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The Popularity Papers: The Awesomely Awful Melodies of Lydia Goldblatt and Julie Graham-Chang Amy Ignatow

Lydia and Julie are back! This time, Lydia convinces Julie that they need to start a rock band. Julie makes Lydia sign a contract saying that this is not one of Lydia’s popularity schemes. First, they have to learn how to play some instruments (hilarity ensues) Roland’s in the band. Jane manages to worm her way in, too (drama ensues) and then… they have to play some shows. Even though they’re not that good. In fact, they’re horrible (more hilarity ensues.)

Things I loved about this book: Jane and Chuck break up, and Chuck’s like “Hey Lydia” and Lydia doesn’t fall for it. She’s pretty firm in that she doesn’t want to be friends with him after what happened in the last book and how he just ditched her for Jane. Lydia knows she’s worth more than that, and she’s not taking any less.

Also, their lyrics are hysterically awful.

AND OMG MELODY! Lydia’s older sister has always been an odd voice of reason, coming from an angry goth girl. At the end of the last book, we are told that something MAJOR happened and we finally get to see it. I love the new Melody. I like the glimpses we get of who she is based on what *hasn’t* changed.

Things I love about this series that haven’t changed: Lydia and Julie are still awesome. I love the full color comic/word novel hybrid. I love their friends, especially Roland and Jen.

But most of all, I love Julie’s dads. They’re so perfectly wonderful parents while being horribly embarrassing at the same time.

Book Provided by... my local library

Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.

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Plucky orphan makes
mostly good again, this time
with help from her pen.

Hattie Ever After by Kirby Larson. Delacorte, 2013, 240 pages.

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Moving rumination
on what makes us human.
Slow start, but worth it.

Every Day by David Levithan. Knopf, 2012, 336 pages.

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Hilary McKay has a great new early chapter book series out.

Lulu and the Duck in the Park

Lulu is known for animals. The rule in Lulu's house is "The more the merrier, as long as Lulu cleans up after them!"

Every week, Lulu's class goes to the local pool for swimming and walks back to school through the park, where they take a small break. The kids love their time at the park, sitting by the pond. Lulu especially loves the area known as "duck row" where many ducks have made their nests under the bushes. This week, two dogs get loose and scare all the ducks. In the process, many of the nests and their eggs get smashed. Lulu notices one egg left unbroken, rolling away, so she scoops it up and takes it back to school.

Mrs. XXX has just instituted a rule saying that the kids aren't allowed animals in class, so Lulu has to keep the egg hidden, and safe, and warm, but what will she do when it starts to hatch?

Lulu: Lulu and the Dog from the Sea

When Lulu and her family go on vacation, she sees a dog that seems to come from the sea. Everyone know town knows about the dog from the sea-- he's the reason you have to take your trash can inside the house at night. Stealing hot dogs from the hot dog stand an understandable thing for a dog to do. Stealing (and eating!) a shovel (the most expensive, nicest shovel) from the postcard stand? That dog is a nuisance!, but the dog catchers can't get him.

Lulu wants to get to know the dog from the sea, so she breaks all the rules to lure him closer, to get to know him. I mean, the more the merrier, right? But another hamster or rabbit is one thing-- can Lulu really handle another dog?

*****************************

I was a little apprehensive of this series-- I love McKay's Casson family books, so there were high expectations going into this-- could she maintain the same level of awesome for an early chapter book?

Short answer--yes.

I love Lulu's relationship with her cousin Mellie, especially because they don't always enjoy the same things or understand each other. I like how there's more to Lulu than animals (such as jumping off the swings at the highest point possible) but everyone remembers the animals.

As an adult reader, I love the adults. They're done with enough comic timing to make kids laugh, but adult readers will understand where the book adults are coming from and with sympathize. It's also the little touches-- Lulu's mom brings a book for every day of their vacation, plus War and Peace, just in case.

I loved a scene in the first book when Lulu's teacher tries to read the kids Harry Potter but they keep interrupting to tell her that that's not right, because that's not how the movie was, and that she was doing the voices wrong. McKay has an excellent touch for the small details of life.

This is an excellent series, up there with Clementine.

Come back tomorrow, where I'll actually be interviewing Ms. McKay! Squee! So exciting! Also, a giveaway!

Books Provided by... the publisher for blog review and book tour stop.

Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.

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I tried, I swear -- I
just couldn't finish. Wrong book,
wrong time, wrong reader.

In Darkness by Nick Lake. Bloomsbury, 2012, 368 pages.

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D.J.  Swykert’s short fiction and poetry have been published in The Tampa Review, Monarch Review, Sand Canyon Review, Zodiac Review, Scissors and Spackle, spittoon, Barbaric Yawp and BULL. His novel, Maggie Elizabeth Harrington, won a literary competition with The LitWest Group in Los Angeles in 2002.  Alpha Wolves, D.J.’s Noble Publishing’s bestselling novel, was released in April, 2012.  Children of the Enemy, D.J.’s OmniLit’s bestselling novel, was published for the first time in 2009 and a third edition published in September 2012 by Cambridge Books.

Hi D.J., Please tell everyone a bit about yourself.

D.J.: I’m a blue collar person from Detroit. I’ve worked as a truck driver, dispatcher, logistics analyst, operations manager, and ten years as a 911 operator, which was the very best job of all of them. I write stories like you’d watch a movie and put them down on paper. I have written in different genres; crime, romance, and even a little bit in literary fiction. The last sentence in my writing bio is always: He is a wolf expert. I am not a biologist. I raised two arctic hybrids, had them for eleven years, and have written two books in which they join the other protagonists.

When did the writing bug bite, and in what genre(s)?

D.J.: The first thing I ever wrote was a poem to impress my art student girlfriend. That was right after high school. It wasn’t very good, but she was impressed with my effort. I’ve been scribbling things ever since.

When you started writing, what goals did you want to accomplish? Is there a message you want readers to grasp?

D.J.: I’ve always wanted a career that I enjoyed. I looked at writing as a possible means to that end. I’ve had some small success, enough to be encouraging, but I’ve always worked for a living. If there’s a central theme to my writing it’s that all life has value. My characters tend to question norms. I tend to question what is considered normal. I like animals, I have empathy for the hardships they endure and my protagonists usually do as well.

Briefly tell us about your latest book. Is it part of a series or stand-alone?

D.J.: The Death of Anyone is essentially a mystery/suspense story with romance and a little science in it. The story centers on homicide detective Bonnie Benham’s search for the killer of young girls.

This book has a couple of the same characters from an earlier unpublished novel I hold the rights to titled Sweat Street, but I wouldn’t consider it a sequel. If I have some success with The Death of Anyone I may look to publish the first book. And perhaps consider another story with Detective Bonnie Benham. This is not the first time I’ve written from a female POV, but it’s the first time for a female police detective.

What’s the hook for the book?

D.J.: The book introduces readers to a DNA search technique not in common use here in the U.S., Familial DNA. A lot will be written on this subject as the real life trial of Lonnie David Franklin, The Grim Sleeper unfolds in California this year. The trial will set precedence for future use of this DNA search technique and I suspect will eventually lead to a Supreme Court decision on it’s admissibility as evidence. The defense is going to severely question LAPD investigating Lonnie Franklin in the first place as there was no direct evidence linking him to the crime.

How do you develop characters? Setting?

D.J.: They say write what you know, so I set my story in Detroit, where I grew up and lived for a long time and can authentically describe the city and places for the scenes in my story. When I make up a character I usually visualize someone in my head and then give them the characteristics I believe suits the character in my story. I wrote a story about a thirteen year old girl trying to save a pack of young wolves from a bounty hunter. In my mind I visualized Maggie Harrington as Jodie Foster in an old film, Taxi Driver, where she played a thirteen year old prostitute. I used Jodie’s image to describe the girl and my own feelings for animals to impart her emotions concerning the wolves. This is how I generally develop a character.

Who’s the most unusual/most likeable character?

D.J.: I think Bonnie Benham is both unusual and likeable. She was originally in narcotics, but washed out. In her own words she became more “narcotic” than “narc.” As she investigates the murders of adolescent girls she is trying to resurrect herself as well as seek justice for the victims. This makes Bonnie a very edgy homicide cop. The story contains several suspects who are both likeable and unlikeable.

Do you have specific techniques to help you maintain the course of the plot?

D.J.: I’m a ponderer.  I do a lot of thinking about my character and the story in my head before I begin to write. I usually have figured out how I wish to end the story. When I begin to write I put my character into a situation and from there the chapters all point towards the ending. It doesn’t always work out quite as simply as this sounds, but this is how I begin.

Do you have a specific writing style? Preferred POV?

D.J.: I think my best writing is in first person. But The Death of Anyone and Children of the Enemy are in third person past tense, which most readers I think prefer. First person works good as a narrative for a strong character in a short book, but since it can only get into the one character’s head it can get a bit tedious.

How does your environment/upbringing color your writing?

D.J.: I grew up in Detroit, so, for crime or mystery stories I’ve set them in Detroit, which unfortunately has held the Murder Capital of the World title several times. I have also written stories set in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, where I lived on the Keweenaw Peninsula for a decade. Love it up there, a true wilderness much like Alaska only with smaller mountains. But the winter is extremely long, turbulent and prohibitive.

Share the best review (or a portion) that you’ve ever had.

D.J.: I liked this review left on Amazon:

The Death of Anyone by David Swykert, reads like a Jessie Stone movie, was a true page turner for me. His subject is close to our hearts and the viewpoint is an eye opener. He has interwoven the personal problems of some of his Characters making them real. He also has a flair for writing some romantic scenes that most ladies will find endearing. If you enjoy a mystery, some anxiety and a little romance I would recommend you read The Death of Anyone.

What are your current projects?

D.J.: I have an offbeat/quirky romantic tale titled The Pool Boy’s Beatitude. The book will publish this summer by a small Indie press out of Detroit, Rebel e Publishing. They do have a book distributor and a small print run will be done. It’s the story of an alcoholic physicist who drops out and is cleaning swimming pools to earn a living, skimming what he refers to as the “Infinite Pond.” The story follows the human orbit of Jack Joseph and his trail of broken relationships until he ultimately lands himself in a county jail.

Where can folks learn more about your books and events?

D.J.: I have a page on an artistic collective called: www.magicmasterminds.com You can find information about my work, and me on the site, and see a host of other amazing artists, musicians and writers.

Thanks for joining us today, D.J.!

D.J.: Thanks so much for the opportunity.

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When writing a novel, one common admonishment is to keep in mind the goal of entertaining the reader. Fiction’s purpose is to entertain; non-fiction’s purpose is to inform. But the lines between the two can often blur, as when non-fiction uses narrative techniques.

This week, I’ve been reading Cory Doctorow’s book, For the Win and he uses info dumps like crazy, putting in lots of technical discussions, potentially boring information. He does it–and it works? What is he doing right?

Story comes first. For the Win is first and foremost a wide-ranging global story of online gaming and how the workers across the world join together to fight for better working conditions. There’s a strong plot, strong goal and an interesting series of developments.

Interesting characters. Doctorow also pulls together a fascinating cast of characters, drawn from the four corners of the globe. There’s the uneducated, but smart Indian girl from the slums, a disillusioned teen from California, Worker activist from Singapore, determined striker from China, and equally fascinating radio personality from the Pearl Delta of China. They are all fleshed out with real-world needs, wants, goals, and their individual circumstances come alive.

Setting. For each character, their setting is particularized with specific sensory details. You get spicy chai and well-water in an Indian slum juxtaposed with the luxury of a wealthy California home.

In short, Doctorow tells a stirring, interesting tale.

But he goes a step farther. As long as he has your attention, he wants you to know something about the online gaming world. If you look at the top ten world economies, many of them are virtual worlds and economies of an online game. Sometimes, he stops and gives an info dump on economics, gaming rules, worker unions and so on. And sometimes, he has one character ask another to explain something.

For example, the Indian girl who is such a great gamer they call her General is uncertain about economics. She asks the college-graduate economist to explain something, then because the General dosen’t understand the complicated economics, the Economist explains further, in simpler terms.

It works. Really, it shouldn’t work, it’s an info dump and at that point of the novel, Doctorow is just trying to teach me–the reader–something about economics. (I am denser than the General sometimes!) And I don’t mind a bit. I keep reading. Because in the context of the exciting story, I don’t mind a bit of explanation, in fact, it adds to the enjoyment of the story, because I understand motivations and the worker’s dilemmas better. Doctorow makes me root for the worker’s revolution because I understand it better.

If I was just reading about economics, my eyes would glaze over. Reading this novel, though, I am fascinated and I try harder to understand. It matters because he’s made me like the General and hope that her life gets better.

Likewise, if you need another example of how an info dump works well in a novel, read Doctorow’s book, Little Brother.

Go ahead: break the rules and give us an info dump in your novel. But please–tell a story first.

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So cringingly true
to late-teenage wander/lust,
I almost lost it.

Just One Day by Gayle Foreman. Dutton, 2012, 320 pages.

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Intriguing debut
from first Boston Lib. Writer-in-Res.
(Plus, CARNIES.)

Wonder Show by Hannah Barnaby. HMH, 2012, 288 pages.

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Once Upon Stilettos by Shanna Swendson

Katie Chandler is back! Just a small town Texan girl living in the city. Her friends all think she's normal to a fault, but at work, her normalness is what makes her special. She's Merlin's Assistant at Magic, Spells, and Illusions, Inc. because she's completely immune to magic. She can see through illusions and glamors.

Phelan Idris may have been defeated, but he hasn't given up. In fact, he's now stalking Katie outside of work to try to get under her skin (it's working.) Plus, top secret plans have been stolen from Owen's lab, so no one at MSI is trusting, or talking to anyone else, let alone working as a team. Merlin puts Katie on the task of finding out who's the inside-man and finding a way to boost morale. Plus, she's dating Ethan and trying to have one date where magic doesn't turn it into a disaster. To top it all off, her parents are in town, and it turns out, her mother's also immune.

Katie's barely keeping her head above water, and that's when her immunity goes away. And doesn't come back.

So, Katie explained *why* it took her so long to tell anyone she lost her immunity, but I totally wanted to smack her the entire time about that-- such a stupid decision. I did like Katie's interactions with her parents and how she kept having to come up with new excuses to give her mother about what she was seeing. I also really liked the mystery at play. I was very surprised by who the culprit turned out to be and did NOT see it coming, even though, looking back, the clues were completely there.

I also just love this brand of urban fantasy. Despite the big bads, it's light and fluffy and very fun.

I want more Rod. He's a character that's growing on me and I'd like to delve into that a little more. I also really loved the hilarity of when Katie was no longer immune to him.

But overall, I just like Katie. She's full of plain common sense (except for the stupid decision above) and has a good head on her shoulders. She's a bit insecure around guys, but not in a "oh, I'm so boring and normal and plain but every guy in the world wants me" sort of way. I find her insecurity honest and it doesn't get in the way of everything else. Yes, guys are there, but she has bigger things on her plate, so they're not the major priority.

Overall, it remains a fun series that I'm excited about reading more of.

Book Provided by... my local library

Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.

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Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

When I reviewed Cinder, my main comment was:

My big complaint is that I figured out all the twists about 1/3 of the way through. However, I liked the world enough that I kept reading. Only to find that nothing really resolves, the stage just gets set for the next big adventure.

Some of that "no resolving" is still true. I think this series will end up more like being one long book instead of four separate ones. The world-building and politics involved just keep getting MORE awesome and I did not figure out everything going on with this one.

You guys, it's sooooooooooooooooooooo cooooooooooooooool. We have a few storylines going on here--

1. Scarlet's grandmother has disappeared and the police have closed the case, refusing to see the foul play that Scarlet does, so it's up to Scarlet to find her. She gets help from a street fighter called Wolf.
2. Cinder has escaped from jail with an annoying American who happens to own a spaceship, which is helpful. Of course, the spaceship is stolen, which is why he was in jail in the first place.
3. Queen Levana is not happy about Cinder's escape and gives Emperor Kai three days to find her and hand her over. Kai doesn't understand what the queen wants with her, and grapples with his own feelings at betrayal at Cinder being a Lunar. But he must do what he can to stop a Earth/Luna war, which Earth would surely lose.

I love that Cinder put Iko's personality chip in the spaceship. I love Iko's take at suddenly being a ship. (Also, the ship is called the Rampion, and the next book is Cress which both make me think Rapunzel, but Rapunzel with a spaceship? Very, very intriguing.)

Scarlet lives in France, so we get to see more of Meyer's futuristic world, and get a broader sense of the international politics at play, as well as more the Luna threat.

Cinder is learning to use her Lunar mind-control and glamor gifts, but they always make her feel squeamy and guilty. Until she uses them, which just feels right. This is an interesting issue and I'm curious to see where it goes.

This one also has a lot more action-- more fights, more jumping from trains, more crazy spaceship rides, just a lot more action and movement than Cinder does.

While the immediate story gets (some) resolution, it really just opened up many more questions. This world is so intriguing and Meyer's take on fairy tales is so fresh, I really can't wait for the next one.

Book Provided by... my local library

Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.

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Beautiful story,
but the "gay OK" vibe for
the time frame rang false.

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz. S&S, 2012, 368 pages.

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Drafthorse literary journal is seeking submissions for its Summer 2013 issue.  Drafthorse is a biannual online publication of fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, visual narrative, and other media art where work, occupation, labor—or lack of the same—is in some way intrinsic to a narrative’s potential for epiphany.  We are interested in how work, or the absence of it, effects people and communities on an intimate level.  While we’re open to various interpretations, we expect the subject to be fundamental to your submission in some way.  Complete submission guidelines are available online.

We are especially looking for fiction, creative nonfiction and visual art.  Submission deadline for the Summer 2013 issue is April 30, 2013.

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Down-to-earth take on
homeschooling that almost sounds
doable. (But not.)

The Year of Learning Dangerously: Adventures in Homeschooling by Quinn Cummings. Perigree, 2012, 240 pages.

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Ninth Letter is pleased to announce our first annual Literary Awards competition! We'll be accepting entries from March 1 to April 20 for our Literary Awards in four categories: Fiction, Poetry, Creative Nonfiction, and Literature in Translation. The winner selected in each category will receive a $1000 prize and publication in our Fall/Winter 2013-14 issue (vol. 10, no. 2).

The fee for entering each of the four categories will be $17, and all entrants will receive a one-year subscription to Ninth Letter.

Guest judges will be Margot Livesey (fiction), G. C. Waldrep (poetry), Lia Purpura (creative nonfiction), and Alexis Levitin (literature in translation).

For complete guidelines and to enter, visit our website.

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Redivider’s Beacon Street Prize

Online submission deadline: April 30, 2013.

Redivider is currently accepting fiction and poetry submissions for our annual Beacon Street Prize until April 30, 2013. 1st place winners in each category will be awarded $500 and publication in the Fall/Winter 2013 issue, 11.1.

We are thrilled to announce the special guest judges this year are Amy Hempel for fiction and Heather McHugh for poetry. The entry fee of $15 comes with a complimentary one-year subscription to the journal. To learn more about the contest, special guest judges, or to enter, go here.

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Pressgang, the small press affiliate of the writing program at Butler University, is looking for a book-length collection of prose (stories or essays).

Submissions will be accepted online along with a $25 entry fee. We're okay with simultaneous submissions, and we comply with the CLMP contest code of ethics.

Prize: $1200 + publication + a reading at Butler University. Judging: Winner will be selected by Editor and editorial board, and announced in August. All other entries will be considered for standard publication.

Deadline: 6/1/2013

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Devilfish Review, an online quarterly magazine, is looking forsubmissions of fiction and flash fiction. We prefer speculative fiction and fantasy, but will read anything. Please take a look at our archives and About pages to see if your work will be a good fit.

Submissions are read on an ongoing basis. Previously unpublished work only, please. Simultaneous submissions are fine. Our website.

Submit your work here.

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Not as funny as
I'd hoped, alas -- although the
jean-patch bit was great.

The Cursing Mommy's Book of Days by Ian Frazier. Macmillan, 2012, 256 pages.

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Call for submissions & cash prize: Mason's Road Online Literary Journal

We are now accepting your best fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, drama, and craft essays. Issue Seven's theme is POINT OF VIEW, and we are looking for unique and arresting takes on first, second, or third-person narration.

Our submissions period runs for through April 1, 2013. There are two ways to submit to Mason's Road.

You can submit for free any time during our submissions period, and your work will be given thorough consideration for publication.

Or, you can submit with a $10 fee, and your work will also be considered for our Mason's Road Winter Literary Award, which includes publication and a $500 prize to the best entry we receive. For more information about how to submit or the cash prize, go here.

Sponsored by the Fairfield University MFA in Creative Writing Program, Mason's Road is an online literary journal with a focus on the lifetime learning of the writing craft. It is run by the program's graduate students and its goal is to be both educational and inspiring.

Submit today! Good luck!

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E.M. Koeppel $1,100 Short Fiction Award

Annual Awards for Unpublished Fiction in Any Style, Any Theme
Guidelines:

First Place Award: $1,100.
Editors' Choices: $100 each.

Maximum Length: 3,000 WORDS. Stories must be unpublished.
Annual Submission Period: Between Oct. 1 and April 30. (Postmark Deadline, April 30)

Award winning fiction writers are the judges.
No limit on number of stories entered by any one writer.
The winning short story and editors' choices will be published on www.writecorner.com and are eligible for inclusion in the permanent website writecorner.com anthology. (By submitting work to this contest, authors give permission to Writecorner Press to publish the award winning stories and editors' choices on the writecorner.com website. Authors retain all other rights to their works.)
How to Submit:

Send one (1) typed copy of the story with two (2) typed title pages. Only the title may appear on the first title page. No other kinds of identification may appear on this title page or on the manuscript which will used in judging. (Keep a copy. No manuscripts will be returned.)

On the second title page, list:
Title of the Story
Author's name, address, phone number
E-mail address optional
Short bio - about 4 lines

Entry Fee: $15 for a single story and $10 for each additional story.
No e-mail entries accepted.
Mail submission with check (no cash). If outside the USA, send a money order in US funds (no cash or foreign funds) to:

Koeppel Contest
P.O. Box 140310
Gainesville, FL 32614

P.L. Titus Scholarship:

If the winning story is by anyone attending college, university, or school when the story is submitted, the winner will receive, in addition to the $1,100 award, the $500 P.L. Titus Scholarship. (Proof of attendance is required.)

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William Faulkner – William Wisdom Creative Writing Competition

Deadline: Mon, 4/01/2013

Categories
Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry

Entry Fees
Between $10 and $200 depending on category and manuscript length. (Note: Highest fee applies to books in excess of 225,000 words. Smaller fees apply to shorter works.)

Prizes
Between $750 and $7,500 depending on category.

Description
Accepting entries in eight categories: novel, novella, book-length narrative nonfiction, novel-in-progress, short story, essay, poetry and short story by a high school student. Only unpublished work accepted. No self-published or web-published material. See website for category details.

Contact Information:
Pirate's Alley Faulkner Society
624 Pirate's Alley
New Orleans, LA 70116

faulkhouseATaolDOTcom (Change AT to @ and DOT to .)
Website

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Ploughshares Emerging Writer's Contest
Submit here.

Deadline:
Tue, 4/02/2013

Categories
Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry

Entry Fees
$24, includes a year's subscription to Ploughshares. Current subscribers may submit for free.
Prizes

Prize:
$1,000 and publication in Winter 2013-14 issue of Ploughshares for the winner of each category.

Description
Open to previously unpublished writers. Fiction or nonfiction under 6,000 words and between 3-5 pages of poetry accepted. Submit via online submission form.

Contact Information:
Ploughshares, Emerson College
120 Boylston St.
Boston, MA 02116

psharesATpsharesDOTorg (Change At to @ and DOT to .)

Website

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We are currently OPEN for submissions.
The reading period for Issue 2 is February 1, 2013 through April 15, 2013.

Submission Guidelines
As Us accepts original and previously unpublished works by Indigenous women and women of color. Simultaneous submissions are allowed but please inform us immediately if your piece is accepted elsewhere for publication. As Us accepts poetry, spokenword, creative nonfiction, fiction, academic essays, and more. If you have some innovative work or want to send us other genres, feel free to send it. We are looking for writing that moves us in some capacity whether that be on a craft, emotional, or story level.

ALL submissions should be in 12 pt Times New Roman, typed, paginated, and should include your name, address, phone number, and email address in the header of each page.

Poetry: please send us 3-5 poems.
Fiction: No more than 7,000 words.
Creative Nonfiction: No more than 7,000 words.
Academic Essays: No more than 7,000 words.
Spokenword: please send up 1-3 pieces. You may also include an audio or video of your work as well.
Reviews: If you have a review of a book written by an Indigenous author or a woman of color whose work you feel needs to be promoted we are definitely interested.

Email:

asDOTusDOTjournalATgmailDOTcom (Change AT to @ and DOT to .) for queries.

For ONLINE issues: We also accept photo essays, web comics, dance submissions, audio poems/prose, and more! If you think you have something that fits the mission, but isn’t listed on our page here, try us anyway!

For international submissions: Please include your writing in your language along with an English translation.
Email submissions to:

asDOTusDOTjournalATgmailDOTcom (Change AT to @ and DOT to .)

Include name and genre in the subject line. (First Name Last Name – Poetry / Fiction / etc)
Include a brief cover letter with a short biographical statement (including your Indigenous affiliation or cultural heritage) with each submission.
Response time is typically 1-3 months.

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How Lenten to ponder
Jesus' mother saying,
"It wasn't worth it."

The Testament of Mary by Colm Toibin. Scribner, 2012, 96 pages.

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