Archive for February, 2010
A CAKE APPEARED by Shane Jones
From Scrambler Books. Poems, fables, and scrolls by one of PANK’s favorites, Shane Jones. Check him out in PANK 4. The price is right: $12.00. And domestic shipping on pre-orders is free, free, free. Ha ya like dem apples?
This Modern Writer: The Teeth of My Ambition
I always thought I was an unambitious person. I didn’t care about building a career or making lots of money or having a big house or my own office. I didn’t care about impressing anyone or causing jealousy or getting … Continue reading
Saturday Surprise!
Saturday, Saturday, Saturday only — Buy  PANK4, Aaron Burch’s  HOW TO TAKE YOURSELF APART, HOW TO MAKE YOURSELF ANEW, or any PANK combo,  and receive a super duper surprise with your order. That’s right, a surprise! It’s super duper!  Order … Continue reading
It’s My Two Cents: Baby, Back, Krugman, Indiana, McElwee, Beller, Bronson
Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Beer Supply, L.A.’s premier 70s soft-rock tribute band. Take a look at that set list from their first gig. Ambrosia. Poco. Player…Speaking of “Baby Come Back,” Player’s 1977 #1 hit, as I brainstormed with … Continue reading
Did you know that PANK accepts submissions?
Given the number of submissions we get every day, many of you clearly do. What you probably don’t know is that we answered the call today and took off our gloves. You think you’ve got PANK? If it’s PANK, we’ll … Continue reading
Words to Watch Out For
I’m really excited about Puerto Del Sol 45. It looks to be quite an issue and will feature work from Matt Bell, Elisa Gabbert, Shya Scanlon, Kyle Minor, James Grinwis, Mike Meginnis, and many more. Randall Brown’s short story, His … Continue reading
This Modern Writer: 28, NO, MAKE THAT 30, ABSOLUTELY TRUE BLACK HISTORY FACTS ON THE OCCASION OF BLACK HISTORY MONTH (FORMERLY NEGRO HISTORY WEEK). 1 FOR EACH DAY, PLUS 1 IN THE CASE OF LEAP YEAR & 1 FOR GOOD LUCK by Rion Scott
1. In 1857, frustrated by the number of informants undermining her efforts along the Underground Railroad, abolitionist Harriet Tubman printed up 500 “Stop Snitching” t-shirts and distributed them throughout the South. 2. Black History Month was in danger of being … Continue reading
Chapbook Reading Period Open
We are again open for chapbook submissions. PANK is seeking chapbook manuscripts in any genre, cross- or  mixed-. To know what excites us and what doesn’t, read PANK Magazine, then show us something we haven’t seen before. Our first chapbook, … Continue reading
What Moves Me
While reading submissions the other evening, I lamented that I was reading well-written stories but few were truly moving me. @KateCollings asked a great question about what kind of story does move me so I thought I would attempt an … Continue reading
Review: Popshot #1
When contemplating a poetry and illustration magazine, it must be easy to get into a chicken-and-egg scenario. Should the illustrations be inspired by the poetry, or vice versa? Jacob Denno went with the former for his magazine, asking artists to … Continue reading
It’s My Two Cents: Mayer, Naropa, Huth, Pritts, Oral, Three Things That Piss Me Off About The Rumpus
If Jane Mayer could look more smug when she is not talking in her recent television appearances, she would explode in a flameball of contemptuousness. Â Super reporter, though…I don’t know what Google Buzz is, but evidently it’s a hit… … Continue reading
I Heart Pilot Books
It’s a great day to be beguiled in Seattle. The sun is bright and warm. The mountains are snowcapped and crystal clear on the horizon. Such a beautiful day, in fact, I’m tempted to push a hipster off his single-speed … Continue reading
Ching-In Chen’s The Heart’s Traffic (and Quantum Physics as explained on YouTube): A Review by Nicelle Davis
In The Heart’s Traffic, Ching-In Chen writes, “I wish this to be easy, at the same time, I wish this to be difficult.” The plot of her novel in verse is fairly simple. The poems tells the story of Xiaomei, … Continue reading
There Are Things We Want You to Know
The next issue of Stymie Magazine will feature work from David Erlewine, Sean Lovelace, Scott Garson, and Ben Loory. Ben also has a story in the Vestal Review. Matthew Simmons has a lovely story at The Nervous Breakdown. Nicelle Davis’s … Continue reading
Who likes surprises? Who does? Who?
Buy PANK4 or Aaron Burch’s chapbook between midnight 02/17/10 and midnight 02/19/10 and receive a super duper surprise with your order. That’s right, a surprise!
Ask the Author: Sutherland Douglass
In the January issue, Sutherland details the View from Mr. Rockefeller and today, he talks with J. Bradley about novelistic choices, crushes and Japanese game shows. 1. Why did you choose Clark Rockefeller in writing your novel? It started with … Continue reading
storySouth Million Writers Award Nominations
There could be only three and it was a difficult decision but this year we are nominating: The Incredible Teeth of Bobby McGraw by John Haggerty http://www.pankmagazine.com/?p=1207 The Ugliest Drowned Man in the World Washes Ashore Lake Michigan by Janet … Continue reading
Ask the Author: Amy McDaniel
Amy McDaniel’s New Year A Romance graces the January issue and she brings her sharp wit to J. Bradley’s questions, today. 1. When do you know your story is about to jump-the-shark? Â How do you stop it from happening? … Continue reading
You Me and Everyone We Know Did Real Good
Y’all are awesome. Â Tthere are many reasons why but today you are awesome because in our fundraising drive for Haiti, you raised $775. We are genuinely overwhelmed by your generosity and as a Haitian I am grateful to all … Continue reading
All About Us
In the March, 2010, issue of  The Writer Magazine, Mary Miller offers up “7 hip literary magazines you need to check out.” And whom might that selective cabal include? Why, none other than Keyhole, Kitty Snacks,  NOÖ,  The Normal School, … Continue reading
Review: Inconceivable Wilson – JA Tyler
JA Tyler has discovered the secret of time travel. There is no other explanation for being able to run mud luscious magazine and ml press, produce several chapbooks and novellas, contribute to Rumble, The Chapbook Review, and Lies With Occasional … Continue reading
February PANK, Our Valentine to You
If a Valentine is an expression of love, we feel there’s no higher demonstration of our affection for our readers than sharing the work that excites us and haunts us and never strays far from our hearts. In the February … Continue reading
Meet Our New Reviews Editor, Kirsty Logan
We’re thrilled to announce our new Reviews Editor will be Kirsty Logan who joins us from across the Atlantic in Glasgow, Scotland. We’re particularly excited about bringing Kirsty on board because she’ll be focusing on both American and European writing. … Continue reading
Roses are red, violets are blue, I love ARTIFICE and LUMBERYARD, too.
Among the many vaguely articulated PANK policies I will likely break today, three in particular. First and foremost, PANK staff are supposed to eschew self-promotion of their own individual creative works within PANK air-space, insofar as it can be avoided. … Continue reading
A Conversation Between Kirk Nesset and Nicelle Davis
ND: The stories in Mr. Agreeable are considerably shorter than the stories in your first collection, Paradise Road. The two books demonstrate your control of narrative. You can hold a reader’s attention for thirty pages and/or rip their hearts out … Continue reading
The Extraordinary Ordinary: Kirk Nesset’s Mr. Agreeable, by Nicelle Davis
One moment, if it’s the right moment, can define a person entirely. Kirk Nesset”â„¢s stories are set within those pivotal moments and result in vivid characters navigating unique circumstances. Mr. Agreeable, out now from Mammoth Books, is a collection of … Continue reading
It’s My Two Cents: Reznor, Lennon, Ving, Mordor, Burt, Wakoski, DiNovis, Banks
Was it a former coach of the New Jersey Nets who said, “Don’t be the lion who stares at the legs of the chair? I think it was…I’m not sure if this guy is for real, but he sure knows … Continue reading
Ask the Author: Carrie Murphy
1. How would you react if a potential lover said to you they could suck the skin off of a peach? I would turn around, walk back to the bar, and order another drink. 2. Is it more important to … Continue reading
All Good Gifts These Words of Yours
Brandi Wells’s Treatment appears at Dark Sky Magazine and I love the way the story begins. Knee Jerk #8 features Donna Vitucci and Eric Bennett. At Inertia, Maureen Alsop has three poems. The Last Thing We Ever Need by Jen … Continue reading
Ask the Author: Thomas Patrick Levy
Thomas Patrick Levy gives us two poems from a larger body of work in the January issue. Â Today, he talks with J. Bradley about the whereabouts of common sense, the mind body connection and life in So Cal. 1. … Continue reading
Ask the Author: Doug Paul Case
1. What bobblehead would you seduce? Explain how you would go about doing so. I would paint my body green for Chris Pine, then shave my head for Natalie Portman. I’d look pretty strange, but what sci-fi character could resist? … Continue reading
Ask the Editors: James Tadd Adcox and Rebekah Silverman of Artifice
1. How did you come up with the concept for Artifice? How long has it taken to bring your idea to fruition? JTA: We’d been talking about starting a magazine ever since we moved to Chicago, maybe three years back. … Continue reading
The Best of (What’s Left Of) Heaven by Mairead Byrne
Publishing Genius Press, is pleased to announce its tenth book, THE BEST OF (WHAT’S LEFT OF) HEAVEN, by Irish/American poet, Mairead Byrne. The 200-page collection of poetry is scheduled for release on March 1. Byrne’s poetry is characterized by her … Continue reading
Ask the Author: Carolyn Kegel
Carolyn Kegel graces the January issue with Anna in the Free Floating World and today talks with J. Bradley about a Transformers/Catcher in the Rye crossover, getting lost, and the proper soundtrack for her lovely story. 1. Would “Anna In … Continue reading
It’s My Two Cents: Yule, Iris, Long, Blogger, Cooper, Hitler, Vocoder
If you get the name of the person singing wrong in a song–Doug Yule, say, instead of Lou Reed–you do not get to write a poem about that song…An ex-friend just wrote a hate email to me, after I used … Continue reading
Read This and This and This and This
At Flatmancrooked, Valerie O’Riordan’s Hear That Song. Sheldon Lee Compton has new work in The Foundling Review. Heavy Bear features three poems by Eric Burke. He is joined by ja tyler. ja also has work in euphony. The fifth installment … Continue reading
The Glamor of Editing
We spent the latter half of the afternoon stuffing more than two hundred envelopes, applying stickers and otherwise conducting the business of editing with some awesome assistance by the Blue Ice staff. We stuffed our little hearts out or at … Continue reading
PANK 4 Arrives
Hark! Cue the silver snarling  trumpets… Beginning tomorrow, out go your copies of PANK 4, packaged smartly by our little animatronic snow elves, mailed directly to your door where PANK 4 will emerge from its supple wrappings like a faun, … Continue reading
What’s Wrong With This Picture?
When I was a kid I really enjoyed those games where you had to look at a picture and identify all the elements of the image that were out of place. Sometimes we receive a communique that pushes so many … Continue reading