We Will Always Be Queer

Today, we debut our second queer issue. We loved last year’s queer issue, the richness and depth of the writing, and there was no question we would publish another (and another and another and another). I continue to think about … Continue reading →

Sightings

Our babies make their way in the world with or without us. Somewhere not here.

Dirty Laundry

Washing bedding is stupid when you’re tired because stretching a fitted sheet over a mattress takes effort. I considered sleeping on an unmade bed, but I’m not thirteen. I waited for my sheets to dry like an adult, ate blue … Continue reading →

When You Write About Writers You Make Editors Sad

This may well become an annual announcement but writers, you must, for the love of all that is holy, stop writing stories where the main characters are writers. I understand the appeal. You are, perhaps, writing what you know. You’re … Continue reading →

I’ve Always Wanted To Be a Housewife

Earlier  I thought about raw fast food chicken soaked in ammonia, so I ordered a double cheeseburger and fries. If you get McDonald’s, take the long way home. We think we’re invisible to others when we drive. Blast that Katy … Continue reading →

We Can Do Better Than to Say It Gets Better

This is not a literary post but today is National Coming Out Day and on Friday we debut our Queer Issue and there’s a lot of buzz and chatter about the It Gets Better project so we thought we might … Continue reading →

We Do Not Demand You Write To Our Aesthetic

I’ve seen a number of cover letters lately alluding to our “edgy aesthetic,” and how stories are a good fit for that “edgy aesthetic.” You don’t have to write edgy stories for us to love your writing. My love of … Continue reading →

Electric Parade by Mensah Demary

Drinking my Saturday morning coffee, browsing on my iPad, I make the usual online rounds: email, Facebook, Twitter and Google Reader. As I swipe and tap the glass, cigarette smoke wafting through the living room, I’m energized by guilt and … Continue reading →

Etiquette and the Rejection of a Rejection

Happy Memorial Day, everyone! I hope you are all enjoying the summer kickoff and barbecuing and otherwise being festive. I’m not but that’s okay. As long as you all are having fun, I will live vicariously through you. Did you … Continue reading →

The Difference Between Lay and Lie

It seems to me that when people have conquered the two/too/to fiasco, or the there/their/they’re conundrum, they give up, convinced of their mastery of the English language. And I know I’m probably going to sound  kind of like an  asshole … Continue reading →

Why Do Writers Write About Writers?

It’s really interesting (for me, and me alone of course) to see how my editorial tastes have evolved while reading submissions. As I have amply documented, stories and poetry about cats are difficult for me. This feline aversion began years … Continue reading →

Loosening the Grip, Letting Go

It has been a week since we started using readers to help manage our submission queue. Making the decision to work with readers was not easy. Matt and I both have control freakish tendencies because we’re really invested in PANK … Continue reading →

Everyone tired and sore, raise your hand, say AWP.

Another year, another AWP. It was a good one this year, kids, so good I’m still hurting today. Altitude, dry air, endless boozing and the endless boozey hand shaking, a book fair that needed a zeppelin hanger it was so … Continue reading →

This, That and The Other or RELEASE THE KRAKEN

1. In case you haven’t heard, AWP is just around the corner. You can meet the PANK editors at the Bookfair (Space A E10), all day every day during the conference. We’ll be having a fun giveaway and we’ll be … Continue reading →

Sunday News

You only have a few hours left to buy Matt Bell’s Wolf Parts. Go HERE to buy. You only have a few hours left to enter this contest with a pretty sweet prize. Corium Magazine launches tomorrow and it is … Continue reading →

This Modern Writer: Things I Do That I Think Are Writerly And Therefore An Acceptable Use of Time, But Are Really Just Procrastination

Play Bejewelled while listening to podcasts about writing. Make lists: To Do lists, lists of stories to finish, lists of things I want to write essays about, lists of books I want to review, lists of words that inspire me, … Continue reading →

My First Day on Fictionaut

Like a mouth-breathing, crotch-rubbing, bulge-eyed stalker, I have long admired Fictionaut from afar. But I’ve always felt that it’s slightly out of my grasp. Fictionaut is for proper writers; ones with pro sales and chapbooks and story collections and maybe … Continue reading →

Meanwhile Reads

I like to read. I need to read. But I’ve got shit to do. I deal with this by multitasking, maybe because I’m female or maybe because I have a short attention span. Accordingly, I would like to present to … 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 →

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 →

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 →

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 →

The year in PANK

2009 ended, I’m told. Whew. For PANK, here’s what was. PANK 3 sold out, though “sold out” is a bit ‘o reassuring obfuscation. We did run out of copies and for the first time in our brief 3 years sold … Continue reading →

You Didn’t Ask For My Opinion But…

1. Have you checked out the website for Aaron Buch’s amazing chapbook? Have you bought yourself a copy yet? Are you interested in reviewing the chapbook? If so, drop us a line. 2. Have you been reading Daniel Nester’s freakin’ … Continue reading →

Guest Post: On Queer Visibilities by Tim Jones-Yelvington

Pank asked me to write about queer visibility and acceptance in the independent publishing community. I should confess much of my thinking re: this topic is unresearched and anecdotal. Some is based more on speculation than direct experience, and so, … Continue reading →

Asked/Answered

Last night I Twittered about two new poetry peeves: epigraphs and cute fonts. Morris Stegosaurus (@mstegosaurus) asks: Two questions: 1) Do you think there’s any context in which non-standard fonts could be appropriate in a poem and 2) Same question, … Continue reading →

From Ashley’s desk to yours…

1. A Public Space poetry editor Brett Fletcher Lauer is one of the judges for Bright Lights, Big Verse. Write your own New York poem and see your name in lights in Times Square.   How cool is that?! 2. … 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 →

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 →

Race, Gender, Pretty Awkward, Quick Follow Up

We are really enjoying the conversations taking place on our post about race and gender. We look forward to having more of these conversations in the future. I do want to point out a few things: The post was not … Continue reading →

Awkard Stuff: Race, Women, Writers, Editors

It’s important to have awkward conversations unless you’re on a date. When that happens, its just sad for everyone involved. I am consistently frustrated, frightened, and freaked out by the lack of people of color in the publishing world in … Continue reading →

Behind the Scenes: Chapbook, Stage One

We’re so excited about our chapbook competition, we thought we’d talk about the process of selecting and publishing a chapbook as it happens. Or until the semester gets so busy we forget. We are human, after all. We already have … Continue reading →

New World Orders

On Tuesday’s episode of Big Brother, Chima (who is really shiny, that has to be said) was removed from the show after weeks of “rule breaking.” One of the most interesting, yet unsurprising things about reality television is that the … Continue reading →

Editorial Confessional

Dear Great Editor in the Sky, forgive us, for we have sinned. It has been, well, a considerable amount of time since our last confession. We have been consumed by envy as we read the amazing writing in other magazines. … Continue reading →

Friday Five: The “R” Edition

1. Read: Aaron Burch, How To 2. Reminisce & RIP: John Hughes, The Formative Years. In Memoriam, a giveaway: The Too Cool For School John Hughes Collection. Leave a comment about which Breakfast Club character you like best and why. … Continue reading →

An Attitude of Gratitude

We are grateful for: Our print subscribers: You are awesome.   Sometimes, you buy a PDF or a single issue or a Kindle issue or a three year subscription. However you support us, you believe in us enough to give … Continue reading →

Shark Week

Poets.org has compiled some shark poems in honor of the best of all weeks, Shark Week! I am pretty obsessed with this idea of Shark Week. It started as a special on the Discovery Channel in 1987 and now it’s … Continue reading →

Friday Five

1. What is the difference between an author and a writer? 2. The Summer 09 issue of Frigg is up and it is pretty fantastic. In particular, check out Four Stories by Richey Piiparinen a forthcoming PANK contributor. 3. Watch … Continue reading →

From Ashley’s Desk

Bill Ectric gets a brief low down from author Mikael Covey, about his latest book, Out There. Check it out here: http://billectric.wordpress.com/2008/08/05/out-there-by-mikael-covey/ The wonderful editorial staff at the Ampersand Review introduce Ampersand Books!  There are 2 books available on their … Continue reading →

Friday Five

1. Things you should read:I Kept the Nickel by Lauren Becker, The Friends by BJ Hollars, Sponge by Andrea Kneeland, Cliff by Mel Bosworth, The Factory, An Elegy in 6 Parts by Rebecca Lehmann, and I Don’t Want to be … Continue reading →

Let’s Take a Look Back

When we first started this blog, we didn’t really have a plan. We thought it might be fun to have a conversation with ten or twenty folks each week and get news out there about our work.  Since that first, … Continue reading →

Things I’ve Been Reading

When I was in high school, my mom, who I adore, would call me at boarding school and ask me what I was reading. I would sigh and be fifteen and say stuff with a long, drawn out, exasperated sigh. … Continue reading →

Some Tidbits from Awesome Ashley

THE DZANC SHORT STORY COLLECTION CONTEST Congratulations to David Galef, winner of the 2008 Dzanc Books Short Story Collection Contest. Dzanc Books is currently holding a second contest for writers who want to submit a short story collection to Dzanc. … Continue reading →

Friday Five

1. A give away because it is Friday. Be the first person to post about our contest on your blog, put the post link in the comments and get a free copy of Stephanie Johnson’s One of These Things is … Continue reading →

Reader Request: The Other Side of the Coin

Shome Dasgupta writes: I’ve gained much insight into what an editor looks for in submissions and what frustrates them and what makes things easier for them–I was wondering, as a writer, what frustrates you when submitting to journals, and what … Continue reading →

We Too Choose Honest Arrogance

I like when a writer knows their work is good. I like when a writer is unapologetic about their talent and doesn’t make excuses for their ambition or success. How can you expect an editor to fall in love with … Continue reading →

Things I’ve Been Reading

I had several firsts this week as I enjoyed my first issues of American Short Fiction, Keyhole, and Quick Fiction. I was duly impressed by all three publications. Actually, I lie. I’ve read the Handwritten Issue of Keyhole, too and … Continue reading →

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,   what it’s doing for … 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 →

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 →

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 →

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 →

Missives from the void.

“Cookiebomb” sent us a polaroid. Postmarked Dulles, VA, June 15. No other identifying mark. Perfect. Sky? Thanks, CB.

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 →

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 →

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 →

Reading Log Star Date 051909

This weekend I read Keyhole 5, the Handwritten Issue, and NOO Journal issues 8 & 9. I write boring reviews. I apologize in advance. One of the things I really enjoy about literary magazines is that you don’t have to … Continue reading →

The Things They Leave Behind

Sometimes, the least appropriate stories you read are the ones that stay with you the longest. One of the most interesting things about the slushpile is that you can track current events via the subject matter of the writing we … Continue reading →

Madonna Essay Anthology Seeks Submissions From Women Writers

Laura Barcella is   currently looking for smart, thoughtful women-authored nonfiction essay submissions. It’s for a new anthology all about our favorite freaky feminist singer/artist/’Sex’-er/mother/material girl: Madonna. She’s been such a powerful, iconic cultural figure for the past 26 years … Continue reading →

You Are Here or Why We Love Cover Letters

We receive all manner of cover letters. Some are very business like. The writer simply lists a brief selection of their publications, nothing more, nothing less. Other letters don’t list any publications and instead thank us for taking the time … Continue reading →

Good Writing, Everywhere

There’s so much good writing going on that I need to talk about it. A new story is up at Necessary Fiction—The Moon is a Star, by Peter Markus. I’m not going to describe it lest I detract from the … Continue reading →

Submissions FAQs

I hear you have strong feelings about Pushcart Nominations. Is that true? Yes and no. First, congratulations on the recognition. We are sure you deserve it. Having said that, it doesn’t influence what we’ll think of your writing so mentioning … Continue reading →

I am mildly obsessed with the New Yorker’s intense preoccupation with the lives of white men. In the past several issues, the magazine (of record?) has kicked up this preoccupation the proverbial notch. In the April 6 2009 issue, Rebecca … Continue reading →

The Internet Makes Me Feel Old. Get Off My Lawn!

I am 34. When I started writing, seventeen years ago, it was a real pain in the ass to submit work and if it was a pain in the ass then, I can’t really imagine how writers maintained their sanity … Continue reading →

Best one line response to a rejection letter. Ever.

“Perhaps my importance as a poet is exaggerated.”

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 →

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 →

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 →

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 →

From House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski

“There are seven incarnations (and six correlates) necessary to becoming an Artist: 1 Explorer (Courage) 2. Surveyor (Vision) 3. Miner (Strength) 4. Refiner (Patience) 5. Designer (Intelligence) 6. Maker (Experience) 7. Artist.   “First you must leave the safety of … Continue reading →

Daydreaming…

Just floating along, taking my sweet time

Debate Junkie

This year I’ve been glued to C-Span when it comes to debates.   C-Span offers a split-screen view of the candidates during the entire debate, which allows the viewer to see the emotional reaction of the candidate who isn’t speaking. … Continue reading →

Institutionalized “Man”

I was in an avid debate about contemporary language and more specifically the role of vulgar slang and expletives. I was arguing fervently for more freedom in the use of these profane terms in broadcasting, print, and speech.   A … Continue reading →