MAGICAL REALISM NEWS FOR MONDAY, MAY 23
Topic: May 2005
SALMAN RUSHDIE is at it again! Fans must pick up a copy of his latest work of magical realist genius, Shalimar the Clown. From a review in Book Standard, we learn about the "sprawling story ripped from today's?and, undoubtedly, tomorrow's?headlines" as the publication's critics give glowing kudos to this latest from the master, described as "a magical-realist masterpiece that equals, and arguably surpasses, the achievements of Midnight's Children, Shame and The Moor's Last Sigh. [Margin editor: I can't wait to sink my teeth into this one!]

Magical realist author DANIEL OLIVAS recently reviewed Luis Alberto Urrea's The Hummingbird's Daughter for the literary blog, ELEGANT VARIATION. Olivas informs us that

"The Hummingbird?s Daughter is [Urrea's] fictionalization of family lore based on twenty years of intense research and interviews. The result resonates with such passion and beauty that it doesn?t matter whether Teresita?s legend is based more on a people?s wishful thinking than truth."

Add one more title to the ever-growing list of "Books to Read!" Let us know what you think; try it out with your book group.

DID YOU KNOW?Margin's incomplete PayPal coding from last winter is no longer so. Hooray! You can pay contest entry fees, send donations or buy copies of Periphery easily using this new convenient feature.

And speaking of contests?. August 1, 2005 is the deadline for Margin's second annual free verse contest. This year's theme: "Evidence of Miracles." Miracles can come from anywhere and are not necessarily the domain of the pious and church-going. Send us your free verse poems witnessing miracles; the humorous, the unpredictable and the outlandish have a good chance here. Patently religious poems won't. Feel free to employ the popularly iconic, the socially secretive, the irreverent. Prize: $100 and publication in the Winter 2006 edition of Margin. Details

KUDOS to Abe Books for putting forth a magical realism sampler page. We find the titles and authors cited there offer a satisfactory representation of our favorite literary form. Great job, Abe!

contest winner announced
Topic: May 2005
editors Tamara Kaye Sellman and Susan Deefholts are proud to announce the winner of the PERIPHERY III (theme: "Reasonable Facsimiles") flash fiction/prose poetry contest for 2005:

"What the Body Houses" a prose poem from Cathie Sandstrom of Sierra Madre, CA

Other works to be highlighted in this annual, collectible zine include:

"Ghost in Training" (prose poem) and "Twin Sisters" (prose poem) by John Davis of Bainbridge Island, WA

"The Image" (flash fiction) by Eve Fisher of Madison, SD

"A Matter of Agreement" (flash fiction), "Point of View: Reflections of the Reflection Who Doesn't Know She's the Reflection" (flash fiction) and "The Price" (flash fiction) by Andrea Jackson of St. Louis, MO

"Under the Skin" (flash fiction) by Kathryn Kulpaof Bristol, RI

"The Cavalier" (prose poem) and "Letter to an Unborn Twin" (prose poem), also by winner Cathie Sandstrom

Please join us in congratulating all the contributors. PERIPHERY III: "Reasonable Facsimiles" will be released August 1, 2005. If you haven't picked up your copy of PERIPHERY II: "The Living Landscape," you better get one soon! Only 10 remain!!!

Posted by magicalrealismmaven@yahoo.com at 10:48 AM PDT
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MAGICAL REALISM NEWS FOR TUESDAY, MAY 17
Topic: May 2005
BOOK TALK
Got demons??? I don't know if magical realist DANIEL OLIVAS has any of his own, but he sure knows how to approach the subject. Olivas recently received some nice props for his story collection, Devil Talk. WORTH CHECKING OUT

HUMAN FLOWERS
Margin's winter 2005 edition cover artist BEATRIZ INGLESSIS was recently featured as part of the Human Flower Project. We selected her image, Botanical Composition #4 because, like her other work, it suggests the possible rising out of the impossible. We wish her continued good luck with her dramatic, unique and challenging work.

CLMP MERGER SUPPORTS INDY PUBLISHING
In 2001, the Council of Literary Magazines and Presses [CLMP] (a 38 year-old non-profit organization providing technical assistance to independent literary publishers) invited Margin to join the organization as one of its first-ever electronic publications. This was a great move on their part. Acknowledging the electronic media even a few years ago was considered risky business. But the industry has dramatically improved in even that short period, and electronic publishers are getting the credit they deserve, particularly because of efforts made by the CLMP.
We have been extremely grateful for the association, for it has meant we have enjoyed the fruits of such membership, including networking, exposure, inclusion in major literary events and the like.

So naturally we're happy to post that the CLMP recently merged with the Literary Ventures Fund (LVF, Inc.), a newly formed venture philanthropy supporting literary publishing. From the news release:

"The Literary Ventures Fund, Inc., founded by Jim Bildner, builds on the premise that given a level marketing playing field, exceptional literary works from small presses can thrive in the marketplace."

Kudos to CLMP and LVF for looking out for the future of small press and independent literary publishing in the US! This has got to be one of the most important efforts at championing free speech and expression in publishing that our country has seen in a long time. Our sincere thanks to the fine folks at CLMP. We send them our heartiest congratulations!

A NEW WAVE PUERTO RICAN WRITERS
Fans of Puerto Rican writing should get a copy of the second edition of Hostos Review/Revista Hostosiana, published by the Latin American Writers Institute at Hostos Community College in the Bronx, New York.
The issue is entitled "Open Mic/Microfono Abierto: Nuevas Literaturas Puerto/Neorrique?as/New Puerto/Nuyor Rican Literatures" and is guest-edited by the Puerto Rican critic Juan Flores and the Puerto Rican writer Mayra Santos-Febres, professors at Hunter College (CUNY) and at the University of Puerto Rico, respectively.

The 300-page issue features "a newcrop of writers, first emerging around 1990, who approach the idea and practice of 'Puerto Rican literature' from new angles and with new meanings. Some new texts written from this perspective set out to pronounce important changes within the literary field of what had been referred to as 'Puerto Rican/Nuyorican literature' for more than two decades."

Hostos Review/Revista Hostosiana is edited by Peruvian writer Isaac Goldemberg, and its mission is to build bridges between Latino artists and intellectuals in the United States with their counterparts in Latin America and other parts of the world. To get your copy or to subscribe to the journal, please call (718) 518-6859 or write LAWI@hostos.cuny.edu Thanks to contributor Naomi Ayala for this tip

WRITERS' WORKSHOPS
Margin contributor THADDEUS RUTKOWSKI is leading a couple of workshops this summer:

"Generating Fiction" will be offered as part of the Hofstra University Summer Writing Workshops, Hempstead, L.I. Ten meetings, July 11-22. Open to all. Info: 516.463.7600.

"Short and Sweet," a prose poetry workshop. Hudson Valley Writers Center, Sleepy Hollow, NY. Four Tuesdays in August. Contact by e-mail or phone 914.332.5953

MAGICAL REALISM NEWS FOR TUESDAY, MAY 3
Topic: May 2005
Margin poet Hermine Meinhard is leading a week-long poetry retreat at Il Chiostro in Tuscany, Italy from Sat June 11 through Sat June 18. "Each day, either in the morning or afternoon, we will meet for a workshop of improvisational exercises to help you draw deeply on interior landscapes as well as the sights, sounds and smells of the countryside. … A new vista, and such a sensuously rich one, is a wonderful opportunity to reach out and into new sources of material from which the writing can flow. We will make excursions, for example, to the lovely medieval town of Siena and the local Dievole winery (maker of fine Chianti and just across the road) and I will leave you time for exploring on your own the beautiful hills, valleys and towns. … Meals will be a highlight of the day with traditional Tuscan recipes, local wine and fresh seasonal produce... So, in addition to making beautiful poems, we will live well." Details and registration

Ozzie Nogg, whose short story, "Blue Plate Special," we both published and nominated for a Pushcart prize, recently earned a new distinction for her work on a beautiful handmade book of creative nonfictions we reviewed in the last edition of Margin: Joseph's Bones won first prize in the Life Stories category of The Writer's Digest International Self-Published Book Awards. She won $500 cash, promotion in Writer's Digest, and a guaranteed review in Midwest Book Review. Way to go, Oz!

Trickster Tales author John Briggs was recently featured by Pat Cahill for the masslive.com edition of The Republican of Springfield, MA. In "The world is a strange place" (March 24, 2005), Cahill discusses not only Briggs' new story collection, but his recent photography exhibition and the creative drives that fuel his life. "Creativity is essential for our survival. If we're not creative, we die," Cahill quoted Briggs. His book is descibed as having a "Franz Kafka-meets-Salvador Dali flavor." (For the full text, click here then select the article title, "The World is a Strange Place." You will need to register to read the entire text)

It's nice to know there's such a rich Spanish-language literary scene in our nation's capital. Translater CM Mayo recently published a literary resources article focusing on the DC area for Viva La Vida Literaria. Her article covers books, readings, and lectures; resources for translators; calls for submissions specifically tailored to Spanish-language authors and translators; and a brief interview with Robert Giron of Gival Press.