“Cookiebomb” sent us a polaroid. Postmarked Dulles, VA, June 15. No other identifying mark. Perfect. Sky? Thanks, CB.

First, we are now offering PDFs of PANK 1, 2 or 3 for $3.5o. The awesome t-shirts we had at AWP are also available for sale. Details here: https://www.pankmagazine.com/subscribe.html

REAL SIMPLE’s annual Life Lessons Essay Contest

Topic: When did you first realize that you had become a grown-up?

The winning essay is scheduled to appear in the  April 2010 issue of REAL SIMPLE magazine.  Winner will receive a $3,000 prize; rountrip tickets for two to New York City, hotel accommodations for two nights, and tickets to a Broadway play; and lunch with REAL SIMPLE editors.

To enter, send a typed, double-spaced submission of no more than 1, 500 words, preferably as a Microsoft Word attachment to  lifelessons@realsimple.com.  Open to all legal residents of the U.S. who are 19 or older at the time of entry.  Deadline:  Sept. 7, 2009.  For complete contest rules,  realsimple.com/lifelessonscontest.

We’ve never done one. But we probably should. Except that we’re lazy, disorganzined, and lack…well…that particular kind of drive. But when we sent out the call for you to subscribe the other day, a few of you actually did. And as that didn’t take much energy on our part, and not much on yours ($10 via paypal, come on!), let’s give it a go again.  

If you haven’t yet gotten a hold of an issue of PANK 3, consider the following:

1. You’re a word nerd and like your new lit funky.

2. You’re a book nerd and like your artifact well produced. And funky.

3. PANK answers 1 and 2!

4. It’s only $10 for issue number 3, for Christ’s sake!

5. We’re not saying you’re cheap, just that you like value. All this goodness for so little, that’s what you’re going to be saying…

6. I have just 40 copies of PANK 3 left in my office. Collector’s item?

7. I need to register PANK for the 2010 AWP bookfair and 40 copies will just about cover that.

8. You want to see PANK at AWP in 2010.

9. Do I need to keep doing this?

10. Subscribe!

Support of all kinds is great, but you know what it takes to do what we do. Plus, PANK 3 is approaching sold-out status. Buy now if you have any hope of ever getting one. All issues also come with our gratitude and you really can’t put a price tag on that.

1. Block out, repress, bury.  

2. Read submissions.

3. Read the new Poetry, Ninth Letter, and A Public Space that showed up over the weekend.

4. Read submissions.  

5. Grill something, consume alcohol.

6. Read submissions.

7. Move Matt’s office.

8. Read submissions.  

9. Try to envision some additional free time that doesn’t involve reading submissions.

10. Read submissions.

This probably isn’t news to many of you, but it’s been my experience that I’m generally not the only one late to the party. National Public Radio has a page  that pulls together all it’s poetry related stories, including the recent story  Already Poor, Poets Don’t Much Mind The Recession. I’m an NPR nerd so I was happy to see so many back stories I had not heard previously. Nice resource.

The new Believer is in. Interviews with Deb Olin Unferth and Bob Odenkirk. What’s better than that? Nuthin’. Or is there something…

Well not better. Different. Close on it’s heals, what should show up in my mailbox? Why, the newest Wholphin, that’s what. I’ve barely cracked the shell. Except to say that 40 minutes of James Franco absolutely destroying a room is the only way to start your day.

Best New  Poets, an annual anthology of 50 emerging writers, is now accepting submissions  for its open competition.   See  www.bestnewpoets.org  for details.   Submission deadline is midnight,  June 1, 2009.  

2.    Then, go to  http://www.manuscripthub.com    and either login or create a new account.

3.    Click on the blue icon that says “Your  Manuscripts“

4.    Click on the “Add a New  Manuscript“ link.

5.    Click on the gray “Browse” button and attach the file with your poem in it. (This button  may  read “Attach” on some Web browsers.)    Enter the title of your poem and click the gray “Upload” button.  Repeat for your second poem.    However, this does not complete your submission; you still need to direct it to our competition.

6.    To do so, click on the blue “Submit Work” icon at the top of the screen.

7.    Scroll down and click on the link that says “Best New Poets 2009″

8.    Use the  first drop down menu  to select one of the manuscripts you just uploaded.    Use the second drop down to select the other.    Then click “Submit.” This step takes a little while to run — be patient.

9.    Verify your submission and click  “pay now” to go to the University of Virginia credit card gateway.

10. After paying, you can click on the blue “Submission Status” icon to double-check that your submission went through. It should be in an “Open” status.    You can use this icon to check back and see if the work has been read.    We plan to announce full results by the end of  July  2009 or early  August.

$4,500 IN TOTAL PRIZES, PLUS PUBLICATION,

IN THE  NEW LETTERS  LITERARY AWARDS

Call for Entries for fiction, poetry, and the essay, by  May 18, 2009

Dear Writer,

I want to make sure that you know about the chance to compete for $4,500 in prizes and publication in  New Letters, theinternational magazine of writing and art.   The deadline for the 2009  New Letters  Literary Awards is May 18.   Visitwww.newletters.org/awards.asp  for complete guidelines.   The entry fee of $15 includes the cost of a one-year subscription or renewal to  New Letters.   Every Literary Awards entry is read anonymously by accomplished editors and writers, and by nationally prominent final judges;  New Letters  Editor Robert Stewart considers every entry for publication in  New Letters—not just the prize winners.    

Winner of the 2007 fiction award, Sara Pritchard:   “I always enter contests because I like the anonymity of them and because I hate to write a cover letter that tries to sell the story before anyone’s even read it.”

I hope you will decide to submit your work.   The Literary Awards are a great experience for new writers and for more seasoned writers who want to succeed in a new genre.   If you have any questions, call me or stop by the  New Lettersoffices at University House, and be sure to check out our latest issue of  New Letters—it celebrates the work of our 2008 contest winners.

Amy Lucas

Contest Coordinator

New Letters

816-235-1168

lucasamy@umkc.edu

www.newletters.org

…or so contends JC Hallman in a cute little piece over at Bookslut. We truly mean “cute” as a compliment, not as a  diminution.