Once in a while we're going to link to some of PR staff's favorite articles and websites or something that wasn't blog-worthy on its own, these are tidbits left to the side, hence the name Marginalia....
Comprehensive list of books turned into Movies. You always hear about how most movies come from books, and here is a comprehensive website of all the upcoming and 2009 movies that were made from books (the surprise for me? Hotel for Dogs.)
Phoebe's Poetry Instigator website. The poetry people George Mason's lit journal Phoebe have set up a blog, wherein each we they set up a prompt and then people can post their poems in the forum section.
More writing prompts! A list of interesting prompts to get you into a different mindset for your writing. This is geared more toward fiction writers.
Potomac, Illinois. It used to be if you googled "Potomac Review" are websites would immediately pop up. Not the case anymore, now Potomac, IL with it's huge google map is hogging the top spot. We are taking suggestions on how to knock Potomac, IL off the #1 google entry.
Writer's Center interviews PR. I'm a little long-winded, but I hit all my marks and have moments of clarity.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
PR Intern showing art in Gaithersburg
Every season Potomac Review receives a new batch of great interns, and this Fall was no exception. PR Intern Melissa Zetts is showing her artwork at Chloe's Coffee in Gaithersburg. She hung it on the walls this weekend so it's up as I type this and as you read it (unless you're reading it in very distant future), and there will be a reception at Chloe's open to the public this Friday from 5-7pm for her work.You can see her artist's statement (scroll to the bottom), but I'll excerpt my favorite part:
"Larry Rivers said, 'You don’t just move into the future, you drag a past.' This is a principal focus. By regarding the common man and the candidness of his interaction with himself and others, much can be discovered. I have paid close attention to the gesture of hands, the inclination of a voice, the way arms bend, the coldness of a face, and the moisture in someone’s eyes. I am changed by these moments, left different by the exchange that has taken place between us during a sitting."
Join Melissa and the rest of PR staff this Friday for the reception.
Monday, November 16, 2009
The Marriage of Voice, Plot, and Theme
From time to time, our associate editors will take the blog conch and write what's on their mind. After Associate Editor Jessie Seigel listed two stories as "maybes" because the plot and voice didn't align, we encouraged her to explain:
The first time I heard the term “voice,” I had just performed in an open reading at the Bethesda Writers Center. Someone from the audience, complimenting me, said that I had a “strong voice.” I thanked him for the compliment, and thought to myself, so I have a good, strong pair of lungs—but what did he think of the work?
I have long since learned that “voice” is a literary term of art, but to what it refers, even now, I am never entirely sure. Is it merely a fancy synonym for style; that is, the author’s tone? Or does it refer to writing from your character’s point of view; that is, speaking in the voice of your character? I suspect it can refer to either or to a combination of the two. In any event, to me, these two elements, whatever you call them, are the most essential components of an interesting work. Without them, plot is only a series of actions performed by interchangeable types, and the effect is that of watching stick figures move through a barren landscape.
At the same time, even the most engaging style may be wasted if the story has nothing much to say. Nor can the most interesting characters carry a story if the plot takes them nowhere. There needs to be a point to the journey. Of necessity, of course, writing must be in the particular.
But if, in the end, these particulars tell us only about the particular and do not express something broader about the nature of our humanity or the nature of human relationships, the story will lack power and interest.
Furthermore, the story—voice, character, and plot—is more likely to feel complete if the writer has a clear understanding in his or her own mind of some larger thing he or she intends the story to express. Such understanding also makes the story more likely to express a view unique to the author. And that always results in the most interesting work.
The first time I heard the term “voice,” I had just performed in an open reading at the Bethesda Writers Center. Someone from the audience, complimenting me, said that I had a “strong voice.” I thanked him for the compliment, and thought to myself, so I have a good, strong pair of lungs—but what did he think of the work?
I have long since learned that “voice” is a literary term of art, but to what it refers, even now, I am never entirely sure. Is it merely a fancy synonym for style; that is, the author’s tone? Or does it refer to writing from your character’s point of view; that is, speaking in the voice of your character? I suspect it can refer to either or to a combination of the two. In any event, to me, these two elements, whatever you call them, are the most essential components of an interesting work. Without them, plot is only a series of actions performed by interchangeable types, and the effect is that of watching stick figures move through a barren landscape.
At the same time, even the most engaging style may be wasted if the story has nothing much to say. Nor can the most interesting characters carry a story if the plot takes them nowhere. There needs to be a point to the journey. Of necessity, of course, writing must be in the particular.
But if, in the end, these particulars tell us only about the particular and do not express something broader about the nature of our humanity or the nature of human relationships, the story will lack power and interest.
Furthermore, the story—voice, character, and plot—is more likely to feel complete if the writer has a clear understanding in his or her own mind of some larger thing he or she intends the story to express. Such understanding also makes the story more likely to express a view unique to the author. And that always results in the most interesting work.
Friday, November 13, 2009
PR reaches 1,000 Online Submissions
So here I sit – watching the counter on the Online Submission Manager. Wow –we are one click away from 1,000 submissions. (Update: Congrats to Susan Tepper for being the 1,000 submitter.)
Wow!
Wow on so many levels. First, that there are so many wonderful stories and poems hovering and waiting for us. Second, we have almost managed to keep up with the flood. That’s a miracle due to the hard work of our associate editors. Bless them every one.
Third, trees love us. Four, it frees my interns to do more interesting tasks than mind-numbing data entry. Fifth, we have had some dandy screw-ups over... never mind that the college server ate the portal for a week in September.
Now we need to name the beast... OSM doesn’t cut it. Send us your suggestion in our comment box so I’ll stop calling it the Beast.
Wow!
Wow on so many levels. First, that there are so many wonderful stories and poems hovering and waiting for us. Second, we have almost managed to keep up with the flood. That’s a miracle due to the hard work of our associate editors. Bless them every one.
Third, trees love us. Four, it frees my interns to do more interesting tasks than mind-numbing data entry. Fifth, we have had some dandy screw-ups over... never mind that the college server ate the portal for a week in September.
Now we need to name the beast... OSM doesn’t cut it. Send us your suggestion in our comment box so I’ll stop calling it the Beast.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
PR Reading at Chloe's Coffee
This past weekend we had an intimate reading at Chloe's Coffee shop in Gaithersburg. Javy Awan (pictured) and Sid Gold read from their body of work and ended with their newly published work in PR's Issue 46.
Our Poetry Editor Katherine Smith introduced them, and she also read from her book and some new poems. It turned out to be a nice little Friday evening. You don't see that many people going out of their way for poetry on a Friday night, but we filled the front half of Chloe's and then some.
Thanks to Melissa, our intern, for setting this up, oh, and her artwork will be featured on Chloe's walls in the coming weeks!
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Potomac Review at CCHA
The Potomac Review is still wind blown from a great weekend in Chicago. The Windy City hosted the Community College Humanities Association's national conference on October 29-31, 2009. Montgomery College Humanities Dean Carolyn Terry and I presented a panel called "A Unique Service Learning Opportunity: Community Internships."
Of course, I spoke about the Potomac Review's stalwart interns and the meaningful work they do for the journal and our readers. Our interns play important roles--they do everything from sorting submissions to hosting local reading events--and it goes without saying that the PR would not be as successful without them. It was a pleasure to present to CCHA how integral interns are to our success. Maybe next year, we can take some interns with us!
Of course, I spoke about the Potomac Review's stalwart interns and the meaningful work they do for the journal and our readers. Our interns play important roles--they do everything from sorting submissions to hosting local reading events--and it goes without saying that the PR would not be as successful without them. It was a pleasure to present to CCHA how integral interns are to our success. Maybe next year, we can take some interns with us!
Monday, November 9, 2009
From slushpile to published file
When I has having lunch with Associate editor Edythe Wise, she described her delight at finding one of her picks in Issue #46:
As one of the reviewers of the story “Kicking,” I was delighted to find it in Issue 46. I’m not sure whether I marked it with a “yes” or a “maybe” but remember thinking it rich in character development, emotion, and subtle humor. I liked the way it evolved in scenes of escalating conflict until it reached a climax, the way it used significant detail in setting those scenes, and the way it avoided a pat ending. These are qualities I believe good fiction should have.
I realize there are stories that don’t have the qualities I prize because their writers are experimenting with new forms. Unless such stories are strikingly effective, I usually don’t choose them. Some other associate editors, however, are on the lookout for experimental fiction and will select ones that I wouldn’t. That way, we achieve balance in our judgments.
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