Friday, August 17, 2012

First Light - An Anthology of Paraguayan Women Writers

First Light is an anthology that features works by 25 important Paraguayan women writers. Collected, translated and edited by Susan Smith Nash, it ranges from the transformation of Paraguay to virtually a matriarchy after the Triple Alliance and Chaco Wars of the early 1900's killed more than 90% of the male population of the country, to Alfredo Stroessner's 35-year dictatorship and its impact on Paraguayan artists and writers.

From the introduction: "This anthology of Paraguayan women writers is the culmination of more than two years of focused research and investigation into the nature of Paraguayan history, culture, and art, with special emphasis on literature. In the 12 or so visits I have made to Paraguay since November 1996, I have made a point to meet with the women authors (who have become very close friends) to conduct interviews and to participate in as many of the workshops, gatherings, book fairs, readings, and book presentations as possible. My primary objective in preparing this document is to introduce English-speaking audiences to a body of work that is largely unknown, and rarely included in anthologies. Of all the women authors represented in this anthology, it is perhaps Renee Ferrer who most directly addresses the issue of Alfredo Stroessner's 35-year dictatorship and its impact on the psyche and collective consciousness of Paraguayan artists and writers."

The full introduction and selected works by 14 authors are online here: An Anthology of Paraguayan Women Writers, and here's the printed version at Google Books.

About Susan Smith Nash
After receiving her Ph.D. in English from The University of Oklahoma, Susan Smith Nash has spent a great deal of time on educational, economic development, and literary projects in South America and the former Soviet Union, particularly Paraguay, Brazil, Argentina, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Russia. In e-learning since the early 1990s, Nash is involved in e-learning and hybrid learning and training at universities, corporations, and not-for-profits.

Monday, August 13, 2012

MiCrow 7 - Summer 2012 - Home

MiCrow is the flash fiction section of Full Of Crow, edited by Michael Solender. The Summer 2012 issue is out now, it's theme: "Home"

Home is the place we most associate with self over any other. Home can be as large as a continent or as small as a tiny shack barely big enough for a bed. As a muse, storytellers both run towards and run away from that they call home," notes Michael Solender. "Whatever it offers you, our reader of edition 7, MICROW’s summer 2012 compendium, Home is where you’ll find splendid imagery, prose, and poetry that will capture your imagination and evoke notions that take you to places that are familiar and not so much."

The issue is available online: MiCrow 7: Summer 2012: “Home” , direct pdf-link: Home

The issue features words and imagery by: Lynn Alexander, Paul Beckman, Cortney Bledsoe, Jenny Bohatch, Samuel Cole, Stephen Cooper, Leon Jackson Davenport, Cristy Del Canto, Ceilidh Devine, Aleathia Drehmer, Kristin Fouquet,Leah Givens, Kate Marie Goff, Joseph Grant, Linda Hofke, Claire Ibarra, Rich Ives, Tyrel Kessinger, Len Kuntz, Dorothee Lang, Maude Larke, Paula Lietz, Doug Mathewson, Afzal Moolla, Ellen Orner, Jennifer Polhemus, James D. Quinton, Brad Rose, Marjorie Sadin, Linda Simoni-Wastila, Gita Smith, Michael Dwayne Smith, Michael J. Solender, Eric Suhem, Nicolette Wong, Christopher Woods, & Angel Zapata.

Michael J. Solender is a freelance writer and editor. He lives in North Carolina with his wife Harriet, and blogs at Not From Here, Are You?

About Full Of Crow:
Full Of Crow Press produces and promotes both print and web based content, including fiction, poetry, art, interviews, art columns, reviews, audio, flash fiction, zines, chapbooks, ebooks, and more.

related links: anthologies, e-books

Saturday, August 04, 2012

Screen Reading - reviews of online literary magazines

Screen Reading is a new column of reviews of online literary magazines by the NewPages Literary Magazine Review Editor Kirsten McIlvenna.

Just the sheer number of online literary publications that launch every month can be overwhelming both for  readers and writers. And in contrast to books, there weren't really many reviews for online magazine yet. That's how the idea of Screen Reading sparked:

"In an effort to 'give more love' to online magazines - which are fabulous but often don’t get as much attention," editor McIlvenna says, "this weekly column will introduce readers to some good writing and places to submit work."

Here's the link to the ongoing series: Screen Reading - reviews of online literary magazines

Magazines featured so far include, among others: Memorious, Eclectica Magazine, SmokeLong Quarterly, elimae, Carve Magazine, LITnIMAGE, Cigale Literary, pif Magazine. Each week Kirsten McIlvenna spotlights a new set of online literary magazines, offering a glimpse into some of the best and newest writing on the web.

New Pages is a portal of news, information and guides to literary magazines, independent publishers, creative writing programs, independent bookstores, alternative periodicals, independent record labels, alternative newsweeklies and more.

Screen Reading - reviews of online literary magazines

Wednesday, August 01, 2012

99 Books That Capture the Spirit of Africa + 1 on the verge

From the desert of Algeria to the savannahs of Kenya and the jungles of Equatorial Guinea, A Basket of Leaves: 99 Books That Capture the Spirit of Africa is a quintessential reader's guide that includes reviews and excerpts from notable books for each of Africa's 54 countries.

This collection explores many of the best-known works on Africa, such as Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe (Nigeria), All God's Children Need Traveling Shoes by Maya Angelou (Ghana), The Viceroy of Ouidah by Bruce Chatwin (Benin), Age of Iron by J.M. Coetzee (South Africa), Gorillas in the Mist by Dian Fossey (Rwanda), and When Rain Clouds Gather by Bessie Head (Botswana). The book is published by South-African publisher Jacana Media (worth visiting).

Geoff Wisner is an essayist and book reviewer with a focus on Africa, the Caribbean, and environmental issues. He blogs about African literature in translation at Words Without Borders.

Book on the verge:
Call for Support for "African Lives" anthology

Currently Geoff Wisner is looking for support for his second book, African Lives: An Anthology of Memoirs and Autobiographies. The book will appear next spring from Lynne Rienner Publishers. In order to bring the anthology to print, he still needs to raise an estimated $3,000 by September 5, so far 56% are funded - visit Worlds Without Borders for more: African Lives