Support online publishing -- vote in the Million Writers Awards

For some time no, online writing has ceased to be the realm of poorly-written Harry Potter fanfic, gothic breakup poems written by suicidal 13-year-old girls, and slapped-together NaNoWriMo stuff written entirely without the letter "e." Legitimate literary magazines like Epiphany, AGNI and Narrative publish some of their best work exclusively online. Many young writers I know have gotten their start in online publications like Eyeshot, Barrelhouse, Wigleaf, etc. The excitement of seeing your microfiction one of these sites is, for my generation, nearly on par with what publishing two poems in the Antioch Review was for our parents'.

So, it was only a matter of time before somebody put together some cash awards to bestow on these worthy writers. Shove it, Pushcart Prize. The Million Writers Awards, which began in 2004, are sponsored by storySouth, and include some not-too-shabby cash prizes:

* Overall winner: $500
* Runner-up: $200
* Honorable mention (third place): $100

The nominees were chosen by writer Jason Sanford, the editor of story South and founder of the contest.



They are:

• "The Whale Hunter" by Steinur Bell (Agni)
• "Intertropical Convergence Zone" by Nadia Bulkin (ChiZine)
• "No Bullets in the House" by Geronimo Madrid (Drunken Boat)
• "Fuckbuddy" by Roderic Crooks (Eyeshot)
• "The Fisherman's Wife" by Jenny Williams (LitNImage)
• "Every Earth is Fit for Burial" by Cyn Kitchen (Menda City Review)
• "Interview With A Moron" by Elizabeth Stuckey-French (Narrative Magazine)
• "The Tale of Junko and Sayuri" by Peter S. Beagle (OSC's Intergalactic Medicine Show)
• "Grief Mongers" by Sefi Atta (Per Contra Fiction)
• "Nine Sundays in a Row" by Kris Dikeman (Strange Horizons)

The best part is, in the whole collaborative Web 2.0 spirit (sorry about that), readers get to vote. Voting will run from May 17 through June 17, and you can vote on the StorySouth site. More information about the awards and links to the all the stories can be found there.

More lit mags than you can shake a stick at

2009 Lumina Editor-in-Chief Mira Ptacin will be on hand at this event to read from this year's issue:



It features fiction and poetry from Ben Greenman, Steve Almond, Sloane Crosley, Linda Gregg, Phillip Lopate and April Bernard, among others. Along with Lumina, you'll be able to sample the wares of 20+ other lit mags. It will be virtually impossible not to find something great.

Voyles and the Is My Heroes

Reports from Folk Rock Fiction, May 3

Sara Lippmann and the crowd.

Me introducing somebody.

Aaron Voyles of Voyles and the Is My Heroes at his first show in NYC. His next show is May 12 at 11 @ Otto's Shrunken Head, 539 14th St., NYC.

Mai tais and Voyles, May 12 @ Otto's Shrunken Head

Your next (and possibly last-in-NYC) chance to hear Voyles and the Is My Heroes (formerly, and sometimes currently, known as Voyles Is My Hero), play irreverent anti-anti-folk is coming up next week, May 12, at Otto's Shrunken Head,538 E. 14th St., NYC at 11 p.m.

Doors open at 7, it's 21+, and there's no cover. Opening acts are Hey Stranger, Mayday Radio, Ward Morford, and Sky Picnic.

Otto's is the only punk-rock tiki bar in New York, serving up mai tais, Zombies, and famous $26 Volcano Bowl. Take the L to 1st avenue and walk down 14th, between Aves. A and B.