Archive for June, 2009
Reader Request: The Whole Online Thing
On Twitter this weekend, I was taking requests for things to blog about because I’m all about service. And I’m lazy. Nik Perring suggested I talk about how the Internet is affecting the short form, Â what it’s doing for … Continue reading
Ask the Editor: Lauren Becker, Fiction Editor, DOGZPLOT
Once a week, more or less, we’re going to interview an editor or other person of interest that you may not know a lot about. Our first interview is Lauren Becker, a PANK contributor past and future. She is also … Continue reading
Your Title Matters
Lately, I’ve been reading a number of submissions that are pretty damn good, but have not great titles. While this is something that can be easily fixed most of the time, I do find it a little distracting. The title … Continue reading
DVD Giveaways
That problem I mentioned about replicating books also happens with DVDs. Don’t judge. My collection is extensive. My memory is not. Comment with a funny joke and what you want and I’ll be in touch. Today, to happy homes, I … Continue reading
Short Story Month Anthology
From the Desk of Incredible Ashley (who will be doing more blogging for us in the coming weeks and months): Dzanc books in collaboration with Matt Bell, Aaron Burch of Hobart, Steven McDermott of Storyglossia, and Dzanc’s Dan Wickett at … Continue reading
Charms for the Easy Life: Thoughts on Design
People are often intimidated by design because they think it is this big complicated thing they can’t do. I am not a designer, but I can cobble together something that will not make your eyes hurt. These are only my … Continue reading
Awesome Search Strings That Let Us Know Everyone Is Weird or Sick
photo of redhead hugging roses porno tube tall mother with long legs read sad stories roommate uncircumcised rose mexican snoball pants sex tubes that show men jerking off in front of womem she liked his dick sister tries to stop … Continue reading
Heads up. Chapbooks!
Get your manuscripts ready. We’ll be officially announcing PANK’s first chapbook contest sometime in August, deadline October (probably), winner announced in November, with a release coinciding and packaged with PANK 4. Expect a small entrance fee to help us cover … Continue reading
Multiple Choice: Why Your Submission Was Rejected
This list is by no means comprehensive or prescriptive. 1. The writing simply wasn’t good, where good quantifies a subjective combination of the ability to garner the reader’s interest and the ability to tell some kind of story in a … Continue reading
Free Books & Other Things
I have things to give away because I’m a flaky book buyer. Sometimes, I’ll buy a paperback of something I have in hardback. Sometimes, I’ll buy a Kindle version of a physical book I own. Sometimes, I’ll buy two or … Continue reading
News You Can Use
Did we mention we’re having a contest? The winning story of Blake Butler’s This is Not Not a Contest has been posted at Lamination Colony. It is interesting. Storyglossia is accepting submissions for a music obsession themed issue in October. … Continue reading
Dzanc’s Creative Writing Sessions + A Giveaway
I had been hearing things about Dzanc Books Creative Writing Sessions. I was intrigued. Last week, I submitted a short story I’ve been working on, and chose Matt Bell as my mentor because I enjoy his writing. The process was … Continue reading
Two by Two
Via Ashley. Over at HTML Giant, Drew Toal has an interesting review of Harper Perennial’s Fifty Two Stories project, which pairs big names in literature with innovative and lesser known writers. Yay to those providing life support for the written … Continue reading
Charms for the Easy Life: Writer Edition
On Wednesday, we talked about things editors can do to sustain their publications. Today, let’s have a chat about the ways in which writers can do their part to keep the world a happy writing place.* Again, this is not … Continue reading
1,001 Awesome Words Contest
PANK Magazine is pleased to announce its first writing competition, 1,001 Awesome Words. And we think it suits the PANK ethos to leave it at that. Not enough, you say? Need key words, you say? Explode. Excite. Intrigue. Surprise. Blow. … Continue reading
Missives from the void.
“Cookiebomb” sent us a polaroid. Postmarked Dulles, VA, June 15. No other identifying mark. Perfect. Sky? Thanks, CB.
REAL SIMPLE Essay Contest
First, we are now offering PDFs of PANK 1, 2 or 3 for $3.5o. The awesome t-shirts we had at AWP are also available for sale. Details here: http://www.pankmagazine.com/subscribe.html REAL SIMPLE’s annual Life Lessons Essay Contest Topic: When did you … Continue reading
Charms for the Easy Life
I get a lot of questions about what it takes to start and sustain a journal and while I don’t have any profound insights, I’m happy to share some of the things I have learned. PANK was founded in 2006 … Continue reading
Subscription drive?
We’ve never done one. But we probably should. Except that we’re lazy, disorganzined, and lack…well…that particular kind of drive. But when we sent out the call for you to subscribe the other day, a few of you actually did. And … Continue reading
This is Not Not a Contest Results
A couple weeks ago, Blake Butler held an interesting writing contest, that became something bigger than I think anyone anticipated, with probably a hundred crowd-sourced prizes including a copy of PANK 3. And now, the results are in. Congratulations to … Continue reading
Monkeybicycle 6
I have it on good authority that there is no deep hidden meaning behind the name Monkeybiccyle. That’s a bit of a disappointment. I thought it might reflect some kind of inside joke or something. I subscribed to the journal … Continue reading
Your To Do List: Subscribe to PANK
Support of all kinds is great, but you know what it takes to do what we do. Plus, PANK 3 is approaching sold-out status. Buy now if you have any hope of ever getting one. All issues also come with … Continue reading
Well, yes…
There’s an interview with the new editor of Granta, John Freeman. Some of it is interesting, some of it is silly. The funny thing about publishing trying to evolve is that we’re all saying the same thing and stating the … Continue reading
What Kind of Bookstore Customer Are You?
Over at Rocket Bomber, Matt Blind details the seven kinds of customers found in a bookstore. It’s pretty amusing and I’ve seen most of these people. I am an Internet Hobo but I always spend a fair amount of money … Continue reading
Submission Feedback: Limited Engagement
Every writer hates the impersonal nature of rejection letters. I get it. I’m a writer, too. Editors! They’re just like us! And sometimes, you want to know why a submission didn’t click so that maybe you’ll have better luck next … Continue reading
June is Here and It’s Summer Somewhere
We’re still enjoying a brisk winter in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. We warm ourselves with the wonderful writing in the June issue, up now, featuring work from these excellent writers: Mark Budman Kevin Brown John Farmer Heather Fowler Katherine Grosjean Caitlin … Continue reading
Conflict of Interest?
What happens when a woman reviews her ex-boyfriend’s new novel? The ever reliable Rumpus shows us and it’s awesome.
Shaman Drum Bookshop to close.
A great independent Michigan bookstore, Shaman Drum Bookshop, will close on June 30. It is a shame. I just visited the store for the first time about a month ago and it is a lovely shop. If you’re in the … Continue reading
Oh, Canada!
Here’s a little bit of Canadian awesome. Yann Martel has decided to send the Prime Minister of Canada a book every two weeks, along with a nice letter. So far, 56 or so books have been sent, although the PM … Continue reading
PANK To Do List, Week of June 8
1. Block out, repress, bury. Â 2. Read submissions. 3. Read the new Poetry, Ninth Letter, and A Public Space that showed up over the weekend. 4. Read submissions. Â 5. Grill something, consume alcohol. 6. Read submissions. 7. Move … Continue reading
All The Day’s Sad Stories | Tina May Hall
Yesterday All The Day’s Sad Stories by Tina May Hall arrived in the mail. My stack of things to read is perilous so I was going to add it to the queue but pink is my favorite color and the … Continue reading
On MFA programs and such
There’s a really great article in the New Yorker about MFA programs where Louis Menand writes: Academic creative-writing programs are, as McGurl puts it, examples of “the institutionalization of anti-institutionality.” That’s why institutions love them. They are the outside contained … Continue reading
NPR poetry archive
This probably isn’t news to many of you, but it’s been my experience that I’m generally not the only one late to the party. National Public Radio has a page  that pulls together all it’s poetry related stories, including the … Continue reading
Do You Know Drupal?
PANK is growing and we need to move to a Content Management System. Is anyone out there familiar with Drupal and interested in giving us a hand as we try to get fancy with our content management? Do you feel … Continue reading
Free Chapbook from ml press
PANK 4 contributor and excellent individual j.a. tyler has this to say: charles lennox turned in this fantastically explosive text A FIELD OF COLORS to ml press & we, well, we wanted to share it with everyone. so, here is … Continue reading
Why We Do It
Molly Gaudry wrote a lovely post over the weekend about why editors do what they do and the kinds of acceptance letters we send. I don’t have anything nearly as eloquent to add but I like lists so I will … Continue reading
BEA 2009
Book Expo America 2009 just wrapped up and as the conference ends, the prognostication begins. If you weren’t there, Publisher’s Weekly has some fairly comprehensive coverage of the goings on.