Special Issue: Science and Fiction

Sometimes, we want to branch out with our offerings so in coming months, we’ll publish an issue on the first and the fifteenth to accomodate some exciting special issues we have planned. Our June special  issue, London Calling, debuts next month. Brad Green is editing a mini-special issue focusing on crime for the early fall. In December, Aubrey Hirsch and Devan Goldstein will be editing a special issue on Science and Fiction. We’ll be accepting submissions for the Science and Fiction issue from now until October 15 or when the issue fills up, if sooner. Response times for Special Issue submissions are much longer than for regular submissions. Here’s what Aubrey and Devan are looking for:

The Science and Fiction Issue

We are open to anything you’d like to send us as long as it’s “science-y” (please excuse our very technical language). If you need more specific suggestions, here are a few:

  • Hard science fiction. Jet-packs, food pills, the enslavement of the human race, as long as it doesn’t rely on formula over character. Think more George Saunders and less Tom Godwin, though we do have a soft spot for Rod Serling.
  • Social science fiction. The discovery of an island where no one can love, a world where insects are the people and people are the insects, an alternate time line USA where Kerry got elected and we cured cancer.
  • Fiction about science. A story that takes place in a third period biology class, a particle physicist who always wanted to be a cowboy, star-cross cosmologists.
  • Anything else that surprises us, thrills us, alters our definition of “science fiction” or otherwise makes us drop our beakers in delight.
  • No formulaic sci-fi, nothing that’s all world-building and no character, no Avatar fan fiction, nothing that comes in an alien language that you invented and we can’t read.

Go here and use the Special Issue option to send us your science/fiction work.

If you would like to propose a special issue, send us your idea to awesome at pankmagazine dot com.

Announcements!

We are  reading Little Book manuscripts until 9/15, as we look for titles to publish in 2012. Go to Submishmash, scroll to the bottom, and proceed accordingly. There is a $20 reading fee. As usual, there are no guidelines. We’re looking for excellent writing and we are especially looking for projects that work as fully realized books whether you are submitting a poetry collection, short story collection, novella, or short novel.

We are also looking for readers for our AWP reading which we are co-hosting with Annalemma and Mud Luscious again, location TBA, on the Thursday of the conference at 7 pm. If you want to read for us, e-mail awesome at pankmagazine.com. There are not many slots this year so act fast! Our readings are lots of fun!

Vote Bull!

Jarrett Haley, editor of BULL, needs your help:

BULL is now one of five finalists up to win 100K in funding through Dockers’ (Levi’s) “Wear the Pants” Contest. It’s an unprecedented sum for a lit journal, and an unprecedented chance for the literary community to show its strength in numbers.

WE NEED YOUR VOTES—one a day, every day this week. Here’s why you should care about this and take action:

  • Your votes are a statement—that reading and writing matter, that journals and small presses are deserving of funding, that stories are important to people and their authors should be compensated.
  • The money will go straight to writers. No one’s getting a salary out of this. All funds go towards expanding BULL as a journal and small press. This funding will go into the pocket of artists like you.
  • The exposure will bolster the indie lit scene, engaging and informing the public of what’s happening on all these pages, on all these sites. Independent literature is too good to be kept a secret. We want to make more readers in the world, and we’re starting with men.
  • This is not a handout, not a Kickstarter campaign, and we’re not asking for a dime. All you have to do is click a button on Facebook. Those clicks alone can create a paying fiction magazine, one with a proven commitment to working closely with writers and building editor/author relationships.
  • The opportunity is unprecedented! This is the first time a journal and small press can be founded and well-funded simply by enough people clicking their mouse.

If this is your first time voting, you’ll have to “allow” the voting app and “like” Dockers. There will be boilerplate permission notices, but I assure you it’s legit. Dockers sees only your most basic profile info—what’s already public, what any old stranger can see. They won’t use it for evil and they won’t bombard with you ads. It’s a legitimate contest through a legitimate company.

Dockers is Levi’s, and Levi’s is fucking Levi’s. If ’49ers trusted it during the Gold Rush, so can you today. Do not let skepticism keep you from this opportunity.

A chance like this comes along never. BULL wants to win this with, and for, the literary community. We can’t do it without YOU. Just one click a day and you’ll have done your part. Vote today, and every day, here:

VOTE BULL NOW!

The April Issue of PANK Will Break You Down

The April issue of PANK is pretty massive in every way.  There’s a lot to talk about so let’s get to it, shall we?

I have a little story about Laura Adamczyk. I saw Lindsey Drager read at Stories and Beer in Champaign and the story she read was amazing and I thought, we have got to get this writer in PANK. You see where I’m going with this, right? So after the reading, I go up to Lindsey and tell her how much I enjoyed her story and that she should submit to PANK and she was very polite but perhaps looked at me strangely. I shrugged it off and chalked it up to my general public awkwardness. Later, I was talking to someone, I can’t remember who and I said, “That Lindsey Drager is awesome,” and he said, “yes and she is really excited to be in PANK but didn’t know how to tell you that at Stories and Beer,” and I said, “Right. Of course. Awkward!” I had already accepted something from Lindsey when I saw her read so this is an “I am an awesome editor” story. At that same reading, I met Laura Adamczyk who bought an issue of PANK even though in the first telling of this story, I confused her with Lindsey. Despite all this, I do know who they each are, as individuals, even if my mind is a sieve. A much better story is Laura’s Please Come In which I found so complex and tactile and the writing is simply superb. I can’t think of a better story to begin a conversation about the April issue.

Look, this issue is going to punch you in the face and that’s going to hurt, but sometimes it feels good to be punched in the face over and over again. Bones heal. Fractures mend. Let yourself be broken. We will hold your hands as you heal.

Jessica Abrego has three poems in this issue and you can see her slam poetry roots in her work. There is a real energy to this set of poems, one we think you will really enjoy because it is so warm and vibrant.

In Emily Darrell’s The Man in the Attic, there is a man who appears in a woman’s home and from there, this story is nothing like you would expect. I love subtlety in writing and this story has that and much more.

The title alone is worth the price of admission when it comes to Give a Man a Boner by Tracy Gonzalez. There’s a lot of rage in this little story but that rage is beautifully controlled and the last line will sit with you for a real long time, in the best and worst ways.

There is a great deal of wisdom and a kind of muted sadness in Jenny Halper’s Things Every Woman Should Know About Love. You might think this story is simply a list. Instead, this is really a story about a mother and a daughter and what they  learn from each other about love.

The four poems by Jeremy Allan Hawkins are full of charm and wit. They will make you think and smile or, at least, that is what these poems compelled us to do.

Kathleen Hellen’s bittersweet poem, Neither Shall You Steal, is a perfect snapshot of a mother and a son and how somethings something wrong is something right even if that is an impossible lesson to teach.

I love how Gary Moshimer writes about relationships and in Rose by Another Name, he details a marriage after a woman has a stroke and is unable to express happiness. I love excellent first lines and last lines and this story exemplifies just why.

We have another set of four poems from Dan Pinkerton.  These are smart poems revealing the brand of dry wit we love at PANK.

Intimate was the first word that came to mind when I read the three poems in the April issue by Carly Taylor. In each of these poems, we’re allowed to see those private moments between a couple, the ones that are strange and beautiful and unique, very much like these poems.

Brandi Wells makes another appearance in PANK with a letter to an exclamation point. We co-sign.

The Breathing Dead by Chelsea Laine Wells is a story that’s going to twist your heart into a terrible knot. There’s no dancing around this truth. The Breathing Dead is a hard story. It’s brutal and repulsive. When I read it the first time, I was really uncomfortable. I literally had to walk away from my computer and think, “Could we possibly publish something like this?” And then I read the story again and again. I considered the desperation of it, and how claustrophobic the story made me feel and I knew this was a story we wanted to bring into the world. There are ugly truths in this world and there are ugly people who do ugly things. Chelsea Laine Wells will break you with this story but she will do so beautifully. I am certain you will never forget these words or the ending which finally, allows us, a bit of hope and fresh air.

A writing teacher once told me to make my writing more muscular and I had no idea what he meant until I started reading more. When I read these two poems‘ by Ross White, I thought, “These poems are muscular,”—clean, tight, powerful. I love all the ideas each of them holds.

Nicole Monaghan’s Only After Drinking Heavily Can I Admit to All of It is a painful story about two marriages forever changed by the kind of decision that can never be undone. It’s a story you’ve heard before, but never told like this.

The Church of Best Guesses by Pedro Ponce was one of the runners up in our 1,001 Words contest last year.  As we lurch toward Easter, this story feels especially fitting.

Sterling McKennedy’s What We Had to Do reminded me, in a way, of Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery but he offers a visceral and unique take on impossible, unspeakable choices.

Some stories you fall in love with instantly. Jaime Fountaine’s Len and Ernie was one of them. She has such a unique voice and captures a sense of oddity so nicely in this story about brothers, conjoined, on the verge of being not.

David Cotrone’s Porch works with metaphor and does so in a really poignant way.

The two poems by Adam Day are tight, compelling, and have a real staying power.

Faith Gardner’s I Wear A Leather Jacket in My Head reads like the best kind of manifesto–urgent and honest tempered with anger and a little hope.

We don’t understand much about math but Laura LeHew’s New Math makes perfect sense to us.

Experimental work has always been one of our first loves and Keith Nathan Brown’s Clock Time gives us a chance to return to our roots a bit with a piece that is challenging but engaging and uses form in really interesting ways.

This may be somewhat nepotistic but when we read Underskirts, by Kirsty Logan, we knew we had to publish it. The elegance of this story, the language, this is exquisite writing and we could not pass that up.

Refinishing, by Adam Weinstein, is another experimental piece, a narrative, a set of information, really, framed by quotations. This description does not do the piece justice. You must read.

Finally, we have a sophisticated poem in two parts by Rose Hunter, two memento moris, two vices, lovely, lovely writing.

As always, we would love to hear what you think about this issue. We are so proud of the April issue and every month we get stronger because you encourage us to. We thank you for reading, for writing, for supporting us in all the ways you do.

March PANK, For Your Eyes and Hearts Only

The March issue of PANK is ready for your literary delectation and this one is a doozy. Check out work from Libby Cudmore, Sandra Simonds, Kerrin McCadden, Kristina Born, Joseph Michael Owens, James O’Brien, Robert Swartwood, Kyle Beachy, Megan Williams, Eliza Tudor, Richard Thomas, Eric Nguyen, Marie-Elizabeth Mali, Hilary King, Christina Kapp, Tim Kahl, Jamison Crabtree, Michelle Cheever, Amber Sparks, Lydia Ship and Tania Hershman.

There’s a lot to get amped for in this issue.  A few pieces to get you started:

Marie-Elizabeth offers us five finely detailed poems about the first five years of marriage.

In Hotel Jesus, Libby Cudmore takes on infidelity, God, and hotel rooms in seven movements.

Sometimes, motherhood is a shitty mess in Sandra Simonds’s Sketches of Early Life.

Contemptibly, A Hair, by Joseph Michael Owens will make you laugh, period and is, in its way, reminiscent of Joshua Ferris’s writing.

You can choose your own adventure, so to speak, in Richard Thomas’s Splintered.

This issue also features the runners up from our 2010 contest: Robert Swartwood, Amber Noelle Sparks, Lydia Ship, Kristina Born, and Tania Hershman.

There’s a lot of other great writing in the March issue so go, check it out.

Congratulations Robert Swartwood!

Seven Items In Jason Reynolds’ Jacket Pocket, Two Days After His Suicide, As Found By His Eight-Year-Old Brother, Grady” by Robert Swartwood, which appeared in the April 2010 edition of PANK, was just selected as the runner-up of the 4th Annual Micro Award! This is the third time a PANK story has received some kind of recognition from the Micro Award. We are thrilled.

Congratulations, Robert! Well-deserved

MEET NEPHEW

Mud Luscious Press has officially launched the imprint series Nephew: perfect-bound, pocket-sized, raw & aggressive titles published in limited-editions of 150 copies or for a sales period of three months, whichever comes first, & there will be no subsequent editions of any Nephew title, ever.

Nephew’s first book is Darby Larson’s THE IGUANA COMPLEX, a wonder of negation & meta-narrative, a mountain of little steps walking in circles. Larson has had short fiction published recently at The Collagist, Everyday Genius, Caketrain, & New York Tyrant. He is also the editor of Abjective. This is his first book.

$10, free shipping, 150 copies or 90 days, whichever comes first.

Go here to order.

Call for Submissions: Hot Metal Bridge


Submissions are now open! Deadline for our spring issue: March 14th at midnight (eastern standard time).

Fiction:

In the Spring issue of Hot Metal Bridge, we are highlighting Flash Fiction. Or Microfiction. Or Short Shorts, or whatever people are calling them now. Basically, we’re on the lookout for good stories under 1,000 words for a special section in our next issue. When submitting, please write “Publish my Awesome (shorter) Story” in the subject line.

Only write longer stuff? Don’t worry, we’d love to read your gorgeously written stories of up to 8,000 words as well. For these stories, please include “Publish my Awesome (longer) Story” in the subject line. Send all entries to fiction [at] hotmetalbridge [dot] org.

Besides length, what exactly are we looking for? We’re glad you asked:

We want literary fiction that is so well written, it has a magnetic pull.

Stories that make us want to stalk you online in the hopes of finding more of your fiction to read.

That get us fired up and make us want to write or read or create.

Intriguing. Inspiring. Inestimable.

We also pay special attention to stories from authors in and around the Pittsburgh area, stories that speak to and about us regionally. Hot Metal Bridge is committed to building a community of writers here in the Rust Belt, and publishing local work is important to us.

Lastly, we look for fiction that works well in an online format, that is well-paced, energetic, and tightly crafted. Since we try to engage only in light editing, your fiction should come to us already finished, spell-checked, and formatted correctly.

Poetry:

We are many, and our tastes differ, but it’s advisable to read the past issue before submitting. We welcome poetry submissions of five (5) pages or five (5) poems, whichever comes first. Please attach your submission as one document (we prefer .doc, but .docx .rtf or .pdf will all work) with your name appearing at the top of each page. E-mail subject heading should read “Spring Poetry Submission” and in the body, you may include a short bio or cover letter, if that strikes your fancy. Send your work to: poetry [at] hotmetalbridge [dot] org.

Nonfiction:

We’re looking for nonfiction in all its guises: essay, travel writing, literary journalism, satire, memoir, etc. We want to hear about dirty kitchens, ill-mannered exchange students, and hydrogen bonding. We will read about decaying vineyards, heroic mall guards, disenchanted cartographers, and sweet potatoes. If it’s new and true—and under 5,000 words—send it our way, to nonfiction [at] hotmetalbridge [dot] org as a .doc or .rtf attachment. Please send only one piece per reading period, with “Nonfiction Submission” in your e-mail subject line. Simultaneous submissions are fine and dandy, but please notify us if another publication accepts your piece.