Friday, April 30, 2010

S as in Sam, Z as in Zebra

Dear Friends,

Since there is lots of exciting news about Handmade Love, I'm sending another newsletter. Please forgive the extra email, but some news is just too good to not share!

Upcoming Readings

New York City

On Wednesday, 12 May 2010 at 6 p.m., I'll be reading with three other fabulous lesbian writers, Elaine Sexton, Sarah Van Arsdale, and Patricia Grossman, at the New York Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Community Center, 208 W 13th Street, NY, NY 10011. As you can imagine, it's very exciting to me to be reading at a LGBT Community Center as I spent many years working at one. Tickets for this event are $8 in advance. If you are in the New York area, please join me for this event.
More information:
http://www.gaycenter.org/node/5084

Washington, DC

On Sunday, 16 May 2010 at 7 p.m., I'll be reading as a part of the Cheryl's Gone reading series at the Big Bear Cafe, 1700 1st St NW Washington DC (at 1st and R). This should be a great fun, relaxed evening and I would love to see local friends there.
For more information:
http://cherylsgone.com/?p=93

On Tuesday, 8 June 2010 at 7:30 p.m., I'll be reading as a part of the Miller Cabin Poetry Series in Rock Creek Park. The series is held at Joaquin Miller Cabin in Rock Creek Park, Picnic Area #6, Beach Drive at Military Road Overpass. I'm excited to be reading with Jericho Brown, a fabulous poet. There will be a rain location though it has not yet been announced. If it is raining that day, call Kathi Morrison-Taylor at 703-820-8113 for information about the location. The entire Miller Cabin Poetry Series is always magical. Please join me and Jericho Brown for a great early summer evening of poetry.

Reviews

I'm thrilled to share some of the good reviews that Handmade Love has received. Rigoberto Gonzalez mentioned Handmade Love at Critical Mass, the blog of the National Book Critics Circle. You can read his words here:

http://bookcritics.org/blog/archive/small_press_spotlight_april_poetry_month_edition/

Richard Labonte, author of the bi-weekly column, Book Marks, wrote a lovely review of Handmade Love that has been syndicated to a number of LGBT newspapers. Here it is in the South Florida Gay News:

http://www.southfloridagaynews.com/arts-and-entertainment/book-reviews/1261-handmade-love-by-julie-r-enszer.html

The Lambda Book Report reviewed the book on their fabulous new website.

http://www.lambdaliterary.org/reviews/poetry/04/28/handmade-love-by-julie-enszer/

I've been crowing about this quotation from Courtney Gillette's review at Lambda Literary:
"Anyone who’s loved Dorothy Allison’s early chapbook of poetry, The Women Who Hate Me, will recognize the same brash confidence and articulation in Julie Enszer’s work."

My friend Merry Gangemi wrote a lovely blog about her experience reading Handmade Love. You can read it here:
http://merrygangemi.blogspot.com/2010/04/some-thoughts-on-julie-r-enszers-new.html
(And if you are a blogger, think about writing your own block about the book!)


Other Writings


Lambda Literary has been very generous to me in the month of April (National Poetry Month!). I was a featured interview for the Book Buzz column. You can read the interview here:
http://www.lambdaliterary.org/interviews/03/31/julie-r-enszers-archival-instinct/
And included in the series, 'Five Poets Who Changed My Life."
http://www.lambdaliterary.org/features/5-poets/04/22/5-poets-who-changed-my-life/
This month an article I wrote about The Furies was included in the new issue of Beltway
http://washingtonart.com/beltway/furies.html

Order the book

Still don't have your copy of Handmade Love? You can order it through the publisher's website here:

http://amidsummernightspress.typepad.com/amsnp/2010/02/handmade-love.html

It is shipping from Amazon.com as well:

http://www.amazon.com/Handmade-Love-Julie-R-Enszer/dp/0979420857/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1267904433&sr=8-1

If you prefer to support independent distributors, order it from Small Press Distribution here:

http://www.spdbooks.org/Producte/9780979420856/handmade-love.aspx

How You Can Help

I'd love it if you would pass on the word about the book to your friends and family, encourage people to order it or buy extra copies and give it as a gift. If you liked Handmade Love, please think about leaving a comment on Amazon.com, GoodReads, or LibraryThing. Your kind words and good wishes are greatly appreciated.

All in all, a busy and wonderful month. Now I'm deep in writing my last qualifying exam for my PhD program. Great fun with a little bit of stress thrown in. Think of me at the end of May when I am defending it!

I hope this newsletter finds you well and thriving!

Julie

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

SEVEN KITCHENS PRESS announces the third annual Robin Becker Chapbook Prize for an original, unpublished poetry manuscript in English by a Lesbian, Gay. Bisexual, Transgendered or Queer writer.

Prize: Fifty author copies.
Submission deadline: Postmarked between March 1 and May 15 of each year.
Eligibility: Open to all L/G/B/T/Q poets writing in English (no translations, please).
Please note: Two manuscripts will be selected as co-winners of the 2010 Robin Becker Chapbook Prize: one by a writer with no previous book or chapbook, and the other by a writer with previous book or chapbook publication.
Please read the guidelines carefully; the complete guidelines are posted on the Seven Kitchens site and we are not responsible for other versions of the guidelines that may be posted, in whole or in part, elsewhere.
COMPLETE GUIDELINES:

Anyone who identifies as L/G/B/T/Q is eligible to submit to the Robin Becker Chapbook Prize.
The manuscript itself need not address L/G/B/T/Q themes, though such work is welcome.
The final judge for this year's series is Eloise Klein Healy.
Submit a paginated manuscript of 16-24 pages (not including front matter).

Include two cover pages: one with the manuscript title, author name, address, e-mail and phone number; the second cover page should have the manuscript title only.
Include a table of contents page, if appropriate.
The collection may contain a series of poems or one single chapbook-length poem.
Include, if applicable, an acknowledgments page for work previously published.
Please include, on a separate page, a brief (100-150 words) biographical note, including a statement of any previous or pending book or chapbook publication.
The author's name must not appear in the manuscript.

Collaborative works are accepted. Should a winning manuscript be collaboratively written, the author copies will be shared equally.
All manuscripts will be blind judged, meaning all identifying material will be separated from the manuscripts as they are logged in.
Manuscript titles and their log numbers will be posted on the web site [http:// sevenkitchens dot blogspot dot com] as they are received.
Simultaneous submissions are accepted, but please notify us promptly if your manuscript is accepted elsewhere.

Submissions must be posted between March 1 and May 15, 2010.
The winning manuscripts will be announced on or before October 15, 2010.
Manuscript finalists will also be announced, and may be eligible for publication.
Manuscripts will not be returned. E-mailed submission is preferred, but you may send via regular mail.

If you are sending by mail, do not staple or bind your manuscript; please use a binder clip and mail flat in an 8.5 x 11 envelope.
Please do not use expedited delivery services; your postmark date is sufficient to ensure your entry qualification, and we will allow 7-10 days for receipt of all mailed entries. Please use First Class Mail and consider spending the money you've saved on a chapbook from an independent press!
If you are sending by e-mail, please send one document in Microsoft Word format (.doc, .docx or .rtf files are ideal); you must include the words “Robin Becker Chapbook” in the subject line of your e-mail.
Include a $12 reading fee with each manuscript you submit (multiple submissions are welcome). Checks should be made payable to Ron Mohring, NOT to Seven Kitchens. Online payment may be made via PayPal to sevenkitchens at yahoo dot com.
Each entrant will receive one copy of either winning chapbook, to be published during the winter of 2010-11. Please let us know if you change your e-mail or mailing address!
Each co-winner will receive fifty copies of her or his chapbook. Additionally, the publisher will distribute ten review copies and will solicit online reviews of each chapbook.
Send your manuscript:
~by e-mail, as a Microsoft Word attachment, to: sevenkitchens at yahoo dot com; or
~by mail to Ron Mohring, Publisher; PO Box 668; Lewisburg PA 17837.

ABOUT THE SERIES: Initiated in 2008, this chapbook series honors Robin Becker, whose continuing accomplishments as a poet, professor, and mentor of lesbian and gay writers deserve wider acclaim. Becker serves as poetry editor for the Women's Review of Books and is a professor of English and Women's Studies at Pennsylvania State University. She is the author of six collections of poems, including Giacometti's Dog (1990), All-American Girl (1996), The Horse Fair (2000), and Domain of Perfect Affection (2006), all from the University of Pittsburgh Press, and of the chapbook Venetian Blue (Frick Art & Historical Center, 2002).

Titles in this series include Lost Lands by Judith Barrington, Postcards from P-town by Steven Riel, (2008), Inland Sea by Erin Bertram, and Scavenge by RJ Gibson. All titles are kept in print and are available for $7 each; please add $1 for shipping.

ABOUT THE JUDGE: Eloise Klein Healy is the author of six books of poetry, including Ordinary Wisdom, Artemis in Echo Park, Passing, and The Islands Project: Poems for Sappho. Healy's work has been widely anthologized in collections including The World In Us: Lesbian and Gay Poetry of the Next Wave and Intimate Nature: The Bond Between Women and Animals. Her imprint with Red Hen Press, Arktoi Books, established in 2006, specializes in publishing the work of lesbian authors.