loved one, drugs and alcohol, and sexual assault, to building different kinds of relationships with people and learning to trust and be there for them. Charlie (as well as many side characters) go through so much, and it’s similar to what so many real people experience all the time, which makes this read heartbreaking and exhilarating and confusing and amazing and miserable all at once. But it’s life. And this book did such a good job of depicting real life that I would highly recommend it, especially for those of us who still have some growing up to do.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. Pocket Books, February 1999.

Reviewer bio: I’m Natalie Hess and I’m simply a high school student who LOVES reading everything from scifi to romance to nonfiction and everything in between. I also love sharing my thoughts and I hope you enjoy!

Buy this book from our affiliate Bookshop.org.

Call :: Driftwood Press Open Year-round & Pays Contributors

screenshot of Driftwood Press updated CFS flier
click image to open full-size flier

Submissions accepted year-round.
John Updike once said, “Creativity is merely a plus name for regular activity. Any activity becomes creative when the doer cares about doing it right, or better.” At Driftwood Press, we are actively searching for artists who care about doing it right, or better. We are excited to receive your submissions and will diligently work to bring you the best in full poetry collections, novellas, graphic novels, short fiction, poetry, graphic narrative, photography, art, interviews, and contests. We also offer our submitters a premium option to receive an acceptance or rejection letter within one week of submission; many authors are offered editorships and interviews. To polish your fiction, note our editing services and seminars, too.

Free Lecture: How to Publish Your Writing in Literary Journals

The editors of Radar Poetry will be taking part in a one-hour Zoom lecture and Q&A session hosted by Authors Publish. They will be discussing what editors look for, how to organize your submission, and “insider tips” for getting your poems published in literary journals.

This will air live TODAY (June 30, 2021) at 2PM EST. You do need to register to attend. Don’t worry, it’s free. You also will get a a free recording of the full presentation.

A Delightfully Spooky Treat

Guest Post by Lawrence Scales.

Even if you’re an avid reader of graphic novels, The Dylan Dog Case Files won’t be on your radar. Yet it’s billed as a book with over fifty-six million copies sold. That’s your first clue: it should be. The decades long Italian series about “nightmare detective” Dylan Dog and his Watson, cast as Groucho Marx (literally), is still releasing new issues. Overseas, Dylan Dog, created by Tiziano Sclavi, is sold in one hundred page black and white editions for a few American dollars.

Stateside, the only English copy of Dylan Dog’s cases— dealing with everything from zombies to invisible men— is this trade paperback collection from Dark Horse Comics released in 2009. The Case Files is a seven hundred-plus page tome containing several stories, with cover art by Hellboy creator Mike Mignola. It’ll set you back fifty dollars used. But it won’t be a penny wasted. The first story, drawn in a style akin to Egon Schiele, is the 1986 classic “Dawn of the Living Dead.”

The Case Files is the best drawn depiction of a pulp movie genre from Italy known as giallo. Like much Italian fare of the time, giallo was as known for its slashers and prog soundtracks as much as it’s looseness with copyright.

Likewise, The Case Files is a fast read that goes down like the best popcorn flicks. In print the best comparison would be Tales from the Crypt. Even horror fans unfamiliar with giallo will find a comforting familiarity with the material. The Dylan Dog Case Files may have a niche audience. But for those of us who fit within it, this collection is a delightfully spooky treat with some real scares.

The Dylan Dog Case Files by Tiziano Sclavi. Dark Horse Comics, April 2009.

Reviewer bio: Lawrence Scales is an artist living in Philadelphia. When he isn’t making art, he’s daydreaming about cats. You can find his work here and here.

Contest :: 1 Month Left to Enter the 2021 Red Wheelbarrow Prize

Red WheelbarrowDeadline: July 31, 2021
The 2021 Red Wheelbarrow Poetry Prize will be judged by Mark Doty. $1,000 for first place and a letterpress broadside printed by Felicia Rice of Moving Parts Press, $500 for second, $250 for third. Top five published in Red Wheelbarrow Literary Magazine. Submit up to 3 original, unpublished poems. $15 entry fee. Deadline: July 31, 2021. For complete guidelines, see redwheelbarrow.submittable.com/submit.

Salamander – No. 52

Salamander #52 features poetry from Anemone Beaulier, Stephanie Burt, Cortney Lamar Charleston, Leila Chatti, JD Debris, Jose Hernandez Diaz, Charles Douthat, Ananda Lima, Angie Macri, Ricky Ray, Rochelle Robinson-Dukes, Leah Umansky, Sara Moore Wagner, Yun Wang, Erica Wright, Maria Zoccola.

Driftwood Press – June 2021

Short stories “Work” by Chad Szalkowski-Ference and “Haze” by Mike Nees take you across the white plains of the Tularosa Basin and into a hazy apartment complex. From joyous lyricism to stark realism, the poems this issue are a bricolage of loss, grief, solitude, and joy. Wrapping up the issue are visual arts and comics by Kelsey M. Evans, Rachel Singel, Dustin Jacobus, Lia Barsotti Hiltz, Coco Picard, and Laila Milevski. Read more at the Driftwood Press website.

AGNI – No 93

Unforeseen urgencies, heightened introspections. The long Covid siege has put pressure on everything, not least the expressive arts. AGNI 93, with its unsettling cover and art portfolio by Deepa Jayaraman, channels the mood of the times. The issue includes poetry by Rafael Campo, Hope Wabuke, and others, and more. Check out the AGNI website to see what else is in this issue.

Contest :: 1 Month Left to Enter Winter Goose Publishing’s Inaugural Book Awards

Winter Goose Publishing 2021 Book Awards banner$500 & Publication for Fiction and Poetry

Deadline: July 31, 2021
There is still time to enter your fiction or poetry manuscript for a chance to win $500 and publication by Winter Goose Publishing. Honorable mentions may also receive publication. Submissions are being accepted from 5/1 – 7/31. ENTER TODAY before time runs out!

RYPA 2021

I am delighted each time the annual Rattle Young Poets Anthology appears wrapped in the package with the companion issue of Rattle. Over twenty poets ranging from age five to fifteen are featured in this year’s publication. It would be easy to fall into the trap of saying, “These are great poems for writers so young,” when the truth is quite simply: These are great poems. The opening work by Maria Arrango, “¿Identity?” which begins “El president Donald Trump said / they’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. // My brown sugar skin delicately / compresses me with warmth / as I try to understand / the anatomy of my body.” is the immediate indicator that these young poets hold their own among their elder peers. Age is indeed just a number.

There are poems that disrupt the idea of idyllic youth, such as Matthew Burk’s “The Roller Coaster” and Maria Gil Harris’s “Like Magic,” as well as those that confront reality, like Adrianna Ho’s “Pasta Sandwiches in Quarantine” and Ivy Hoffman’s “Only Days Before Leaving for College, I Note the Existence of My Brother.” Some poems reach deep to connect imagery and emotion: Ha Trang Tran’s “A Love Letter for Home,” imagining a “grand return” to Hà Nộ, and Hannah Straub’s “Cadillac Mountain” with haunting lines like, “Though I was not falling / I was stumbling, in the way I clung to people / I could not reach, memories as useless / As the wire guardrails.” And there are plenty of works that raised a smile through their intellectual rhetoric, like “The Weight of Heavens” by Emma Hoff, which begins with the barb, “Was the minotaur / Really / A monster?” Kakul Gupta’s “Ten Haiku” are each effective meditations, and Mackenzie Munoz’s “Catching Dreams” reaches the metaphysic, while other works were just plain fun, like Paul Ghatak’s “Counting to One,” Grant’s “Lions Roar,” and Melissa A. Di Martino’s “Saive Me By Thes Wendrous.” Shreya Vikram’s “DIY Project” is the kind of poem that can only be experienced, and with good reason, as, in response to the Contributor’s Note question, “Why do you like writing poetry?” Vikram’s answer begins, “Without poetry, I’d waste language.”

For any readers out there with young writers in your circle, please introduce them to Rattle and this annual collection. It’s essential for young writers to connect with other young writers and find encouragement for their own reading, writing, and submissions. For more resources, check out the NewPages Young Writers Guide to Publications and NewPages Young Writers Guide to Contests.

[It is challenging to include mention of every work in a review, but I want to acknowledge the remaining poets from this collection and commend them for their contributions, all of which brought me immense pleasure to read: Natalia Chepel, Natalie Friis, Kevin Gu, Jessie Johnson, Dahee Joy Kang, Chloe Lin, Naomi Ling, Joseph Miner, and Perry Sloan.]

Poet Hunt 25 Winners

“While the contest is called the ‘Poet Hunt,’ I didn’t actually have to hunt very long for worthy poems; they arrived in batches, and it was quite a literary bounty,” Matthew Olzmann says introducing the winner and honorable mentions of Poet Hunt 25 in the Winter 2021 issue of The MacGuffin.

Winner
“No Rehearsal” by Vivian Shipley

Honorable Mentions
“Bright Spot” by Rita Schweiss
“Dogs and Ominous Weapons” by John Jeffire

Following the winning poems, readers can find a selection of poems by the guest judge of Poet Hunt 26, Indigo Moor.

New Additions to Driftwood Press’s Shop

Have you ever seen a piece of art in a literary magazine and loved it so much you wanted to frame it? Now you can do just that with art from contributors to Driftwood Press.

Art by Kelsey M. Evans, Coz, Jason Hart, Nathaniel Saint Amour, Rachel Slotnick, and Samantha Fortenberry is now available in the Driftwood Press shop in the form of posters, framed posters, and T-Shirts. An enamel pin designed by Jerrod Schwarz is also forthcoming at the end of July 2021 and can be preordered now. Each item listing links back to the artists’ Instagram accounts for easy following.

Decorate your walls and show off your love for art and literary magazines with the help of Driftwood Press‘s shop.

2021 MAYDAY Fiction and Poetry Prize Winners

photograph of a young man and woman

On June 17, online literary magazine MAYDAY Magazine announced the results of their 2021 MAYDAY Prizes in poetry and fiction. The winners each received $1,000 and broadsides of their work will be available soon.

2021 MAYDAY Poetry Prize was judged by Jacques Rancourt. He selected “Garçon,” by A. Shaikh as the winner.

Finalists included “Southern Thundering” by Gustav Hibbett; “What My Mother Never Told Me” by Michael Meyerhofer; “During the Pandemic, I Watch Caddyshack Again & Again” by  Christina Olson; and “The Cousin’s Secret” by Lindsay Wilson.

For the 2021 MAYDAY Fiction Prize, Kali Wallace selected Haley Kennedy’s “Shapeless” as the winner.

Finalists included “Paradise” by Joshua Beggs; “The Book of Rusty” by Benjamin Drevlow; “Tia Marilena’s Rainbow Eggs” by Xenia Lane; “Lolly Pop” by Toby Lloyd; and “Valley State” by Reilly Weed. Semifinalists included “Verge” by Emma Eisler; “The Management” by Ron Heacock; “Nudists” by Jeffery Long; and “A Trip to Valpo” by Mark Williams.

MAYDAY also has a listing on NewPages, so don’t forget to swing by there, too.

“The Paper Drinks the Ink” – An Interview with Sam Roxas-Chua in Bellingham Review

In Issue 82 of Bellingham Review is a feature on asemic art: “To Those Whose Eyes Wander.” This feature includes work by Sam Roxas-Chua who was interviewed by Stephen Haines. In this interview, the two discuss Roxas-Chua’s asemic work in the issue and elsewhere, and it wraps up with a list of music, books, and film that have moved the poet lately.

Haines asks Roxas-Chua about the work found in Issue 82:

STEPHEN: New Beak and Exhale is another favorite of mine from the work you contributed to Issue 82. I have read that you often use processes like ekphrasis in your work, and I can’t help wondering about that act of creating art in response to other art. Is the asemic writing in the right panel of New Beak and Exhale a direct response to the image on the left? The other way around? Or is this entire piece in conversation with something else entirely?

SAM: I was abandoned as a baby, but was fortunate to have a birth certificate and for some causes and conditions I was able to locate her in 2012. It didn’t have an Oprah show ending. A second rejection happened. I could go on and on about this story but find that it’s best to focus on the two images in hopes that it will let me narrate what I find difficult to tell. The two images are in conversation. Thank you for giving voice to that.

Coming up to that anniversary, I drew the bird image using collected soot made into ink, together with drops of squid ink. I wanted to write a poem by drawing an image. I mean, who is to say what a poem is and isn’t? In the tree where I was abandoned, I imagined I was fed by birds. When I was adopted, I was malnourished and had worms living inside my stomach. I was bloated like an egg. I believe the natural world was answering major questions. “Am I good? If I am good, why was I relinquished? What is wrong with me?”

The asemic writing on the right was a letter to my mother in asemic form where I was trying to exhaust everything I wanted to say. The image of the bird and the letter put together in conversation translates to “I am made of new beak and exhale.”

Check out the rest of the interview for poetry, information about asemic writing, and a great list of recommendations, or see what Issue 82’s asemic writing feature has to offer.

A Thousand Times Over

Guest Post by Harry Okorite Joy.

After reading Hosseini’s The Kite Runner, the most endearing became the phrase, “For you, a thousand times over”, first voiced by Hassan, inarguably the most sympathized with character in the novel. The simply titled yet convoluted novel narrates the coming-of-age story of two boys, discusses the state of a nation, celebrates the bond of friendship and, most importantly, the height and depth love could attain.

While at first, you might perceive Hassan as gullible, Amir as being undeserving of the love Hassan bestows on him, Baba being an impartial father, and Ali a loyal to a fault servant; soon you realize Hassan is an embodiment of selfless love Amir realizes all too late, Baba’s fairness is out of familial piety, and Ali’s loyalty is part due to his debt to Baba and a part special bond he feels with Hassan.

The Kite Runner questions reality and the nature of truth. The reality between the two main characters might be cold but it is the fact: one would always be there, the other loves but would never measure up. And at the end of the novel, only guilt allows Amir to return the favor to Hassan’s offspring. In reality, we also see the box of revelations opened at crucial points about characters like Baba. The nature of truth is tricky—some might say relative—but the unwavering answer is you cannot really judge the lies told in this novel as right or wrong.

While this piece has an optimistic ending, Hassan’s turbulent short-lived life could justify it as a tragedy, and just like me, you might begin to wonder if he died directly or indirectly from being there a thousand times over.

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. Riverhead Books, March 2013.

Reviewer’s bio: Harry Okorite Joy is an avid reader, budding writer and fashion enthusiast. She adores owls. Reach her via Instagram @o.k.o.r.i.t.e or Facebook @ Harry Okorite.

Join the August Poetry Postcard Festival

It is once again time to sign up for the August Poetry Postcard Festival! And this year’s event is a special tribute to Diana di Prima and Michael McClure.

Now in its 15th consecutive year, the concept is simple and fun: You sign up, and your name is added to a group along with 31 others. Once the group is “full,” you each get the list with names and addresses of participants in your group. The week before August, you start writing and sending your postcards (so that the first one arrives around the first of August). You write one postcard per day and send it to the person listed after your name in the group. The next day, you write another poem and send it to the next person – and so on until you go through the list. One for each day.

The idea is spontaneous writing without editing, censoring, or revision. You can use the postcard as your prompt or not. Some people choose a theme to write on for the month. The postcards vary from store bought to homemade, contemporary to vintage. It’s really wide open to your creativity, imagination, and passion. Then, throughout the month of August, you will receive poems in the mail from the others in your group.

Last year, the organizers began year-round registration – so you can actually register at any time of the year. In 2020, some participants started sending cards immediately upon registration, instead of waiting until August – and what a boost that was during the early days of the pandemic. A few ambitious writers completed their 31 cards and signed up for another group! The organizers welcome repeat participation.

There is a $15 fee which helps pay the bills and support the non-profit Seattle Poetics LAB, who organize this event as well as many others throughout the year. Registration closes July  Sign up today!

NewPages Book Stand – June 2021

Spend your summer enjoying new books and let our Book Stand help you find your next read. This month we feature six new and forthcoming titles.

Chris Haven’s debut poetry collection Bone Seeker celebrates the mystery of what we take into our lives and can’t let go.

Akosua Zimba Afiriyie-Hwedie’s Born in a Second Language is an exploration of African and female identity, navigating what it means to be in-between identities, languages and homes.

Eruptions of Inanna: Justice, Gender, and Erotic Power by Judy Grahn illuminates eight dramatic stories exploring the Mesopotamian goddess Inanna’s power and relevance for contemporary queer feminist audiences.

Please Plant This Book Coast to Coast by Susan Kay Anderson gives a voice to Virginia Brautigan Aste, spouse of Richard Brautigan for a decade.

A Poetics of the Press: Interviews with Poets, Printers, & Publishers edited by Kyle Schlesinger is the first collection of interviews with some of the pioneers working at the intersection of the artists book and experimental writing.

Miah Jeffra’s The Violence Almanac “is full of complex, flawed and wonderfully alive characters, written with empathy and honesty.”

You can learn more about each of these New & Noteworthy books at our website. Click here to see how to place your book in our New & Noteworthy section.

Colorado Review Podcast: In Conversation with Brandon King

Screenshot of Colorado Review PodcastPodcasts are still all the rage and literary magazines are supplementing the work they feature in print and online with podcast series. Colorado Review has it’s very own podcast series available in Apple Podcasts or the iTunes store.

They list the archive of their episodes, dating back to 2011, online. The most recent episode, posted on June 7, features podcast host C Culbertson sitting down with Brandon Krieg, author of Magnifier and winner of the 2019 Colorado Prize for Poetry. They talk ecopoetics, environmental thought, and how the practice of walking calls on us to notice the world around use.

To start with the walking. . . it’s such a practice for renewal of my own sort of mental state. It helps me get out of my head in a way. . . . You’re moving through a landscape, you’re noticing, you’re in your senses. . . it’s a way of getting out of thoughts for me.

You can also hear Krieg read a few poems from his book Magnifier.

Don’t forget to read the Spring 2021 issue of Colorado Review & subscribe today if you haven’t already.

Into the Unknown

Guest Post by Anne Richter Arnold.

There is a bigger difference between taking a hike, which almost everyone can do, and thru hiking. Thru hiking, tackling an entire long-distance trail over a period of months, takes a special kind of hiker. Celia Ryker is just that, one with dedication, perseverance, curiosity, and a sense of humor. Walking Home is a memoir of her epic experience hiking the 279-mile Long Trail from the Massachusetts border through Vermont to Canada. Along the way she entertains us with childhood memories and reflections on her life off the trail, interspersed with poetic references to the transforming experience of being in the woods.

With her milestone 60th birthday approaching, Celia decides to hike the Long Trail in Vermont, one of the most challenging trails in the United States, along with her friend Sandy. While Celia has been on some ‘practice hikes’ back in her home state of Michigan, nothing can prepare her for the grueling weeks of hiking through the Green Mountains. From torrential rain, disastrous falls, sickness, and everything in between, she and her hiking partner Sandy are tested daily, yet never fail to meet the challenges head on.  Through all of this, she keeps us smiling with her can-do attitude and humorous anecdotes.

Walking Home is not just the story of Celia and Sandy’s multiyear section hiking of the Long Trail; it is a personal journey that the author shares with us as she looks back at her past and, literally and metaphorically, forward to the path of the unknown. We share in her reminiscences on how the woodlands brought her joy as a child and the self-knowledge they bring her as an adult. What lies ahead on the path, who she will meet and what she will discover, keeps the reader eagerly awaiting the next page.

While hiking the Long Trail may not be on everyone’s bucket list, Celia inspires us with her memoir to try something that will truly challenge ourselves, to take risks and to go forward into the unknown. She invites us to find our own way to leave the world behind and see what we can discover about ourselves, as she does, on our own challenging adventure.

Walking Home: Trail Stories by Celia Ryker. Rootstock Publishing, June 2021.

Reviewer bio: Anne Richter Arnold has been a journalist for various publications in New England for a decade, focusing on business and lifestyle topics, including wine and travel. She makes her home on the New Hampshire Seacoast, with her husband, two dogs, two cats, and a multitude of friendly chickens.

Buy this book from our affiliate Bookshop.org.

‘Scavenge the Stars’

Guest Post by Natalie Hess.

Tara Sim’s Scavenge the Stars is a retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo, which follows a girl named Amaya who was sold to a shipowner when she was a small child in order to pay off a debt. She escapes from the ship and is helped out by a rich man who also appears to be landless. He helps her disguise herself and go back into the city she grew up in so she can get revenge on whoever sold her. I was a bit disappointed because I really loved The Count of Monte Cristo, but this novel was still quite entertaining.

There are plot twists I didn’t see coming, and there are some exciting action scenes, with romance that didn’t take over the whole story. It was particularly interesting to find out how some of the characters were acquainted with one another at the end of the story, and that was an unexpected and enjoyable aspect. This was a fairly average book though, and I gave it 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Scavenge the Stars by Tara Sim. Little, Brown and Company, January 2020.

Reviewer bio: I’m Natalie Hess and I’m simply a high school student who LOVES reading everything from scifi to romance to nonfiction and everything in between. I also love sharing my thoughts and I hope you enjoy!

Buy this book from our affiliate Bookshop.org.

Radar Poetry Issue 30 Virtual Launch

Radar Poetry is celebrating the launch of Issue 30 on Thursday, July 15 at 7PM EST via Zoom.

The event features 15 contributors reading their work: J’Anet Danielo, Romana Iorga, Brendan Constantine, Justin Rigamonti, Amy Lerman, Carolyn Supinka, Carolyn Oliver, Robert Krut, Lisa Creech Bledsoe, Melanie Kristeen Robinson, David Donna, Ruth Williams, Amy Dryansky, Ann DeVilbiss, and William Fargason.

Editors and co-founders Rachel Marie Patterson and Dara-Lyn Shrager will be moderating the event.

The Zoom link will be emailed the day of. While it is free, you do need to register via Eventbrite by 6:30 PM EST on July 15 in order to attend.

The Shore – Summer 2021

The summer issue of The Shore is stocked with simmering poetry by Linday Lusby, Jenn Koiter, Sarah Brockhaus, Grace Li, Karen Rigby, Brittany Atkinson, Erin Wilson, John Sibley Williams, Paul Ilechko, Audrey Gidman, Stella Lei, Todd Osborne, Bobby Parrott, William Littlejohn-Oram, David Ford, Matthew Valades, and more.

An Epic Western

Guest Post by Carla Sarett.

Just when you think that no one’s writing epic poetry, beat hero Larry Beckett comes to the rescue with his entertaining Wyatt Earp. Wyatt Earp is a legend and Larry Beckett has captured the lonely dusty trails, the saloons, the gunfights, all of it with verve and humor.

This collection is a sublime mash-up of legal records, histories of Tombstone and Earp, Western folklore, and oh those Western movies—Dodge City, Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, and my favorite, John Ford’s My Darling Clementine. Beckett is a songwriter as well as a poet, and it shows in the musicality of these poems, as well as in the wonderful “Ballad to Maddie.”

Kudos to the publisher for a beautifully designed edition.

Wyatt Earp by Larry Beckett. Alternating Currents Press, March 2020.

Reviewer bio: Carla Sarett’s recent poems appear in Blue Unicorn, San Pedro River Review, The Remington Review and elsewhere.  She awaits publication of her chapbook woman on the run (Unsolicited Press) and her novella, The Looking Glass (Propertius) later this year. Carla lives in San Francisco.

Buy this book from our affiliate Bookshop.org.

Poetry – June 2021

The June 2021 issue of Poetry is out. In this issue, we are brought back to the body. Poetry by Lauren Whitehead, Felicia Zamora, Xaire, Cathy Linh Che, Lindsay Stuart Hill, Darius V. Daughtry, Christa Romanosky, Annik Adey-Babinski, Susan Browne, Sandra Gustin, Michaella Batten, Julia Edwards, Austin Rodenbiker, Tina Mozelle Braziel, Nyah Hardmon, Amorette “Epiphany” Lormil, Nicole Cooley, Ray McManus, and Marlanda Dekine-Sapient Soul. Nonfiction by Laura Kolbe.

The Georgia Review – Summer 2021

The Georgia Review’s Summer 2021 issue is now available for purchase. This issue features new writing from Eliot Weinberger, Laura Kasischke, jayy dodd, Shangyang Fang, Alison Hawthorne Deming, and many more, along with a translation of Kim Seehee’s fiction by Paige Aniyah Morris, an interview with Charlayne Hunter-Gault and Calvin Trillin on desegregation at the University of Georgia, and a special section on W. E. B. Du Bois’s influential 1900 data portraits on Black life in Georgia, which includes responses from both sociologist Janeria Easley and poets Vanessa Angélica Villarreal and Keith S. Wilson.

Call :: Our Doors Are Still Open

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Deadline: Year-round
The Blue Mountain Review launched from Athens, Georgia in 2015 with the mantra, “We’re all south of somewhere.” As a journal of culture, the BMR strives to represent all life through its stories. Stories are vital to our survival. What we sing saves the soul. Our goal is to preserve and promote lives told well through prose, poetry, music, and the visual arts. We’ve published work from Jericho Brown, Kelli Russell Agodon, Robert Pinsky, Rising Appalachia, Turkuaz, Michel Stone, Michael Flohr, Lee Herrick, Chen Chen, Michael Cudlitz, Pat Metheny, Melissa Studdard, Lyrics Born, Terry Kay, and Christopher Moore. bluemountainreview.submittable.com/submit