River & South Review open for submissions

It’s my pleasure to work with grad students in the Wilkes University low-residency MA/MFA programs. As the editorial advisor and internship supervisor for River & South Review, I sit on the proverbial sidelines to watch graduating students collect and review submissions, make editorial decisions, and then prepare and launch a multi-genre issue of new creative writing.

River & South Review is published twice annually with a Summer and Winter issue, and submissions are currently open until April 7, 2014. You’ll find the Submission Guidelines here: http://riverandsouth.blogspot.com/p/guidelines.html

River & South Review is a student-run literary journal. They seek new work by emerging writers of any age who have not gone on to a graduate writing degree. This may include undergraduates, writers without a formal education, and writers from other professions.

Spread the word, submit your work, and be sure to check out the current issue of River & South Review. 

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on the road, again

January is a busy month! I’ve been on the road most of the month and continue to be until that very last week. I’m living in and out of suitcases.

Part of my earlier travels included visiting the students of Arcadia University’s low-residency MFA program. I chatted about social media and websites, the art of book reviewing, and the ever-important business chat about contracts, agents, and taxes. apart from a few travel-related glitches, it was a great time and I’m honored to have met some truly engaged and eager students pursuing their dreams.

Me at the Maslow Reading Series

The bulk of January, thus far, was spent at the Wilkes University low-residency MFA program. Here, I worked with faculty and students on their social media and website development and presented a plenary session on using social media as part of one’s overall platform development. I was also honored to be included in the Maslow Reading Series. I read poems from my new book, Square Feet, including this little poem about baggage, which I thought was fitting, considering my month of travels: 

I’m now enjoying some time in Toronto, Ontario, as part of the University of King’s College (Halifax) creative nonfiction MFA program. I’m one of the CNF mentors in the program and this winter we’re spending quality time in Toronto meeting with nonfiction editors from Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster, touring the Kobo offices, and much more in this publishing epicenter.

Later this week, I’ll also be a guest for the Toronto Wordsmiths writing group. I look forward to meeting a great group of young and emerging writers and sharing their enthusiasm for this creative life.

So, packing and unpacking. On the road and off. It’s a busy month and I’m so excited to be a part of all this literary action, across the country and beyond borders. Stay tuned for more news, travels, and reports from the road.

Write on.

Novel Debut from Lauren Catron

Michigan author Lauren Catron has been busy since graduating with her MA in Creative Writing from Wilkes University. With the launch of her debut novel this summer, Catron has been putting her effort into finessing her website—and writing a sequel. Changeling Eyes is the first book in the series.

“In a way, The Aesir Chronicles are an alternate history of earth,” Catron says, “one that explains why we have legends of unicorns, fairies, Elves, trolls, dragons and many more. It is also a place if you will, where science, magic, and religion are all part of a whole rather than each excluding the other, as we always seem to think they must.”

The first book introduces Lrill and her struggle with her powerful heritage, and the revelation that there is a core of truth at the center of every legend. “I plan for the series to span from the creation of the world to its destruction and rebirth,” says Catron. “And since I’ve chosen to make this an alternate history of earth, I have every myth from every culture to play with—sort of like what Jim Butcher does in the Dresden Files. So you can anticipate cultural crossovers.”

Changeling Eyes is hot off the presses with Booktrope Publishing. Catron says she admires their publishing model that relies on a solid team to work toward the success of the book. The author, editor, proofreader, cover designer, and book manager all work together to ensure the best for the book. “This also gives the author a great deal of input into their cover design,” Catron says “The author can also commission work from a designer who does not work for Booktrope, and Booktrope will usually find a way to accommodate this choice.”

Catron is already at work on a sequel. “I also have a few Graphic Novel ideas," she says, "though those are a couple years out in my plans. Most of my writing centers around The Aesir Chronicles and I find that whenever I dream up as a standalone novel idea, I can find an excuse to tie it back into the main series. Having the entire world’s pool of myth and legend to work out of it makes it easy to tie things together. I have some vampires and a little steampunk, and maybe ninjas.”

Readers will find more news and updates about the series on Lauren Catron’s website, http://www.lacatron.com. Order Changeling Eyes from Amazon.com.

River & South Review—launch issue

There’s a new lit journal on the block!

River & South Review is edited by students in the Wilkes University MA/MFA creative writing program. The journal will be published twice annually and the debut issue is fresh out this summer.

Have a look at the debut issue, which features a dozen authors, and bookmark the page to check for future calls for submissions!