Archive for September, 2009

Ask the Author: Steve Subrizi

Steve Subrizi, with three poems in the September issue, talks with us today about slam poetry, the allure of the guitar playing man and being the prettiest girl in school. 1. You’re active in the slam scene. What do you … Continue reading →

1,001 Awesome Words Contest – Deadline Today

Last call.

Ask the Author: William Peacock

William Peacock is the author of I Don’t Want to Bore You But—. He talks with us about priorities, writing pseudonymously, and the uneasiness of feeling like a second class citizen. 1. You note that you don’t watch television, read … Continue reading →

PANKcast – books and blather

1. The New York Times is ready for Halloween with “Her Fearful Symmetry.” 2. Detroit Free Press reviews “Surrogate.” 3. Washington Post promotes the National Book Festival with a list of authors attending, including John Irving! 4. Shakespeare is back … Continue reading →

Ask the Editor: Marcelle Heath, Assistant Editor, Luna Park

Today, we interview Marcelle Heath, assistant editor of Luna Park, literary magazines and Bravo! reality programming. 1. What do you do as assistant editor for Luna Park? How did you get involved? As an assistant editor, I cover the online … Continue reading →

Ask the Author: Jonathan Lyons

Jonathan Lyon’s story, Writing the Review, graces our September issue. In today’s interview, he talks to us about working with form, adjuncting, and living in India. 1. Your story Writing the Review does a lot of interesting things with form … Continue reading →

Available Now: Disappears in the Rain, Matthew Thorburn

Disappears in the Rain, is now available. Because it’s a very limited edition, you won’t find Disappears in the Rain at Amazon or B&N. But if you’re interested, you can get a copy from Matthew via the link on his … Continue reading →

Happy Banned Books Week!

Please, in observation of Banned Book Week, get out there and book-slap a bigot. Just find a bigot, any bigot, and read them a book. Preferably one of these books. You may have to lure them into your van with … Continue reading →

Ask the Author: K.M.A Sullivan

K.M.A. Sullivan offers us three poems in the September issue.We talk about the MFA experience, collaboration, and the joys of writing in coffee shops. 1. You’re in an MFA program. What has the MFA experience been like? How do you … Continue reading →

Five Things, It’s Friday

1. The Mid-American Review is hosting the Winter Wheat literary festival November 12-14. Check it out and consider attending. 2. Drunken Boat, an international online journal of art and literature, has this to say: We are re-opening submissions in ALL … Continue reading →

Ask the Editor: Andrew Leland, Managing Editor, The Believer

Today, we trade tough talk on interviews, obscure Spanish vocabulary, fish, awesomeness, and buckets of guts with Andrew Leland at  The Believer. PANK: You’ve done a few of these editor interviews, and I’m sure, like me, you’ve read your share, … Continue reading →

Ask the Author: Jennifer Andrews

Bridges, by Jennifer Andrews is a haunting, emotionally complex story. We talk about her struggle to understand addiction, the raw ache of writing from personal experience and her favorite bridge. 1. There are many addiction stories out there but in … Continue reading →

Ask the Author: Melanie Browne

Melanie Browne has two poems in the September issue. Today, we discuss secession, Raymond Carver and fun times at Sea World. 1. How do you feel about Texas and secession? I think at this point,  the term ‘secession’ is being … Continue reading →

News Bits

Our new editorial assistant Jeni has a new column that will start appearing on Tuesdays next week. You can check out this week’s column here. John Scalzi on asking favors from established writers. He makes valid points and well-known writers … Continue reading →

Majors, books, and blather…

1. The New York Times on Atwood’s SecretBurgers in The Year of the Flood. 2. The Seattle Times gives a four-star review to Bright Star. 3. Dumberer? Jeff Daniels’ new comedy, “Escanaba,” reviewed by the Detroit Free Press. 4. The … Continue reading →

Ask the Author: Donal Mahoney

Donal Mahoney is a prolific writer who shares more of his words with us in the September issue. We talk with him about creative output, editorial peeves, great reads. 1. You have worked as an editor in many different places. … Continue reading →

Ask the Author: Omar Holmon

Omar Holmon’s, whose poem Jem, about proper manners at a tea party, graces our September issue. We talk about the thrill of the slam and his favorite comics. 1. When I read Jem, I expected the writer to be a … Continue reading →

Ask the Author: Brandi Wells

Brandi Wells’s story Instructional is not an easy story to read in all the best ways. Today, she talks with us about overcoming prudery, the tedium of applying to MFA programs and the fortunes to be won playing Texas Hold … Continue reading →

Friday Five

1. In Serbo-Croation, pank means punk. In Estonian, bank. Google images for pank. Among the many oddities you’ll find the Spanish comic book Peter Pank, a fair number of graffiti tags, and some bitchin’ glamor shots of Polish rock band … Continue reading →

Ask the Author: Scott Woods

Scott Woods, who has two poems in the September issue, is a slam poet, community organizer, tireless promoter, and all around gentleman. Today we talk about the state of slam poetry, the writerly fascination with zombies and what it means … Continue reading →

New to Me: Agriculture Reader

I stumbled onto Agriculture Reader quite by accident and was extremely put off by their submission guidelines and then I felt guilty about that so I bought issue No. 3 as penance like the good Catholic girl I’m not. The … Continue reading →

Ask the Author: Paula Bomer

This month, Paula Bomer gives us Second Son, a raw story about motherhood, marriage, and birth order. Today we talk about tennis, living in New York, and men in the delivery room. 1. How are you coping now that the … Continue reading →

Affluenza by David LaBounty

Given our troubled economic climate, Affluenza by PANK contributor David LaBounty, is a timely novel. It is a confession, an unrepentant apologia, a critical examination of how one American couple’s greed and proclivity for indebtedness results in a multitude of … Continue reading →

News Roundup

New issue of The Collagist and they are having a flash fiction contest, judged by Kim Chinquee. The September issue of PANK is up. The Man Booker shortlist. And commentary. James Patterson signed a 17-book deal with Hachette. He signed … Continue reading →

Growth, Gratitude, September PANK and a New Look

One year ago, we thought it might be nice to have some online content to supplement our annual print issue. Our first online issue featured only three fantastic writers””Gabriel Welsch, Bruce Cohen and Daphne Gottlieb. We’ve since grown and now … Continue reading →

Call for Submissions

Call for Submissions Working Title: And Then It Shifted: Women Open Up About Leaving Men for Women (Seal Press, 2010) 2,000-4,000 words Payment: Upon publication. Amount will vary, depending on experience and other variables ($50 and up). Please include a … Continue reading →

Ask the Editor: Jarrett Haley, Editor, BULL

Jarrett Haley, editor of BULL: Fiction for Thinking Men, is trying to grab the literary world by the horns. In today’s interview, we talk about all things man and word. 1. It is the obvious question but I have to … Continue reading →

Laura Marello, Claiming Kin

PANK contributor Laura Marello’s first novel, Claiming Kin, is now available from fine purveyors of reading material online and at your local bookstore. About Claiming Kin, a first novel by Laura Marello: Andrea has an unusual sense of smell. She … Continue reading →

Majors, books, blather: A baker’s dozen

1. The New York Times on Where the Wild Things Are. 2. The Washington Post takes on the  neocon Jew. 3. The Boston Globe on used and specialty bookstores. 4. The readers of the Atlanta Journal Constitution evidently don’t turn … Continue reading →

Friday Five

1. It’s all about us. 2. PANK 3 is sold out so stop asking. But… 3.  Subscribe to PANK 4 or more, before 9/15, and you will be entered into a random drawing for a free 8GB iPod touch. 1 … Continue reading →

Scorch Atlas

When it comes to Blake Butler’s writing, I either love it or I hate it. There is never a middle ground when I read his work and perhaps that’s a good thing because no matter what I’m reading from Butler, … Continue reading →

Guest Post: On Fatherhood and Writing

Last week, we heard from three mothers about how motherhood affects and influences their writing. In many ways, we felt the natural progression would be to also hear from fathers about writing and fatherhood. We were fascinated by the differences … Continue reading →

The News Never Sleeps

Subscribe to PANK 4, and/or 5 and/or 6 before 9/15 and receive one entry per subscription in a drawing for an 8GB iPod Touch. Excellent writing advice gleaned from Breadloaf. Alice Munro withdraws from prize competition because she’s already won … Continue reading →

Ask the Editors: The Mysteries of >kill author

>kill author is a new online venture from anonymous editor(s) who privilege words above the editor as personality. In this really engaging interview we talk about their manifesto, homicidal tendencies, haters, and the editors true identities (or at least, the … Continue reading →

Friday Five

1. First, a bit of self-promotion. If you subscribe to PANK 4 between now and 9/15, you will be entered into a random drawing for a free 8GB iPod touch. If you subscribe to PANK 4 and PANK 5, you’ll … Continue reading →

Ask the Author: Matthew J. Babcock, Rain Dancer

In the August issue, Matthew J. Babcock offers The Transient Rains of April Thirteenth. Today he talks with us about the taste of transient rain, form, and winning awards. 1. Do transient April showers bring May flowers? How do the … Continue reading →

Upcoming book from a PANK contributor and the glimmer of an idea…

1.  Adding to a list that grows longish, this: BlazeVOX Books is publishing Crying Shame, from early PANK adopter  Jeff Morgan, sometime in early 2010. We’ll update when we get more info. 2. PANK contributors: Have a book out in … Continue reading →

Guest Post: On Motherhood and Writing

One of the interesting threads that emerged from last week’s post about race and gender was women writers discussing the impact of motherhood on their writing so I invited three fantastic writers, Teresa Houle, Ethel Rohan and Angi Becker Stevens, … Continue reading →

How Some People Like Their Eggs by Sean Lovelace

It has been said the hallmark of a great cook is one who can prepare the perfect egg. Eggs are tricky little things, particularly because it seems so simple. Boil   in water. Fry in pan. Fry in pan while … Continue reading →

News You Need

Teresa Houle has joined the Folded Word staff and as our Snuggie poem contest winner, models her Snuggie! What to say when you don’t like a good friend’s bad novel. A book club for Russian Literature. A PW survey on … Continue reading →