Come buy Issue 18!

Finally! It’s been a long one, both here (cover art was tough to come by, as usual) and personally (a new job is tough to come by, as usual), but it’s finally wrapped up and ready to go. We’ve got poems by Jennifer Martelli, Theresa Senato Edwards, Emily Light, Allison Emily Lee, Christine Stoddard, C.J. Miles, Patricia J. Miranda, Kathleen Radigan, Catherine Edmunds, Robert Lee Kendrick, and Eve Kenneally, plus a story by Kathryn McBride.

Give an extra congratulations to Jennifer Martelli and Kathryn McBride, winner of our contests. Long time readers might remember Jennifer’s poem “Picture of a Botched Abortion,” which appeared waaaaaay back in Issue 6. Didn’t get the money then, but she raked in the $20 bucks this time for her poem “At the Border.” Kathryn’s new to us, but she’s got two good things going for her: $20 and having her name spelled the correct way (sorry, Ms. Edmunds).

Now, that cover!

This beautiful work of art, titled “Come in and sit a while,” is by the talented photographer Matt Bates. He also indicated that the format of the photo is “6x6cm Hp5+ b/w film.” I don’t know what that means, but it sure sounds impressive. An extra thanks for Matt for bailing me out on the cover art at this late hour.

Click the cover to buy yourself a copy for the low, low price of three bucks, plus a dollar for the stamp and the envelope. ORRRR if you really want to be a darling, click here to buy a whole year of Bop Dead City for just $12, straight up!

Finally, in the spirit of Oscar season (bold statement: Denzel and Viola win for Fences, but La La Land wins Best Picture), here’s the list of people I’m thanking:

Everyone who submitted

Everyone who was accepted

Everyone who read the last issue

Everyone who’s going to read this issue

My wife

My mom

My boring workplace for providing me with nothing else to do but read stories and poetry

 

Phew. Good luck y’all. Keep your heads up and be safe out there; you’re in Trump’s America for now.

Interview with Issue 17’s Contest Winner Kaz Sussman

Hope everyone is staying warm and dry. Shoot, we even had some snow and ice down here in Alabama. You’d think it’d be plenty of time to work on Issue 18 but… well, it’s a process. Keep checking back. In the meantime, read this interview with Kaz Sussman, winner of Issue 17’s poetry contest.

 

 

Describe your writing in 25 words or less.

Much of my work is akin to emotional spelunking, feeling my way through the unknown dark, gathering up the aggregate of experience for future contemplation

Congratulations on winning Issue 17’s contest. How did it feel when you found out? Is this your first win?

This was a sweet surprise – my first “win”.

Tell me about your poem “In Retrospect” 

Being a parent is hard work that often goes askew, despite one’s best intentions.

Who or what inspires you to write?

I’m an old guy, so I am tending towards reflection and irony, hoping for grace.

What are you working on now?
I’ve been working on shrinking up my work, killing off my tongue-twisting darlings, trying to get closer to the nub of what it is I’m attempting to say.

Is there a website/blog where we can keep up with your work?
www.kazsussman.com

Any advice for your fellow writers?

Go live . . . quick, now . . . work with your hands, travel. Engage in new experience so that you do not have to rely on poetic prompts, greek urns or someone else’s plums for content.

Issue 18 is done with your submissions!

Thanks to all of you for submitting and a special thanks to those who subscribed this reading period (and those who bought a back issue, for once). We’ll have the issue out as soon as I’m finished reading these… *checks inbox*… sixty emails! Christ, the holidays hit me hard. My bad, y’all, keep faith. I’ll also be posting a few more interviews with the writers from Issue 17 this month, including some future Pushcart Prize winners.

Happy reading and writing!