Ink-Filled Page Call for Submissions

Time is almost running out. Polish your submissions and submit them today!

The Ink-Filled Page is a quarterly literary journal produced by Indigo Editing, LLC. At this point, the journal exists as an online presence with the hope to print an anthology annually. To sponsor an anthology or to get involved, e-mail amccart@indigoediting.com.

Literary Submissions:
Fiction submissions can be short stories or novel excerpts, and the nonfiction section is open to personal narratives and essays. While all genres are welcome, special interests include travel, multi-cultural themes, feminism, and young adult. Limit submissions to 4,000 words, one submission per candidate. Authors who submit more than one piece will not be considered.

Artwork submissions:
Send us your best work! Open to all mediums. Winning pieces are selected based on composition and originality. We are looking for pieces that highlight the human experience—be that loneliness, motivation, companionship, or your own interpretation of it. Limit three submissions per candidate per issue. Artists who submit more than three pieces will not be considered. Submit digital artwork at low dpi. Upon selection a 300 dpi or higher version will be requested.

All work must be original and unpublished. By submitting your work to the Ink-Filled Page, you are offering first online and print publication rights. Rights revert to authors and artists after publication.

E-mail all submissions to inkfilledpage@indigoediting.com with a 100-word bio and "Fiction Submission," "Nonfiction Submission," or "Artwork Submission" in the subject bar by February 28.

Internship Openings

Ink & Paper Group, LLC, has the following additional internships available immediately and/or for Spring term.

Dame Rocket Press, Gray Sunshine, & Three Muses Press - Assistant Publishers - All three of these imprints have major projects currently in the works and ongoing through the end of June. These are general internships with opportunities to work in all areas of publishing (editing, design, marketing) as they relate to the specific imprints. In many ways these will be executive assistant internships working directly with the publishers. Responsibilities will run the gamut, but the emphasis will be on working closely with the Publisher for current project management, development of the imprint, and preparation of future projects.

Sofa Ink Quarterly - Managing Editor/Development Director - Sofa Ink Quarterly has now passed its one-year anniversary and is looking towards its future. It is likely to go national. Regardless, the magazine needs assistance establishing a plan. The publisher is looking for an intern or interns to help bring submissions current, assist with contracts, prepare the business plans for the two growth options, and put the magazine on a strong path for the future. Though this can serve just as an internship, the publisher hopes to bring on an intern who will essentially create their own job for the near future. Sofa Ink Quarterly is likely to become much more independent than it is currently and the magazine needs a managing hand that can deal with dedicated staff and project management. How big a job that might be depends on the final decisions reached by the Publisher based on the work completed by the intern.

If interested in any of these internships, please contact David Cowsert at david.cowsert@inkandpapergroup.com.

New Release Spotlight: Howl on trial: The Battle for Free Expression

Howl on trial: The Battle for Free Expression Edited by Bill Morgan and Nancy J. Peters

Before reading Howl on trial, I didn't know a lot about Allen Ginsberg's Howl and Other Poems. Sure I had a vague understanding that this book of poems represented a significant time in literary history, but I was unprepared for the raw power of the work.

The book is a hodgepodge of letters, newspaper clippings, court transcripts, photographs and editorials written about the censorship of Ginsburg's Howl and Other Poems. Originally published by City Lights Pocketbook Shop in San Francisco in 1956, the overseas second printing was seized and confiscated by a U.S. Customs Agent on the grounds that the book was obscene and a danger to children. The owner and publisher of City Lights, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, was later arrested and put on trial for continuing to sell Howl. An employee of City Lights, Shigeyoshi Murao, was also arrested when he sold a copy of Howl to an undercover police officer. A civil trial ensued where Ferlinghetti and Murao were defended by Jake Ehrlich, notorious defense lawyer, and other members of the ACLU.

Featured letters in the book include correspondence between Ginsberg and Ferlinghetti during the time of the trial, as well as Ginsberg's correspondence with family and friends, including Jack Kerouac and Gregory Corso. Editorials written by Morgan and Peters outline the censorship of Howl in a broader historical context of obscenity issues, and compare it to the ways the fight against censorship in literature continues today.

Perhaps the most remarkable thing about this collection is the way it shows its context within a larger framework of banned books. Another strength is its accessibility to both those who have never heard of the Howl controversy as well as seasoned Howl veterans; no matter how you define yourself, everyone stands to learn something new. All in all, what makes this collection so innovative is its ability to give the reader so much information in one thin volume, information that does more than just give us the facts of what happened during the Howl trial, but gives further texture to the lives of Ginsberg and his fellow Beats.

Review by Andrea Deeken, Indigo Editing, LLC

Indigo Updates!

Indigo is happy to welcome a new editorial assistant intern, Andrea Deeken, and a new associate editor, Kristin Thiel!

This expansion comes at an exciting time for Indigo, as business has been steadily growing. Please visit http://www.indigoediting.com/About_Indigo_Editing.php to learn more about these talented editors.

Please stay tuned for progress on new projects and our next literary journal, which will be released in April. In the meantime, check out the latest journal at http://www.indigoediting.com/Ink-Filled_Page.php.

Indigo Senior Editor to Teach Professional Editing Seminar

Ink & Paper Group, LLC, announces another wonderful course in our professional development series for the publishing industry.

Upcoming course - PROFESSIONAL EDITING - February 17th, 1 to 5 p.m.

The demand for editors is quickly rising. Unfortunately, in the United States, there is no formal certification process for editors.

Those wanting to be editors need to distinguish themselves from those who have simply hung out shingles because they feel they write well or they have a degree in English. This class breaks down the various professional editing roles and discusses how the editing process should work from simple one-on-one freelance gigs directly with an author, to complex interactions with large publishing houses. The class also includes information on project management including estimating time, staying within deadlines, dealing with fatigue, and working with challenging clients.

If you want to be a professional editor, or if you have to work regularly with freelance editors, this class is for you.

Instructor Ali McCart is the owner and senior editor of Indigo Editing. She is also the vice president of WiPP (Women in Portland Publishing). Ali is an experienced editor and business leader in both the traditional publishing company structure and the freelance editing industry.
*Course fee includes all class materials and light refreshments.
Cost: $100.

You can sign up at http://www.inkandpapergroup.com/classes.html, call 503.232.0103, or write: education@inkandpapergroup.com.

New Release Spotlight: Color Me Butterfly

Color Me Butterfly by L.Y. Marlow

In L.Y. Marlow's debut novel, Color Me Butterfly, Marlow traces four generations of women who have endured abuse and overcome overwhelming obstacles. Set in Philadelphia and based on a true story, the book showcases the ways these women dealt with physical and emotional abuse inflicted by different male figures of the family.

Color Me Butterfly not only employs strong female characters, it also tackles powerful subject matter. Based on a true story, it is a brave story to tell. At times, however, the narrative feels cliché; generic phrases are used to describe feelings that should be character specific. Along the same vein, it is difficult to see where the abuse in the family begins and why it began in the first place. In part one, we see the patron of the family, Isaac Bingham, start off as an interesting character who wants to make a new life for himself. Yet by the end of the section, he has become a monster incapable of feeling. While it is understandable that a victim may not understand her abuser's rationale, Isaac's transformation would work better if we could understand the reasons behind this dramatic change; instead we are left with a one-dimensional character. More insight into Isaac's childhood is needed to understand this abrupt personality switch.

In some ways, the premise of this book is a bit too ambitious, as time tends to go by too quickly. This prohibits the reader from developing relationships with the characters, instead seeing a general overview of all of them. We also see the same roles being played throughout the book as each daughter in turn is abused by a male figure, usually spurred by alcohol. While these scenes are tragic, the characters at times feel flat, simply adhering to their roles of victim or abuser. They aren't given the room to move beyond those definitions. As with Isaac, more background information would be helpful to see how these men became such terrorizers.

All in all, Color Me Butterfly is a powerful story, filled with courageous female characters who are able to overcome their dire circumstances. The fact that it is based on a true story is remarkable, and this type of story clearly deserves to be told. Yet at times, I wanted the characters to move beyond their prescribed roles to surprise me more than they did. With such a sensitive topic, this book will undoubtedly find its audience, but I worry that many may feel they have read this book before.

Review by Andrea Deeken, Indigo Editing, LLC