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

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

Book Blogs Search (based on 1800 book blogs)

There are countless book blogs in the web, featuring an even more countless number of book reviews - but often, the search for reviews is like a walk in the web jungle. Thanks to the code skills of book blogger Firefly, there is a search enginea that provides a shortcut through this data jungle - it is based on a catalogue of 1800 book blogs:

BOOK BLOGS SEARCH ENGINE

Here's the introduction to it: "Looking for reviews of a book by real-life book bloggers? Tired of sifting through corporate sites in your regular Google search results? That’s why I created the Book Blogs custom search engine – all book bloggers, all the time! Whether you’re looking for other non-commercial reviews of a book you’ve just read, or want real readers’ opinions on a new book you’re considering, this is the place!"

For more about this search engine, and how to put this search on the sidebar of your blog, or how to have your own book blog listed, and how this search also is a helpful tools for authors and publishers, visit: About the Books Blog Search

Book Search Tips
When looking for a specific book, try a combination of a key word from the book title and the family name of the author. You can also search for general themes, for example "travel" or  "e-books"
There also is an option to add the searchbox direcly in one's own blog, into the sidebar. This seemst to work rather fine, it's now included here in the sidebar of the blog, too.

About Fyrefly + Fyrefly's book reviws
Fyrefly is a biologist, voracious reader, and semi-recovering used book sale addict - and a book blogger, visit the Fyrefly-blog for the recent posts, and the calendar 2012 for a reading overview.

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Books, Blogs, Review Forward

This post belongs to the BluePrintReview book + lit blog, which explores and celebrates the diverse and growing landscape of indie presses, authors, books, e-books, online literary projects and related projects. It belongs to the literary online magazine BluePrintReview.

Review Forward: This entry is inspired by Review Forward, a new online initiative for authors & book bloggers. For more reviews, visit the facebook page or the twitter-stream.

The storySouth Million Writers Award - Top 10 Stories of 2011

Great stories are being published online. The storySouth Million Writers Award for best online fiction of the year will help all internet-based journals and magazines gain exposure and attent.

Top Ten Stories of 2011
The Million Writers Award top ten stories of 2011 have been released. The public vote for the overall winner is now open, and ends Monday, August 6th. Any member of the public may vote once! For the story list go here: Million Writers Award - Top 10 Stories

Notable Stories of 2011
The Million Writers Award Notable Stories of 2011 have now been released. Click here for the list: Notable Stories of 2011

Best online publication & best new online magazine
The winner of this year's Million Writers Award for best publication is Cha: An Asian Literary Journal, which placed five stories on this year's notable list.
The winner of this year's Million Writers Award for best new online magazine is The Good Men's Project. Runner-ups for best new online magazine were The Journal Of Unlikely Entomology, Tinge Magazine, and In the Snake Magazine.

Some general notes from Jason Sanford on this year's award: "A few surprises with this year's Million Writers Award notable stories. First, no author landed more than one story on the list. Second, there also was only one magazine with 5 notable stories (Asian Cha), one with four (Light Speed) and a number with three. Seems like the notable picks were really spread around this year by the judges."

About the Award + Top 10 Stories
The storySouth award was initiated and is organized by author and editor Jason Sanford. The story of how this award started during the time when online journals often weren't considered to be real publications by some, and is still online, here.

The award is for any fictional short story of at least a 1,000 words first published in an online publication during 2011. In the first phase, the Million Writers Award accepted nominations from readers, writers, and editors, gathered online in 2 pages: Reader nominations and Editor nominations

The top ten stories will be released in June. Voting on the top stories of the year will last for three weeks after the top ten stories are released. Thanks to donations, so far we have nearly $1000 in cash and prizes for the top three winners, including  (and the volunteer preliminary judges who assist with the award).

Link: The storySouth Million Writers Award

Related links: writing initiatives + web projects

Fictionaut Reading, New York: trip blogs & links

It happend in New York City, in the KGB Bar: an international fictionaut reading with  main headliners Christopher Allen from Germany and Matt Potter from Australia, and an open mike format that let about 15 other writers the chance to dazzle the KGB Bar, including Tania Hershman from the UK.

For all who didn't have the chance to be there, Bill Yarrow filmed the reads and put them online at YouTube: Fictionaut Reading.

But that's only half of the digital fun: there are several travelogues and blog posts that spin from the reading, lead up to it, or link to further reads:

Christopher Allen's blog post: Fond Memories of the KGB: "The KGB Bar is small and dark. In former times, I'm sure this space was a dank, cloudy fishbowl of the smoking intelligentsia..."

Tania Hershman's travelogue: The Languages We Speak and the Languages We Don't: "I have just had quite an amazing month in the USA and am going to attempt to sum it up, as if that was ever possible, or at least sort out some of the thoughts in my head into some coherence! ..."

Robert Vaughan's post with extra-links Hump-a-day late: "The readers were far flung from all over the globe, and the audience was really appreciative..."

Michelle Elvy's reflection (via facebook): "Sitting on a cool winter evening listening to my own story, in another voice, read on a warm summer night in NYC, thanks to Bill Yarrow's video of readings at the recent Fictionaut event in NYC. You can hear Christopher Allen, Tania Hershman, Matt Potter and also Susan Tepper reading my work here at YouTube: Fictionaut Reading. Feeling very happy about this!! Thanks to you all -- and for Bill for editing this all together."

The Empty City - Berit Ellingsen

The Empty City is a story about awakening to inner truths and one's own self. It is told in short episodes that describe a place, a dream, a question, a memory, a fantasy or an event.

Urban explorer and lucid dreamer Brandon Minamoto discovers that outside his thoughts and emotions exists a world that is silent and open, surrounding him and everyone else. The silence starts picking him apart and makes him question his sense of self and his past. But behind the noise and the stories, there is something constant and unchanging.

An excerpt is online on the book webpage, together with links to interviews: Empty City.

More information about the research for this book is up in Necessary Fiction's Research Notes.

Berit Ellingsen is a Korean-Norwegian fiction writer whose stories have or will appear in Everyday Genius, SmokeLong Quarterly, Blue Fifth Review, Metazen, decomP and other literary journals. Berit was a semi-finalist in the Rose Metal Press Chapbook Competition in 2011 and her chapbook What Girls Really Think was published by Turtleneck Press in February 2012. Berit’s novel, The Empty City, is a story about silence.

Berit Ellingsen: The Empty City

PS: there's also a personal review of the book in the editor's blog: Zen and the Empty City


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related links: philosophical, novels

Marco Polo 100 x 100

Earlier this year, Marco Polo Arts Magazine placed a call for one hundred stories one hundred words long. Close to five hundred international submissions arrived.

Vincent Fino's story was selected as best and stands as the introductory story for the new series, and is online now: Mother's Day Retreat

The other 99 stories will follow, each on an own page, with an overview at the 100x100 page.

About Marco Polo
Marco Polo is an online literary and art magazine. In addition to fiction, flash fiction (maximum word count 1500), nonfiction, narrative nonfiction, poetry, and art, they have several feature series, for example: Talk - Interviews with authors, filmmakers and artists; Camera - A photo-document document of what happens when someone borrows Marco Polo's camera and takes photos; Truffaut - Literature and art devoted to and inspired by the works and legacy of Francois Truffaut; A + A - Artists in conversation... The Founding Editor and Art Director of Marco Polo Arts Magazin is Darin Beasley, Co Founder: Brian Hitselberger, more here: about

Currently, Marco Polo has a special call up for 100 x 500 Creative Nonfictions: "Your nonfiction must be no longer or shorter than 500 words, title excluded. Break out of the mold and surprise us and yourself." The 100 best entries will be published in Marco Polo. Deadline December 31. Guidelines

Best of WLT (World Literature Today)

To celebrate its 350th issue, the magazine WLT (World Literature Today) conducted a readers' choice contest. The poll was based on the shortlist of staff favorites in essays, poetry, short fiction, interviews, and book reviews from the past 10 years of WLT.

Now the readers' choice winners and runners-up are announced on the WLT website, with links to all texts: Winners of the 350th Issue Readers' Choice Poll

The original shortlist is still online, too: WLT Shortlist: interviews, essays, poetry, book reviews, fiction

And here, some direct links:

• In Praise of the Republic of Letters by Aleš Debeljak (Slovenia)
• In Memory, Joanne Breen by Paula Meehan (Ireland)
• How to Talk About Books You Haven’t Read by Pierre Bayard (book review by Warren Motte)

Self-Published eBook Bestseller List by GalleyCat

As a reaction to the massive scale of the self-publishing world and the growing number of e-books, GalleyCat now started a Self-Published Bestseller List.

GalleyCat is a media website with news from the book publishing industry, the aim of the list is to track current self-published bestsellers, and provide some orientation for interested readers.

Focusing on the the three major marketplaces: Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Smashwords, GalleyCat selected the self-published digital books and put together three Top10-lists, which will be updated weekly.

Below the first 3 entries of the current lists, with categories added:

Amazon Self-Published Kindle Bestsellers
1. Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire (Adult Romance)
2. Easy by Tammara Webber (YA / Romance)
3. Weekends Required by Sydney Landon (Romance)
 
Barnes&Noble Self-Published eBook Bestsellers
1. Summer Secrets by Barbara Freethy (Women's Fiction)
2. Take Me by Locklyn Marx (Adult Romance)
3. A Month at the Shore by Antoinette Stockenberg (Romance)
 
Smashwords eBook Bestsellers
1. Motorcycle Man by Kristen Ashley (Romance)
2. The Fifth Man by Randy Ingermanson (Sci-Fi)
3. Wisdom by Amanda Hocking (YA / Urban Fantasy)

New Sun Rising - Stories for Japan

Its been over a year since the disasters hit Japan. While the world may have shifted their focus to other areas, the suffering of the people devastated by the events the 2011 tsunami caused continues.

Over 60 contributors have donated their works to New Sun Rising - Stories for Japan, in order to heighten the awareness of the plight of the Japanese people. Several blueprint contributors are included in the anthology: Dave Bonta, Brigita Orel, Marcus Speh, Nora Nadjarian. All authors are listed here: contributors, and notes on the team and the process of creating the anthology is online here: the team.

This anthology is not about the disaster, but celebrates the beauty of the Japanese culture, environment and people. Its about hope, passion and commitment.

New Sun Rising is currently available on Kindle through Amazon. Its also available to borrow through thier library system for the next three months. Every cent will be directed to the Japanese Red Cross to assist those who still require help.

New Sun Rising - Stories for Japan
New Sun website
New Sun at Amazon.com

A Foal Poem - Rose Hunter (update)

A Foal Poem is a full-length poetry book from Rose Hunter. Written in Mexico during the course of 2010, the poems form an outer journey that starts in Puerto Vallarta, moves to Acapulco and San Miguel de Allende, Sayulita, and back to Puerto Vallarta. Overall, the book takes the reader on an inner journey through the themes of addiction and recovery, relationships, and changing/emerging identities.

Update, 2012: Decomp Magazine reviewed Foal, with several quotes: "This is where Rose Hunter takes us, "...this place / slouching towards, no, stumbling, / towards, along, overexposed cobblestones; one gringo dive bar / after another and never stop" ... And Hunter achieves, again and again, an absolutely surprising effect, like something hatching in your throat and then you falling love with that thing when it flies out, so beautiful, so new."

For another taste of A Foal Poem, try Aposematic / Grey at BluePrintReview, and The Lion / rebar at Connotation Press.

"A Foal Poem drew me in and didn't let go.... I wanted to stay within this world - the cube lady explaining with her hands; the Mexican palms and the cranes; bubbles in the rock and black sand beaches. Life during the wave’s lifetime... Revealing and concealing, A Foal Poem curls inward, outward, and within." -Sherry O'Keefe

Rose Hunter is the author of to the river (Artistically Declined Press), and the editor of the poetry journal, YB. Poems from this book have appeared in A cappella Zoo, decomP, elimae, Escape Into Life, kill author, The Nervous Breakdown, PANK, Referential, The Toronto Quarterly, Willow Wept Review, the BluePrintReview, and others. There also is an author talk with Rose Hunter in this blog.

Rose Hunter: A Foal Poem
poetry collection, 108 pages, $6.50

(originally posted in fall 2011)

top 50 book blogs, 65 literary tumblrs & 5 lit blog streams

There’s an abundance of book blogs out there, with a wide range of themes: from current prize winners to crime and science fiction, and from books in translations to historic books to newcomers. But how to find all those blogs? Here some links:

1) Book Blog Ranking List
Thanks to web algorithms, there's a book blog  list that is based on 20 ranking factors and includes Bookslut, Booking Mama, Bookgeeks, and many other book blogs / book websites (scroll for the various ranking lists): Top 50 Book Blogs.

2) List of literary tumblrs
The editors of the Millions webpage started to put together listings of literary tumblrs, there are 65 included now: The Millions Guide to Literary Tumblrs

3) Blog Streams
For an unranked yet more adventurous approach, try the following topic/tag-links of Wordpress and Tumblr, each creates an automatic blog post stream for each tag:

• book posts at wordpress
• book posts at tumblr
• e-book posts at wordpress
• e-book posts at tumblr
• book reviews at tumblr + "reading"