News
Grind Writers
photo: Margo Lamont
April 6, 2013
Sewer immortalization: Vancouver’s manhole cover design challenge You don’t need to know how to draw. “Submit your manhole cover design that highlights the importance of our sewer system and expresses Vancouver’s spirit, values, and vision for a sustainable future.” (Yes that’s actually what they wrote.) Above, manhole cover near Arbutus Street, Vancouver. Deadline for submissions: 4PM April 15th. More info here.
in
side
3
BC writers – autonomous fan region
3
LitFest New West – soon at a riverport town near you
4
An evening with Ruth Ozeki & Linda Solomon
4
100 websites you should know and use
4
Write with Geist: workshops
5
Submit. (You know you want to.)
7
Haiku time: Vancouver’s Cherry Blossom Fest
7
What is Erasure Poetry anyway?
8
Free-write picture prompt: C’mon, just do it!
blog roll
Grind Writers 2013 meetings schedule
10am til 12:30pm Grind Gallery Café 4124 Main Street at King Edward Ave. In the back room Thanks to Mr & Mrs Kim, the Grind owners, for allowing us meet in their Back Room for the last six years - and for their support of the arts in general – they provide gallery space to many local artists.
Please buy something while you’re there to support the Grind
Sat
Apr 6
Sun
Apr 21
Sat
May 4
Sun
May 26
Sat
June 8
Sun
June 23
Sat
July 6
Sun
July 21
Sat
Aug 10
Sun
Aug 25
Sat
Sept 7
Sun
Sept 22
Sat
Oct 5
Sun
Oct 20
Sat
Nov 2
Sun
Nov 17
Sat
Nov 30
Sun
Dec 15? – to be decided
Words in Stitches: A Blog for Muddled Words and Their Writers and Editors A
2
for every typo or blooper you find. Enjoy.
autonomous LIT FEST NEW WEST April 11-13 The 3rd Annual LitFest New West celebrates the literary arts at New Westminster Public Library and Douglas Collage. More info: artscouncilnewwest.org.
BC BOOKS Free workshops & panels on the Saturday @ Doug College include:
eBooks a Growing Trend Vision & Verse Panel: Authors & Small Publishers Max Wyman – A Critial View of the Arts
Crafting a Killer Mystery – workshop JJ Lee on Memoir The Self-Publisher’s Starting Kit Bill Tielman, Political Writing Workshop
Comicon Vancouver – April 20–21 2nd annual Comicon featuring comic, anime, science fiction, horror and gaming. Authors scheduled to appear include Hiromi Goto, A.M. Dellamonica, Eileen Kernaghan, and many more. All info at: fanexpovancouver.com
Penticton YA fantasy writer launches – Tues. April 23, 6:30pm Penticton writer Michelle Barker launches her debut Young Adult fantasy novel The Beggar King (Thistledown Press, 2013) at The Establishment, 3162 West Broadway, Vancouver
Susan Juby reads – Wed. April 24, 7pm, free Reading by the best-selling author of the internationally popular Alice MacLeod books. Wednesday, April 24 at 7:00pm, free. Alma VanDusen & Peter Kaye rooms, lower level, Central Library, 350 W. Georgia Street. More information at vpl.ca
BC crime writers panel discussion Thurs April 18, 7 pm, free BC members of Crime Writers of Canada will present a lively panel discussion about Canadian crime writing, followed by announcement of nominees for this years Arthur Ellis Awards. At the Peter Kaye Room, lower level, Central Library, 350 W. Georgia St. More info: www.vpl.ca.
3
An evening with Ruth Ozeki and Linda Solomon Saturday April 16, 7 pm $20 th
Anza Club, 3 West 8 Avenue Part of the Vancouver Observer’s 2013 Salon series, where politics, literature and people meet
The Creative Blender with Elee Kraljii
Gardiner – Sat Apr 13, 10am-1pm
Acclaimed novelist and Zen priest Ruth Ozeki will give a reading, followed by an open dialogue with the audience, moderated by longtime friend and Vancouver Observer publisher Linda Solomon. The event is also the official BC launch of Ozeki’s new novel, A Tale for the Time Being. Freelance writers note: The Vancouver Observer (an indie online news magazine not much influenced by big corporate interests) publishes a lot of emerging writers, so this could also be an opportunity for you to meet publisher Linda Solomon.
From Diary to Graphic Narrative with
Sarah Leavitt – Sat Apr 13, 2-5pm Getting It Into Print with Billeh
Nickerson – Sat May 4, 10am-1pm
A Tale for the Time Being has already sold in 17 countries and has been called a brilliant masterpiece by Kirkus Reviews and hailed by The Independent as a "funny, heartbreaking, moving and profound" novel. While half the novel takes place in Japan, half takes place on Cortes Island, where Ruth lives half-time.
Writing from Life with Jane Silcott –
Sat May 11, 1-4pm Geist workshops usually fairly good value for the money. All are $50; some 2 for $75. All at 2 locations in downtown Vancouver.
More and registration info here
Solomon and Ozeki's relationship goes back more than a decade when they first met on Cortes Island, both former New Yorkers hungry for a writer friend.
"We used to get together every morning at what was the old oyster factory on Cortes. I had an office there," Solomon said. "We'd sit on the floor and write all morning, then read each other what we'd done. Ozeki and Solomon have taught writing together at Hollyhock, and this will be their second public talk together.
"Ruth's book deals with some of
The evening with Ruth Ozeki is the first of the Vancouver Observer's new VO Salon Series: inspiring conversations at the intersection where politics, people and literature meet.
took Ruth around 8 years to
The Vancouver Observer is an online-only news site and the winner of the 2012 Canadian Journalism Foundation Excellence in Journalism award. More info: vosalonozeki.eventbrite.com/
book to ordain as a priest, how
the most important issues of our time," Linda Solomon said. "It create and finish the book and
there's much to talk with her about what it takes to bring forth a work of this magnitude, why she decided as she was writing the
meditation fed her writing, and why she had to throw out a completed draft, after the earthquake and tsunami."
4
100 Websites You Should Know and
Use (updated) here.
Call for submissions Superheroes Deadline May 15 Minor Arcana Press currently welcomes submissions of poems related to superheroes and superhero mythology for a new anthology titled Drawn to Marvel. Deadline for submissions: May 15. The anthology is edited by Bryan D. Dietrich and Marta Ferguson. Please send poems with the subject Super Poems to kryptonnights@yahoo.com.
L
Submit.
Call for submissions Deadline May 31, 2013 for a special “The Human Face of Sustainability” issue, Creative Nonfiction and ASU’s Global Institute of Sustainability are looking for nonfiction that illuminates environmental, economic, ethical and/or social challenges related to the state of the planet and our future. $10,000 for best essay. Review the guidelines here.
you know yo u want t o
Contests and calls for submissions Contests
Roundup of poetry contests here.
Contest EVENT magazine – Nonfiction Contest Deadline: April 15, 2013 Writers are invited to submit manuscripts exploring the creative non-fiction form. $1500 in prizes available, plus publication $35 entry fee includes 1 year of EVENT 5,000 word limit. Submission guidelines here.
Call for submissions Reading period to May 31st Arroyo Literary Review An award-winning national magazine with a West Coast orientation. We are seeking fiction, flash fiction, poetry, essays, and translation for our 6th issue. No email submissions. Please see our website for submission guidelines: www.arroyoliteraryreview.com.
Contest The Antigonish Review’s 2013 Writing Contests $2400 in prizes! * The Sheldon Currie Fiction Prize – deadline May 31, 2013 * The Great Blue Heron Poetry contest – deadline June 30, 2013 Please read the submission rules here.
Call for submissions Literary Review of Canada (LRC) Submissions beginning May 1, 2013 for publication July/Aug–Dec 2013 For 2013, each issue will feature poems that share a common form or theme. (Jan-May issues already called out). During the months devoted to a given form, the subjects will vary, and vice versa. As always, we welcome unsolicited, unpublished, original submissions, provided that they fit one of the categories outlined. Here is the remainder of the 2013 publication calendar to help guide submissions:
Calls for submissions listed by deadline date Call for submissions Reading period: January to April 15 Claire Literary Magazine is moving online. We want you to join us for our inaugural online issue. We seek unpublished poetry, fiction, and nonfiction (poetry: limit 5 poems; prose: limit 5,000 words). For all info and the link to the online submission page, visit claremagazine.com.
• July/August: ekphrastic poetry, i.e. pieces inspired by other art forms (visual, film, music, etc.) • September: prose poems • October: poems inspired by family • November: ghazals • December: poems inspired by food
Fan Expo Vancouver April 20-21 Second annual comicon featuring comic, anime, science fiction, horror and gaming. Authors scheduled to appear include Hiromi Goto, A.M. Dellamonica, Eileen Kernaghan and many more. Complete details at fanexpovancouver.com.
The Kisses & Popsicles Spring Poetry Contest Info here Deadline May 15 5
LITERARY MAGAZINES Submit …
LISTINGS FOR EVERY TYPE OF LITERARY MAGAZINE
continued
Please include the month in which you would like your work to be read in the subject line of any emailed submissions. For more information, check out our full submissions guidelines here.
Call for submissions Poetic responses to Quentin Tarantino For a summer of 2013 print anthology around the films of Quentin Tarantino. We're looking for poetic responses to his work. We'll lean towards egocentric voices with a colorful range of references. We welcome contributions from writers outside the U.S. Review the details here.
Call for submissions Reading January–June 1, 2013 The Marie Alexander Series seeks submissions for an anthology of flash sequences. Send up to 10 pages (doublespaced, 12 pt. type, 1-inch margins) of prose sequences, each segment of which contains fewer than 500 words. Send PDF files, with cover letter, to Wesley Fairman (anthology@mariealexanderseries.com), with “anthology submission” in the subject line. Previously published material OK. Put name and e-mail on all documents. We will accept submissions January 1–June 1. Read all the info here.
Call for submissions 1966 - An online journal of creative nonfiction, seeks pieces of literary nonfiction with a research component—anything from immersion memoir to nature writing to reportage to travel writing to—? For submission guidelines: www.1966journal.org. Ongoing call for submissions Anderbo.com -- “Best New Online Literary Journal” -publishes writers in fiction, “fact” (creative nonfiction), and poetry. We’re always looking for new voices. We’ll also consider nonfiction features, short memoirs, novellas, published-book excerpts, photography, essays, and photo essays. Now in our 9th year! For submission information and guidelines, visit www.anderbo.com.
Call for submissions Deadline: July 15 Wising Up Press/Universal Table Seeks submissions for a Wising Up anthology, I-THOU IN AN UP-DOWN WORLD: Lasting Friendships Across Deep Divides. Poetry, fiction, memoir and creative nonfiction on the theme of maintaining genuine friendship across deep difference and/or disparity. Full description and guidelines here.
Changes in Life A monthly online newsletter is seeking personal essays from women of all ages. New writers are encouraged to submit their work. For details and submission guidelines, see www.changesinlife.com.
Call for submissions Deadline: October 1 The Chattahoochee Review: Animals. Inventive or classic variations of the “animal” theme welcome. Send relevant fiction, poetry, and nonfiction. Please note call for submissions in cover letter. Online submissions now available: at: http://thechattahoocheereview.gpc.edu
Call for submissions – ongoing The Evening Street Review The ESR is centered on the belief that all men and women are created equal. Reads poetry/prose submissions year-round. Replies in 3 months or less. Sometimes includes comments. Send 4–6 poems or 1–2 prose pieces. 7652 Sawmill Rd., #352, Dublin, OH 43016 or editor@eveningstreetpress.com. For contests and guidelines visit: www.eveningstreetpress.com.
Call for submissions No deadline as at Jan 2013. Two-Countries: Daughters and Sons of Immigrant Parents seeks poems, essays and flash memoir. For details, please go to this link.
Call for submissions “Got a poem?” Submit any subject, any style, any length, any number, any time by e-mail or by mail with SASE. Previously published poems and simultaneous submissions are welcome. The Great American Poetry Show, P.O. Box 69506, West Hollywood, CA 90069. Email: info@tgaps.net. Website: www.tgaps.net (Caveat emptor – check it out)
Ongoing calls Call for submissions Are you over 60? - Wit and Wisdom of the Sages Have insightful stories you’d like to share with your grandchildren? Great Depression/ WW2/ Vietnam era? Seeking narratives up to 3,500 words. Send manuscripts, or for guidelines email jnjscher@yahoo.com.
Geist Emerging Writer-of-the-Month Emerging writers are invited to submit short written works online. Read FAQ.
6
Submit …
continued
The 2013 Cherry Blossom Haiku Festival Check here for info on haikus, tips on writing them, and Vancouver’s own Cherry Blossom Festival. Submissions began March 1st and continue to June 3rd
Call for submissions – open dates Subterranean Blue Poetry Subterranean Blue Poetry is an Internet Poetry and Art Publishing Café. We thrive on new original words and New Age art. All poets and their poetry are welcome and we are especially looking for homegrown poets from the Canadian first nations/American Indian Community; Quebec; small town Canada; international poets and anyone who was ever considered “the other.” New Age art offerings are for the masthead of each issue. Read all info here. The Quotable This online magazine wants writer-readers to submit stories based on their monthly prompts. Info here.
Calling all poets! Coastal Spectator A new arts-based review and commentary site operating independently out of the U. Vic. We want to publish, on our home site, one new poem each week for a year, so if you have a new piece of work -that is a haiku or up to 25 lines long -- do submit. We can pay $25 for each poem published, and once its week on the site is over, it will be placed in a poetry archive onsite. We see it as a new way to introduce new or pending books of Canadian poetry. By "new" we mean book published in 2012. If you've just signed a poetry deal, then this is a good way to let the world know. Read all about it here.
Regime magazine - Short stories, poetry& performance writing. Not only do they want your work but they offer that you can tack $20 on your submission and they’ll send you back a detailed one-page critique. Note: do your due diligence. Read it all carefully. Full submission info here.
Call for submissions New multimedia journal 5 OVER 4. New multimedia journal seeks cross-genre work made by jazzy, creative people who embrace the unknown. Poetry videos, multi-media sculpture, hand-stitched book art, JPEGs collaged with audio, sound poems via video chat, interactive projects. Live and online events. Website: 5over4.blogspot.com, Email Monique Avakian: monava9@gmail.com. If you’ve ever wondered what Erasure Poetry is – (and haven’t we all wondered that at one time or another?) – go to this link and you can see the winners of this year’s contest, and also their “erased” poems. It’s quite an interesting technique really……
I wish we could do it with many types of witing – and we probably do in our heads as it’s rolling out – politicians’ speeches, sermons . . . . . 7
photo: Margo Lamont
free-write photo prompt
Free-writes:
1 easy rule
Write what comes to mind when you look at the photo: what does it evoke for you? Don’t think – just start writing. Write for 15 minutes by a timer. Don’t stop. Don’t go back (you can edit later). Write whatever comes to mind. Whatever it is, just keep going. See where it goes .... If you want, bring your output to the next Grind Writers.
The Grind Writers News ©2013
Margo Lamont
e: margolamont@gmail.com b: http://wildsynapticleaps.blogspot.com/ previous issues: http://issuu.com/grindwriters/docs
8