tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90315009776975261482024-03-21T13:57:38.681-07:00The Normal SchoolThis is the blog for The Normal School, a literary almanac of distinction. This is it. Trust us. We're normal.Steven Churchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04153575704748959627noreply@blogger.comBlogger74125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9031500977697526148.post-15765122326507990332013-04-02T12:15:00.001-07:002013-04-02T16:23:20.073-07:00The Next Big Thing Interview: Matthew Gavin Frank (TNS Fall13)<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<a href="http://www.toddfredson.com/1/post/2013/02/the-next-big-thing-interview.html"><b><span style="color: windowtext; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">The Next Big Thing Interview</span></b></a>:
<a href="http://matthewgfrank.com/" target="_blank">Matthew Gavin Frank</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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Thank you, Steven Church—brilliant essayist, author of <i>The Guinness Book of Me </i>and
<i>The Day After the Day After: My Atomic Angst</i>, and editor of one of
my favorite literary magazines, <i><a href="http://www.thenormalschool.com/" target="_blank">The Normal School</a></i>—for tagging me in The Next Big Thing.
I’ll be passing the torch to the stunning fiction writer, editor, and wonderful
person, <a href="http://passagesnorth.com/" target="_blank">Jennifer A. Howard</a>, author of the book, <i>How to End Up.</i> Okay. Here is my self-interrogation:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>What is the working title of the book?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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My new poetry book, due out within the week (I’m told), is called <i><a href="http://www.blacklawrence.com/frank.html" target="_blank">The Morrow Plots</a>—</i>some crazy, murderous
Midwestern poetry. It blows the lid off
Illinois, it does.<i> </i>I also have a new nonfiction book coming
out in 2015 called <i><a href="http://www.sarabandebooks.org/" target="_blank">Preparing the Ghost:An Essay Concerning the Giant Squid and the Man Who First Photographed It</a>.</i> It’s a segmented book-length essay full of
odd digressions, about Reverend Moses Harvey—the guy who, in 1874 St. John’s
Newfoundland, became the first person to take a photograph of an intact
specimen of the giant squid, thereby rescuing the beast from the realm of
mythology, and finally proving its existence.
The photo changed the ways in which we engaged the construct of the sea
monster.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Where did the idea come from for the book?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<i>The Morrow Plots:
</i>When I lived in Upstate New York—way up on the Canadian
border—during the awful winter, I became obsessed with The Morrow Plots, an
experimental cornfield on the University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign
campus. The local and campus agronomists
conduct important crop experiments there, and then disseminate the findings
among the U.S.’s farming industry. So,
it’s an important square of land, and hallowed ground in downstate
Illinois. You do not trespass on the
Morrow Plots. The legal and social
consequences for such things are dire.
The Plots are regionally revered.
Illinoisans lend the Plots this crazy holiness. I was born in Illinois, and I think I was
oddly homesick for the Midwest all the way up there near Canada among the
defunct Go-Kart tracks and Shining-esque hedge maze that my wife and I lived
behind (the area was a bedroom community for Manhattanite boaters in the summer
time, and so had all of these kitschy tourist traps that would go skeletal come
winter). Yes: We lived behind
MazeLand. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Upon researching old newspaper
articles from the 20s and 30s, I found that the Plots were then known as a
popular site for violent crime, and a dumping ground for bodies. And, if some mutilated remains went
unclaimed, the University of Illinois would claim them for “experimental
purposes.” And now, The Morrow Plots are
a National Historical Landmark. So
dealing with that discrepancy consumed me for a while. This is a great, if nauseating, way to sink
into the comfort of the winter blues.
But I was so glad to reemerge after that one. See some light after all the murder. But, the obsession came naturally, and acted
as that fulcrum on which I hung a bunch of murderous Midwestern things. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>Preparing the
Ghost: </i>At the AWP Conference in Washington DC, I went to the Smithsonian
Museum of Natural History and spied Harvey’s photo of the giant squid, strung
over his bathtub’s curtain rack in order to stretch it out to its full
size. The caption was about two skinny
lines long, and I copied it verbatim, next to the bourbon amoeba, onto the
cocktail napkin I stashed in my pocket the previous night. When I got home, I began researching Harvey
and found that the story of the photograph’s conception had not been
written. I thought I was going to
produce about five lean pages on the subject, until I tumbled down the
cephalopod rabbit hole, to invoke an inter-special metaphor. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>What genre does your book fall under?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<i>The Morrow Plots </i>is some linked
research-based poetry. <i>Preparing the Ghost</i> is nonfiction—a
book-length lyric essay, I guess. But <i>Preparing the Ghost </i>is a weird one. I really don’t know what to call it. An editor at W.W. Norton, who rejected an earlier
version of the book, said some of the nicest things about it, and sort of tried
to categorize it in the (really nice) rejection. Here’s what he said: <o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>Preparing
the Ghost</i> is about how this photograph came to be, and how it’s lived on in
the cultural imagination. But whether or not Moses himself is the photographer
is actually up for dispute, as is almost every other piece of information in
the book--but this is not a weakness. Quite the opposite in fact; the
uncertainties, inferences, personal meditations, and historical reconstructions
that comprise the book make for a fascinating discussion of what mythology is,
why we cling to it, and how it ends if it ever does (after all, the giant squid
retains its mythical status despite the absurdly domestic photograph). This
lively piece of cultural criticism is shot through with discussions of just
about anything: period fishing equipment, ice cream, politics, religious
practices, and the Harvey family history that informed and contextualized the
Reverend’s obsessions.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>Preparing the Ghost</i>, overall, is non-narrative, or it is the sum of
three fragmented narratives: Harvey’s story, the author’s family history, and
the author’s story of conducting research on Harvey and the squid in
Newfoundland. Even those, however, are further fragmented by trivia, lists,
scraps of poetry, or historical bullet points...<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>What songs would you choose for the movie rendition’s soundtrack?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Just so I’m not too long-winded here, I’ll cite the opening credit
songs: <o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>The Morrow Plots:
</i>“Where
the Wild Roses Grow” – Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds with Kylie Minogue.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i>Preparing the
Ghost</i>: (over footage of a giant squid twisting around in the deep) “A Gringo
Like Me” – Ennio Morricone (vocals by Peter Tevis).<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>What is the one sentence synopsis of your book?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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It’s been a tentacular harvest.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="color: #333333; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">How
long did it take you to write the first draft of your book?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<i>The Morrow Plots:
</i>about
a year.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>Preparing the
Ghost: </i>about two-and-a-half years.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="color: #333333; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">What
other books would you compare this story to within your genre? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">When I was writing <i>The Morrow Plots, </i>I was teetering between reading Norman Dubie’s <i>The Mercy Seat</i> and Aimee
Nezhukumatathil’s <i>At the Drive-In Volcano</i>—the
former for it’s fever dream surprises which planted me more firmly into the
world, somehow, of an historical, bloody Midwest; the latter for its lushness,
its ability to rip me out of that world so I could function and not be
depressed all the time. I don’t know if
that’s a comparison, but...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">For <i>Preparing
the Ghost, </i>I’ll quote that editor from Norton again, because it’s humbling,
and makes me wriggle:</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
The book is driven by Frank’s free
associations between the fragmented narratives and the tidbits, or better
stated, it is made entirely out of such connections. Here, we see that the
book’s true relation to Moby Dick is not a monomaniacal fascination with
capturing enormous sea creatures, but the free association that makes
Melville’s work so funny, so memorable, so encyclopedic. Really, there is some
truth to the agent’s pitch that this is Annie Dillard/John McPhee meets <i>Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea</i>/<i>Moby Dick</i>. With a touch of nerdy
Jew. And I would add that it is as large, luminescent, many-tentacled, and
elusive as its subject.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
[The
book falls] somewhere between Chuck Klosterman and Nicholson Baker with a tiny
bit of our own <i>Measure of Manhattan</i>...<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>Who or what inspired you to write the book?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For <i>The Morrow Plots</i>, I blame
my homesickness for the Midwest, and the winter blues, and my misguided
attempts to solve both with an obsession for historical, regional murder.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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For <i>Preparing the Ghost,</i> I
have to go back a few years to one of my favorite boyhood articles printed in the
May 1983 issue of my second favorite boyhood magazine (after <i>ZooBooks</i>), <i>Boy’s Life</i>, which includes what was my single favorite sentence for
the remainder of 1983, a sentence that revealed, in its simple concision, a
world far larger than the one I inhabited, a sentence that evoked something
beyond me—a future perhaps, or gargantuan adulthood that still then hung just
out of reach, a sentence that I repeated to my grandfather, Poppa Dave, when
Poppa Dave still had three years to live, lying on his hairy chest and Jewish
mafia bling <i>chai</i> necklace on his and
Grandma Ruth’s screened-in porch of their Palm Springs Phase II Margate,
Florida retirement condo, the interior of which was all peach and coral and the
kind of silver that reflected your face back to you in that distorted, funhouse
sort of way that made your eyes look far bigger than they really were: “There are
some who are convinced that species of giant squid exist that are still unknown
to scientists,” after which Poppa Dave exhaled a mouthful of postdinner cigar
smoke, and, lifting the lip of his white wife-beater undershirt, asked me,
seven-years-old, “Did I ever tell you how I got this scar?”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Besides giant squid and murder?
Nudity, maybe? In <i>The Morrow Plots, </i>there’s a penis on
page 34.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Black Lawrence Press, an imprint of Dzanc Books, is publishing <i>The Morrow Plots. </i>Sarabande Books is publishing <i>Preparing the Ghost: An Essay Concerning the
Giant Squid and the Man Who First Photographed It. </i> The squid book is represented by my wonderful
agent. Thank you Black Lawrence, and
Sarabande, and Wonderful Agent!<o:p></o:p></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Steven Churchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04153575704748959627noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9031500977697526148.post-84584478057083153922010-09-03T17:42:00.000-07:002010-09-03T17:42:06.492-07:00GET NORMAL NOW! We're open for submissions!My Fellow Freaks,<br />
<br />
Get Normal by <a href="http://www.thenormalschool.com/guidelines.html">submitting</a> your work to us. We're open and ready to read . . . btw, here's a little secret of the lit mag world: the stuff you send at the beginning of the submission period often gets read more carefully than the stuff you send at the end, when we're slammed with submissions. Do it now. Submit. Be Normal. It's fun. <br />
<br />
-- SCSteven Churchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04153575704748959627noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9031500977697526148.post-36041123853087382452010-07-31T06:04:00.000-07:002010-07-31T06:04:25.520-07:00Announcing Judges for 2011 Normal PrizeAhoy mates,<br />
<br />
We here on the good ship Normal are just busting with happy stuff over the announcement of our judges for the 2011 Normal Prize AND to announce the addition of a Poetry Prize!<br />
<br />
Drum roll, please . . . . The judges are:<br />
<br />
<b>Poetry: Nick Flynn<br />
Fiction: Susan Straight<br />
Nonfiction: Eula Biss</b><br />
<br />
We're proud and honored to have such dynamite writers judging our contest. Get your writing ready! Stay tuned here for more details on the deadlines<br />
<br />
-- Cap'n Barry Wayne NormalSteven Churchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04153575704748959627noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9031500977697526148.post-76751575475528333842010-07-31T05:30:00.001-07:002010-07-31T05:30:46.570-07:00Normal School at AWPHey Normals,<br />
<br />
Get your tickets and reservations for AWP 2011 in D.C. The Normal School will be there in full force, slinging mags and our every-popular T-Shirts. We'll also be throwing a truly Normal party and hosting this panel: <br />
<br />
What's Normal in Nonfiction?<br />
<br />
Steven Church, Debra Marquart, Ander Monson, Bonnie J. Rough, Bob Shacochis, David Shields<br />
<br />
Moderated by Editors of The Normal School, the panel will feature a discussion of the polarizing questions concerning the ethics and aesthetics of nonfiction writing today. Is the nonfiction writer’s obligation to the art or to the subject? The audience? Can you conflate time, use composite or fictionalized characters, or borrow material from other sources without citing it? Panelists will consider what the role of the nonfiction writer is today and how that role is defined by ethical concerns for subject and audience, and/or aesthetic concerns for art, genre, form, and technique.<br />
<br />
Hope to see you all there! <br />
<br />
-- SCSteven Churchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04153575704748959627noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9031500977697526148.post-4899801559188817782010-07-08T10:03:00.000-07:002010-07-08T13:47:35.354-07:00SHOWDOWN: David Shields and Bob Shacochis, spurs jingling<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeCTKNA-Mof2BsqtrfYK5_nE7kzCifXhb4kGtR9o9bp-oa_8aHcZB5pgthCrdhQhCX_jOLmWQ2mrsJR3fm7cjFQdQNUW1Et85nrefJvPx3YiLX1qbgJKAH6ikBQcotThlrPmraPTBZ2vuJ/s1600/TNS+%234+Cover.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 100px; height: 130px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeCTKNA-Mof2BsqtrfYK5_nE7kzCifXhb4kGtR9o9bp-oa_8aHcZB5pgthCrdhQhCX_jOLmWQ2mrsJR3fm7cjFQdQNUW1Et85nrefJvPx3YiLX1qbgJKAH6ikBQcotThlrPmraPTBZ2vuJ/s320/TNS+%234+Cover.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491639836113837618" /></a><br /><br /><br />Hey Normals,<br /><br />In case you haven't seen our latest issue of The Normal School (Spring, 2010), we're offering up a special summer extravaganza for your reading enjoyment. You can now download PDF versions of essays from David Shields and Bob Shacochis for FREE right <a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/33925527/Shields-Tns-Spring-2010?secret_password=24icpsdf5aot8a2uey79">here</a> and <a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/34063645/What-Everybody-in-the-Room-Knows-by-Bob-Shacochis">here</a>. <br /><br />If you like what you see and read, please consider <a href="http://www.thenormalschool.com/subscribe.html">subscribing</a> to The Normal School. At $20 for 2 years, you REALLY can't beat the price. <br /><br />Trust Us. We're Normal. <br /><br />-- SCSteven Churchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04153575704748959627noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9031500977697526148.post-69767869179369507632010-05-20T06:26:00.000-07:002010-05-20T06:43:12.788-07:00Sticker Love<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIVpCgCnpMmDA09qPhmVo8FPfEF3uYe8DwLi_c0rLVg0UyhqmDWFNKE_0Lan5Cg2mncKwi8yG-vdtqZZ9wRjg1tSnDX3KGxpzNe8wm9NrLiiEzxJcCmWg5gRxavFM5rsbUm85DMo36ZfhG/s1600/NormalSchool-1.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIVpCgCnpMmDA09qPhmVo8FPfEF3uYe8DwLi_c0rLVg0UyhqmDWFNKE_0Lan5Cg2mncKwi8yG-vdtqZZ9wRjg1tSnDX3KGxpzNe8wm9NrLiiEzxJcCmWg5gRxavFM5rsbUm85DMo36ZfhG/s320/NormalSchool-1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473344365259011986" /></a><br />Sometimes people send email to The Normal School and say nice things about our magazine or even our rejection sticker. Sometimes they take pictures of the sticker and send it to us. <br /><br />Here's a recent email: <br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Hey, Editors!<br /><br />I put my badge of rejection on my car and I wanted you to know that's one<br />of the most unique, un-normal denials yet received.<br /><br />Picture attached. I'll try for a matching one next year. Have a good summer.</span><br /><br /><br />We're glad this writer appreciates our efforts to lighten things up a bit with our TNS rejection sticker. Thanks for being Normal! We're all writers, too and we thank you for your support of our magazine and for sending your writing our way. <br /><br />Write on. <br /><br />SEND US A PICTURE OF YOUR TNS STICKER TO EDITORS@THENORMALSCHOOL.COM AND WE'LL POST IT ON OUR BLOG!<br /><br />TNSSteven Churchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04153575704748959627noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9031500977697526148.post-47762606035233919072010-05-10T15:49:00.000-07:002010-05-10T15:58:12.441-07:00Normal Prize Winners AnnouncedHey Normals,<br /><br />We're proud to announce the winners and finalists of our 1st annual <span style="font-weight:bold;">Normal Prize Contest in Fiction and Nonfiction. </span><br /><br />Nonfiction: Judged by David Shields<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Winner: Karen Hays for her essay, "Clockwise Detorsion of Snails"</span><br /><br />Finalists: "Father of Disorder," by Jessica Wilbanks, and "Quality is Your Right," by Anthony DiRenzo<br /><br /><br />Fiction: Judged by Margot Livesey<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Winner: Robert Glick for his story, "In The Room/Memory is/White"</span><br /><br />Finalists: "Reality TV" by Sarah Durham, and "Confession of the Ugly Girl" by Cynthia Reeves<br /><br /><br />Check back with us for news about our 2nd Annual Normal Prize. Deadlines and judges will be announced soon. <br /><br />Thanks to ALL of the wonderful writers who submitted to our contest and made it a smashing success. <br /><br />Normal EditorsSteven Churchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04153575704748959627noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9031500977697526148.post-43535511811119447802010-04-12T16:14:00.000-07:002010-04-12T16:26:03.755-07:00AWP'dHeyo Normals! <br /><br />Thanks for stopping by the table at the AWP Bookfair and saying, "Hey," or for attending our Normal Nonfiction Reading or our Low Down Writers' Bash with The Pinch, Colorado Review, and the Colorado Art Ranch. It was great to meet all of you. <br /><br />EXTRA special Normal thanks to those of you who subscribed at the conference and joined our merry band, as well as to those of you who purchased one of our issues (nearly 200 sold!!!) or our SOLD OUT Shark Bear t-shirt. Some of you asked to take some submission guidelines and we didn't have them out. Sorry about that. See them here. And send us your best fiction, nonfiction, and poetry now, before our April 30 deadline hits. <br /><br />Stay tuned also for the announcement of our inaugural Normal Prize Contest, judged by David Shields and Margot Livesey. <br /><br />And now for a quick favorite AWP moment at the Normal School table: Several of us are gathered around talking and laughing, enjoying the buzz of the bookfair, when we hear a voice, "I LOVE The Normal School!" and look up to see Sherman Alexie standing at our table, praising the design and production of the magazine, talking about how he thinks of it as one of the best magazines in the country. <br /><br />Needless to say, we were quite proud. We're also proud to say (and I think it speaks volumes about Mr. Alexie's support of young writers) that he was a subscriber to The Normal School before he became a contributor to our 3rd issue.<br /><br />Stay Normal,<br /><br />Barry WayneSteven Churchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04153575704748959627noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9031500977697526148.post-41236348372074119172010-04-01T07:17:00.000-07:002010-04-01T07:35:13.277-07:00Normal Things at AWP<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIejrlzdN1Jy9hXGefXAa-9Ns7CeZFiqs1Fk1STgu0IJCJrtsbIdC8zN8IN0SrUWjFJJAFy_O2wAx5E1tvtsdpPBe0APAV387eai4kW13zs1_VDjD3jZ6Jp4qFxp6EykNGbZr5-j695auW/s1600/AWP_Bash.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 219px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIejrlzdN1Jy9hXGefXAa-9Ns7CeZFiqs1Fk1STgu0IJCJrtsbIdC8zN8IN0SrUWjFJJAFy_O2wAx5E1tvtsdpPBe0APAV387eai4kW13zs1_VDjD3jZ6Jp4qFxp6EykNGbZr5-j695auW/s320/AWP_Bash.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455177257946053490" /></a><br />Hey Normals, <br /><br />The TNS crew is getting all psyched for AWP next week. We can't wait to show off our new issue, #4 and our new limited edition "Shark Bear" t-shirts. Stop by the table (Exhibit Hall A, K-18), check out the Vend-O-Prose Machine, pick up a copy of the magazine, subscribe, do a little dance, get down tonight. And please don't miss these Normal School events. We know there's a lot of other things to grab your attention. We'd love to see you, even if you just stop by and say hi: <br /><br />-- AWP Kickoff Bash, co-sponsored by The Pinch, Colorado Review, the Colorado Art Ranch on Thursday, April 8 from 8:00 - ???? at the Wynkoop Brewery (see attached flier). <br /><br />-- Normal Nonfiction: A Reading from The Normal School Literary Magazine featuring <br />contributors, Dave Griffith, Abraham Brennan, Oz Spies, Patrick Madden, and Duncan Murrell on Friday, April 9 from 4:30 PM to 5:45 PM in Room 111 - CCC<br /><br />-- Normal Editor, Steven Church reads on Saturday, April 10 from 12 - 1:15 in CCC 303 with Normal Contributor, Wendy Rawlings and George Kalamaras, Bill Tremblay, Mary Crow, and his dear friend and mentor, John Calderazzo. <br /><br />Hope to see all of you there!<br /><br />- SWCSteven Churchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04153575704748959627noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9031500977697526148.post-77403202122956972652010-02-26T12:49:00.000-08:002010-02-26T12:59:01.762-08:00Follow that Contributor!<span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family:'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;font-size:11px;"><h3 class="UIIntentionalStory_Message" ft="{"type":"msg"}" style=" color: rgb(51, 51, 51); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-weight: normal; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; font-size:13px;"><span class="UIStory_Message"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Congratulations to Sherman Alexie on being named a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award for his <i>War Dances</i> (Grove Press). You can read Alexie's "Verminators" and "Blood In. Blood Out." in the current issue of <i>The Normal School</i>, available on the magazine rack at your local Barnes & Noble Bookstore where you will be buying <i>War Dances</i>.</span></span></h3><div><span class="UIStory_Message"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="UIStory_Message"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; "><a href="http://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=" id="595"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">http://www.penfaulkner.org/news_media.php?id=595</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">">PEN/Faulkner News</span></span></span></div><div><span class="UIStory_Message"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="UIStory_Message"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The Normal School is proud to say that in its first three issues, it has featured three PEN/Faulkner nominees: Ron Rash, Steve Yarbrough, and, now, Sherman Alexie. We are thankful to have these incredible voices among our list of contributors.</span></span></span></div></span>T. Marlin Normalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15555011958811964703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9031500977697526148.post-71210957467147527922010-02-26T12:45:00.001-08:002010-02-26T12:49:51.329-08:00Follow that Contributing Editor!Steve Yarbrough ("In the Shadow of a King" p. 85, TNS #3) is on his way to Mississippi to receive the Richard Wright Award. Congratulations!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.colin.edu/nlcc/nlcc-richard-wright-award">http://www.colin.edu/nlcc/nlcc-richard-wright-award</a>T. Marlin Normalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15555011958811964703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9031500977697526148.post-31374234974342089992010-02-12T09:27:00.000-08:002010-02-12T10:00:41.602-08:00"March Fourth" and Submit!We've extended our <a href="http://www.thenormalschool.com/contestguidelines.html">contest</a> deadline! With the holidays in December and school starting again in January, February 12 came around too fast. So, to stop our heads from spinning, we've extended the deadline to March 4, 2010. (Oh, who are we kidding? We just wanted the opportunity to say "March Fourth and Submit.")<br /><br />So if you're one of those people who's perpetually late for everything, there's hope for you yet. March fourth and submit! For guidelines, please visit our <a href="http://www.thenormalschool.com/contestguidelines.html">website</a>.<br /><br />PS -- Thank you very much to everyone who has already submitted. Your entries are already being processed and read. You make us proud.Rosemary Normalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05760863577483255147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9031500977697526148.post-49147123891675534722010-01-30T12:35:00.001-08:002010-01-30T12:48:44.255-08:00Follow that contributor!TNS #3 contributor, Steve Yarbrough, has just released his latest novel. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Safe-Neighbors-Steve-Yarbrough/dp/0307271706"><span style="font-style: italic;">Safe From The Neighbors</span></a>, published by Knopf, has been described as a "novel of unusual richness and depth," a "tense, spellbinding narrative of marital betrayal written against a background of Deep South racial angst." Do yourself a favor and buy a copy. You won't be disappointed.<br /><br />Congratulations, Steve!Rosemary Normalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05760863577483255147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9031500977697526148.post-63247330750501431942010-01-30T12:20:00.000-08:002010-01-30T12:31:05.827-08:00Only two weeks left! $2000 in prizes!<meta name="Title" content=""> <meta name="Keywords" content=""> <meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"> <meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"> <meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 10"> <meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 10"> <link rel="File-List" href="file:///Macintosh%20HD/Users/tiffanycrum/Library/Preferences/Microsoft/Clipboard/msoclip1/01/clip_clip_filelist.xml"> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:displayhorizontaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:displayverticaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:usemarginsfordrawinggridorigin/> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--> <style> <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Times;} h1 {mso-style-next:Normal; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; page-break-after:avoid; mso-outline-level:1; font-size:8.0pt; font-family:Times; mso-font-kerning:0pt; font-weight:normal; font-style:italic;} h2 {mso-style-next:Normal; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; page-break-after:avoid; mso-outline-level:2; font-size:8.0pt; font-family:Times;} h3 {mso-style-next:Normal; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; page-break-after:avoid; mso-outline-level:3; font-size:9.0pt; font-family:Times;} h4 {mso-style-next:Normal; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; page-break-after:avoid; mso-outline-level:4; font-size:9.0pt; font-family:Times;} p.MsoBodyText, li.MsoBodyText, div.MsoBodyText {margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Times; font-weight:bold;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} /* List Definitions */ @list l0 {mso-list-id:82995229; mso-list-type:hybrid; mso-list-template-ids:1502641532 1065544564 1639433 1770505 984073 1639433 1770505 984073 1639433 1770505;} @list l0:level1 {mso-level-tab-stop:24.0pt; mso-level-number-position:left; margin-left:24.0pt; text-indent:-.25in;} @list l0:level2 {mso-level-number-format:alpha-lower; mso-level-tab-stop:60.0pt; mso-level-number-position:left; margin-left:60.0pt; text-indent:-.25in;} ol {margin-bottom:0in;} ul {margin-bottom:0in;} --> </style> <!--StartFragment--><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Normal Prize in Fiction and Nonfiction</span>
<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Deadline for Submissions: Feb. 12, 2010</span>
<br />
<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Fiction Prize: $1000 & Publication</span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >
<br />Nonfiction Prize: $1000 & Publication</span>
<br /></div>
<br /><div style="font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">Final Judges
<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Fiction: Margot Livesey
<br />Nonfiction: David Shields
<br /></div>
<br />We're interested in everything from the mainstream to the avant-garde. Just send us your best!
<br />
<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">GUIDELINES</span>
<br /><ol><li>All submissions must be no more than 10,087 words, double-spaced, 12 pt. font, with numbered pages and NO IDENTIFYING INFORMATION ON MANUSCRIPT.</li><li>Entry fee: $20 per submission. Please make checks out to "<span style="font-style: italic;">The Normal School</span>." </li><li>Manuscripts should be accompanied by a cover sheet with the following information: title, genre, word count, author's name, address, phone number and email address. Of this information, <span style="font-weight: bold;">only the title should appear on the manuscript itself</span>.
<br /></li><li>All submissions must be previously unpublished (print or electronic media).</li><li>Simultaneous submissions are permitted as long as you notify editors should your piece be accepted elsewhere. Multiple submissions are also permitted, but each submission must be accompanied by the entry fee.</li><li>Manuscripts will not be returned. Please do not send your only copy. If you want verification that we have received your manuscript, please send a self-addressed, stamped postcard.</li><li>Postmark submissions by <span style="font-weight: bold;">FEBRUARY 12</span> and send to:</li></ol>
<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">The Normal School</span>
<br />Normal Prize Contest - "Genre"
<br />5245 N. Backer Ave
<br />M/S PB 98
<br />California State University, Fresno
<br />Fresno, CA 93740
<br /></div>
<br /><div style="text-align: center;">Please be sure to specify genre on envelope and cover sheet.
<br />All entrants will receive a complimentary issue of <span style="font-style: italic;">The Normal School.</span>
<br />Winners will be announced before the Fall 2010 issue via email.
<br />All entries will be considered for publication.
<br />
<br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Judging: </span>All submissions will be read "blind" in an effort to ensure the most ethical contest possible. In addition to abiding by the Council of Literary Magazines and Presses standards on ethical contests, <span style="font-style: italic;">The Normal School</span> also specifically prohibits submissions from any current or recent students, staff, or faculty of California State University, Fresno. It also expressly prohibits submissions from family members of the outside judges.
<br />
<br />If you have questions, please contact us at: <span style="font-weight: bold;">normalprize@thenormalschool.com</span>
<br />
<br />Good luck!
<br /></div></div><o:p></o:p> <!--EndFragment--> Rosemary Normalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05760863577483255147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9031500977697526148.post-1369139929716894632010-01-21T12:24:00.001-08:002010-01-21T12:28:56.481-08:00Mr. Dinty goes Viral.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEVYcHpGOCJUQQ5k3l_OiKEPF0I6MWOyYHOD5V6PmYzsK113klTpErYngrTuqiy2IPeZ5qdSoi7xIuKakNVPX1EXTsNsWvlJ1oDAIyiCaBR8aBHE1SRq9Y8URleWeZ0wZmoRWHMp7FZ69o/s1600-h/TNS3+Cover.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 246px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEVYcHpGOCJUQQ5k3l_OiKEPF0I6MWOyYHOD5V6PmYzsK113klTpErYngrTuqiy2IPeZ5qdSoi7xIuKakNVPX1EXTsNsWvlJ1oDAIyiCaBR8aBHE1SRq9Y8URleWeZ0wZmoRWHMp7FZ69o/s320/TNS3+Cover.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429292714120620386" /></a><br /><br /><br />Hey Normals,<br /><br />Our good friend, Dinty Moore and his google-maps essay from our current issue of The Normal School have gone viral. Check him out on <a href="http://twitter.com/search?q=dinty">Twitter</a>. Search for "Dinty" and hear the buzzzzzzzz . . . Thanks, Dinty for letting us publish this piece. Be Normal. Subscribe. Submit. <br /><br />Trust us. We're Normal.Steven Churchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04153575704748959627noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9031500977697526148.post-78413950574944289372009-12-08T08:11:00.001-08:002009-12-08T08:11:30.308-08:00Normal Prize. Submit your work now!<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >The First Annual Normal Prize in Fiction and Nonfiction</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Deadline for Submissions: Feb. 12, 2010</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Fiction Prize: $1000 & Publication</span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" ><br />Nonfiction Prize: $1000 & Publication</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-weight: bold;">Final Judges<br /></div>Fiction: Margot Livesey<br />Nonfiction: David Shields<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">GUIDELINES</span><br /><ol><li>All submissions must be no more than 10,087 words, double-spaced, 12 pt. font, with numbered pages and NO IDENTIFYING INFORMATION ON MANUSCRIPT.</li><li>Entry fee: $20 per submission. Checks MUST be made out to "<span style="font-style: italic;">The Normal School</span>." </li><li>All submissions must include 2 cover sheets (PLEASE SEE #'s 4 and 5).<br /></li><li>1st cover sheet must include a) Title b) Genre c) Name of author d) 50 word biographical statement e) Mailing address f) Email address</li><li>2nd cover sheet must include a) Title of Work b) Genre *NO OTHER IDENTIFYING INFORMATION CAN APPEAR ON THIS COVER SHEET</li><li>All submissions must be previously unpublished (print or electronic media).</li><li>Simultaneous submissions ARE allowed as long as you notify editors should your piece be accepted elsewhere. Multiple submissions ARE allowed, but each submission must be accompanied by the entry fee.</li><li>Manuscripts will not be returned. Please do not send your only copy. If you want verification that we have received your manuscript, please send a self-addressed, stamped postcard.</li><li>All submissions MUST be addressed as follows:</li></ol><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">The Normal School</span><br />Normal Prize Contest - "Genre"<br />5245 N. Backer Ave<br />M/S PB 98<br />California State University, Fresno<br />Fresno, CA 93740<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">All submissions must be postmarked between <span style="font-weight: bold;">12/1/2009</span> and <span style="font-weight: bold;">2/12/2010</span>.<br />Please be sure to specify genre on envelope and cover sheet.<br />All entrants will receive a complimentary issue of <span style="font-style: italic;">The Normal School.</span><br />Winners will be announced before the Fall 2010 issue via email.<br />All entries will be considered for publication.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Checklist:</span><br /><ul><li>Payment of $20 USD made out to <span style="font-style: italic;">The Normal School</span>.</li><li>Your manuscript (double-spaced, 12 pt. font, 10,087 words or fewer, and NO IDENTIFYING INFORMATION).</li><li>2 cover sheets -- 1st with biography and address, 2nd with title and genre only.</li></ul><span style="font-weight: bold;">Judging: </span>All submissions will be read "blind" in an effort to ensure the most ethical contest possible. The final judge will not be sent the names of the finalists. Only their manuscripts, without identifying information, will be forwarded. The judge will then select 1 winner and 2-3 finalists in each genre. <span style="font-style: italic;">TNS</span> will publish the contest winner and reserves the right to consider the finalists for publication as well.<br /><br />In addition to abiding by the Council of Literary Magazines and Presses standards on ethical contests, <span style="font-style: italic;">The Normal School</span> also specifically prohibits submissions from any current or recent students, staff, or faculty of California State University, Fresno. It also expressly prohibits submissions from family members of the outside judges.<br /><br />If you have questions, please contact us at: <span style="font-weight: bold;">normalprize@thenormalschool.com</span><br /><br />Good luck!<br /></div></div>Steven Churchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04153575704748959627noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9031500977697526148.post-37342500625762526392009-11-29T20:41:00.000-08:002009-11-29T20:46:53.217-08:00Pushcart NominationsDear Friends, <br /><br />The Normal School is happy to announce our nominees from 2009 for the Pushcart Prize:<br /><br />Poetry:<br />"Chicago, 1988" by Beth Ann Fennelly<br />"Japanese Water Bomb," by Sandra Beasley<br /><br />Fiction:<br />"The Accident," by Nick Arvin<br />"Assignment," by Rachel Cantor<br /><br />Nonfiction:<br />"Where There Are No Doctors," by Jacqueline Lyons<br />"In Hickey's Havana," by Ben Miller<br /><br />Please subscribe at www.thenormalschool.com or pick up a copy of TNS at your local bookstore (ask them to order it if they don't carry it) and read the pieces from Beasley, Miller, and Cantor. Our latest issue will be out in a few weeks!<br /><br />Best Wishes,<br /><br />Barry NormalSteven Churchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04153575704748959627noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9031500977697526148.post-87908129668021388032009-11-18T09:42:00.000-08:002009-11-22T09:40:08.851-08:00The Normal School Is Excited To Announce<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >The First Annual Normal Prize in Fiction and Nonfiction</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Deadline for Submissions: Feb. 12, 2010</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Fiction Prize: $1000 & Publication</span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" ><br />Nonfiction Prize: $1000 & Publication</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-weight: bold;">Final Judges<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Fiction: Margot Livesey<br />Nonfiction: David Shields<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">GUIDELINES</span><br /><ol><li>All submissions must be no more than 10,087 words, double-spaced, 12 pt. font, with numbered pages and NO IDENTIFYING INFORMATION ON MANUSCRIPT.</li><li>Entry fee: $20 per submission. Checks MUST be made out to "<span style="font-style: italic;">The Normal School</span>." </li><li>All submissions must include 2 cover sheets (PLEASE SEE #'s 4 and 5).<br /></li><li>1st cover sheet must include a) Title b) Genre c) Name of author d) 50 word biographical statement e) Mailing address f) Email address</li><li>2nd cover sheet must include a) Title of Work b) Genre *NO OTHER IDENTIFYING INFORMATION CAN APPEAR ON THIS COVER SHEET</li><li>All submissions must be previously unpublished (print or electronic media).</li><li>Simultaneous submissions ARE allowed as long as you notify editors should your piece be accepted elsewhere. Multiple submissions ARE allowed, but each submission must be accompanied by the entry fee.</li><li>Manuscripts will not be returned. Please do not send your only copy. If you want verification that we have received your manuscript, please send a self-addressed, stamped postcard.</li><li>All submissions MUST be addressed as follows:</li></ol><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">The Normal School</span><br />Normal Prize Contest - "Genre"<br />5245 N. Backer Ave<br />M/S PB 98<br />California State University, Fresno<br />Fresno, CA 93740<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">All submissions must be postmarked between <span style="font-weight: bold;">12/1/2009</span> and <span style="font-weight: bold;">2/12/2010</span>.<br />Please be sure to specify genre on envelope and cover sheet.<br />All entrants will receive a complimentary issue of <span style="font-style: italic;">The Normal School.</span><br />Winners will be announced before the Fall 2010 issue via email.<br />All entries will be considered for publication.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Checklist:</span><br /><ul><li>Payment of $20 USD made out to <span style="font-style: italic;">The Normal School</span>.</li><li>Your manuscript (double-spaced, 12 pt. font, 10,087 words or fewer, and NO IDENTIFYING INFORMATION).</li><li>2 cover sheets -- 1st with biography and address, 2nd with title and genre only.</li></ul><span style="font-weight: bold;">Judging: </span>All submissions will be read "blind" in an effort to ensure the most ethical contest possible. The final judge will not be sent the names of the finalists. Only their manuscripts, without identifying information, will be forwarded. The judge will then select 1 winner and 2-3 finalists in each genre. <span style="font-style: italic;">TNS</span> will publish the contest winner and reserves the right to consider the finalists for publication as well.<br /><br />In addition to abiding by the Council of Literary Magazines and Presses standards on ethical contests, <span style="font-style: italic;">The Normal School</span> also specifically prohibits submissions from any current or recent students, staff, or faculty of California State University, Fresno. It also expressly prohibits submissions from family members of the outside judges.<br /><br />If you have questions, please contact us at: <span style="font-weight: bold;">normalprize@thenormalschool.com</span><br /><br />Good luck!<br /></div></div><br /></div></div>Rosemary Normalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05760863577483255147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9031500977697526148.post-88314005476025477882009-11-13T14:36:00.000-08:002009-11-13T14:50:23.812-08:00Do you have the write stuff?Okay. Forgive me for that perfectly predictable pun. But if you write fiction and feel particularly ambitious this fine day, Stanford University is hiring a fiction writer. So, dust off the CV, turn off the Pantera <span style="font-style: italic;">Behind the Music </span>on Youtube, and get your application in by December 4, 2009. For more info--courtesy of Academic Careers Online--here is the <a href="http://www.academiccareers.com/cgi-win/JobSite/sendjob.exe/ACO/?24880">listing</a>.<br /><br />Break a leg!<br /><br />--julius.kristofer whitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10863044116560233271noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9031500977697526148.post-27291107700681871932009-11-06T10:29:00.000-08:002009-11-06T10:39:18.781-08:00Sneak Peak: Evolution of a Magazine CoverDear Normals,<br /><br />Many of you have commented on how much you like our covers. Thanks. We like them a lot, too. Each one has been custom created for The Normal School by a different artist . Our Fall issue will be hitting the shelves soon. For a little sneak peak, take a look at the <a href="http://www.behance.net/Gallery/My-Process-For-Painting-A-Magazine-Cover_/289202">creative process</a> of our latest cover artist, Jason Graham (a former Fresnite who now lives and works in Portland, Oregon). We're very excited to show Jason's work to the Normal masses. If you like what you see, let Jason know and support artists in your community. It matters.<br /><br />And if you want to see the final cover, <a href="http://www.thenormalschool.com/subscribe.html">subscribe </a>and see the Normal results!<br /><br />Thanks. -- Barry Wayne NormalSteven Churchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04153575704748959627noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9031500977697526148.post-50812573128039120302009-11-05T15:28:00.000-08:002009-11-06T11:19:39.722-08:00"You don't actually read these, do you?"This is an actual, hand-written comment we found on an author's cover letter last week. To be fair, we're going to assume the author meant, "You don't actually read [cover letters], do you?" Not, "You don't actually read these [stories, essays, poems], do you?" Because the latter would be utterly ridiculous.<br /><br />So, to answer this bold question quite honestly -- no. And yes. Yes and no. We read them AFTER deciding whether or not we like a piece, and we'll admit that a small fraction of our decision is based on the contents of the cover letter. Say, 1/200%. The other 99 199/200% is based on the writing. So, if you're not very good at math, you might think that cover letters are really important. And if you <span style="font-style: italic;">are</span> good at math, include them anyway. We don't want to hear about the litter of kittens your Tabby just gave birth to, but we wouldn't mind seeing where you've been published (if you've been published) and whether or not it's a simultaneous submission.<br /><br />Will we think less of you for addressing your cover letter to the generic "Fiction Editor" or "Poetry Editor"? No. Will we think you're kissing up if you address it to Steven Church, Alex Espinoza or Connie Hales? No. (Although we like kiss-ups.)<br /><br />In short: Yes, include a cover letter. No, it's not going to make any difference as to whether or not we like your manuscript. Yes, we like kiss-ups. Does that help?<br /><br />If you want any additional logistical info as to what to include, you might want to check out About.com's "<a href="http://fictionwriting.about.com/od/thebusinessofwriting/tp/coverslettershowto.htm">Cover Letter Advice</a>." Thanks, About.com. We couldn't have said it better ourselves.<br /><br />Happy submitting!Rosemary Normalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05760863577483255147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9031500977697526148.post-1607367976573256532009-10-06T19:58:00.000-07:002009-10-06T20:19:09.091-07:00Why wouldn't you enter this contest?All--<br /><br />Came across this contest in The Writer's Chronicle and figured I'd share it: Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival Fiction Contest.<br /><br />Air-fare, accommodations, public reading, and fifteen hundred bucks? I'm in. Maybe they'll even get Brad Pitt to build the winner a house. Here's the <a href="http://www.tennesseewilliams.net/contest">contest site</a> for more information. Or, if you just have to be networky and social about it, the <a href="http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=107083945403">facebook page</a>.kristofer whitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10863044116560233271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9031500977697526148.post-80222331282533268702009-09-13T14:12:00.000-07:002009-09-13T14:17:26.417-07:00Follow that EditorHey Folks,<br /><br />Check out the latest <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Best-American-Essays-2009/dp/0618982728">Best American Essays,</a> where you will find an essay, "The Myopia of Scale" from our Editor, Matt Roberts, listed as Notable Essay for 2009. This piece was first published in the uber-cool lit mag, <a href="http://www.ecotonejournal.com">Ecotone</a>. Congrats, Matt!<br /><br />-- TNSSteven Churchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04153575704748959627noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9031500977697526148.post-12719642683554449822009-06-21T13:04:00.000-07:002009-06-21T13:17:33.279-07:00Follow that Contributor!TNS #2 contributor Margot Livesey ("Only Plump the Pillows," p. 25) is featured in the current issue of <a href="http://www.ninthletter.com">Ninth Letter</a>. <br /><br />You will also find in this same issue an essay on gaming by former Normal School intern, J. Nicholas Geist. <br /><br />Do yourself a favor and check this magazine out. You will not be disappointed.T. Marlin Normalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15555011958811964703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9031500977697526148.post-1246078178664752982009-06-04T13:55:00.000-07:002009-06-04T14:11:08.350-07:00Follow that Contributor!<i>The Normal School #2</i> contributors Beth Ann Fennelly ("Chicago, 1988", p. 93) and Ander Monson ("Ander Alert", p. 88) are both featured in the latest issue of the <i>Oxford American</i>. This is OA's Best of the South 2009 issue and should not be missed. <br /><br />If you can't find it at your local newsstand or magazine rack, then please contact them at <a href="http://www.oxfordamerican.org">www.oxfordamerican.org</a>. Buy a subscription. This is time and money well spent.T. Marlin Normalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15555011958811964703noreply@blogger.com0