MAGICAL REALISM NEWS FOR MONDAY, MAR 14
Topic: March 2005
If you're in the San Francisco area, you'll not want to miss Margin contributor Jan Steckel's featured performance at the Stories by the Lake Prose Open Mic in Oakland on Saturday, March 19 from 2 to 4 in the afternoon. Dr. Steckel, an Oakland writer, bisexual activist and former pediatrician, has published over fifty short stories, poems and nonfiction pieces in periodicals and anthologies. The event is free to the public; open mic signups begin at 1:45.

Magical realism in theater gets a nice boost in Portland, ME with the current production of Quiara Alegria Hudes' Yemaya's Belly. And article in MaineToday.com describes the play as "set in the Caribbean?about a young boy from a backwater island village, who dreams of living in America. Using storytelling techniques she learned from her own family, Hudes weaves magical realism and realistic events together to tell the story of the boy's journey." The play has attracted a steady following since its debut on March 1; it runs through March 20.

The film, Millions, is making the rounds with what some have characterized a "buoyant sense of magical realism." The film is directed by Danny Boyle of Trainspotting andShallow Grave fame. Boyle appears to have one-upped himself with this softer, more family-friendly film. Jack Mathews of the New York Daily News describes Millions as a "warmly fanciful movie" which features the saints Clare, Francis, Joseph, Nicholas and Peter, as well as the ghost of the boys' dead mother. Mathews writes: "Boyle has a child's exuberance about him that explains the gentle wit, magical realism and easy sentimentality" of his latest work. The film was widely released in the US on March 11.

Literary favorite Kelly Cherry returns to the limelight with her story, "As It Is in Heaven," in which the protagonist, forced to leave life in Madison, WI to tend an ailing mother, suddenly discovers her late father in the kitchen eating ice cream. The story's ending has been described as "stunning, incredibly moving" and a "flight into magical realism." The story recently appeared in the newly released anthology, Barnstorm, published by Terrace Books, an imprint of the University of Wisconsin Press.

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
Topic: February 2005
In recognition of the fourth centenary of the first edition of El ingenioso hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha (The Ingenious Nobleman Don Quixote de la Mancha) we announce our special theme for 2005:

RESURRECTING QUIXOTE
Magical Realism from the Iberian Peninsula

Our goal at MARGIN is to explore modern magical realism. In this second in a series of special theme issues, we will address the diversity of voices from Europe's Iberian Peninsula, celebrating their particular manifestations of literary magical realism.

Margin's Iberian Peninsula exploration will be launched in May 2005. Deadline for submissions extended to Feb 28, 2005, postmarked.

Note: For our survey, we are defining the Iberian Peninsula as including Spain, Portugal, Gibraltar, Andorra and The Azores. Contributors need not currently live in the region, nor does the work necessarily need to be set there. However, if we decide to use your work we will ask for you to share with us your connection to the peninsula (through family ties, cultural upbringing, residency), and you must be willing and able to authenticate it. We are interested specifically in anything that serves to answer the question, "What is magical realism from the Iberian Peninsula?" See website for details.

WHAT WE NEED ESPECIALLY: Everyone loves "the Quixote," naturally, so we have a lot of work reflecting this timeless hero. However, more work independent of Cervantes' classic but tied to Spain, Portugal, the Azores, Gibraltar or Andorra is needed. We have plenty of books to review but would love more manuscripts of fiction, poetry, features and other nonfiction addressing our interest in this region. Any submissions accompanied by Spanish- or Portuguese-language translations are also favored. Remember, it must have a magical realist connection to have any chance of publication.

If you have any questions about this special theme, don't hesitate to ask!

Tamara Kaye Sellman, Publisher and Founding Editor

Topic: February 2005
Margin's BRIAN EVENSON was recently interviewed by Geoffrey H. Goodwin for Bookslut.

ISABEL ALLENDE, UMBERTO ECO and LEMONY SNICKET will be magical realism's best representatives at this year's BEA (Book Expo America). The trade-only convention is scheduled for June 2-5 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City.

In case you missed it: Last December, the work of Cuban writer ALEJO CARPENTIER was declared "Cultural Heritage of the Nation" by the National Council of Cultural Heritage.

Fans of Don Quixote in New York City might want to catch this exhibit: IMAGES OF DON QUIXOTE: THE ART OF ILLUSTRATION AND PRINTMAKING, a presentation by the Hispanic Society of America, 613 West 155th Street, (212) 926-2234. The show runs through Feb. 20. The society's extensive permanent collection contains virtually every known illustrated edition of the Cervantes classic (17th to 20th century) and paintings by Cervantes's contemporaries (i.e. El Greco and Luis de Morales).

The Guardian reports on the release of the new comic book series, VIMANARAMA, which features an Asian Muslim teenager who discoveres a subterranean world beneath his family's business. DC Comics sums up the plot as "a modern-day Arabian Nights in the form of a Bollywood romantic comedy set on a celestial stage."

DEEP-DISH MAGICAL REALISM
Topic: February 2005
Fans of Stuart Dybek can read a nice review of his work, and especially of his latest I Sailed With Magellan, in this arts feature published in the Barre Montpelier Times Argus. Reviewer Theresa Weaver writes: "Dybek, of Polish and Mexican heritage, occupies a secure place among some of the great writers who have come to define the Chicago tradition. Building on the realism that marks Theodore Dreiser's Sister Carrie, James T. Farrell's Studs Lonigan trilogy and Nelson Algren's "The Man With the Golden Arm, Dybek injects a magic realism more reminiscent of Franz Kafka or Gabriel Garcia Marquez."

Acclaimed Vietnamese author releases first novel
Topic: February 2005
Starborn Books of Wales now offers The Family Wound, written by St. Lawrence University Assistant Professor of English Ngoc Quang Huynh. Huynh, born in South Vietnam in 1957, attended Saigon University until he was thrown into a concentration camp for being a student. He overcame a year of torture and degradation while in prison, but eventually escaped and started a new life in the United States. The Family Wound recounts the horrors of war and the corruption and violence left in its wake through the perspective of a young Vietnamese woman, using touches of magical realism to tell the story.

Mistress of Spices begins filming
Topic: February 2005
Dylan McDermott has been cast opposite Aishwarya Rai in the film adaptation of Chitra Divakaruni's popular novel The Mistress Of Spices. The movie will be shot extensively in northern California. Divakaruni's romance story involves an Oakland spice-shop owner who has the power to cure, at least until she falls in love.

For Chicago-area fans of MR and theater:
Topic: February 2005
The Love Song of J. Robert Oppenheimer
plays through March 6 at the Next Theatre at 927 Noyes in Evanston. Tickets: $20-$31. For more information, call: (847) 475-1875.

Topic: February 2005
Recent Release
Rediscovering Magical Realism in the Americas by Shannin Schroeder

A must-have text for fans, instructors and students of magical realism who challenge the notion that the mode can only claim a South American domain.

from the Publisher:
"Drawing from a variety of contemporary literature?including such works as One Hundred Years of Solitude, Beloved, and Like Water for Chocolate?Schroeder explores magical realism as one of many common denominators in the literature of the Americas, challenging the notion that magical realism should be defined merely in terms of geography or Latin American history. By relying on an all-encompassing vision of this unique mode of writing, the author argues that the Americas share a literary tradition and validates the North American strain of the mode. In addition, she points to fundamentally similar approaches to fiction that illustrate the ways in which the Americas share a common literature and calls for increased Pan-American scholarship."

Look for a review of the book in an upcoming edition of Margin.

FLASH FICTION/PROSE POETRY CONTEST
Topic: February 2005
Just a week remains to get your submissions in for the PERIPHERY flash fiction/prose poem contest! Theme for 2005: PERIPHERY 3 ~"Reasonable Facsimiles: Twins, Mirrors and Doppelgangers."

Postmark deadline: February 15, annually. Winner and honorable mentions published in Periphery, released August 1 annually.

Prize: $50, 3 copies of collectible print zine and publication. All manuscripts also considered for general publication in Margin (www.magical-realism.com). Sim subs okay with notification, but entry fee nonrefundable. Previously published okay; please credit first publisher in cover letter. Entries not returned.

Entry fee: $7.50 covers up to 5 poems or short shorts (each 500 words or less); additional submissions, $2 each. Make checks payable to Tamara Kaye Sellman. Proceeds go to produce the August collector's edition of Periphery and to pay the prize. Judged blind by staff. See general guidelines at the website (www.angelfire.com/wa2/margin/contests.html) for complete details. Questions:

magicalrealismmaven@yahoo.com (no electronic submissions, please)

Winner of the 2004 PERIPHERY contest, "The Living Landscape" ~ Marjorie Manwaring of Seattle, WA for her prose poem, "Sculptor."

Not sure what magical realism is, or aren't certain you can differentiate a prose poem from a flash fiction? Kill two birds with one stone! Buy the 2004 edition, PERIPHERY 2: THE LIVING LANDSCAPE for $5 and see what we're all about! Make checks payable to Tamara Kaye Sellman.

Send to:

Periphery
c/o MARGIN: Exploring Modern Magical Realism
321 High School Road NE, PMB 204
Bainbridge Island, WA 98110
www.magical-realism.com
Since 2000, the world's only continuous
survey of literary magical realism

Member, CLMP, since 2001

NEWSFLASH
Topic: February 2005
Second Thoughts columnist, Githa Hariharan, in Telegraph India's FROM READER TO READER, pays a nice tribute to literature's great ambassador, Alberto Manguel, who has played a key role in validating literary magical realism.

NEWSFLASHES
Topic: February 2005
MUSIC AND MAGICAL REALISM
American musician and composer Conor Oberst, of the popular independent band, Bright Eyes, talks about being really into "that magical realism stuff" in a recent interview with the Belfast Telegraph

In a recent Time magazine retrospective on reggae master Bob Marley, the Caribbean's infamous musician was described as "a musical magic realist" by senior editor Christopher Farley. Go to the article

SEEING DOUBLE
from Mark Sanderson's "Literary Life" column at the Telegraph? "Twins, by their very nature, come in pairs. Now, it seems, so do novels about them. ? Helen Oyeyemi's The Icarus Girl, published this month by Bloomsbury, is a work of magical realism featuring mystical twins with a Nigerian mother. Diana Evans's 26A, to be published by Chatto & Windus in March, is a work of magical realism featuring mystical twins with a Nigerian mother."

Writers of flash fiction and prose poetry who have written work on the theme of twins, mirrors or doubles/doppelgangers might consider submitting to Periphery's current contest, following the theme of "Reasonable Facsimiles." Hurry, the deadline is Feb 15, 2005!

NEW WORK
Dean Bakopoulos earned four stars from book columnist Marta Salij for the Detroit Free Press for his subtly magical realist novel, Please Don't Come Back From the Moon, recently released by Harcourt.

Other recent releases:
Kafka on the Shore ~ Haruki Murakami
The Shadow of the Wind ~ Carlos Ruiz Zafon (audiobook version, narrative by James Wilby)
Out on a Limb ~ Judith Budnitz
Tokyo Cancelled ~ Rana Dasgupta
The Last Song of Dusk ~ Siddharth Dhanvant Shanghvi
Bab Al-Shams (The Gate of the Sun) ~ a film by Yousry Nasrallah

FILM
In the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, writer Philip Martin raves about Danny Boyle?s "delightful" Millions, a film slated for limited release in the US in March. Says Martin, "The March release date is a shame, for Millions is a funny bit of magical realism that just might be the best Christmas movie I?ve ever seen."

Some Sundance Film Festival selections to look for:
Thumbsucker by Mike Mills and Chumscrubber by Arie Posen

LITTLE GREEN MEN, RUSSIAN-STYLE
Recently reviewed in the St. Petersburg Times: Irina Denezhkina's "Vasya and the Green Men," a short story described as "a darkly humored, grim, and violent exercise in magical realism" from her new collection, Give Me.

ON THE OSCAR TRAIL
Notable screenwriter and playwright Jose Rivera studied with Gabriel Garcia Marquez and was the co-creator of the short-lived, but memorable, '80s television series, Eerie, Indiana. His work on both the screen and stage pushes the limits of reality in ways that are uniquely American. His latest script effort, The Motorcycle Diaries, a film about Che Guevera, was recently nominated for an Oscar. Read more

Now Playing: Pay Pal added for sale of Periphery
Topic: January 2005
Readers from all around the world can now purchase Periphery, Margin's magical realist zine offshoot, using the convenient Pay Pal service.

More information about Periphery: what it is, how to buy it, how much it costs, why you should?

Now Playing: Magical Realism Contest: Flash Fiction/Prose Poetry
Topic: January 2005
PERIPHERY
A flash fiction/prose poem contest
Theme for 2005:
PERIPHERY 3 ~

"Reasonable Facsimiles: Twins, Mirrors and Doppelgangers"

Postmark deadline: February 15, annually.

Winner and honorable mentions published in Periphery, released August 1 annually.

Prize: $50, 3 copies of collectible print zine and publication. All manuscripts also considered for general publication in Margin. Sim subs okay with notification, but entry fee nonrefundable. Previously published okay; please credit first publisher in cover letter. Entries not returned.

Entry fee: $7.50 covers up to 5 poems or short shorts (each 500 words or less); additional submissions, $2 each. Make checks payable to Tamara Kaye Sellman.

Proceeds go to produce the August collector's edition of Periphery and to pay the prize. Judged blind by staff. See general guidelines at the website.

Email for inquiries only, no electronic submissions, please.

Winner of the 2004 PERIPHERY contest, "The Living Landscape" ~ Marjorie Manwaring of Seattle, WA. Periphery is published as a limited edition, high-quality zine. Get your copy before they sell out!

Now Playing: Magical Realist Author DANIEL A. OLIVAS Signs New Short-Story Collection
Saturday, January 22 from 4 to 6 p.m.
Tia Chucha's Cafe Cultural
12737 Glenoaks Blvd.
Sylmar, CA
Free admission

Magical realist author Daniel A. Olivas will read and sign his new collection, Devil Talk: Stories (Bilingual Press/Arizona State University).

"In a stunning departure from the social realism of his previous collection...Olivas takes readers into a disarming otherworld of the surreal and the supernatural....The quick succession of 26 narratives covers a wide territory of moods, from the strangely elliptical to the whimsical." ? El Paso Times

Info: Tia Chucha?s (818) 362-7060 or www.danielolivas.com

Please pardon this brief departure from the discussion.

Below is Tamara Sellman's prelude to her reading of a section of Pearl S. Buck's The Big Wave, to be presented at A Wave of Caring: a concert for tsunami relief to be held at the Bainbridge High School gymnasium on Sunday January 16 at 3pm in Bainbridge Island, Washington.

"I read the story, The Big Wave, about a year ago to my daughters as a bedtime story.

The Big Wave is the prizewinning children's book written by Pearl Buck, about a Japanese fishing village that is wiped out by a tsunami.

One year later, I am tucking my oldest daughter in one night, and we are discussing the tsunami when she asks, Is it like The Big Wave?

I am reminded then how providing a human context for the disastrous events of our lives, big and small, close and far away, is essential for healing the human spirit.

Watching the TV news or reading the paper only provides information and facts, but information and facts are not enough to help people, including children, to cope with bad news.

I've found, as a lifelong writer, that literature is one of the best ways to explore the uncertainties that befall the human condition. The Big Wave filled in blanks for my daughter that I was not sure I could fill in myself.

When I tell my daughter that, Yes, the tsunami is the same thing as The Big Wave, she does not respond with fear. Instead, I see her process the comparison, and her next response is not one of panic, but of compassion. How can we help? she asks. How can we help?

Thanks to Pearl Buck my daughter makes that important leap. She understands that if we share and have faith as a global community, life will persist."

Mood:  bright
Now Playing: RE: new releases, events, contests
NEW RELEASES:

Novellette: Travel in the Mouth of the Wolf by Paul Fattaruso (Soft Skull Press)
See a review

Novel: The Icarus Girl by Helen Oyeyemi (Bloomsbury)
See a review

Novel: Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami,
translated by Philip Gabriel (Harvill)
See a review


EVENTS

CASCADIA WRITING CONTEST: The 8th Annual North American Science Fiction Convention (Cascadia Con) is sponsoring a Student Science Fiction and Fantasy Contest for student writers from all grades. Postmark deadline ~ March 31, 2005
For details and entry form PDF

STATE-WIDE READING: The Master Butchers Singing Club by magical realist author Louise Erdrich has been selected as the Iowa Center for the Book's title for 2005's "All Iowa Reads" program. Postville, IA will be the site of a central discussion group based on Erdrich's novel. The main discussion will be held Tuesday, February 1 from 7:00 to 9:00 pm at the Multicultural Center.
More information

SPRING LECTURE: Magical Realist author Salman Rushdie will give this year's Tolles lecture at Hamilton College on Wednesday, April 13 in Wellin Hall. He will discuss how to balance liberty and security in the war on terror.
More information

Mood:  sharp
Now Playing: Margin contributor Jan Steckel to read in March 2005
Topic: January 2005
Jan Steckel will read "The Christening of Alonso" from Margin: Exploring Modern Magical Realism (June 2004) along with other short stories of hers on Saturday, March 19, 2005, 2 PM, at the Lakeview Branch Library, 550 El Embarcadero, Oakland, California, (510) 238.7344. Prose open mic to follow. Details

Thanks to Jan Steckel for this news lead.