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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!

Pongo Teen Writing Program

Juvenile Offenders Put It Out There with Poetry
By Claudia Rowe, Seattle PI Reporter
April 24, 2008

When Richard Gold begins working with teens at King County’s juvenile detention center — youths held for robbery or car theft or assault — he often asks them to write down a question anonymously. Any issue that scratches at them and which they cannot understand.

Almost always, he gets some version of the query: “Why does life have so much pain?”

Gold’s poetry classes begin there, with the detention hall kids writing about neighborhoods that feel like wild jungles, or parents who don’t want them or the experience of turning 18 and being transferred from juvie to jail.

Read the rest along with several poems written by Pongo Participants on Seattle PI.com.

CLMP Annual Lit Mag Marathon Weekend

CLMP’s 9th Annual Lit Mag Marathon Weekend
New York City
June 14-15

“The Magathon” Reading at NYPL
Date/Time: Saturday, June 14th (4 pm to 6:30 pm)
Location: NYPL main branch, Fifth Avenue at 42nd Street
This annual marathon reading features 15-20 editors, reading short selections from recent issues. This is a rare and wonderful opportunity to bring our varied and vibrant literary publications to the beautiful New York Public Library.

9th Annual Literary Magazine Fair
Date/Time: Sunday, June 15th (12pm to 5pm)
Location: Housing Works Used Book Café, 126 Crosby Street

Awards & Readings :: Georgia Review in NYC

From David Ingle, Assistant Editor, The Georgia Review:

We’re headed up next week to attend the National Magazine Awards, where we’ve been named as a finalist in the General Excellence category for mags with a circulation of less that 100,000. Our litmag brethren Virginia Quarterly Review are also nominated in the same category, along with 3 other non-lit publications. The awards are Thursday, May 1st, at Jazz at Lincoln Center.

In conjunction with that, we’re putting on 3 great readings in NYC — two in Manhattan and one in Brooklyn — featuring a nice mix of well-known writers and newcomers, all of whom have published in GR. Here are the basics on those:

Monday, 4/28, a reading by Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Stephen Dunn and acclaimed nonfiction writer Barbara Hurd. The Dactyl Foundation, 64 Grand Street, 8pm. Free and open to the public. Sponsored by The Georgia Review, the University of Georgia Press, and W.W. Norton & Company.

Tuesday, 4/29, “A (Peach) Tree Grows in Brooklyn: Four Writers from the Pages of The Georgia Review,” featuring D. Foy, Rene Houtrides, Anna Solomon, and Craig Morgan Teicher. Music by Athens, Georgia’s own Brian Connell. Union Hall, 702 Union Street, Park Slope, Brooklyn. 8pm. Free and open to the public.

Friday, 5/2, “The Writer’s Studio of New York Celebrates The Georgia Review” with readings by two-time National Book Critic’s Circle prize-winning poet Albert Goldbarth, Pulitzer Prize winner Philip Levine, and up-and-coming fiction writer Anna Solomon. Judson Memorial Church, 55 Washington Square South, 7pm. $5 suggested donation.

Tip o’ the Pint

My thanks to those who have recently supported the NewPages beer fund. I am coming to the end of the school year, which means a) no more papers to read for three months; b) more time to blog; c) the need for more beer. In case you didn’t know already, the blog does run on beer, so if you like it (and you like other features on the site that are announced on the blog), don’t be afraid to show your appreciation by making a donation! Any amount is welcome. Sunday is beer and burger day at my favorite bar, so $1.50 will buy me a pint. I’ll take care of the tip. Cheers!

Awards :: Glimmmer Train Short Fiction Contest Winners

Glimmer Train has selected the three winning stories of the February Very Short Fiction competition! This competition is held twice a year for short stories under 3000 words in length:

First place: Cynthia Gregory of Concord, CA wins $1200 for “Melting at Both Ends.” Her story will be published in the Summer 2009 issue of Glimmer Train Stories.

Second place: Michael Schiavone of Gloucester, MA, wins $500 for “Ghost Pain.” His story will also be published in an upcoming issue of Glimmer Train Stories, increasing his prize to $700.

Third place: Linda Stansberry of Honeydew, CA, wins $300 for “Home for Good.”

The May Short Story Award for New Writers is now open. Authors are eligible whose fiction has not appeared in a publication with a circulation greater than 5000. Send stories up to 12,000 words using the online submissions system at www.glimmertrain.org.

Get with TED :: Amy Tan Did!

TED
Technology, Entertainment, Design
This week on TED.com, novelist Amy Tan takes the TED audience on a funny, thoughtful walk through her head, in search of the germs of creativity. Watch this master storyteller tell her own story – she sets fire to the TED Commandments in the first minute, and rolls from there. Also look for Brian Greene, a master storyteller in his own right, as he explains string theory to you (really!). And check out a talk from last week that is packed with insight and inspiration: Dr. Ernest Madu, talking about the creative tactics he uses to bring good health care to poor communities in Jamaica.

Homer on Display

The Antikenmuseum in Basel, Switzerland is currently housing an exhibit highlighting “Homer’s impact on art and culture.” In addition to a nine-meter-tall replica of the Trojan horse, a few installments noted in Hanns Neuerbourg’s AP article:

“On view are magnificent Greek and Roman amphorae and vases depicting dramatic scenes of Homer’s two epics…Coins, statuettes, fragments of text excerpts on Egyptian papyrus and other artifacts on view also stress the dominant effect of Homer’s epics on Western culture since antiquity.

“The paintings on display make up only a small fraction of the vast imagery influenced by the ancient poetry. They range from copies of Roman frescoes to canvases by German pop artist Sigmar Polke and by Cy Twombly, a key figure in American abstract expressionism. The catalogue lists many others from Rembrandt to Picasso.

“In a special room, visitors can see a 2006 video installation by American filmmaker Peter Rose, titled Odysseus on Ithaca. The 2004 movie Troy, starring Brad Pitt and Peter O’Toole, is loosely based on Homer’s epics.”

Read the full article here, and visit the museum’s site dedicated to the Homer Exhibit.

Fiction :: Amy Brill

Something So Nice for Nobody
by Amy Brill
Guernica
April 2008

Last year sucked for everybody, except maybe Jackie, who found true happiness with Carlene. He moved out just after Labor Day, leaving a bunch of stuff behind and promising to help me out with rent until I could figure things out. I’ll hold my breath for your help, I told him. And if you don’t come and get your crap out of here it’s all going in the dumpster, I swear. Then I slammed down the phone and went outside to smoke. My neighbor Ray was out on the stoop. He didn’t look quite like himself, either.

Everything all right, Ray? I called over, and when he looked back at me his eyes were filling up.

Mag and I lost a son today, he said. I went down my steps and crossed over to his side of the railing…

Read the rest on Guernica.

Jobs :: Various

The Humanities Division of Lewis-Clark State College seeks a Visiting Assistant Professor in Creative Writing and Publishing Arts. April 30 (priority).

Grand Valley State University Visiting Professor, Department of Writing. Dan Royer, Chair, Department of Writing. May 1.

The Department of English at University of Central Oklahoma seeks a temporary, one-year appointment for a Poet in Residence. Teaching responsibilities include undergraduate & graduate poetry-writing courses. Dr. J. David Macey, Chairperson, Department of English. May 15.

The English Department at the University of Memphis is accepting applications for a one-year (possibly renewable) non-tenure track instructor/administrator. April 30.

Can “Serious” Lit Survive in China?

Literati: Serious literature marginalized in China
April 17, 2008
Posted on China View

The article begins: “Should literature address more social issues, or should it get closer to the writer’s own heart and focus on one’s own experiences?” and goes on to discuss the shift in literature, reporting and reading in Chinese culture.

“Xu Chunping, editor of Literature Journal, maintains that Chinese culture as a whole is moving in the direction of entertainment. There are new genres like “cellphone literature, online literature and movie fiction” that did not exist before. “Literature as we know it gets purer and contends with only the ultimate issues, and new literature tends to provide solace rather than soul-searching capabilities.” She faults the mainstream media for the decline. “Belles-lettres are shriveling to an elitist enclave,” she laments.”

Read the rest on China View.

Much Ado for Writers :: Stadler Center for Poetry

“Founded in 1988 by Professor John Wheatcroft and philanthropist Jack Stadler and located at Bucknell University, in the scenic Susquehanna Valley of central Pennsylvania, the Stadler Center for Poetry is a professional literary center offering a wide range of programs and residencies for emerging and established poets and writers.”

The site includes several podcasts, with more to come: An interview with the director, Marylin Chin, Ilya Kaminski, Dennis Nurske, Robert Love Taylor, Cynthia Hogue.

The center offers numerous programs and residencies:

Bucknell Seminar for Younger Poets
Held for three weeks in June, the Seminar provides an extended opportunity for undergraduate poets to write and to be guided by established poets.

Stadler Fellowship
Initiated in 1998, the Stadler Fellowship offers a recent MFA, MA, or PhD graduate in poetry the opportunity to receive professional training in arts administration and literary editing along with time to complete a first or second manuscript of poems.

Stadler Emerging Writer Fellowship
Initiated in 2007 and modeled on the Stadler Fellowship, the Stadler Emerging Writer program offers poets who have recently completed their graduate work the chance to contribute to a thriving poetry center while providing time for the completion of a first or second book of poems.

Philip Roth Residence in Creative Writing
Named for the Pulitzer Prize-winning Bucknell graduate and established in the fall of 1993, the Roth Residence offers an emerging writer four months of unfettered writing time during Bucknell’s fall semester, without formal academic obligations.

Poet-in-Residence
Since its initiation in 1981, the Poet-in-Residence program has brought a writer of national or international renown to spend a semester at Bucknell University each spring semester. The program is intended to honor the achievements of an accomplished poet, providing him or her with the opportunity to work with limited academic obligations.

Sandra & Gary Sojka Visiting Poet Series
The Sojka Series brings a distinguished poet to Bucknell for a two-day visit each fall. In addition to presenting a reading, the Sojka poet meets in an informal venue with students and other members of the Bucknell community.

Bateau – 2007

“We’re trying to take you somewhere.” Isn’t that every writer’s goal? To take the reader from their comfy couch or their little corner and place them into a scene to which they can relate. Or maybe it’s to put them in a situation they’ve never been in, but affects them in some way. Continue reading “Bateau – 2007”

The Bellingham Review – Spring/Fall 2007

The Bellingham Review celebrates its thirtieth anniversary in this issue with three essays from the journal’s editors, past and present. While interesting for their historical narrative, the pieces are also a testament to the inspired, beautiful madness one must possess to start a literary periodical. At the end of the volume is an index of the pieces from Bellingham’s run (so far). Continue reading “The Bellingham Review – Spring/Fall 2007”

Epiphany – Winter/Spring 2007/2008

Derek Walcott provides the centerpiece of the Winter/Spring issue of ep;phany with a selection from his new book of poems, White Egrets, and an excerpt from an essay called “Down the Coast.” The poems, most of which are about Spain, use dense natural imagery to transport the reader. The essay describes Walcott’s attempt to turn the Caribbean stories of his childhood into a film, which leads him to many fascinating ruminations about film-making and cultural identity. Continue reading “Epiphany – Winter/Spring 2007/2008”

Gulf Coast – Winter 2007/Spring 2008

Gulf Coast is published twice a year in October and April, and each issue is a work of art in itself. The journal includes fiction, poetry, nonfiction, interviews, reviews, as well as the work of artists – a blend that facilitates both a visual and textual experience. The full-color pages in the most recent issue include collages by both Donald Bathelme and Michael Miller, and each visual artist’s work is accompanied by a commentary on their pieces.

Continue reading “Gulf Coast – Winter 2007/Spring 2008”

Kaleidoscope – Winter/Spring 2008

Kaleidoscope magazine “(explores) the experience of disability through literature and the fine arts.” The articles, essays, stories, and poems in this issue do just that, giving the reader insight into life with many different conditions, including Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, lupus, and multiple sclerosis, to name a few. Most importantly, the authors featured in this magazine present honestly and admirably, without asking for pity, without resorting to sentimentality. Continue reading “Kaleidoscope – Winter/Spring 2008”

New Letters – 2007/2008

Robert Stewart, the editor of New Letters, begins this issue with a note on the kind of writing the journal seeks. In his words, “We want writing….that comes out of something.” Writing that is real. That kind of intensity is felt in the opening work of fiction by Andrew Plattner, a short story entitled “A Marriage of Convenience,” where the reader is introduced to two brothers, Marian and Joe, who are bookmakers with, it turns out, enormous hearts. Marian, the older brother and supposedly the tough guy, wonders at one point, “why he was a bookmaker, why he spent so much time in the shadows, why he liked to keep the odds on his side.” Maybe, he wonders, “it wouldn’t find him, all that people lost.” What is so wonderful about this piece is Plattner’s narrative pacing, which makes the ending feel unexpected and exactly right. Continue reading “New Letters – 2007/2008”

Interview :: Ursula K. Le Guin

Breaking into the Spell
An interview with Ursula K. Le Guin
By Alexander Chee for Guernica
February 2008

Ursula LeGuin speaks from beyond the genre ghetto in about her new book Lavinia and the perils of writing against realism.

Chee writes in the introduction: “I was interested in finding the Le Guin whose insistence on a career as a woman of letters, in the broadest sense, has led her to become something of American literature’s pirate queen, living on the edge of the Pacific in a house with a view from her desk of Mt. St. Helen…On the eve of the novel’s release, Ursula K. Le Guin answers some questions about war, witches, realism and teaching herself to write as a woman.”

Read the interview on Guenica.

What is Going on in Arizona?!

Plan targets anti-Western lessons
Some fear loss of diversity in lawmaker’s education proposal
By Matthew Benson
The Arizona Republic
April 17, 2008

Arizona public schools would be barred from any teachings considered counter to democracy or Western civilization under a proposal endorsed Wednesday by a legislative panel.

Additionally, the measure would prohibit students of the state’s universities and community colleges from forming groups based in whole or part on the race of their members, such as the Black Business Students Association at Arizona State University or Native Americans United at Northern Arizona University. Those groups would be forbidden from operating on campus.

The brainchild of Rep. Russell Pearce, the measure appeared as an amendment to Senate Bill 1108, which originally would have made minor changes to the state’s Homeland Security advisory councils. The House Appropriations Committee approved the new proposal on a 9-6 vote.

Read the rest here.

Festival :: New Directions 4.29-5.4

Festival of International Literature
“Public Lives/Private Lives “
April 29 – May 4, 2008
New York
A Celebration of World Literature: 170 writers, 51 countries, 82 events. Endless possibilities!

Please join New Directions authors and translators as well as Umberto Eco, Peter Esterhazy, Nuruddin Farah, Ian McEwan, Catherine Millet, Ma Jian, Mario Vargas Llosa, Joyce Carol Oates, Michael Ondaatje, Annie Proulx, A.B. Yehoshua, and many more for six days of exciting literary exchange featuring conversations, panel discussions, readings, film screenings, a translation slam and a cabaret night! PEN World Voices festival brings together a stellar line-up of international and U.S. writers, from the most distinguished names to the freshest new voices, to mine the rich and timely theme: “Public Lives/Private Lives.” Where do we draw the lines between our private and public selves; how do we express identity in the face of cultural differences, political oppression, and war; and when must we tell private stories for the public good? Authors also talk about books that changed their life, writing sex, and tell old-fashioned stories with The Moth. Do not miss this unique celebration of international literature coming to venues across New York City and the satellite cities of Albany, Rochester and Boston. To view a complete schedule of events, go to: http://www.pen.org/festival.

Share Food Writings on Alimentum

Alimentum Journal, the only literary review all about food, invites you to share your food writings: “We’d love for you to post short pieces of your food thoughts on our new website Bulletin Board. We’re looking for menupoems and secret food confessions. 250 words tops. Post for the world to read (and possibly comment upon) and and for Alimentum Editors to peruse.”

Writers :: Take a Cartoon Caption Break

The Humor Times runs a monthly Cartoon Caption Contest. They provide the cartoon, you provide the caption. Winners receive a subscription to the magazine or you can opt for IMAX tickets to use in Sacramento. It’s worth a laugh to check out winners from the previous month, as well as good cross-genre writing practice!

New Journal :: Conclave

Conclave is an annual print journal that focuses on character-driven writing in short stories, flash fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, and prose poems; also black and white photographs, and excerpts from plays: monologues, scenes, single acts, or one-act plays. Conclave seeks writing that centers around well-crafted characters—complex and authentic: like Leopold Bloom, Huckleberry Finn, Anna Karenina, Hamlet, Miss Havisham, Hannibal Lecter, Hester Prynne, and others.

Support Poetry in Schools

Special Tupelo Press Limited Edition Hardcovers Support Poetry in the Schools

Tupelo Press kicked off its Poetry in the Schools fundraising initiative with a series of limited edition hardcover books. The following recent releases are available in numbered, signed editions for $100. There are only 100 copies of each hardcover.

Dismal Rock by Davis McCombs
Psalm by Carol Ann Davis
Spill by Michael Chitwood

Inflorescence by Sarah Hannah is also available in a numbered limited edition hardcover (of 200) for $100.

Proceeds from the sales of these special releases go to support Tupelo’s Poetry in the Schools program, which will bring poets into grammar schools and high schools across the country to deliver the joy and wonder of poetry to a nation of school children who have suffered under tremendous cuts to their arts budgets.

You may order through the Tupelo Press website or by calling directly, 802-366-8185.

New Address :: Cadillac Cicatrix on the Move

From Benjamin Spencer, Executive Editor of Cadillac Cicatrix:

www.CADILLACCICATRIX.com is now www.CADILLACCICATRIX.org. This new address is live as of MARCH 29 2008. In honor of our new address, we are having a housewarming party. Designed around our second-annual April Tribute to Poetry, we will host 30 days of poetry and art, featuring 30 national poets and 5 NY photographers. Just look for the PoetryTribute icon on the home page.

If you are encouraged by our effort, please don’t hesitate to contact us. Our submissions guidelines are available online and we welcome queries about potential projects – writing and art, video and sound, film and movies.

Jobs :: Various

Seton Hall University English Department one-year, Visiting Professor position in Creative Writing specializing in Poetry to begin September 2008. May 12, 2008.

SUNY Potsdam’s English and Communication Department is seeking applications for an Assistant Professor of English. This is a tenure-track position with primary responsibilities in teaching Creative Writing – Poetry. April 14, 2008.

Visiting Assistant Professor in Creative Writing and Publishing Arts Lewis-Clark State College. May 15 (priority April 30), 2008.

Take a Walk Down Library Lane

A recent exchange made me consider not only just how important libraries are now in my life, but how much they have been a part of my whole life. It got me to thinking about such things as my earliest visits to the library – and how I still remember getting my very first library card (I was patron #2952), summer book clubs, exploring the “Michigan Room” and discovering old copper photo negatives, graduating from the J-section of Laura Ingalls Wilder and “horsey books” to reading Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea and Melville’s Moby Dick in the “adult” stacks, and so much more. With the public library only four blocks from my childhood home, I spent a great deal of time there, year round, and later had one of my first paying jobs as a Library Page – shelving books, fixing them, putting the cards back in returned book pockets.

It’s no wonder I would end up living now only one block away from a library, but in a town that has struggled for support to keep it open. For one year, the library was completely shut down, voters having not passed a mileage vote to continue operational funding. The next year, the vote passed, 51% to 49%. A meager victory, but a victory nonetheless. Unfortunately, the library had to re-open under shortened hours and is not open when I have time to visit it. But this does not upset me. On the contrary, it makes me see all the more the point to an open library isn’t always about how it serves the individual, but what it provides to the community as a whole. An open library with limited hours is wholly more desirable than a closed library. Each day, it is helping create precious memories for many more new patrons who, I can only hope, will be the “Yes” votes of the future.

Workshop :: Callaloo 5.30

The 2008 Callaloo Creative Writing Workshops
August 3-16
College Station, Texas

A project of the literary journal Callaloo, designed to assist new and developing writers by providing intensive and individual instruction in the writing of fiction and poetry. Students and faculty will work and live together for the duration of the two-week workshops, as well as meet in groups for three hours each day and in individual conferences when necessary.

The poetry workshops will admit nine applicants, and the fiction workshops will admit only six. The faculty will give readings for the general public, and the workshop members will celebrate the last two evenings with small audiences comprised of workshop participants and invited guests.

The workshops, along with required books and supplies, are free to all participants, but participants will be responsible for their travel and board.

TO APPLY: Applicants must send a brief cover letter and a writing sample (up to eight pages of poetry or twenty pages of prose) to:

Callaloo Creative Writing Workshops
Dept. of English, Texas A&M University
TAMU 4227
College Station, Texas 77843-4227

The application postmark deadline is Friday, May 30, 2008. Applications will be evaluated on an on-going basis until the workshops are filled, but a waiting list will be maintained in the event of cancellations.

Workshop :: Mancester, Vermont 4.25

Manchester and the Mountains Poets and Writers Weekend
April 25-27, 2008
Manchester, Vermont

Workshops, interactive panel discussions, poetry slams (including teen event), literary readings, open “mic”, and literary tours designed to inspire and enlighten creative
 artists. Presenters include Greg Joly, Lauryn Axelrod, Sarah Jane Nelson, Clemma Dawson, Elena Giorgiou, Rebecca Rupp, Christian Peet, Chris Morrow, Sue Leonard, Tupelo Press’s Jeffrey Levine, Ted Gilley, Dr. Peter Stanlis, Gary Margolis, Jon Katz, and Bill Shutkin.

Residency :: Atlantic Center for the Arts 5.23

Atlantic Center for the Arts
2008 Master Artists-in-Residence Program
October 13 – November 2, 2008
Application Deadline: May 23, 2008

Since 1982, Atlantic Center’s residency program has provided artists from all artistic disciplines with spaces to live, work, and collaborate during three-week residencies. Located just four miles from the east coast beaches of central Florida, the pine and palmetto wooded environment contains award-winning studios that include a resource library, painting studio, sculpture studio, music studio, dance studio, black box theater, writer’s studio, and digital computer lab. Each residency session includes three master artists of different disciplines. The master artists each personally select a group of associates – talented, emerging artists – through an application process administered by ACA. During the residency, artists participate in informal sessions with their group, collaborate on projects, and work independently on their own projects. The relaxed atmosphere and unstructured program provide considerable time for artistic regeneration and creation. Atlantic Center for the Arts provides housing (private room/bath with work desk), weekday meals (provided by ACA chef) and 24 hour access to shared studio space. Financial Aid is available to qualified applicants.

Kid-Safe Space for Podcasts

Kid-Cast
This site invites kids to create their own podcasts as well as allowing adults to post kid-appropriate casts (and no doubt, the kids helped with the process). Each podcast is “age-rated” and reviewed before being posted. Some of the casts are adults reading stories or “lessons” for kids, while others created by kids include discussions of discrimination, global warming, and book reviews. It’s amazing to hear the professionalism of some of these kids. Check it out!

The Kid-Cast.com
“Kid-Cast.com is a site dedicated to helping kids get their message out to the world. Our goals aren’t to tell kids how or what they should Podcast, but to give them a place to do it. It’s a place we want adults (parents, guardians, and teachers) to know is a safe place for their kids to spend time creating their Podcasts to have them posted. We’re serious about kid’s and your safety, so we take as many precautions as we can to make this a healthy place for kid’s material to be posted. We don’t want to rule the world of podcasting, we want the kids to do it!”

Zen [Not] For Children [Only]

A new line of children’s books offer lessons through characters that represent teachers, students, and fools:

“Zen Tails is a ground-breaking collection of children’s picture books based on stories drawn from great philosophical traditions. Each book is beautifully illustrated and contains the original ancient story as well as a moral. The books address fundamental questions which must be faced by each of us as we move through life. These questions are simple enough to be understood by young children, yet profound enough to warrant a lifetime of study, reflection and practice.”

The website offers one free pdf for immediate viewing (No Presents Please) and others available for print or e-purchase.

Free Books Anyone?

17 Ways to Get Free Books
From the Frugal Panda Blog

“You can never have too many books, so we are delighted to share with you some ways to get them for free. From children’s books to technical books, there are numerous resources that offer literature for free. Some of the following sites offer actual printed books, while others feature electronic books (aka ‘ebooks’).”

A great list with descriptions of each resource. Thank FP!

C. D. Picks G. C. for Dorset Prize

From the Tupelo Press Newsletter: 2007 Dorset Prize Winner Announced

Tupelo Press is delighted to announce that C. D. Wright has selected G.C. Waldrep of Lewisburg, PA winner of the 2007 Dorset Prize for his outstanding manuscript Archicembalo. He will receive $10,000, and his book will be published in 2009 and distributed internationally by Consortium Book Sales & Distribution, Baker & Taylor, Ingram, Small Press Distribution, and Tupelo Press.

In addition to the Dorset Prize winner, Tupelo Press will offer publishing contracts to Marc Gaba of Sacred Heart, Philippines for his manuscript Have, and to Martha Zweig of Hardwick, VT for hers, Monkey Lightning. Our congratulations to G.C. Waldrep, Marc Gaba, Martha Zweig, and to all of the finalists.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who entered their work. Without your support of Tupelo Press, we simply could not do what we do.

For list of finalists, you can visit the Tupelo Press website.

Three Cartoons from One Neti Pot

Alright, so I had a sinus congestion for over three weeks, and it was getting painful. I didn’t want to take antibiotics, so I go to Dr. Google and search “nasal passages.” I want to see an image and identify where I might be having problems. Up pops an intriguing if not nearly revolting image of some bearded guy with thick, black-rimmed glasses shoving a neti pot a bit too far up his nose. It’s a YouTube link. How can I resist?

I’m not going to tell you what he does with his neti, suffice it to say, it’s not something I would ever do with mine! More to the point, the guy in the video is Drew, artist of the cartoons Toothpaste for Dinner and Married to the Sea, among others. His site also has a link to another now personal favorite of mine: Natalie Dee. Their comics are updated daily and can be added via application to your Facebook account.

natalie dee
nataliedee.com

Residencies :: Lynchberg College

Lynchburg College
Thornton Writer Residency

“Two 14 week residencies, including stipends of $12,000 each, at Lynchburg College in Lynchburg, Virginia are awarded annually to a fiction writer for the Fall term and a poet for the Spring term. Creative nonfiction writers, screenwriters, playwrights, and mixed-genre writers will also be considered either term. The writer-in-residence will teach a three-credit writing workshop, present a public reading, and visit a small number of classes. The residency includes housing, some meals, and round trip travel expenses. To apply, applicants should submit a cover letter, a published book(returned upon completion of review), evidence of successful teaching, a curriculum vita, and names and contact information for three references by May 15th for the Fall term and July 15th for the Spring term. There is no entry fee.”

If there are questions, please call 434-544-8267. Send complete applications to Thornton Writer Residency, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Lynchburg College, 1501 Lakeside Drive, Lynchburg, Virginia 24501. Attn: Ms. Patty Irwin.

See Your Poem in Dance

Dancing Poetry Festival
Artists Embassy International
September 27, 2008
Noon – 4:00 p.m.
San Francisco’s Florence Gould Theater
California Palace of the Legion of Honor Art Museum

The Dancing Poetry Festival and Natica Angilly’s Poetic Dance Theater Company are sponsored by Artists Embassy International, which is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting intercultural understanding and peace through the universal language of the arts, founded in 1951.

Each year the DP holds a poetry contest. The winners receive a cash prize as well as having their works performed at the DPF. Deadline: Pmk May 15 Previous winners poems and photos are on the DP site.

Poetry Across the U.S.

National Poetry Month brings us many wonderful resources. If you’re not familiar with the Poetry Map on Poets.org, check it out. Better still, make it a point to visit your state and help keep this map active and up to date:

“The National Poetry Map was launched during National Poetry Month in 2003 in the hopes of fostering local poetry communities. Relaunched in 2007, the Map has been updated with more photos, links, and dynamic content. You can also make suggestions for features and additions to state pages by sending an email to map@poets.org.”

Jobs :: Various

New York Post seeking a motivated journalist to help edit and coordinate book reviews and commentary pieces as well as writing short essays. Experience as a reporter (politics especially) required. E-mail a short cover letter and resume under the subject line “Editing job” to slynch@nypost.com; no phone calls please. May 6, 2008

University of North Carolina Wilmington Department of Creative Writing is seeking a Visiting Assistant Professor specializing in Creative Nonfiction for academic year 2008-09. Apply online by April 25, 2008.

McNeese State University Associate Professor of English in the Department of English and Foreign Languages: This is a full-time, 9 month, tenure-track, unclassified appointment. The appointment begins in August 2008. Dr. Jacob Blevins, Search Chair. April 18, 2008.

Director, The Writer’s Center in Bethesda, Maryland.

Director, Writing Center, Casper College, Wyoming. April 22, 2008.

Director, Writing Center, Loras College, Iowa.

Spindle Award :: Liz Dolan

Spindle is proud to announce that Liz Dolan’s poem, “The House that Ruth Built”, has been chosen as the winner of the 2008 “Play Ball” writing contest by judges Guy LeCharles Gonzalez and Fish Vargas.

A Pushcart Prize nominee in poetry, fiction and non-fiction, Liz Dolan was born, braised and bronzed in The Bronx.

Ms. Dolan will receive a $50 honorarium and her poem will be featured in the “Play Ball” issue which will be published on Tuesday, April 8th at www.spindlezine.com, along with 5 honorable mentions from the contest and a selection of new and previously published content.

Spindle congratulates Ms. Dolan for her excellent work and thanks all of the contributors who entered the contest.

Internship :: Floricanto Press

Floricanto Press offers university students online editing internships. These are unpaid internships for credits on the title page upon publication as full editor or co-editor of the titles under their purview. This internship involves co-editing manuscripts accepted for publication, working closely with our editors and authors, preparing compelling descriptions for the review media, finalizing manuscripts for printing. This opportunity provides the prospective intern with the opportunity to build from campus–without ever setting foot on our premises or commuting–a solid resume in preparation for graduate school, professional schools, or doctoral programs. Internships are 10 months, Sept. – June.

New Journal :: LBJ

The LBJ: Avian Life, Literary Arts

“The LBJ is a biannual publication dedicated to birds and creative writing. Its title is drawn from the acronym for “little brown job,” used by birders to describe those difficult-to-identify species, such as many sparrows. While there are popular magazines (Audubon), scientific journals (The Auk), and other newsletters about birds, The LBJ is a uniquely literary venue, publishing new creative nonfiction, fiction, poetry, narrative scholarship, and literary journalism of the feathered variety. In its pages, The LBJ hopes to encourage an appreciation and practice of environmental literature, and increasing collaboration between scientists, conservationists, and artists. It seeks innovative creative writing and literary reportage—the best writing about birds to be found.”

Submissions Deadline for inaugural Summer 2008 Issue: May 15
The Sparrow Poetry and Prose Prize: Deadline Pmk May 15 (date inclusive)

Indy Media in Kenya :: Youth Voices Connect

From the newest issue of In These Times, “Kenya’s Indy Media” by Michelle: Chen reports on how bloggers, cartoonists and guerrilla radio activists rock the East African mediascape.

“Some youth are amplifying their voices through a video collective called Slum-TV, led by Kenya-based media activists. By documenting everyday struggles in Mathare—a densely populated slum in the capital Nairobi—the project enables young people to produce homegrown media and, through local public screenings, fosters community dialogue. Following the outbreak of the post-election violence, Slum-TV has focused on current recovery efforts that bring together activists from different ethnic groups…As an ear to the ground in their communities, grassroots media activists have sometimes been ahead of the news.”

Children & Poetry :: Pongo Teen Writing Program

Children’s Poetry from the Psych Hospital
This is radio program is completely worth your time to hear the voices of the children/teens as they share their experiences in the hospital as well as working on their poetry. This recording is a testimonial to the power of poetry, the power of the poet in each person, and the power of volunteerism. The first 10 minutes is purely documentary, then followed by interviews with Gold and Storck. If you’ve ever considered creating or participating in this kind of writing program, this radio show will make you want to act.

From Richard Gold, founder of Pongo Teen Writing Program: “On April 1, KUOW radio did a beautiful story about Pongo’s poetry project at the state psychiatric hospital for children. The show represents so many things that are important to me — the voices of the kids, the challenges at the hospital, the value of poetry to emotional healing. And there were several surprises. The hospital arranged for a teen to call in, someone I had worked with seven years ago when he was 13. I hadn’t heard about him since. He talked about the effect of poetry on his life. Another surprise, I found out later, was that the hospital kids were all out of school, in the dining hall, listening to the radio show live, and cheering.”

From KUOW: “Somewhere near Tacoma, a few dozen kids live in garden cottages that are locked from the outside. Most of them have tried to take their own lives or hurt others, and they’ve all got disabling psychiatric conditions. They live apart from their families, many of them for more than a year, in Washington’s only children’s psychiatric long term care center. Everything, from the basketballs and bicycles to the isolation room, is part of the treatment. So is the poetry. Today we’ll tag along while children at the treatment center write poems, and we’ll talk about how writing works as therapy.”

Guests:
Dr. Mick Storck is attending psychiatrist at the Child Study and Treatment Center and at Children’s Hospital in Seattle. He is assistant professor at the University of Washington’s medical school. One of his research interests is narrative therapy.

Richard Gold founded the Pongo Teen Writing Project in 1992. Pongo volunteers help teens in jail, psychiatric confinement and other difficult conditions write poetry. Richard is also a published poet.

Colby is a former resident a the Child Study and Treatment Center. His poem appeared in Pongo’s book No More Me.

Fellowship :: Stanford 4.15.08

Stanford Institute for Creativity and the Arts
Stanford Humanities Center

The Stanford Institute for Creativity and the Arts (SiCa) and the Stanford Humanities Center intend to offer one residential fellowship at Stanford for academic year 2008-09 to a practitioner who is also a writer, scholar, or critic pursuing a research project in the arts. This fellow will be the first in a pilot fellowship program bringing together the humanities and arts in a research and creative environment on Stanford campus.

The fellowship recipient will be in residence at the Stanford Humanities Center and will be part of an intellectual community of about 25 fellows working on projects in history, literature, philosophy, and other humanities fields. The fellow will be affiliated with one of the three SiCa centers: The Center for Arts, Science and Technology, The Center for Global Arts, and the Center for Humanities and the Arts.

This fellowship seeks to bridge the worlds of art practice, on the one hand, and writing and thinking about art, on the other. The successful applicant will be both an arts practitioner and a scholar or critic interested in entering into dialogue with scholars in a wide range of humanities disciplines.