Here are three bits of news of interest to writers and publishers – two about poetry, and the third for science fiction writers – plus a couple of other interesting items. Thanks for two of these items go to Helen Lowe and her weekly email Poetry News – if you’d like to subscribe to this, please contact snowscape (at) paradise.net.nz
International Literary Quarterly
The International Literary Quarterly is still seeking work for its forthcoming New Zealand feature. Stories and poems should be sent to the editor, Peter Robertson, probertsonarg (at) hotmail.com, in the form of Word or RTF files – or contact him for full details. The official link for information is
There is more information about the International Literary Quarterly in this interview between Bookman Beattie and Peter Robertson.
A Call To Small Press Publishers Of Poetry In New Zealand
David Howard (Black Doris Press) and Roger Hickin (Cold Hub Press) are partnering with the American publisher Zephyr Press to present a table of New Zealand poetry at the 2011 Annual Conference and Bookfair of the US Association of Writers and Writing Programs. British poet and publisher Peter Riley once observed:
‘When it comes to poetry the [small press] category becomes illusory. The so-called big publishers produce poetry books in very small editions, sometimes below 1,000…. The notion that some achievement in terms of public recognition is made when a poet is taken on by one of these bigger presses is sadly mistaken: they are run on personal taste and zone-preference like the rest. For the most part the only really commercial poetry publishing… concerns poets laureate, Nobel prize winners, and some popular entertainers.’ [Small Press Poetry Catalogue 1, 1996]
What Riley said of Britain applies (minus the Nobel prize winners) to New Zealand. Still the university presses who creditably publish poetry here do have more marketing resources than their independent counterparts. So, with all due respect, this call is not for university presses; rather it is for publishers in the margins whose commitment to poetry deserves wider exposure.
David and Roger invite approaches from small press publishers of poetry who would like their titles to be represented at the AWP Conference in Washington DC, February 2-5 2011 (for details, see http://www.awpwriter.org/conference/2011proposal.php).
Here is an attractive way to display your broadsheets, chapbooks, and full-length collections prominently alongside offerings from the likes of Copper Canyon Press and W.W. Norton & Company. Representatives from The New York Times and Granta will be at AWP 2011. So will agents, editors, and distributors. Small New Zealand publishers such as Gumtree Press and Seraph Press are already involved. If you would like your publications to be showcased then email David Howard: davidhoward (at) xtra.co.nz
Semaphore Magazine Call for Submissions
Semaphore publishes short stories of up to 7000 words, primarily in the speculative fiction genres (that is, stories which contain elements of fantasy or science fiction), for which we pay authors a nominative sum of $10.00. We also publish poetry, of up to sixty lines, in all genres. All writing published in the regular issues is considered for additional placement in the annual Semaphore Anthology, which collects the best work from the previous four issues. Last year’s anthology has been nominated for the Sir Julius Vogel Award for Best Collected Work, alongside Margaret Mahy’s The Word Witch and the poetry collection Voyagers: Science Fiction Poetry from New Zealand, which features work by David Eggleton and Fleur Adcock, among others. Semaphore Magazine itself has been nominated for the Sir Julius Vogel Award for Best Production / Publication.
Our next issue is due out in June, and we are currently seeking submissions for the September and December issues.
A more detailed submissions guide can be found on the Semaphore website, where you can also read our current and past issues.
And now, for our listening and viewing pleasure…
Helen Lowe Interviews Jennifer Fallon
Australian science fiction writer Jennifer Fallon has recently moved to live in Canterbury, and Helen Lowe interviewed her for Plains FM
The first link will take you to the website and give you the option to listen online or download the file in MP3 format. The second should take your directly to the the mp3 version, which will then commence playing.
http://plainsfm.org.nz/on-demand/woa-jenniferfallon-1may/
http://plainsfm.org.nz/media/podcasts/2010/05/06/Jennifer_Fallon.mp3
New Tales Of The Cthulhu Mythos
The Adventures of Lil’ Cthulhu introduces H. P. Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos to children in a cute, fun, horrific way: http://laughingsquid.com/the-adventures-of-lil-cthulhu/
And finally, just remember this: if the only tool you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a thumb.
