Archive for February, 2009
The Mother of All Amazon Reviews
Most writers I know obsessively check their Amazon.com reviews. I don’t know what I would do if I encountered this one though, left in response to The Secret…
PANK Magazine welcomes C.S. Giscombe to the end of the northernmost road.
Poet C.S. Giscombe comes to Michigan Tech on Friday, February 27 to give a reading and frolic in the snow. 4pm in 134 Walker Arts and Humanities Center on the campus of the Michigan Technological University. Reception to follow.
BBC’s Big Read?
I can’t tell if this is current or old or very old. The BBC started compiling their information in 2003 which appears to be when the Big Read programs aired. Regardless, at some point in the last six years they … Continue reading
Online publishing…
Like many others, I am almost as wary of online publishing as I am excited and committed. Nonetheless, I do think online publishing is important and deserves more legitimacy than it gets. Having said all that, blah blah blah and … Continue reading
It’s an interesting month for PANK
Post PANK 3 hitting the shelves, post AWP, and pre grant deadlines, your friendly neighborhood PANKsters (all five of us) are running around like proverbial chickens, sans heads, knocking things over, blood everywhere, and generally making an unnecessary mess. Which … Continue reading
best “first-liner” contest
Through May 1st 2009, enter the “Literary Database’s” contest for the best first liner… Enter here: http://literarydatabase.com/contest.html Although the winner doesn’t receive ca$h– the winner will receive a copy of “the literary database 2009″– I love the idea of working … Continue reading
Awareness
Although “Black History Month” is a more commonly known national-February-awareness raising calendar marker, this week in February, is also “National Eating Disorders Awareness Week” (Feb 22-29). I felt this important “week” needed to be shared here on the PANK blog … Continue reading
Elegant, Balanced Sentences
Good news! We have a president who can construct an elegantly balanced sentence. Next we’ll discover he reads!
PANK-alerts
I’ll do the footwork, if you’ll continue regularly checking out our blog. As I was waiting for the steam to drift from my freshly poured coffee, I found the following online that you just might want to check out for … Continue reading
Treking through the snow
The weather outside is… beautiful yet frightful where we are. How’s it look where you are? The only thing to brighten the day; to break up the monotony of snow was stumbling upon a PANK 3 contributor’s blogsite and seeing … Continue reading
According to Google:
1. Pank needs to keep an eye on cost. 2. Pank needs coin. 3. Pank needs to refresh. 4. Pank needs to settle. 5. Pank needs a spanky. 6. Pank needs a piggy. 7. Pank needs a million dollars. 8. … Continue reading
Oh, Chicago. . .
As we brace ourselves for the trek northward we must take a moment to massage the pangs in our low-backs after sitting for hours in silly little chairs devoid of lumbar support. Thank you to the writers who stopped by … Continue reading
AWP Day 3: The hangover
Yikes. By noon today it was time to barf. Or kill. Does the P stand for pretentious? What’s with all the writerly posturing minus the actual writing? Why the fixation on genre minus concern for actually producing anything worth reading … Continue reading
AWP Day 2: But by the second day
Hipster zoo at the book fair, NOT awesome. Tongue tacos on Ashland, awesome. Selling lots of copies, totally awesome. The reading at Quimby’s rocking our socks, wicked awesome. Not awesome, 1. Various awesomeness, 3. Awesomeness wins. Thanks Dan, Jennifer, Sheila, … Continue reading
AWP Day 1: Anything/anyone can be sexy for 24 hours
We met some of our PANK No. 3 contributors, many conference goers, and observed that writers wear an awesome array of eyeglasses. Photographic evidence to come. If you’re at AWP, visit us at table 631 in the Southwest Hall on … Continue reading
February PANK Now Available
Just in time for AWP and/or Valentine’s Day and/or the PANK reading at Quimby’s this Friday, the editors of PANK are pleased to announce that the February issue of PANK is now available. This month’s issue is profuse with choice … Continue reading
Quirky Call: Menupoems
Call for menupoems! April is National Poetry Month Alimentum will once again publish a poetry broadside of menupoems for National Poetry Month. The poems are distributed to participating restaurants for diners to enjoy some poetry with their menu! We need … Continue reading
“Shock Troop” author wins 25,000$ and gets some PR for literary non-fiction
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090209.WBBooksblog20090209134630/WBStory/WBBooksblog Above is the link to the article about the winners winnings and below is an expert from the book. The link on which this expert exists is at the bottom of the page. An excerpt from Shock Troops: Canadians … Continue reading
Never knew writers could win so much money…
The Charles Taylor Prize will be awarded on Monday February 9th– you’ve missed the deadline this year, but did you know that next year perhaps, you could win up to 25,000$ if you were Charles Taylor worthy? Consider your submission … Continue reading
Opinions are more prevalent than poetry submissions
http://www.fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090204/GJLIFESTYLES/902039902 This link gives us advice about how to write a book. My advice is BEGIN. Devote 250 words minimum of writing a day, as well as at least 15-20 minutes a day REVISING. But what do I know anyway? … Continue reading
Two Things a Post Make
1. Administrative note: We’ve read and responded to all work submitted on 1/11/09 and earlier. If you haven’t heard from us and you submitted before 1/11/09, drop us a line and we’ll see what is what. 2. If you’ve ever … Continue reading
The Thing About Cats, Kittens and Other Felines
And this is not new, but there’s something about writers and cats. Its as if we cannot help ourselves. We have to write about them, at length and in great detail. When I was a slushpile slave at Prairie Schooner, … Continue reading
Now, for something completely different
Please pardon the service interruption. Have you ever seen the Cash4Gold infomercials? They’ll buy! Your gold! It seems like a pretty sweet deal. Okay, maybe it doesn’t, but the excellent production values could easily convince you otherwise. One intrepid fellow … Continue reading
What’s a Website Worth?
If you’ve ever wondered who designs the websites for fancy pants authors, look no further. The New York Times discusses Jefferson Rabb and other web designers who create online presences for writers and their work.
“Fogged Clarity” (new literary journal) seeks submissions
http://coffeeandcritique.blogspot.com/2009/02/new-literary-journal-seeks-submissions.html Click the link and you’ll be transported to a blogspot that will tell about this new journal that yearns for YOUR excellent writing. So submit something– even I am thinking of doing it
Tidbits
Via Maud Newton, Mary Gaitskill would enjoy a wife so as to better direct her attention to writing. I want one too, let it be known. In Time Magazine, Lev Grossman dissects publishing in the digital age. In case you … Continue reading
PANK No. 3 is here
We are pleased to announce that PANK No. 3 is now available. Visit our Get PANK page for more information on how to get your hands on a copy of this fantastic, sure to sell out issue featuring a great … Continue reading
PANK Reading at Chicago AWP
 Date & time:  Friday,  February 13, 2009, 7pm Location: Quimby’s Bookstore, 1854 W. North Ave, in Wicker Park, Chicago. Cost: Free. Jennifer Pieroni, James Grinwis, Sheila Squillante, Daniel Nester, and Rachel Yoder read their work from the pages of … Continue reading
A Digital Humanities Manifesto?
The Mellon Seminar in Digital Humanities at UCLA issued A Digital Humanities Manifesto that has some interesting things to say about the nature of the ever-evolving digital world.