Annalemma Call for Subs

Annalemma just announced their theme for the seventh issue: "Endurance." Read Heavener's post about it. Submissions are due by August 5th. I've never written a short story specifically to submit it to one place, but there's no better reason to try something new than Annalemma.

Speaking of, Chris Heavener came to the reading I gave at Polestar on Sunday and took a couple pictures. Here they are.

(There's another one or me reading, X-rated, below the fold.)



In 1999 I lived with my friends Craig and Benji. Benji was a first-year school teacher and I was finishing up my last year of college. Every morning I would take a bath and read (still do), and Benji's shower wouldn't have any hot water. So one day he barged into my bathroom and sat in the tub with me. Craig, bleary-eyed, thought it was a Kodak moment:

Happy Birthday to Narrow House

publishers

Adam Robison is a Book of Poems

$3 Say, Poem -- now available $3 72pp $3 $3 $3

I just came out with my second book, SAY, POEM, published by my own Awesome Machine Press.

Imperfect, it is now available for $3 (shipping included). I'm reprinting to make it perfect, and then it will cost $10.

More info/Purchase here.

Feel free to share this in your Google Reader account.

What is the story behind Awesome Machine?
Well, this book, Say, Poem, is my MFA thesis project. I study at University of Baltimore, which has a cool focus on publishing. So for our theses, we not only have to complete a manuscript, but self-publish it, too. We are encouraged to come up with a press to make it "official." Many students already have their own publishing companies, myself included (mine is Publishing Genius).

I decided that it wouldn't be right to use Publishing Genius to self-publish this book because I won't treat this book the way I treat PG titles. Meaning, I'm only making a limited number of copies, I won't promote it as hard, and if someone submitted this book to PG, I don't know if I would have accepted it (not because I don't think it's good writing, but because it isn't quite the right book for PG at this time -- seriously).

At the same time that I was struggling with this decision, my band, Sweatpants, played a show and I thought I heard someone in the audience request "Awesome Machine" -- which isn't a song, and she had actually said something else. But it's a great name and, hearing it, my decision was made. I started the Awesome Machine imprint based entirely on mis-hearing a person in a crowded gay bar.

I want to make limited edition (which isn't to say "super high quality"--more like runs of 125) books with Awesome Machine because these books are wicked fun to make. It would be so simple. One of these days I'm going to do it.

Book submissions to close 4/1

Due to the number of great submissions already received, and the very few number of books that can be published, I won't be accepting any more submissions after April 1, 2010.

Book submissions will re-open again at random.

I am committed to building the Publishing Genius catalog from submissions. Please bear with me.

Dummies or Ventriloquists

Joseph Young and I read each other's work for Apostrophe Cast. It's good and strange to hear Joe read my poems. It's a pretty short and easy reading to listen to.

A CAKE APPEARED

I preordered Shane's new book from SCRAMBLER. It's called A CAKE APPEARED and it's pretty funny a lot. I used part of it as an epigraph for my blog. The other epigraph is from Louise Gluck -- that should give you an idea of what kind of writing Shane does.

Here's the trailer for the book. It's as short as a book trailer wants to be.

Publishing Genius in Publishers Weekly

Andrew Albanese spotlighted PG in his Publishers Weekly article about indie publishing and how we're changing the nature of the industry. Read all about it.

Doing Something Right

Publishing Genius has two books on SPDs top-50 sellers of 2009.

Third printing of Jello Horse

The third printing of Matthew Simmons's novella, A Jello Horse, has been received and is now shipping from both PG and SPD.

To mark the occasion, the excellent Michael Kimball has re-posted Matthew's Postcard Life Story. It's worth a look!

Easter Rabbit Contest Results

Just announced, the results of the Write Like Joseph Young contest.

The winners are Ben White, Jessica Rigney and Andrew Borgstrom. Their winning entries, as well as a note from Ellen Parker, the contest judge (and FRiGG editor), are posted here.

Doing Edits

I like being discussed in the Emerging Writers Network feature, "experience with editors." Thanks Shane.

Martin Luther

I have a poem called "Martin Luther" in the inaugural issue of Divine Dirt Quarterly, whose mission is stated like this:

Theology began as mankind's highest creative endeavor--the prototype of literature, with each story and/or myth fine-tuned according to the individual's life experience. Our mission is to return theology to its democratic and dynamic state.

Justin Sirois in the City Paper

http://www.citypaper.com/news/story.asp?id=19486

Massive article on Justin's novel that ends, "What the fuck have we done?"

Reviews and Stuff

me and joe

I feel like I'm late to the party, but I'm bringing good news.

1. Justin Sirois's book, MLKNG SCKLS, was gloriously reviewed in New Pages. John Madera, the reviewer and musician and editor of Big Other, says: "Sirois’s prose glistens with precision."

2. At BMore Art, which is like a premier Baltimore institution for finding out what's what in Baltimore art, Megan Lavelle has written an astoundingly good meditation on Easter Rabbit.

Joe and Joe (photos by Megan Lavelle)

3. Matt Jasper's long poem, "The Tip of the Iceberg," was released this week.

4. For the second time since I started doing Publishing Genius stuff, a literary agent contacted me to get in touch with a writer I'd published. That was yesterday.

5. Tomorrow night is the release party for Easter Rabbit.
It's at Hexagon (1825 N Charles) at 7:30. It's free and BYOB.

We Are Champion

I have three poems in We Are Champion, a new journal that saved space for some also-rans like Blake Butler, Mathias Svalina, Giancarlo DiTripano, Gary Lutz, Ally Harris, Chris Higgs, Rachel B. Glaser, Carl Annarummo, Jonathan Papas. Whoa whoa whoa, read that Glaser story and get pumped for summer, when PG will mail you her collection of stories.

Everyday Genius

Joseph Young's editorial stint for Everyday Genius ends on Monday. Let's have a round of applause for Joe and all the great writing and stuff that he featured this month. That Robert Bradley story was longer than the average thing read at EG, but man did it flow. The bit with the stone, it's like word surgery it's so exact. Did you notice the John Woods to Shellie Zachariah thing? Two falling moon pieces back to back. Kathy Fish's  story blew me away, and so did Kuzhali Manickavel's. Thanks Joe, and everyone I just mentioned, and all the great writers I didn't mention, for contributing. Joe's last day is Monday and then Sasha Fletcher takes the helm for December.

Sweatpants at Shattered Wig on FRIDAY

Sweatpants are playing at the Shattered Wig on Friday. The Shattered Wig is an awesome showcase, the longest running in Baltimore.

The movie I Will Smash You is also locally premiering at the show. I'm excited to see it on the biggish screen. Sweatpants is doing a song from the movie. Michael Kimball and Luca DiPierro made the movie.

Blaster Al Ackerman will read. The last couple times I saw him read I couldn't understand his words because he had a bar of soap in his mouth. Because of this, I thought it was a good reading.

Ingrid Burrington is going to do something. She really wowed me at the Transmodern Festival last year with her chapbook of 100 Questions. (One of them was, "Will you help me move on Thursday?") She did a bunch of diagrams for Michael Kimball's month of Everyday Genius (for example click heres). She has a chapbook forthcoming from Publishing Genius.

This is the bio for Sweatpants:

Sweatpants is a vigorous band that brings the rock led by Publishing Genius magnate Adam Robinson. After they opened for Springsteen in Munich a year ago Springsteen said he was too shaken to do his five minute monologue opening to "The River" and instead he told the band to leave and performed a short acoustic set.

We are going to smash a pinata. In the pinata will be reticulated ventricles.

I think it would be really scary to ride a bike with my eyes closed -- probably I couldn't do it

Joseph Young was on NPR's The Signal on Friday. The Signal is a really great show out of Baltimore's station, WYPR. Joe reads some stories and talks with the host, Aaron Henkin, about how microfiction works -- and why.

When Aaron asks about the best way to read the stories, Joe mentions my money back guarantee: whoever reads the 3,000 words in one sitting, can email me for a full refund. My thinking is that the stories satiate after reading three or four, overwhelm after seven or eight. Buy the book here.

Joe's reading/interview is at about minute 25. Also on the program are: Chris Ferrera, my friend who does this really awesome letter writing campaign to Starbucks; Kathy Flann, my friend who hosts a reading series (last month she brought in Tao Lin and PG's own Rupert Wondolowski); and Matt Gilman, a blind mountain biker I've never met. Once again The Signal programs an hour well worth your ears.

Joseph Young Interview

Hey, here's an awesome interview with Joe Young about his book, his writing, and his self. At Fictionaut.

On why he started writing microfiction:

I know it had something to do with wanting to get as closely to time zero as possible, to write a story, with character and narrative and action, that took up the least amount of story-time possible, close to no time. I wanted to achieve near-stasis, but without actually getting there.

Lee Rourke is editing Everyday Genius

Lee Rourke has taken the helm of Everyday Genius for October. I don't know Lee except for the stuff I've seen at 3:AM, so I googled him and wrote a biographical poem about him with links.

MY POEM ABOUT LEE ROURKE
Seems pretty great/Does it with books/Gets the things that are the best.
He lives in London, so you read that which he writes with a funny accent.
Unless you live in London too. Then you read it normal but with tea.
He wrote a book called EVERYDAY, which is a dark collection of stories about London.
He said he wanted it "to be enveloped in a muffling fog of boredom."
I'm loathe to make judgments but that sounds paradoxically fascinating.
You know, I hope my jokes about the accent and tea didn't hurt anybody's British feelings.
Also, I hope it's okay with the joke I made in my head about y'all's teeth.
I get it from television, see. Really sorry about all that.
Lee Rourke said, "We have, more or less, turned our backs on the conglomerates."
He has another book coming out soon called THE CANAL.
He's doing that one stateside, with Melville House.
He generally has at least a little facial hair that he rocks.
Here's Lee Rourke's blog.
Sometimes he writes for The Guardian.
Sometimes he edits a journal called SCARECROW.
The Independent called that "Religiously Anti-Mainstream."
Like I said, Lee Rourke seems pretty great.

The piece that Lee gives us today, "Slumbible" by Steve Finbow, is the sort of writing that the Internet hosts best. It flourishes online, I think, because it relies on language more than story, and while a webbed world distracts me from engaging a narrative, it somehow encourages a language envelope. Online, language draws me in. (Reading "Slumbible," I literally moved closer to my monitor.) Here's an excerpt of Finbow's storyish:

Between her lips he blows chunks. Size of her schnozz. Hanani. They were merged. After her visit. The birds of prey. With this twisted white and memorized the became black as.

Beautiful, right? I think in general I default to looking for plot when I read, but this sort of writing resists that. Then, as my eyes scan the lines, as I allow myself to be engrossed by the language, bathed by it, I sense a bit of story emerging. This double-reflection proves easier in Finbow's piece than something by Andy Devine, like:

chesticular, China, eyebolt, eyebright, eyecup, eyehole, eyehook, eyelet, eyetooth, fear,

But even in Devine's work there is story.

I'm excited to see what else Lee Rourke bringst to the Internet table.