Friday, May 29, 2009

Tonight in NYC!

Tonight's the night! Head over to PIANOS (158 Ludlow St., New York, NY) for a reading by Ink-Filled Page authors and friends: Joseph Riippi (author of “Seahorse” in Ink-Filled Page Anthology 2008), Ryan Davidson (lecturer at CCNY in poetry), Victoria McCoy (poet in the Sarah Lawrence MFA program), Melanie Thernstrom (best-selling nonfiction writer), and Kristin Thiel (Indigo fiction editor). What better way to kick off your weekend?

When: TONIGHT, 7-9 p.m. (Eastern time)
Where: Pianos,
158 Ludlow St., New York, NY
Cost: Free

Our NYC readings have always packed the house. Join the crowd for an exciting literary evening.

Spotlighted Literary Events

Date: Saturday, May 30
Powell's is hosting Localvores: Preparing Local Food and Eating Locally at the Farmer's Market. En route to loading up on locally grown produce, graze a selection of books on the subject. Timber Press Editor-in-Chief Tom Fischer, author of Perennial Companions, and Tami Parr, author of Artisan Cheese of the Pacific Northwest: A Discovery Guide, will be in attendance.
When: 8:30am - 2pm
Where: South Park Blocks at PSU or 850 SW Main St. Portland OR
Cost: Free
Visit Powell's events online or call 503-241-0032 for more information.

Date: Tuesday, June 2
It's beginning to look a lot like summer, especially if Emily Dickinson has anything to say about it. And she does! Just a sample:

“Like Petals from a Rose –
When suddenly across the June
A Wind with fingers – goes –"


The Belmont Library invites readers and listeners to enjoy Emily Dickinson's poems and letters celebrating summer. Hosted by Holly Springfield, meditation teacher and Dickinson reader, and Ellen Louise Hart, Dickinson editor, specializing in prosody and manuscript study.
When: 6:30 - 7:30p
Where: Belmont Library, 1038 SE 39th Ave. Portland OR
Cost: Free
There are more details at the Multnomah County Library Events site or call 503-988-5382.

Date: Thursday, June 4
Mariachi! Tapas! Tequila! Three good reasons to mark your calendars for the Portland Latino Gay Pride 2009 kick-off event, Voz Alta (Out Loud). The Miracle Theater will host the celebration, described as a "fusion of gay and Latino folklore, poetry, history and music." For the literary celebrant: "Poems by Chicana contemporaries, including [playwright, poet and essayist] Cherrie Moraga, will be fused with classic works by Federico GarcĂ­a Lorca and others as traditional Mexican folktales blend into real-life stories from Portland’s Latino gay community."
When: Opening reception at 6:30pm, performance begins at 8pm
Where: Miracle Theater, 525 SE Stark St 97214 Portland OR
Cost: Free
The RACC calendar has more information as does the Latino Gay Pride website. Preview Cherrie Moraga's work.

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Seeking Art Submissions

The deadline for Ink-Filled Page Summer 2009 submissions is rapidly approaching, and we'd love to see your work! We're accepting submissions of short fiction and nonfiction, of course, but we're especially seeking more art submissions by Sunday.

If you're an artist or know one (or many), please visit our site to learn more about submitting work.

Remember the deadline is Sunday, May 31.

Monday, May 25, 2009

Editorial Tip of the Week: Parentheses (the round bracket)

In comparison with its fellow interrupters, the comma and the em dash, a pair of parentheses is a rather polite punctuation. Consider the following sentences: (1) Forest Park, located in Portland, is the largest wooded park in the United States. (2) Forest Park--the largest wooded park in the United States!--is located in Portland. (3) Forest Park is the largest wooded city park in the United States (and one of my favorites in Portland). Commas slyly draw a reader in before they've had a chance to notice a break and em dashes demand attention but parentheses offer humble bits of extraneous information which the reader may include or gloss over.


In addition to presenting asides and referential material (acronyms, bibliographies, page numbers, translations), parentheses are a potentially bold stylistic tool. Scholar Duncan White dedicated an essay to the subject of parentheses in Nabokov's Lolita, observing at one point how "Parentheses elucidate the theme of imprisonment, reminding the reader of Humbert's incarcerated state."

As generally unobtrusive as a pair of parentheses may seem, it is possible to overuse them. To avoid this, use square brackets to set off information within parentheses; convert parenthetical afterthoughts made in rough drafts to more artful incorporation whenever possible.

Read the abstract to Duncan White's essay, "(I have camouflaged everything, my love)": Lolita's Pregnant Parentheses, here. View Videojug's clever video on the topic here. The Chicago Manual of Style and The Copyeditor's Handbook outline further details for using parentheses.

Friday, May 22, 2009

Spotlighted Literary Events

Date: Thursday, May 28
Interested in self-publishing zines and the like? Concerned about copyright law, contract issues, and other dizzying legal dilemmas? Portland's own Independent Publishing Resource Center is hosting a discussion about Zines and the Law.
When: 7-9pm
Where: 917 SW Oak St. #218 Portland 97205
Cost: Free
Visit www.iprc.org/about , call 503-827-0249, or email info@iprc.org

Date: Thursday, May 28-31
The largest publishing event in North America: BookExpo America (BEA). Whether it's the opening night keynote speech by Steven Tyler (yes, the Aerosmith frontman who apparently moonlights as a writer and conference speaker), the New Title Showcase, the Book and Author breakfasts or any number of other activities, the Expo has a little something for every bibliophile out there.
When: see the website for a detailed schedule
Where: Jacob K. Javits Center, New York City
Cost: the event requires registration, see the website for details
Visit www.bookexpoamerica.com/ for more information, call 1-800-840-561, or email inquiry@bookexpoamerica.com

Date: Friday, May 29
The First Annual Ooligan Press Write to Publish Conference will feature several workshops for writers and publishers, including "The Dos and Don'ts of Self Publishing," "YA: Trends and Audience" and "Marketing Yourself and Your MS."
When: 8:30am - 6pm
Where: Smith Memorial Student Union, 1825 SW Broadway 97201
Cost: Individual session Public $22 Student $12 Full day Public $79 Student $39
Visit http://www.ooliganpress.pdx.edu/oolicon.html for more information.

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Photo Story Prompt: Beach Sunset

Write whatever comes to you--short or long, fiction or truth.

We'd love to see what you come up with! Send your writing in to photostory@indigoediting.com to be posted on our blog with other stories based on the same photo. If you'd like your name, Web site, and contact info to be posted with your story, be sure to include that too. Feel free to comment on each other's stories and just generally enjoy the process of playing with the written word and the world it creates.

Happy writing!

Photo: "Sundown at the Bali Beach" by Vladimir Fofanov

Monday, May 18, 2009

Editorial Tip of the Week: Give me a break!

Struggling to fit words like adrenocorticotropic on the page? For an ordinary end-of-line word break, consult a dictionary. Barring some forms, outlined in the Chicago Manual of Style, words may be divided where the dots indicate. There are two important restrictions on breaking up words. The first is that single-syllable words and their verb forms are indivisible and second, one should never introduce a break that leaves one letter hanging before or after the hyphen.

The hyphen used in word division is a "soft hyphen." While hard hyphens join compound words and are permanent fixtures in a text, the soft hyphen comes and goes as text is arranged.

Amy Einsohn, in The Copyeditor's Handbook, addresses the responsibilities of authors and copyeditors when it comes to editing for correct hyphenation related to word breaks. While editing or composing, the line breaks don't always transfer into the final copy. Therefore,

Copyeditors working on hard copy...rather than checking for the correct hyphenation of a word [should mark] all soft hyphens with a "close-up and delete" sign. Copyeditors working onscreen will not encounter soft hyphens in well-prepared manuscripts because authors are instructed not to use soft hyphens. If the author has used soft hyphens...turn off the hyphenation feature, which will delete the soft hyphens from the files.

For more guidelines concerning the nuances of end-of-line breaks, including how to negotiate URLs and e-mail addresses, see section 7.33-7.45 in the Chicago Manual of Style.

Friday, May 15, 2009

Spotlighted Literary Events

Date: TODAY! Friday, May 15
If any of you hepcats happen to be in the Seattle area this evening, the local literary arts group, Youth Speak Seattle, is hosting the 2009 Seattle Youth Poetry Slam. Showcasing local youth talent, contestants will be selected for a team to compete at the Brave New Voices International Youth Poetry Slam.
When: 7pm
Where: Seattle Town Hall, 1119 8th Ave., Seattle, WA 98101
Cost: Youth $10 / Adult $15 available through brownpapertickets.com/event/55316
Contact: Angela Dy, 206-661-2036, angel@seattleyouthspeaks.org
For future events and additional program offerings, be sure to check out the official website for Youth Speaks Seattle: http://www.seattleyouthspeaks.org/

Date: Wednesday, May 20
Join the Graphic Novel Book Club in a discussion of The Surrogates: Volume 1 by Robert Venditti (drawn by Brett Weldele). It's 2054 and the world is populated by surrogates: remote-controlled articifical bodies that interact with one another. When a terrorist begins destroying surrogates, cops search for the perpetrator and begin to reevaluate the role of virtual reality. The book is available for check-out from the Multnomah County Library. The club meets the third Wednesday of every month. Next month's read: Exit Wounds by Rutu Modau.
When: 6:30pm
Where: Belmont Library, 1038 Se 39th Ave
Cost: free
For more information, call the Belmont Library at 503-988-5382 or visit www.multcolib.org/events/graphicnovel.html

Date: Thursday, May 21
Thursday begins the first of the Write Around Portland's spring series of writing workshops. For ten weeks, eight 2-hour sessions are being offered to new and seasoned writers. Engage the Portland writing community and gain valuable insight to your craft through freewrites and feedback from trained facilitators. Writing journals, pens, bus tickets, childcare and snacks provided. Pre-registration is requested. Email hotlipspizza@writearound.org with your name, phone number and date of workshop you would like to attend. Contact is Dawn Thompson at 503-796-9224.
When: 9-11am
Where: HOTLIPS Pizza at 2211 SE Hawthorne Blvd
Cost: suggested donation of $20 per workshop
For more information, be sure to check out http://www.writearoundportland.org/

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Photo Story Prompt: Bonfire

Oh yes, it's bonfire season. What types of shenanigans do you imagine happening around this bonfire?

Write whatever comes to you--short or long, fiction or truth.

We'd love to see what you come up with! Send your writing in to photostory@indigoediting.com to be posted on our blog with other stories based on the same photo. If you'd like your name, Web site, and contact info to be posted with your story, be sure to include that too. Feel free to comment on each other's stories and just generally enjoy the process of playing with the written word and the world it creates.

Happy writing!

Photo: "Fire" by Asif Akbar.

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Writer's Talking at Central Library


Don't miss this fantastic literary event on Saturday, May 16 at 1:00 p.m. at Central Library, 801 S.W. 10th Ave. Jeff Mapes, award-winning journalist and senior political reporter for The Oregonian, will talk about his new book, Pedaling Revolution: How Cyclists Are Changing American Cities. Mapes blogs on Mapes on Politics and also co-authored a book on Oregon history. In his newest book, he talks about the significance of bicycle culture spanning the different cities of Amsterdam, San Francisco, and New York. Publisher's Weekly says, "Focusing largely on the cyclists themselves, Mapes puts a passionate and pragmatic face to the 'new urban bike movement' while connecting the dots between cycling culture and a host of quality of life issues."

Writers Talking is a free lecture, discussion, and reading series sponsored by Multnomah County Library featuring regional writers. For more information on Jeff Mapes or other upcoming Writers Talking events, visit www.multcolib.org/events/writers.html


Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Editorial Tip: Like vs. As

One of the more enduring grammar debates concerns the use of like versus as. The primary discrepancy is whether or not common usage of like, traditionally a preposition, also establishes its use as a conjunction in place of as.

A preposition joins nouns, pronouns and other words within a sentence: "This meat tastes like chicken." Notice that the preposition like introduces the noun chicken. A conjunction connects words, phrases and clauses: "Suddenly, I felt as if I was not alone." As if is the conjunction that joins the first clause, Suddenly, I felt with a second, I was not alone and is followed by the verb was. Enter the discrepancy: "Suddenly, I felt like I was not alone." This may sound correct to the average ear or in an informal conversation but following the preposition with a verb does break with grammar rules.

Several sources allow for the popular usage, citing centuries of common speech. Strunk and White firmly maintains that like is not an acceptable substitution, arguing: "If every word or device that achieved currency were immediately authenticated, simply on the ground of popularity, the language would be as chaotic as a ball game with no foul lines." Wherever one may fall along the spectrum regarding the increasingly relaxed use of like—as an inevitable evolution or a corruption of the English language—there remains a basic principle regarding the use of like versus as:

The preposition like compares unlike things and is followed by nouns and pronouns.
The conjunction as compares similar things and is followed by verbs.

Likely, the informal use of like as a conjunction will not garner a correction and there are several instances where common usage does override the use of as. Still, for the formal essay or text, defaulting to the proper usage will yield the most accurate language.

For additional examples, opinions and explanations see the Chicago Manual of Style, The Copyediting Handbook, and Bartleby.com: http://www.bartleby.com/64/C001/033.html and http://www.bartleby.com/64/C001/012.html.

Friday, May 08, 2009

Spotlighted Literary Events

Date: Saturday, May 9, 2009
Celebrate Mother's Day weekend with Portland writer and scholar Judith Arcana.
Judith’s prose books about motherhood, Our Mothers’ Daughters and Every Mother’s Son, are classic feminist analyses of mothering in the USA. Her poetry collection, What if your mother, examines a constellation of motherhood themes you won’t find in Hallmark cards: abortion, adoption, miscarriage, the biotechnology of pregnancy & childbirth, and truth-telling about real live mothers. Judith’s special guest will be Leanne Grabel, longtime Portland poet/performer, whose current work examines the lives of Oregon daughters and mothers caught between some very sharp rocks & the hardest of hard places.
When: 3pm
Where: In Other Words Women's Books and Resources, 8 B NE Killingsworth St.
Cost: Free
For more information call 503-232-6003 or visit the events page at http://www.inotherwords.org/NASApp/store/IndexJsp and juditharcana.com.

Date: Thursday-Saturday, May 14-16, 2009
Thursday, May 14 begins a three-day consideration of poetry and peace from and beyond the life and writing of William Stafford. The symposium titled Another World Instead, begins at the NW Film center, with the premiere of a Every War Has Two Losers. Based on the book Every Way Has Two Losers: William Stafford on Peace & Way (Milkweed Editions,2003).

On Friday (at the First Unitarian Church), there will be a class taught by Kim Stafford (literary executor of the Estate of William Stafford) to explore connections between the writing of poetry and the life of witness for peace. Friday evening, there will be a poetry reading in the Spirit of William Stafford with reading by Abayo Animashaum, Tim Barnes, Andrea Hopkins, Fred Marchant, Kim Stafford, Mary Szybist, and others.

On Saturday (at the First Unitarian Church), the main Symposium will be an opportunity to consider how William Stafford's life of witness through poetry may inform our opportunities for literary citizenship in a time of war. Presentations will include Teaching Peace, Camp Angel, and Learning Poetry.

In addition, presenters will share information about the William Stafford Archive, now available online: http://www.staffordarchives.org.

For further information about the Symposium, please visit the Web site.

When: see Web site for details
Where: Lewis & Clark, MSC 85, 0615 S.W. Palatine Hill Road and First Unitarian Church, Eliot Chapel, 1011 SW 12th Ave
Cost: see Web site for details

Wednesday, May 06, 2009

Call for Submissions!

Ink-Filled Page quarterly literary journal is seeking submissions of fiction, nonfiction, and artwork.


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
• multicultural themes
• feminism
• magical realism
• flash fiction


We are specifically looking for fresh, untold stories and unique voices that draw us into the world of the story. While we know and love many Jo(h)ns, we are inundated by character Jo(h)ns. We ask that you only submit characters by that name if it is necessary for the story.


Limit submissions to 5,000 words, one submission per candidate. Authors who submit more than one piece will not be considered. Electronic submissions only.


All literary submissions must be written for an English-reading audience. By submitting a story to Ink-Filled Page, you confirm that you are the sole creator of the story and that you hold all rights to your piece.


Artwork Submissions

Artwork submissions are open to all mediums, but pieces must be submitted electronically. Winning pieces are selected based on composition and originality. Pieces will be published in color in the online quarterly issue and in black and white in the print anthology. Please submit pieces that will translate well in both contexts. We are looking for pieces that highlight the human experience—show us the good or the bad, be surreal or real, but make sure that whatever you submit connects us, human to human.Limit three submissions per candidate. Artists who submit more than three pieces will not be considered. Submit print-ready digital artwork at 300 dpi or higher. By submitting your artwork to Ink-Filled Page, you confirm that you are the sole creator of said artwork and that you hold all rights to your piece.


****


Selected authors and artists earn publication and will receive a complimentary subscription to all four quarterly issues in the volume in which they are published, as well as a complimentary copy of the annual anthology when it is released in October 2009. Contributors may buy additional copies of the anthology for 10% off. Authors will also receive professional editing services on the selected story. All contributors will have the opportunity to participate in readings and art shows to feature Ink-Filled Page work.


Submission deadline for the summer issue is May 31. View more details and submit here.


Winning submissions are chosen by a guest acquisitions editor, who is different with each issue. Authors and artists who submit pieces that are not selected are welcome to resubmit during later open submission periods.


All work must be original and unpublished by any other literary publication. Simultaneous submissions are accepted on the condition that you notify us immediately upon acceptance by another publication. By submitting your work to Ink-Filled Page, you agree to the Terms and Conditions.


For best results, read our publication by downloading the most recent issue and buying an anthology before you submit.


Photo Story Prompt: Strawberries

Spring gardening is here! I can't help but salivate over fresh strawberries, and a story about them sounds delightful.

Write whatever comes to you--short or long, fiction or truth.

We'd love to see what you come up with! Send your writing in to photostory@indigoediting.com to be posted on our blog with other stories based on the same photo. If you'd like your name, Web site, and contact info to be posted with your story, be sure to include that too. Feel free to comment on each other's stories and just generally enjoy the process of playing with the written word and the world it creates.

Happy writing!

If you're a fan of fruit-themed fiction, read "The Orange that Got Eaten and His Thoughts Along the Way" by Malia Wagner in the Spring 2009 issue of Ink-Filled Page.

Photo: "Zug Strawberries" by Warren Stroud.

Monday, May 04, 2009

New Release Spotlight: City of Glass

City of Glass by Cassandra Clare

The final installment of Cassandra Clare’s breakout Mortal Instruments series goes above and beyond the normal plot twists of other young adult urban fantasies. In the first two books of the series, City of Bones and City of Ashes, Clare put a new spin to life in New York and all the things that go bump in the night—specifically with the world of Shadowhunters, humans gifted by angels to protect the world from the demons who threaten to destroy it. But what if that threat is another Shadowhunter, one believed to be long dead?

Clary Fray, a sixteen-year-old girl who has just discovered her strange ties to the world of Shadowhunting, must travel to Idris in order to save the life of her mother from Valentine, a warrior who years before had led the darkest revolt ever experienced against the government of Shadowhunters, the Clave. A Shadowhunter who let his hate turn him into something dark and unbending. A man who is also her father. In her journey, Clary uncovers the dark secrets of her family, learns of another plot against the Clave, and struggles with her forbidden love for Jace. Jace, the blond warrior who first drew her into this world, the boy she would do anything for, her brother. But Clary’s life is about to get even more complicated as she gravitates toward the mysterious Sebastian, another Shadowhunter who always seems to have the information Clary needs and whose dark eyes hold untold secrets that will forever shape Clary’s world.

While the many ups and downs of Clary’s bizarre family relationships makes a reader wonder how this girl isn’t in therapy, Clare is able to keep the turmoil heartbreakingly easy to relate to. At this point, Clary has gone through every emotion imaginable since realizing that Jace is her brother, an idea that would be so simple for the reader to be turned off about. But Clare has built up these complex characters in such a way that it is difficult not to sympathize with them and hope for a good outcome. Each character is utterly unique and has a distinctive subplot which fleshes out the otherwise strange reality Clare has thrust her characters into.

One of the many aspects in this work that sets it apart from other urban fantasies, besides the creative plot and engaging characters, is the unique quality of the dialogue. Clare is able to perfectly balance emotional upheaval with witty sarcasm in a way that makes it difficult not to read this book without a smile, or even a smirk: “You’re not happy to see me, then?” Jace said. “I have to say, I’m surprised. I’ve always been told my presence brightened up any room. One might think that went doubly for dank underground cells.”

While an excellent ending to an amazing series, Clare leaves enough mystery in the end to allow not only for the reader’s imagination, but for the possibility of her continuing the work at a later time. Unfortunately, the wait might be a long one; Clare is currently working on another series, one that takes place in the same world of the Shadowhunters, but centuries prior to the Mortal Instruments series.

Review by Kim Greenberg, Indigo Editing & Publications

City of Glass
Publisher: McElderry Books
ISBN: 978-1-4169-1430-3
Hardcover: $17.99

Friday, May 01, 2009

Spotlighted Literary Events

Date: Friday, May 1
Calling all teens! Come to Looking Glass Bookstore for a reading and book-signing with Emily Whitman. Whitman is the author of the young adult novel Radiant Darkness, revolving around the teenage goddess Persephone and the choices she has to make between her life with her overprotective mother or independence with a dark and mysterious stranger.
When: 7pm
Where: Looking Glass Bookstore, 7983 SE 13th Ave
Cost: Free
For more information, be sure to check out the events page at http://lookingglassbook.qwestoffice.net/

Date: Thursday, May 7
Check out “Word to Your Mother,” and evening of true tales, mortifying experiences, and juicy back talk featuring Greg Gasperin, Sarah Hoopes, fashion designer Adam Arnold, Metro Council President David Bragdon, Live Wire! host Courtenay Hameister, author Chelsea Cain, special guest host Derrick Brown, and musical guest Loch Lomond at the Bagdad Theater hosted by Powell’s Books. This event is open to those 21 and over.
When: 7pm
Where: Bagdad Theater, 3702 SE Hawthorne Blvd
Cost: $12 advance/$15 door
For more information, call 503-236-9234 or check out the events page at www.powells.com

Date: Thursday, May 7
Tim Applegate, Barbara Drake, Paulann Petersen, Willa Schneberg, and Windfall editors Michael McDowell and Bill Siverly will be at the Looking Glass Bookstore for a poetry reading from the new issue of Windfall: A Journey of Poetry of Place.
When: 7pm
Where: Looking Glass Bookstore, 7983 SE 13th Ave
Cost: Free
Check out the events page at http://lookingglassbook.qwestoffice.net/ for more information.