Assistant Editor Lisa Ohlen Harris shares and opportunity with Relief poets.
In the course of my browsing, I came across this neat call for submissions and thought I'd pass it on to the poets in Relief's writing community. I like the premise and would love to see some Relief authors submit work for the project. Make sure to drop us a line if your work is accepted--we love good news as much as the next guy!
Woodrow Hall Editions announces a new Poetry Jumps Off the Shelf project with the theme Lines in the Sand. Poems are sought that reach across territorial, cultural or interpersonal boundaries to break old rules and assumptions. Those that also address the recovery of nearly-lost chances will be especially welcome. Selected poems will be paired with the abstract art of Midwestern artist Sarah Spencer, then produced on quality stock postcards and distributed for free by libraries and art galleries in two Western states and in the Madison, Wisconsin area. Previously published poems invited with mention of prior credit. Submit any number of poems no wider than 3-1/2 inches with a 27-line maximum that includes title, spaces, byline and credit. Each selected contributor receives ten of their own postcards plus a sampling of the others. EMAIL SUBMISSIONS WILL NOT BE READ. Send submission with an SASE to:
Woodrow Hall Editions Poetry Jumps Off the Shelf PO Box 260026 Madison, WI 53726
Questions? Contact <shoshaunashy(at)yahoo.com> (replace (at) with @) More info about this program can be found at PoetryJumpsOfftheShelf.com THIS CALL ENDS NEW YEAR'S DAY 2009.
Editor-In-Chief Kimberly Culbertson shares her thoughts about a startling collection of short stories by Relief author Stacy Barton. Stacy's been published in Relief twice--"Charlotte Wondered" in Volume 1, Issue 2, "When I Was Twelve" in Volume 2, Issue 3, hitting doorsteps in the next week.
Getting to Know Stacy
After publishing Stacy in our second issue, we had the pleasure of meeting her at Calvin's Festival of Faith & Writing. We enjoyed her company so much that Ben and I couldn't resist picking up her collection of short stories, Surviving Nashville. The short but striking book is brought to us by WordFarm, whose booth was right next door to Relief for the duration of the conference. Since Stacy frequently visited the folks at WordPress, we were able to con her into conversation repeatedly. Stacy's got a wonderful energy and enthusiasm to her, tempered by a slightly darker edge, which the editors at Relief found refreshing, of course. Her background in interactive performance, directing, and creative writing, as well as her I-could-tell-you-but-then-I'd-have-to... scriptwriting for Disney makes for a wonderfully interesting conversation and clearly has guided her in the art of story.
Surviving Nashville
As we were copyediting our current issue, in which Stacy's "When I was Twelve" appears, I let it slip that I was in the process of reading Surviving Nashville. How wonderful, I said, to read and accept her submission while reading (and enjoying) a collection of her work! She of course, asked the obvious question: Which is your favorite? Since I wasn't finished with the book yet, I had not problem stalling her with a promise that I would eventually answer once I had finished the book. But once I did, I was no closer to picking a favorite, and instead decided that I would need to read the book again. (Since I didn't actually tell her this, she must think I'm a very slow reader.) So over this Labor Day weekend, I read it in snippets all over again from my log cabin in the north woods of Wisconsin. (Doesn't that just sound perfect? It was.) The second read was just as wonderful, and today I emailed her a wishy washy "tie" for a favorite.
You should probably pick your own favorite, but okay: I loved "On Tuesdays." There is a strangeness and a magic to it that grabbed ahold of me. It's a bit out of place in the collection, though there are a few more that have similar magic. Most of the stories have a great deal of realistic grit and are full of raw pain and grief. Four of the stories deal with suicide. Other recurring themes deal with losing a child, abuse, death, and the horror of everyday tedium. The title story, "Surviving Nashville" contains all the darkness of the collection along with the process of healing and a glimmer of hope. But then there is the affecting "Mamma's Baby," which hopes for the healing power of connection, and "She Had Prepared," a haunting tale of love and failure. Her characters are artfully drawn and unique, and this sparsly worded collection reveals amazing resonance. John DuFresne, the author of Louisiana Power and Light, a New York Times Notable Book of the Year, says that Stacy "looks at the world we all look at, but sees what the rest of us are unwilling to see. And she doesn't flinch." I couldn't agree more.
You'll want to pick up a copy right away--just click on the button :)
We received the print run right in time for our Labor Day vacation, and since it's a national rule that no one work on Labor Day, we did not bring boxes and boxes of journals to our log cabin getaway :-} (Yes, we do know it's not a real rule, and we apologize to waitresses, doctors, nurses, and all other honorable workers who did not get the weekend for play.) At any rate, we will be mailing batches of shiny new journals out throughout the week, so start checking your mailboxes. If you haven't purchased your issue yet, click here so that you don't miss out!
Relief Blog
Having two Relief News Tuesdays showing on the front page is testament to how busy we've been around here. As we are getting this issue to your doorsteps, we may have a few open slots, but we're working on filling them in :-} In the meantime, thanks for your patience!
Hey, you! Yeah, you sitting there in front of your computer. No, I'm not talking to the other guy, I'm talking to YOU!
Turn off your computer. Leave work early if you can. Go enjoy your long weekend.
Don't worry, we'll be here when you get back. The blog won't be back until Tuesday, Sept 2. But you know, you could always take advantage of the Big Sale going on over at the Relief Store . That would be neat, eh? Eh?
Yep, on it's way right now as I type, Issue 2.3 will be arriving sometime tomorrow, and we'll be mailing them this week! So, we're, ummm, mostly on time. Kind of. Pretty close, anyway.
I'll be posting up the authors for the Second Edition of Coach's Midnight Diner pretty soon. I've gotta tell ya, I've been going over the edited works, and all I can say is wow. We really have some groundbreaking stuff in here. I know, like we didn't in the last one, but this one keeps the trendline moving forward on an upward vector! (Translation for Corporatese: The first Diner was great, the second Diner will be even more intense! )
Assistant Editor Lisa Ohlen Harris shares and opportunity with Relief poets.
Editor-In-Chief Kimberly Culbertson shares her thoughts about a startling collection of short stories by Relief author Stacy Barton. Stacy's been published in Relief twice--"Charlotte Wondered" in Volume 1, Issue 2, "When I Was Twelve" in Volume 2, Issue 3, hitting doorsteps in the next week.
After publishing Stacy in our second issue, we had the pleasure of meeting her at Calvin's Festival of Faith & Writing. We enjoyed her company so much that Ben and I couldn't resist picking up her collection of short stories, Surviving Nashville. The short but striking book is brought to us by WordFarm, whose booth was right next door to Relief for the duration of the conference. Since Stacy frequently visited the folks at WordPress, we were able to con her into conversation repeatedly. Stacy's got a wonderful energy and enthusiasm to her, tempered by a slightly darker edge, which the editors at Relief found refreshing, of course. Her background in interactive performance, directing, and creative writing, as well as her I-could-tell-you-but-then-I'd-have-to... scriptwriting for Disney makes for a wonderfully interesting conversation and clearly has guided her in the art of story. 
First Print Run of Issue 2.3 to Arrive Tomorrow! 
