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The Rose & Thorn June 2009 Newsletter
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The Rose & Thorn Literary Ezine
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Jun 03, 2009 12:12 PDT
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THE ROSE & THORN NEWSLETTER
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From: The Rose & Thorn Literary E-zine
http://www.theroseandthornezine.com
June 2009
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"Develop an interest in life as you see it; the people, things,
literature, music-the world is so rich, simply throbbing with rich
treasures, beautiful souls and interesting people. Forget yourself."
Henry Miller
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This mailing is available only by subscription and is never sent
unsolicited. Subscribers' addresses are kept strictly confidential. The
Rose & Thorn showcases emerging and established writers and provides a
resource for writers, media professionals, and readers.
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SPONSOR SPOT
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MARGARET REID POETRY CONTEST FOR TRADITIONAL VERSE – LAST CALL!
6th year. Fifteen cash prizes totaling $5,350. Top prize $2,000. Submit
poems in traditional verse forms, such as sonnets. Winning entries
published online. Both published and unpublished work accepted. Entry
fee is $7 for every 25 lines, payable to Winning Writers. Postmark
deadline: June 30. Judges: J.H. Reid, D.C. Konrad. Submit online or mail
to Winning Writers, Attn: Margaret Reid Poetry Contest, 351 Pleasant
Street, PMB 222, Northampton, MA 01060. Winning Writers is proud to be
one of "101 Best Websites for Writers" (Writer's Digest, 2005-2009).
More information: www.winningwriters.com/margaret
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NEWSLETTER CONTENTS
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* From the Newsletter Editor's Pen
* From the Co-Managing Editor’s Pen
* Of Literary Note
* The Buzz
* Markets & Contests
* Book Reviews
* The Readers' Mailbag
* What We Are Up To
* Masthead
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FROM THE NEWSLETTER EDITOR'S PEN
Kathryn Magendie
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Dear Readers,
Summer is almost here. At last I can rock on my porch with the critters
and trees and breeze and the creek singing loud, my laptop perched on my
lap, and write. Where do you write? Do you find summer a time for
sitting outdoors and finding a place of contemplation that brings on
fresh material? Or does the warmth and nature distract you and call you
to more physical endeavors?
I find taking walks along the Muse Trails of my mountain cove allows my
characters, scene, and setting to come to me without force. It is just
as when you wash dishes, take a shower, paint a wall, or some other
“mindless” activity that gives your brain free reign to explore, those
thoughts can come unbidden. Haven’t you been doing some repetitive task
and suddenly are struck with an idea or thought that causes you to say,
“Oh! Hey! That’s it!” Sleep can bring on these same Aha! moments. One
wakes in the middle of the night and the question is answered, or the
dilemma resolved. The workings of our brains amazes me.
How do you find inspiration, or answers to your questions; where do your
sudden inspirations come from? I’d love to hear from you; email me any
time! And, have a wonderful summer; I will next see you in August!
Kat
Co-Managing Editor/Senior Newsletter Editor
http://www.kathrynmagendie.com
email me: kmtr-@hotmail.com
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FROM THE CO-MANAGING EDITOR’S PEN
Angie Ledbetter
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Dear Readers,
Before summer’s sweltering heat rolls in, it’s a good time to have one
last stroll through nature’s beauty for a dose of writing inspiration.
When the weather isn’t cooperating, what are our options for communing
with the muse? Cruising the museum? Attending a lecture or writers
conference? Escaping the routine for a retreat or getaway? Switching
from keyboard to longhand? Reading great poetry and prose?
If none of the above is working for you, the Internet is open 24-7 to
serve our needs. Great blogs, writing exercises/story starters, writer
resources and lovely writing and artistic sites call us to visit.
Art.com http://www.art.com generously lets The Rose & Thorn browse its
goodies for story graphics, and is a wonderful place in which to get
lost for a few hours. Be sure to visit if you want a wide array of
artistic renderings from the masters to the moderns to refresh your
perspective.
May nature, art, music and life in general take your writing to new
heights this summer, and we hope you consider us a regular pit stop on
your path to great reading and writing. I’d really like to know how you
jumpstart your creativity, so email me at Angie-@aol.com and tell me
what inspires you.
Lemonade and writing supplies beneath shady trees to you this season,
Angie
Co-managing Editor
http://www.angie-ledbetter.blogspot.com/
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THE ROSE & THORN SUPPORTS OUR TROOPS
Send a free printed postcard to U.S. military personnel overseas:
http://www.letssaythanks.com
Want to send help to our soldiers who do not receive mail or goodies?
http://www.anysoldier.com
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CHECK OUT OUR MASTHEAD
Look upon the roses & thorns of your favorite online publication. Check
out our masthead page at: http://pratt.edu/~cgarza/
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WHY NOT DONATE?
The award-winning Rose & Thorn Literary E-zine welcomes YOUR donations.
No amount is too small and all funds are used to keep this site going.
Did you know that we've been listed as one of Writer's Digest's Top 30
Short Story Markets, as one of their 101 Best Places for Writers, and as
an "Internet Envy" Site too? Or that we've been a Preditors & Editors
Truly Useful site? (Visit our awards page to see more.)
Please donate by clicking http://tinyurl.com/2zxn63
Make a $10 or more donation to The Rose & Thorn and receive a gift copy
of Adnan Mahmutovic’s starkly moving collection of prose and poetry
entitled REFUGE[E]. A review of REFUGE[E] can be read at The Roses &
Thorns: http://tinyurl.com/aqquq2
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OF LITERARY NOTE
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BOOK TOUR: WHERE AUTHORS & AUDIENCES MEET
As the world's largest, 100% free directory of author events,
BookTour.com makes finding when a favorite author is coming to your town
as easy as checking the weather.
In just a few minutes any author can create a page showcasing their
biography, books, and upcoming engagements. Listing new events is as
easy as answering a few questions. Publishers, booksellers, events
managers, and even just well-informed readers can add tour dates by
simply filling in a few blanks.
http://www.booktour.com/
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THE READ ON WNC
Your online source for informed talk and book-related media created by
Rob Neufeld and CITIZEN-TIMES.com
http://thereadonwnc.ning.com/
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THE BUZZ
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CLAYTON BYE
Clayton Bye, under the imprint Chase Enterprises, has been writing and
publishing since 1994. The author of several books as well as internet
short stories, poems, articles and reviews, he's also known as an
accomplished speaker, trainer and small business consultant who has
delivered countless keynote addresses, seminars and workshops on a wide
variety of topics. Mr. Bye's current projects include increasing his
internet presence and writing a sequel to his novel, The Sorcerer's Key.
Check out this well-received online short story: The Speed of Dark. He
welcomes and posts comments/reviews. Email the author at ccb-@shaw.ca
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WIFE GOES ON: LESLIE LEHR
Wife Goes On is the story of four women with nothing in common but
divorce, who learn that it's more than enough to become friends – and
spend one life-changing summer helping each other live happier ever
after. A modern cross between Sex & the City and First Wives Club, Wife
Goes On celebrates the second acts of today's women with humor,
heartbreak, and hope. Husbands may come and go, but friends are
forever.
"Leslie Lehr is a truth teller - a rare writer who untangles the
realities of women's lives without flinching, while making you laugh,
cry, and nod in understanding with every word."
--Leslie Morgan Steiner, Washington Post columnist
"A celebration of second acts wrapped up in a humorous, heartfelt
homage to the power of friendship." - Arianna Huffington. For more:
http://www.wife-goes-on.com
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MARKETS AND CONTESTS
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Readers should make sure to check sources carefully and to inquire about
references when appropriate. The Rose & Thorn cannot assume
responsibility for the sites and services mentioned below.
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ART FROM ART ANTHOLOGY
Deadline for submissions: 7/31/09
This collection of short fiction by literary writers aims to feature
stories that are connected directly to—or inspired by—a work of art. It
could be a song, a painting, a museum, an architectural monument, a
blueprint, a piece of writing—a play, novel, poem, letter, etc. The art
in question needs to be a major component of the story—a
character—within the fabric of the story. Perhaps the idea will be
inspired by an event from life or maybe it will be something completely
fabricated.
All genres welcome. ART from ART will bring new and established voices
and ideas to a fine collection of fiction. I aim to have the art
featured on a page either at the beginning or the end of each story—a
visual correlative that will enhance the experience. Submit your story
and a brief bio via email to Stephen Soucy at
shso-@modernistpress.com. Please follow standard submission guidelines
(Microsoft Word Document with 12-point font). Please go to the site for
special instructions: http://www.modernistpress.com/
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FLASH FICTION ONLINE
We publish stories from 500 to 1,000 words in length. We look for
previously unpublished material, with the exception of our Classic Flash
selections. (Classic Flash stories are old: the copyright must have
expired on them).
Pays $50 per story. No reprints or simultaneous submissions.
http://www.flashfictiononline.com/submit.html
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DISCOVERING NEW MYSTERIES COMPETITION
NO ENTRY FEE
Discovering New Mysteries is now accepting submissions of original
plays, screenplays, teleplays, and short stories
for both adult and youth audiences. Deadline for submissions is August
30, 2009. A panel of professional readers will
blindly review the submissions and narrow the field to the final
mysteries, who- dunnits, cops-n-robbers, courtroom dramas, thrillers,
suspense or adventures. The festival finalists will be personally
notified by January 2010 with national press coverage of the finalists’
performances to be released shortly thereafter.
BEST NEW WORK, $10,000 prize
MOST PROMISING NEW WRITER, $5,000 prize
OUTSTANDING SCREENPLAY or TELEPLAY, $2,500 prize
BEST WORK FOR YOUNG ADULTS (ages 12-18), $1,000
BEST SHORT MYSTERY PLAY (1-Act plays, short screenplay,
short story), $1,000
http://www.newmysteries.org/submission_guidelines/
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MEMOIR AND . . .
Literary journal’s call for submissions for reading period May 1 through
August 15. Will award 3 Prizes for Memoir in Prose or Poetry ($500,
$250, $100) and one Prize for Graphic Memoir ($100). No entry fee.
Online submissions preferred. Guidelines at www.memoirjournal.com or by
mail: P.O. Box 1398, Sausalito, CA 94966.
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BOOK REVIEWS
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HAVANA TOP SECRET: DAVID PEREDA
Published by Eternal Press
Reviewed by Wil Hough
From the moment Pepe tells his good old long-lost Cuban-American buddy,
Dr. Raymond Peters, a Miami-based plastic surgeon, “… believe me… I’m
here because you have a problem, and I want to help you solve it,” we
know the main protagonist is in for a world of trouble. Despite his
natural suspicions, Dr. Peters, still grieving over the recent loss of
his wife, finds himself agreeing to assume a fake identity and sneak
into Cuba, ostensibly at the behest of a son he never before realized
existed—a son now apparently dying and wishing for his last request to
meet with his biological father. But, as any consumer of mystery would
suspect, until the final chapter is written, things are never what they
seem to be. For the rest of the review, go to: http://tinyurl.com/ob97en
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ILLEGITIMATE: ADNAN MAHMUTOVIC
Cantarabooks April 2009
Reviewed by Kathryn Magendie
A woman’s bones go out of joint in labor, my Mom used to say. On New
Year’s Eve 2000, in Munich, a Polish girl, Bozena, is coming apart in
her basement. Down here, in this cold concrete box in Dachau, the sounds
from the street life and the festivities are weak. The happy screams and
cracking fireworks, drunken voices and barking of German shepherds come
to my ears as if through water. […] I straddle Bozena’s left leg and
slowly press her stomach. […] I slap her across the mouth but she will
not stop screaming. […] I hit the concrete to unhinge my fingers and try
to shove the ball into Bozena’s mouth. It’s too big, but I press it
harder and her nostrils widen like eyes in the dark…
For the rest of the review, go to: http://tinyurl.com/px3zhp
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NO ROOM FOR DOUBT: ANGELA DOVE
Berkley Books trade paperback, 2009
Reviewed by: Kathryn Magendie
Angela Dove’s debut book No Room for Doubt is a true story of how “one
violent moment can changes lives—forever.” If one expected Dove’s first
book to be a humorous jaunt, one would be mistaken, even though Dove has
been writing humor columns for six years. Yet when Jacque MacDonald
asked Dove to write the story of her daughter’s murder and the hunt for
her murderer, Dove took on this task knowing that what she may find
could forever alter the relationship she has with her family, most
particularly with her father, Harold Whitlock. For the rest of the
review, go to: http://tinyurl.com/pfys7c
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More reviews by your favorite staffers are available
http://www.roseandthornreviews.blogspot.com/
(Under the label: Book Reviews/Author Interviews)
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THE READER'S MAIL BAG
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Your feedback is welcome. Letters to the editor should be sent by
clicking "Reply" to this newsletter.
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WHAT WE'RE UP TO
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When the staff of The Rose & Thorn isn't slaving away over prose and
poetry, or at their day jobs, they're scribbling their own musings and
submitting to other worthy publications.
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Peter Kirchikov has a poignant and strongly written essay in KNOW,
Magazine for Paralegals http://www.knowparalegal.com/
From Editors at KNOW: “Peter immigrated from what was then the USSR. A
guide and interpreter, he and his family were blacklisted, an ominous
signal for people who had different beliefs than the mainstream. Added
to serious hardships including death threats, the KGB and Chernobyl,
Peter struggled for years to immigrate to the U.S. with his wife and 20
month-old toddler. After enduring a life without freedom of speech or
religion, few luxuries (including enough water to just shower), he
managed to get to the U.S. where he found a new career, an entire new
life and freedom unlike anything he ever experienced. Kudos to him and
his sponsors for taking a huge risk to reach our country. Kudos also to
him for choosing the paralegal profession as his new career! Please
read more about this amazing story in the next issue of KNOW. It's
important to know the people who make up this terrific career. I'm sure
you will be as truly moved as I was.”
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NEW DISCUSSION FORUM LINK
The former home domain for our Community Forum has been sold and
replaced. The new URL is http://forum.bigperspective.com.
Join Wil, our own social heretic coyote, as he pokes and prods under a
multitude of scabs in search of unique subject matter. Any subject,
whether of finances, religion, politics, or even the very meaning of
life, is fair game for debate and postulation.
As always, folders are available for the various genres of writing.
However, a forum for serious discussion on whatever threatens to
“capsize your boat” is now available to one and all. Do NOT let such an
opportunity to "speak out” slip by.
Wil Hough
Senior Editor & Community Forum Manager
http://forum.bigperspective.com
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TWITTER—WHAT ARE WE DOING?
Want to know when submissions reopen or a new issue is posted? Follow us
on Twitter. Want to know when we are looking for essays or flash or a
particular genre? Follow us on Twitter. Want to know who we are
nominating for the Pushcart or other awards? Yep…Follow us on Twitter
at: https://twitter.com/RoseandThorn
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YOUR AD CAN BE HERE
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DREAM QUEST ONE WRITING COMPETITION NOW OPEN!
Write a poem, thirty lines or fewer on any subject or write a short
story, five pages maximum, single or double line spacing, on any subject
or theme, fiction or non-fiction. Multiple entries are accepted.
Postmark Deadline: July 31, 2009. Awards: Writing Contest First Prize is
$500; Second: $250; Third: $100. Poetry Contest First Prize: $250;
Second: $125; Third: $50. All contest winners will be published online
in the Dare to Dream pages, on August 31, 2009. Entry fees: Writing
Contest: $10 per short story. Poetry Contest: $5 per poem. Info: Include
title of poem or story, name, address, phone#, email, brief biographical
info. (Tell us a little about yourself) on the coversheet. Entry fees
payable to: “DREAMQUESTONE.COM”- Mail to: Dream Quest One Poetry &
Writing Contest, P.O. Box 3141, Chicago, IL 60654. Visit
http://www.dreamquestone.com for details and to enter!
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Do you have a writing service, contest, publication, or product you'd
like to share with our sophisticated and talented readers? Why not take
an ad out in The Rose & Thorn? Our ads are most reasonable and start at
$20.
Advertise with The Rose & Thorn.
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FEEDBACK AND WORD OF MOUSE WELCOME
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If you like the e-zine and its contents, feel free to forward the link
to your associates and friends who might enjoy the same.
As always, thanks! Comments or questions? Email us. We love to hear your
feedback so drop us a line at rose-an-@live.com
Until next time. Happy Reading!
The Staff of The Rose & Thorn.
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If this message was forwarded to you, then please do yourself (and me) a
favor by subscribing. It's easy and it's no charge. Just send a blank
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STAFF
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B.A. Quinn, Publishing Editor
Angie Ledbetter, Co-Managing Editor/Newsletter Editor
Kathryn Magendie, Co-Managing Editor/Senior Newsletter Editor
Cesar Garza, Senior Editor, Blog Administrator
W. Hough, Poetry Editor, Senior Graphics Manager, Community Forum Chief
Administrator
Eric Giere, Chief Webmaster
Liam Wilkinson, Cover Commentator
Dallas D’Angelo-Gary, Editor, Announcement Newsletter, Procedure Manual
Nora Capocy, Prose Editor
Karen Reiser, Prose Editor
Cathy Biribauer, Assistant Prose Editor
Cynthia Toups, Assistant Poetry Editor, Assistant Prose Editor,
Assistant Newsletter Editor
Patresa Hartman, Assistant Prose Editor
Megan Roth, Book Reviews, Facebook Manager
Samella McClary Brown, Community Forum, Award Staff
Sheri Whitlock, MySpace Manager, Awards Staff
Deborah Laws, Blog Manager
Yu-Han Chao, Asst. Poetry Editor, Asst. Blog Manager
Adnan Mahmutovic, Asst Blog Manager, Podcast Manager
Maggie Grinnell, Awards Staff
Peter Kirchikov, Community Forum
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