Apr
21

Online Journal, Shabby Doll House: Editor Interviewed by Stacey Teague

springtbh_905

 

STACEY: Hi Lucy, thanks for agreeing to answer some q’s. You run an online lit journal called Shabby Doll House, do you want to tell us a little bit about that?

SHABBY DOLL HOUSE: Hi Stacey.

Shabby Doll House (est. 2012) is an online publication that I started in order to showcase work that I felt excited about, but that didn’t seem to have a home. We publish various forms of literature alongside original visual artworks made specifically to accompany the writing. We have published short stories, poetry, tweet compilations, gchats, watercolour paintings, .gifs, photographs, collages… It is kind of a mix of everything, but I think it has developed a particular style and sense of aesthetic.

 

I edit the website with Sarah Jean Alexander, and we aim to curate a cohesive collection of work every quarter. The general theme or aim, I think, is to distract or prevent people from feeling lonely.

 

S: Seems like a good thing for a online publication to want to achieve. What is the submission process like and roughly how many pieces would you get for every issue? Are there particular things you look for when selecting? Read more…

Apr
15

Submission Call Out: Verandah Literary and Art Journal #28 Seeking Poetry

VERANDAH 3 COPIES

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Verandah is a literary and visual art journal published in Melbourne, Australia. Founded as a student-run publication, the first issue launched in 1986. Originally situated beneath the shade of the vast verandah’s surrounding Victoria College, a place in which the journal takes its namesake. The publication puts emphasis on new and emerging writers and fosters creative talent and skill. It honours the work of Deakin University students, but also calls for submissions from across international writers and poets. The journal also gives out prizes according to category. The Matthew Rocca Poetry Prize was named after a dedicated student of Deakin, who unfortunately passed away during a year of study, his parent’s have fossilised his love of poetry within this prize.

2013 will mark its 28th year in print and editors are currently seeking submissions of short literature and poetry for publication later this year. Your closing date is June 1. We are honoured to extend this invitation to Metre Maid readers and look forward to reading your submissions. Submission fees are fed back into the publication at no profit to the University or volunteer staff.

For guidelines, check out www.deakin.edu.au/verandah

This years editors are Hayley Ryan-Elliot, Jonathan Lawrence, Kyah Horrocks, Lauren Hawkins and Leizl Bermejo

 

 

Dec
31

Reading Roundup

On Metre Maids in 2012 we celebrated some awesome poets, collections and resources. It was a great first year for the blog, and although it slowed at the end, we’re prepping for a big 2013. Keep your eyes peeled.

Cloud of Ink by L. S. Klatt released in 2011 by University of Iowa Press gives in and shares its secrets with us. This collection knows shape and precision, is evocative in imagery and narrative. On the surface, these poems are clever and spirited, but delving deeper below surface reveals darker places.

‘Fieldstones marks the graves
but our names are not engraved. Horses loosed in the field;
their bliss defends against horseflies which seem like
blackberries with wings. A tree
grows where there once was a rudder; the tailpiece
that crash-landed.’

Injecting Dreams into Cows by Jessy Randall released in 2012 by Red Hen Press. What I love about Randall’s collection is the ability to shift to and fro, from hilarious to the personal, to quaint, etc. What I also love about this collection, is the first poem ‘Metaphor’ is an absolute killer, like that one opening line that just gets your poetic pulse going: Read more…

Jun
21

Eloise Healy: Three Things This Editor Thinks About

Eloise Healy

Eloise Healy

1) The hardest thing about being an editor at Arktoi Books is saying “no” all the time. Howard Junker, founder of Zyzzyva magazine, told me, “Think about it—you say ‘yes’ once and ‘no’ a thousand times.  Get used to it!”

I never get used to it.  I am an author and have had manuscripts rejected.  Because I am a lesbian author, I also know it is really harder to find a publisher. It is much harder to be published just by virtue of being a woman. There are numbers involved here. See the VIDA website for details about that.

If you are a lesbian writer, I believe there are two other “quotas” at work. I think there’s an assumption in publishing that lesbians don’t have anything to say that the larger society would be interested in. I think some people still have the idea that if you have published one or two lesbians, then you have done enough. There you have it.  It’s the main reason I started Arktoi Books.  There are a ton of wonderful manuscripts by lesbian writers out there that aren’t getting published.

For example, after reading 70 to 100 manuscripts, I end up with 4 or 5 that would make a perfect book for Arktoi. It’s heartening to see there are great manuscripts out there to publish, but it is hard to know I can choose just one.  What wouldn’t I give to be able to publish all the final five?  Or even three? Read more…