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The Georgia Review – Spring 2020

The Georgia Review - Spring 2020

The Georgia Review‘s Spring 2020 issue presents authors’ and artists’ explorations of what it means to attempt representation of the diverse communities that comprise the United States. Special features include “Un-Redacted: A Census of Native Land,” a collection of writings by Native authors on the legacy of settler colonialism in the U.S.; a section on the internment of people of Japanese descent in North America during WWII; and dispatches from an innovative research project on prison labor in the post–Civil War “New South.” Art by Eddie Arroyo.

Call :: Transference Closes to Submissions on April 30

Don’t forget that literary magazine Transference officially closes to translations of poetry from (or inspired by) works originally written in Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, French, German, Latin, and Classical Greek on April 30. Submissions must be accompanied by commentary. They especially would like poetry on the themes of vision/seeing. They also would love to see essays on the translation of poetry. scholarworks.wmich.edu/transference/. Transference is peer-edited in a blind submission process. Published by the Department of World Languages and Literatures at Western Michigan University. Write to the editors at [email protected].

Colorado Review – Spring 2020

Colorado Review - Spring 2020

Featured in this issue of Colorado Review, find poetry by Jack Ridl, Amanda Gunn, and Yerra Sugarman; fiction by Alyssa Northrop; and nonfiction by David Schuman. Plus Raksha Vasudevan, Emily Van Kley, Leah Tieger, Gay Baines, Michael Homolka, Kazim Ali, Franco Paz, Laura Kolbe, Angie Macri, Benjamin Seanor, and many more. See other contributors at the Colorado Review website.

Contest :: Fiction Southeast Story of the Month

Each month, the editors will select one short-short story (under 1,000 words). The winning story will grace the front page of the website for the entire month and will be listed on the Stories of the Month Page, as well as the Fiction Page. The reading fee will be $10, and the winner will receive $50. Submit here: fictionsoutheast.submittable.com/submit/163713/story-of-the-month.

Cleaver Magazine

Cleaver Magazine - Spring 2020

The newest issue of Cleaver features a visual narrative by Emily Steinberg; short stories by Catherine Parnell, Andrea Ellis-Perez, and others; flash by Uma Dwivedi, Kim Magowan, and more; and poetry by Marc Harshman, Jackie Craven, and more. Additional art by Serge Lecomte.

Call :: Storm Cellar Seeks Secrets, Treasures, Evidence, & Evocations

Storm Cellar, a journal of safety and danger since 2011, seeks amazing new writing and art for its summer issue. We especially encourage BIPOC, lgbtqia+, women and gender nonbinary, poor, neurodivergent, border-straddling, and other under-represented authors. Send secrets, treasures, evidence, and evocations: surprise us! Submission form at stormcellar.submittable.com.

Find Balance with Leaping Clear

Leaping Clear - Spring 2020Leaping Clear offers readers poetry, prose, and so much more.

In the current, Spring 2020 issue, readers can find “Reflections,” by Jon Tho, a light and flowing song on the piano; “Letter to My Mum” by Zangmo Alexander, a video made in response to Alexander’s mother questioning Alexander’s choice to become ordained as a Buddhist nun; mixed media with fabric art by Barbara Parmet; and poetry and prose by writers like Terri Maue, Christien Gholson, Mobi Warren, Stephanie Peek, and others.

The variety found in this issue is refreshing and keeps readers engaged. Now is a great time to check it out as a bit of an escape from what’s going on in the world around us. With calming music, engaging video, and more than a handful of traditionally written pieces, Leaping Clear gives readers a moment to find balance in their lives.

Nimrod Extends Deadline for 2020 Literary Awards

Nimrod 2020 Literary AwardsExtended Deadline: April 15, 2020
Submissions for The Pablo Neruda Prize for Poetry and The Katherine Anne Porter Prize for Fiction, with prizes of $2,000 and $1,000 and publication, have been EXTENDED to April 15th. Finalists and selected semi-finalists will be published and paid at a rate of $10/page. For poetry, submit 3-10 pages (one long poem or several short poems); for fiction, one story, 7,500 words maximum. Manuscripts may be mailed or submitted online: nimrodjournal.submittable.com/submit. Each entry must be accompanied by a $20 entry fee, which includes a one-year subscription. For more information and the complete rules, email [email protected] or visit nimrod.utulsa.edu.

Palette Poetry’s Featured Favorites

Palette Poetry - FavoritesLooking for some good poetry to read during National Poetry Month? Visit Palette Poetry where Associate Editor Benjamin Bartu has put together a list of “Featured Favorites of 2019.” This list includes links to five different poems published on Palette throughout 2019, and he introduces each piece with a little insight on the editors’ feelings about them.

The list includes work by Márton Simon translated by Timea Balogh, Logan February, Julia C. Alter, Jaime Zuckerman, and Dorothy Chan. Visit the Palette website to learn more about each piece and then delve in and enjoy.

Poetry Offers April 2020 Issue Free During NaPoMo

Poetry Magazine - April 2020April is here, ringing in National Poetry Month. To celebrate the occasion, Poetry Magazine is currently offering a free download of the April 2020.

You can find the free issue in the Poetry Magazine App, available through the Apple App Store, Google Play, and Amazon.

Poets in this issue include Ocean Vuong, Emily Jungmin Yoon, Jeannine Hall Gailey, Gertrude Stein and Bianca Stone, Michael Hoffman, and plenty more. Go snag your free copy and spend the month celebrating the poems and poets you love.

Frontier Poetry New Voices Fellow 2020: Dujie Tahat

Frontier FellowshipFrontier Poetry’s New Voices Fellowship is for uplifting and supporting “emerging poets from traditionally marginalized communities.” Congratulations to the newly announced Fellow for 2020: Dujie Tahat.

Tahat will receive a $500 grant, editorial guidance, the opportunity to read for Frontier, and publication of his work.

You can learn more about Tahat, listen to his podcast, and read recent work linked from the Frontier Poetry website.

A Speaker Readers Can Root For – Three Poems by Laurinda Lind

High Desert Journal - Issue 29Magazine Review by Katy Haas

Three poems by Laurinda Lind can be found in Issue 29 of High Desert Journal: “When I Lived in Soda Springs, Idaho & I Had a Belly at the Bar,” “When I Lived in Soda Springs, Idaho & the Cashier at the Convenience Store Was Friendly to Me,” and “When I Lived in Soda Springs, Idaho & I Had Not Yet Killed a Black Widow Spider.”

This series of prose poems is strong in its storytelling. They read quickly with sentences that run on as if the speaker can’t wait to get the words out. The speaker is not the only person in these pieces. They all include other people the speaker interacts with, a cast of characters that Lind brings to life for us: her neighbor “who later stole several hundred dollars from me & nearly killed my cat,” the “old guy” who “wanted to buy us beers,” the friendly cashier who was “short & pretty” with “huge green eyes” and later robbed the store she worked at, and the man who calls her and harasses her over the phone.

There’s an edge to the writing, a take-no-nonsense attitude in every piece. The speaker is a woman who is surviving against the odds in this strange, unfamiliar place with people and animals who make living there difficult. Lind fleshes out a speaker who readers can root for.

Call :: Fleas on the Dog is Still Open for Issue 6

Reaching out takes many forms. We seek short fiction, poetry, plays, screenplays, and nonfiction for our upcoming Issue 6. You might be isolated but the world is at your keyboard—let’s connect. No, this isn’t a cheeky call like our previous ones. We don’t think that’s appropriate given the pandemic. But our enthusiasm and love of GOOD WRITING is unchanged and yes, we are still the crazy Dude Sextet. We want your junk and we want it now. See fleasonthedog.com for guidelines. Runs April 2-30.

2020 VanderMey Nonfiction Prize Winners

Ruminate - Spring 2020The latest issue of Ruminate features the writers who placed in the 2020 VanderMey Nonfiction Prize.

First Place
“Destiny of Cumin” by Jasmine V. Bailey

Second Place
“A True Prayer is One That You Do Not Understand” by Kelly J. Beard

Honorable Mention
“How To Ruin a Persian Wedding” by Atash Yaghmaian

Finalists include Avra Aron, Kaimana Farris, Dorothy Neagle, Alexandra Loeb, Sally Pearson, Arielle Schussler, Jamie Smith, Shannon Tsonis, and Shannon Yarbrough.

Selections were made by Ruminate’s founder, Brianna Van Dyke and says of her first-place selection: “Jasmine V. Bailey’s ‘Destiny of Cumin’ offers a wide-searching exploration of food and slavery and motherhood and becomes an essay about power and love and what it means to live among the contradictions of our own hearts.”

Blackout by Burgess

Willow Springs - Spring 2020Magazine Review by Katy Haas

I’m a fan of reading and making blackout poetry, and the Spring 2020 issue of Willow Springs offers one piece of blackout by Jackson Burgess. What makes this a little more unique than other pieces of blackout I’ve read in the past is that Burgess blacks out his own poem.

On one page, readers can find a prose poem called “Medicine,” which details an almost nightmarish account of medical themes exploring a “lifetime trying to learn what another body needs.” On the next page, the prose poem is blacked out leaving only twelve words from the original piece. Dark and creative, I enjoyed the construction and deconstruction of Burgess’s work.

Contest :: Carve Magazine 2020 Raymond Carver Short Story Contest

Carve Magazine flierCarve Magazine‘s Raymond Carver Short Story Contest is open April 1 – May 15. Accepting submissions from all over the world, but story must be in English. Max 10,000 words. Prizes: $2,000, $500, $250, + 2 Editor’s Choice $125 each. All 5 winners published in Fall 2020 issue and reviewed by lit agencies. Entry fee $17 online/$15 mailed. Guest judge Pam Houston. www.carvezine.com/raymond-carver-contest/

Contest :: Black Warrior Review Seeks Work for 2020 Writing Contest

Deadline: September 1, 2020
Biannual print journal Black Warrior Review seeks 2020 contest submissions. Winners will receive publication and cash prizes ($500 for flash and $1,000 for poetry, fiction, and CNF). Judges: Mayukh Sen (nonfiction), Paul Tran (poetry), C Pam Zhang (flash), and Lucy Corin (fiction). Open until 9/1. Submission fee: $20. Complete information available at bwr.ua.edu.

Fiction Southeast Extends Hemingway Flash Fiction Prize Deadline

Good news, writers! You now have until April 30 to submit your flash fiction of 1,500 words or less to literary magazine Fiction Southeast. They have extended the deadline of their Hemingway Flash Fiction Prize from March 31. Winner receives $200 and publication in the journal. All finalists considered for publication. $10 entry fee. Check out their website for full guidelines.

Contest :: Baltimore Review Wants Short Shorts for Summer Contest

Something new: No theme for our summer contest! Subject matter is entirely up to you. Surprise us. But keep it short. Three categories: flash fiction, flash creative nonfiction, prose poem. We want to be amazed at how you abracadabra a sprinkling of words into magic. And maybe be a little jealous of how you do that. One writer in each category will be awarded a $300 prize and published in the summer issue. All entries considered for publication. Total word limit for each category is 1,000. See www.baltimorereview.org for complete details. Deadline: May 31, 2020. Fee: $5.

24th Annual Poet Hunt Winners

MacGuffin - Winter 2020The winners of the 24th Annual Poet Hunt can be found in the Winter 2020 issue of The MacGuffin. Judge Richard Tillinghast introduces his selections and gives some insight about the winner and the two runners-up in the issue.

Winner
“The Sketchbooks of Hiroshige” by Jane Craven

Honorable Mentions
“Sonnet from the German Front, 1944” by Jill Reid
“Aergia in the Overworld” by John Blair

The 2020 contest opened for submissions today and will run until June 15. Winners receive publication and a $500 grand prize. Visit The MacGuffin’s website to learn more.

The Antioch Review: Keep Calm & Read On

Antioch Review - Keep CalmThe Antioch Review offers visitors to their website a reminder to “Keep Calm and Read On.” During these times, they give some suggestions and encourage: “Reading to family who want a moment and modicum of normalcy” or “Reading to someone who just wants to close their eyes and escape into the lines of literature” or “Reading to appreciate the literary arts as these have uplifted us, offered us sanctuary, filled our minds (and often our hearts), opened our eyes, challenged our souls, and satisfied our spirits for eons.” They give some other ideas of who could use some reading to at their homepage, a reminder that we can find comfort or an escape in the worlds writers create.

Publishing for seventy-five years, The Antioch Review’s archive contains plenty of reading material if you need to stock up on some calming words.

Bonus Issues with The First Line

The First Line typewriter

Readers, did you know you get a bonus when you subscribe to The First Line? Each subscription comes with one free issue of The Last Line. For those unfamiliar with the journal, The First Line features stories that all start with the same opening sentence, and The Last Line features stories that end with the same closing sentence.

A subscription to The First Line gets you one free issue of The Last Line per subscribed year. It doesn’t matter if you go for the print or the digital subscription—both offer the free issue. The issues are already very affordably priced, but you should still take advantage of the offer and get yourself another source of great writing.

Update Your Bookmarks – New Website for Gargoyle

Gargoyle - homepage

Gargoyle Magazine has moved over to a new website. The new site still has everything the old one had—the ability to order the current issues and back issues, recommended magazines, reader testimonials, a bit of history, news and announcements, and more. The page is a little easier to navigate and has a nice, clean design.

Go visit the website and see for yourself everything Gargoyle has to offer.

Call :: BALLOONS Lit. Journal Seeks Work to Bring Warmth to Young Readers

Deadline: April 11, 2020
Many parts of the world have shut down under the threats of COVID-19. Schools are suspended, gatherings are discouraged. In this difficult period of time, BALLOONS Lit. Journal is seeking poetry, short stories, and artwork that brings warmth to our young readers. Works may praise the medical officers, mourn for the deceased, encourage the infected, cheer up the children staying home, show support to educators, reflect love and humanity or anything that brings out positive energy, the energy everybody needs now. Visit www.balloons-lit-journal.com for submission details. Stay healthy, stay happy!

Ruminate – Issue 54

Ruminate - Spring 2020

“The Everyday” issue celebrates Ruminate‘s focus on finding the sacred within everyday moments and routines. This issue features work from our 2019 Broadside winner Meredith Stricker, as well as the winning pieces from our 2020 VanderMey Nonfiction Prize written by Jasmine V. Bailey, Kelly J. Beard, and Atash Yaghmaian chosen by judge Brianna Van Dyke. Also in this issue: Erin Malone, Chelsea Dingman, Sneha Subramanian Kanta, Nick Yingling, Alyse Bensel, Daniel Seth Kraus, Andrew Huot, Stacy Trautwein Burns, and more.

New England Review – 41.1

New England Review - Volume 41 Number 1

In this issue of New England Review you’ll find fiction by Maud Casey, David Allan Cates, Nandini Dhar, Elin Hawkinson, Christine Sneed, and Lindsay Starck; poetry by Su Cho, John Freeman, Rodney Gomez, Zach Linge, Vandana Khanna, Joanna Klink, Philip Metres,, Maura Stanton, Emily Jungmin Yoon, and more; nonfiction by Kazim Ali, Jennifer Chang, Ching-In Chen, Julia Cohen, and others; and Max Frisch in translations, translated by Linda Frazee Baker. Plus cover art by Brian Nash.

Gargoyle – No. 71

Gargoyle - Number 71

Check out the new issue of Gargoyle. Contributors include: Laura Arciniega, Paula Bonnell, Sarah Browning, Michael Casey, Grace Cavalieri, Patrick Chapman, Bonnie Chau, Katie Cortese, celeste doaks, Gabriel Don, Cornelius Eady, Blair Ewing, Abby Frucht, Patricia Henley, George Kalamaras, Louise Wareham Leonard, Trish MacEnulty, Franetta McMillian, Tony Medina, Nancy Mercado, Susan Neville, A.L. Nielsen, Josip Novakovich, James J. Patterson, bart plantenga, Bern Porter, Doug Rice, Jane Satterfield, Davis Schneiderman, Claire Scott, Gregg Shapiro, Rose Solari, Maya Sonenberg, Marilyn Stablein, Susan Tepper, Michael Waters, and many more.

The MacGuffin

MacGuffin - Winter 2020

Discover a new issue of The MacGuffin. Volume 36 Number 1 spotlights the winners of our 2019 Poet Hunt Contest as selected by guest judge Richard Tillinghast. Jane Craven’s first place “The Sketchbooks of Hiroshige,” begins on p. 74, followed by our two honorable mention poets, Jill Reid and John Blair. This issue’s prose selections include Lucy Mihajlich’s “When I Infiltrated IKEA, They Greeted Me at the Door” and Teresa Milbrodt’s “Playing Krampus.” Featured artist Alison Devine graces the book’s inside and outside with a stroll through the Hamilton, Ontario countryside.

Call :: The Revolution (Relaunch) Wants Your Creative Activism

Deadline: Rolling
Founded in July of 2019, The Revolution (Relaunch) is a creative resurgence of Elizabeth Cady Stanton’s 1868 publication, The Revolution, which was the official newspaper of the National Women’s Suffrage Association. Like any good 19th century newspaper (or any good 21st century zine), we publish a range of styles—memoir, poetry, cultural criticism, interviews, and profiles featuring activists and grassroots organizations. Our focus is feminism in the broadest sense—in other words, we’re interested in “creative activism” that voices the marginalized and/or criticizes corrupt authority. Submit one piece of prose under 750 words, three poems, or 5 images to [email protected].

Black Warrior Review – Spring 2020

Black Warrior Review - Spring 2020

The Spring 2020 issue of Black Warrior Review is out. In this issue: Aliza Ali Khan, Sébastien Bernard, Agata Izabela Brewer, Naomi Day, Meg E. Griffitts, Katherine Indermaur, Sara Kachelman, Jasmine Khaliq, Jessica Lanay, M.L. Martin, Cherise Morris, Mónica Ramón Ríos (translated by Robin Myers), Monica Rico, Angie Sijun Lou, Molli Spalter, Qianqian Ye, and more. Chapbook by Seo-Young Chu. Cover art by Dominic Chambers.

The Adroit Journal – March 2020

Adroit Journal - March 2020

Find the newest issue of The Adroit Journal is out. Readers can check out poetry by Bryan Byrdlong, Steven Duong, Garous Abdolmalekian, Emily Lee Luan, John Freeman, Erin Adair-Hodges, Peter Streckfus, Ae Hee Lee, Matthew Gellman, Sara Elkamel, Seth Simons, Imani Davis, Kim Addonizio, Sahar Romani,  Zach Linge, Matthew Rohrer, Joanna Klink, and more; prose by Cathy Ulrich, K-Ming Chang, Connor Oswald, and others; plus conversations with Natalie Diaz, Matthew Rohrer, Brian Teare, Deb Olin Unferth, and Matthew Zapruder.

THEMA Puzzles Writers, Pleases Readers

THEMA Spring 2020 issue coverMagazine Review by Katy Haas

Each issue of THEMA invites writers to explore a given theme. The Spring 2020 issue’s theme is “Six Before Eighty,” which Editor Virginia Howard explains in her Editor’s Note, gave writers a run for their money. It “tended to puzzle more authors than usual.”

Despite the challenge, sixteen on-theme pieces made it into the issue. H.B. Salzer in “Her Number Six” writes of a woman’s bucket list—six things to do before she turns eighty. James “Jack” Penha in “Eulogy for My Elder Brother,” writes fondly of his brother who passed away at age seventy-four—six years before turning eighty. In “Written in Gold,” Larry Lefkowitz’s characters try their own hand at translating the theme finding it in a Mayan inscription in a temple. But my two favorite pieces in the issue each interpret the theme as different roads.

In “Mantra” by Lisa Timpf, the numbers are a reminder for a man’s fading memory. Regional Road 6 comes before Sideroad 80 and then he’s home. Readers can feel the anxiety in the piece as he repeats his mantra, trying to get home while admitting he “hasn’t told his wife / how much has slipped away.” But his mantra always gets him back home.

Cherie Bowers’s “Off-Ramp” is a short poem conjuring up Exit 6 as it merges onto 1-80. Here, a memorial with “fading words” reads, “We love you, Jason.” “To see it clearly,” the speaker says, “you must slow down,” a reminder for readers it’s necessary to slow down to truly see everything around us and to give thought to these fading signs we see beside the road.

I’m sure it was a lot of run writing for this issue of THEMA, and it was a lot of run reading what everyone was able to come up with.

Interview with Native American Writer CMarie Fuhrman

Did you know online literary magazine High Desert Journal features an exclusive podcast interview with Native American writer CMarie Fuhrman? If not, definitely go check it out. You may need to really crank the volume so you can hear her responses to the interviewer’s questions.

And I think that says something, too, about our culture not wanting to face death.

Listen to the the full interview here: www.highdesertjournal.com/podcast.

Ann S. Epstein Questions What’s in a Name

biostories

Magazine Review by Katy Haas

bioStories invites readers into the daily lives of those around us. Ann S. Epstein’s “My Name Could Be Toby Gardner” explores a topic that follows all of us daily: our names.

Born to a family of immigrants, Epstein begins by breaking down her parents’, grandparents’, sibling’s, and aunt’s name, each of them going by one that was not given to them at birth. Once she makes it to her own name, Epstein considers the ways which we tie identity to the name people call us. But she’s never felt connected to neither her first nor last names.

There is something almost comical about the way Epstein rights about this. The constant back and forth and corrections of the names of the people she’s mentioning in her piece are handled with levity, but she concludes on a more serious tone, wondering if names can be lost if they don’t make their mark on their person when they’re young.

Whether you want to spend some time thinking about what names mean to identity, or you just want to learn about the intricacies of the names of Epstein’s family, this is a quick and interesting read.

About the reviewer: Katy Haas is Assistant Editor at NewPages. Recent poetry can be found in Taco Bell Quarterly, petrichor, and other journals. She regularly blogs at: newpages.com/blog.

Maureen Thorson Taps into Tenderness & Family

Court Green - Fall 2019Magazine Review by Katy Haas

The thumbnails of the Fall 2019 of Court Green mostly show silhouetted scenes of courtship—men playing musical instruments or bowing on knees before women, scenes of dancing and kissing. In her two poems, Maureen Thorson writes of a different sort of relationships and intimacy, instead focusing on family. Continue reading “Maureen Thorson Taps into Tenderness & Family”

The Shore Poetry – Spring 2020

The Shore - Spring 2020

A new issue of The Shore features poetry by: Julia Bouwsma, Charlie M. Brown, Nicholas Samaras, Sarah Marquez, Nicholas Holt, Rachel Small, Noah Stetzer, Kathryn de Lancellotti, Molly Tenenbaum, Kathryn Merwin, Jenny Irish, Nicholas Molbert, Alicia Hoffman, TW Selvey, Anna Sandy-Elrod, Clifford Brooks, Stephen Furlong, and many more. It also features stunning photography by Melissa Marsh.

Sheila-Na-Gig online – Spring 2020

Sheila-Na-Gig online - Spring 2020

The Spring 2020 issue of Sheila-Na-Gig Online features the Spring Poetry Contest Winner and honorable mentions as well as poetry by T-M Baird, Rose Mary Boehm, Doug Bolling,R.T. Castleberry, Alan Catlin, Susan Darlington, Kelly Dolejsi, Tyler Dunston, Rob Hunter, Glenn Ingersoll, Stephanie Kendrick, Mercedes Lawry, Betsy Mars, Tom Montag, John Palen, Robert Strickland, Laura Grace Weldon, and more.

Leaping Clear – Spring 2020

Leaping Clear - Spring 2020

The Spring 2020 of Leaping Clear is out. This issue encourages readers to find balance in troubling times. Essays by Amy Sugeno, Dorian Rolston, and more; fiction by Anita Feng; mixed media by Barbara Parmet and Deborah Kennedy; music by Jon Tho; poetry by Ben Gallagher, Kathleen Hellen, Stephen Fulder, Yasmin Kloth, and more; video by Zangmo Alexander; and visual art by Denise Susanne Townsend, Michele Giulvezan-Tanner, and Stephanie Peek.

Jewish Fiction .net – March 2020

Jewish Fiction .net - March 2020

A beautiful new issue of Jewish Fiction .net is out. We’re sharing our journal with you earlier than usual in the hope that the power of great literature will provide you with comfort and pleasure now. Find 16 excellent stories, originally written in English, Hungarian, and Hebrew. And in honour of the upcoming holiday, two stories are about Passover: The Trade” by Mendele Mokher Seforim and “The Guest” by Remy Maisel. Enjoy this fabulous new issue and we wish you and yours continued good health.

Witness the Witness Literary Award Winners

Witness - Spring 2020The Spring 2020 issue of Witness features the winners of their latest Witness Literary Awards.

Poetry Winner:
“Future Ruins” by Andrew Collard

Poetry Runner-up:
“You Will See It Coming & You Won’t Run” by Emmy Newman

Fiction Winner:
“Delivery” by Emily Greenberg

Poetry Runner-up:
“The Dramatic Haircut” by Kristina Ten

Nonfiction Winner:
“When a Child Offends” by Michele Sharpe

Nonfiction Runner-up:
“Ani-la and Anne-la: On Everything I Knew and Didn’t Know” by Anne Liu Kellor

Poetry was selected by Heather Lang-Cassera, fiction was selected by Kristen Arnett, and nonfiction was selected by José Roach-Orduña. The rest of the issue is “magic” themed, so grab a copy and discover the magic inside.

Call :: The Voices Project Poetry & Short Prose in Response

Deadline: May 15, 2020
The Voices Project is taking submissions of poetry or prose in response to the current global health crisis. We believe self expression can be therapeutic for many people and promote empathy during uncertain times. We are interested in hearing your perspective, your reality, and also writings of hope. What did people do to help you or others? What acts of compassion have you witnessed? Prose, no longer than 350 words. Include a short thoughtful bio (160 words or less) with your submission. Multiple submissions welcome, no more than 2. We do not take anonymous submissions. Submit through our website:
www.thevoicesproject.org/submit.html.

Visit Flint with About Place Journal

About Place - October 2019Magazine Review by Katy Haas

The October 2019 issue of About Place Journal takes readers on a journey from north (truth) to south (courage) to east (rebirth) to west (mourning). I immediately connected with a poem found in the north: “Flint” by Kendra Preston Leonard.

It would be hard to find someone who hasn’t heard about Flint, Michigan at this point. In early 2014, the city (which is only about a forty-five-minute drive from my home and is home to a handful of my friends) was in the news for their water crisis. After changing water sources to save money, residents were left with lead-poisoned water, an on-going issue in the city and the state.

Leonard writes about this in “Flint,” the speaker asking readers to “Come and drink,” “this acid” and “the sweet sweet leaded water,” to “Drink / and drink / and drink/ down this styx.” She invites those with distance to “Find out what it is to stand you here,” “where the river / adds children to the cemetery.” This lessens the distance between watching the information on the news and leading readers to really considering the humans that have been harmed by water, something that’s necessary to live.

Leonard’s imagery is enjoyable to read, despite the gravity of the poem’s message. The piece reads smoothly, flowing like a river. “Flint” is a great place to start your journey into this issue of About Place.

Encourage Excellent Writing Habits One Measure at a Time

Children writingDid you know Zizzle Literary has a blog known as “The Zizzling Pan”? There you can find some great articles about writing and reading…for adults and children.

Melissa Ostrom contributed “One Measure at a Time” to this last June and this would be something great to do to help channel your children’s energy into something creative and possibly fun. Flash fiction is a genre that has definitely seen a rise in recent years. I think the shortest pieces I ever read or studied in school were honest short stories. It was more so after college that I came around myself to see flash fiction.

This is something Ostrom also recalls in her article: “Though I write flash fiction regularly these days, a decade ago, I didn’t even know the form existed. I regret this. Had I been familiar with flash when I was still teaching high school English, I would have incorporated the reading and writing of it into my instruction.” I especially like how Ostrom says she used to believe more was better in terms of writing, but how flash could have suited her teaching purposes just as well.

Ostrom talks about 500 words being an average length for flash fiction. How about setting that as a challenge for your child? Read some great flash pieces for inspiration and have them try their own hand at writing and editing their own attempt down. A fun exercise to do over time to help them learn and grow “measure by measure.”

There Is No Memory That isn’t Tinged with Darkness

José Angel Araguz
Photo of José Angel Araguz featured on Southeast Review’s website

In Southeast Review‘s special Online content, John Sibley Williams interviews José Angel Araguz, a CantoMundo fellow, author of several chapbooks and collections, and the Editor-in-Chief of Salamander.

Araguz talks about how place, specifically Corpus Christi, Texas and Matamoros, Tamaulipas, has defined him, his work, and his politics.

Not only is my family’s story scattered across these two places, but some of the essential issues of our times play out on this border: immigration from a variety of countries (not just Mexico), narcotraffico, and the ensuing violence against women, children, and the poor. There is no memory that isn’t tinged with darkness, with threat and danger.

Since Araguz’s work does feature a lot of his own culture, he is asked how he approaches work to make it universal to readers of all cultures and his response is great: “I tread carefully around the word “universal.” There’s so much instability to language that to count on a poem alone, the mere words on the page, to be universal, is to invite failure.”

Learn more about José Angel Araguz, how he crafts his poetry, and how his experiences helped form his work.

Zizzle 3-Issue Bundle

Zizzle First 3 IssuesLooking for something to do with the kids while you are stuck at home? Literary magazine Zizzle has a discounted bundle of their first 3 issues. These hardcover volumes are illustrated and feature fiction both parents and children can enjoy together. These are great keepsakes for families and meant to help bring parents and children together.

You can also subscribe to their newsletter to get free access to their new audio editions.

Zizzle is also transitioning into a press and hopes to be offering fiction for teens soon, too.

Show Lit Mags Some Love

Need something to keep your mind busy? Try a literary magazine. Our Guide to Literary Magazines includes hundreds of options for you to delve into.

Subscribe or order an issue of your favorite print magazine, or filter by online magazines to get quick and easy access to quality writing right on your phone or computer. This is a great way to familiarize yourself with what their editors are looking for, so see who’s currently open for submissions, or make a note of reading periods for those who aren’t accepting work currently.

And if you read something you loved, let the writer know! Drop a note on social media or send them an appreciative email. Stay connected and show support while the world feels a little wild at the moment.