An International Journal of Writing and the Arts

Fiction Writers and Publishing Magazine Report By David Jones

Table of Contents
Fact Sheet Why I Chose Newport Review Comparison Table Prose Reviews Interview with Katherine Kulpa 3 4 5 6 11

Fact Sheet
Online magazine: Newport Review Web address: http://newportreview.org/ Email address: edit@newportreview.org Founded: Online-only Journal in 2007 Editor/Founder: Katherine Kulpa Frequency: Biannual What they Publish: fiction, flash fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, art and photography Submission Guidelines: We welcome well-written fiction of (almost) all lengths, from flash and short-short works to full-length stories (up to about 7000 words). We are open to most genres and genre-blending fiction, but are not interested in anything formulaic. We love stories with a strong sense of language, emotional richness and vivid characters. We dont publish childrens stories, fan fiction, or stories whose sole purpose is to impart a moral lesson or push a political or religious viewpoint. Please send one short story (1000 words+) at a time. You may send up to two flash fiction pieces (up to 1000 words). Reading Period: Varies for each issue Simultaneous Submissions: Yes (only for flash, two pieces max) Contributor Payment: No CLMP Member: Yes AWP Member: Yes

4 Why I Chose Newport Review I found Newport Review on the class list of fiction markets. I decided to just check it out, and I was attracted to some of the work. I stumbled into Apocalyptic Liquor Store by Penni Jones in Issue 4 (Winter 2009) and was impressed by the craft of it. The editing is top notch, and the pieces are compelling with a variety of voices. I like the magazines sensibilities and its commitment to good writing, no matter the writers experience. I also like Newport because it gives emerging writers a fair chance. Each issue has a New Voices section that introduces readers to an unpublished author. The website also contains a link to Writers Resources, which includes a list of other journals and publications that Newport recommends. This is a good way of building community and exposing writers to other potential markets. Overall, the work is impressive, but the quality is certainly attainable. And because the magazine doesnt publish that many fiction pieces each issues (3-6), the competition is pretty tight. Id feel especially proud of making the cut.

5 Comparison of Issues Over Time Issue 3 (Spring/Summer 2009) Fic:Flash:CNF:Poetry POV 1st:2nd:3rd (Fiction only) Men:Women (Fiction and CNF) Students:Non-students (Fiction and CNF) Flash Contest Winners Included (No Winner for Issue 5) 1:9 1:7 0:8 4:6 3:5 4:4 4:5:1:6 5:0:5 Issue 4 (Fall/Winter 2009) 3:3:1:8 4:1:1 Issue 5 (Summer 2010) 5:1:3:9 2:0:4

The magazine has a clear variety of fiction, nonfiction and poetry, but it tends to learn more towards fiction than CNF. The gender balance in each issue is about even, and there is also roughly an equal balance of flash and longer fiction. It seems like the magazine is open to any compelling POV, which is awesome. What shocked me, though, is large disparity between students and nonstudents getting published here. This is not to say that students cant get published here. It just means that the ones that do can definitely write.

6 Prose Reviews Issue 3 The Book of Love by Deborah Dashow Ruth is a first person flash piece, placed in a domestic setting. The unnamed female narrator tells the story of her relationship with a man, that ultimately leads to them getting married. Eventually the woman becomes restless and starts a fling with a stranger. Then she impulsively gets bored with that and . . .out of the blue, the shit hit the fan and I called it quits. I just said no, picked up my marbles, and never looked back. She uses these botched relationships as inspiration to write the Book of Love. The very first line of the story is: First rule of writing: Avoid clichs like the plague. It then proceeds to tell an entire story using nothing but clichd lines that people use when telling a love story. They were the best years of my life. But it takes two to tango. I could see the writing on the wall, and I was riding for a fall. There is a clear story arc that begins with the woman getting married, tying to make a commitment to one person. In the end, she changes her entire outlook on relationships. This comes through from the narrators fast, concise voice. The playing fields been leveled, and there are other fish in the sea. I can see for miles, the future lies ahead, and the best is yet to come. The piece is told entirely in model summary, with the use of clichs, but I think it works well for the story movement. The story never has to show a scene, and it still has a clear story arc.

Dust and Ice by Jan English Leary is a first person narrative, told in a domestic setting. The unnamed female narrator is with her boyfriend Brian, on a blanket in their backyard, watching a meteor. While they watch, the narrator thinks about her love of Brian. I think I can understand loving someone so much, trusting him so much that Id follow him anywhere. But,

7 while there is good use of internal POV, the story also action proceeds when Brian and the narrator start making out. They dont go any further because she doesnt have her birth control. The piece ends with them folding up the blanket and going back inside. I like that there are two storylines in this piece. First is the present moment, where the couple is in their backyard watching the meteor. But there is a deeper layer, because this couple is in love. The narrator is probably waiting for him to propose. She doesnt say this directly but instead uses a quick reference to a wedding veil. I think the two storylines are brought together seamlessly by narrators voice, imagery and powerful use of language. He is my sun, my Supernova. I am his moon. I wax and wane at his will. It becomes clear very quickly what the story is really about.

Issue 4 Apocalyptic Liquor Store by Penni Jones is a plainspoken story in a domestic setting. The unnamed narrator recalls two brothers that own the liquor store close to her apartment. She stops there and regularly notices that one of the brothers is always in the back, smoking cigarettes and watching sermons on a small tv. One particular night, she stops in to buy wine and decides to ask one of the brothers what religion he is. He says Non-Denominational, then goes into an apocalyptic rant as he rings the narrator up. Its the end times. The signs are everywhere. The narrator takes his rant to heart and decides to add a pack of Marlboro Lights to her purchase. The image of the brothers is given clearly and quickly. The brothers looked nearly identical with their leather skin and stooped postures, except one had brown hair and one had gray hair. There is strong use of a model telling to describe their routine, always smoking and watching sermons. When she arrives at the store, she doesnt intend to smoke. His second hand

8 smoke made my mouth water as I realized it had been three days since my last cigarette. Thinking I should have gone to a different store, I heard his hacking smokers cough and my resolve strengthened. The piece uses sensory details well to heighten the moment. I like the use of subtext and the way that the story smoothly moves from beginning to end, with a clear moment of decision when the narrator buys the cigarettes. Loser Birds by Joe Markman is a plainspoken story placed in a domestic setting. The narrator and several friends are intoxicated at a friends house, by his pool, at four in the morning. The narrators drunkenness is very clear, especially when he checks out the girl, Anna. Shes lying to my left on a lounge chair. I drag my vision slowly from the place where her shorts end and her inner thigh continues, along her abdomen to her eyes. George provides lines of coke, and the narrator provides weed. They get stoned and celebrate the morning, because theyve outlasted the birds that stay up very late. The piece ends with the narrator kissing Anna, before the last of the darkness vanishes into the morning light. On the surface, its a story about getting fucked up, but the subtext is clear. The narrator has feelings for Anna, probably romantic feelings. I pause, enjoying the permission she has given me to look at her, to ache for her. I like the narrators drunken state is shown, not just told. Its very late now, I think. I take a sip of my drink and the rum feels warm and pleasurable going down my throat and pooling into my stomach. Its interesting that, in the end, because its not directly stated that he takes his line of coke, but I think he does. There is also a noticeable change by the end, fueled by drugs and lack of sleep. Hes actually willing to make a move on the girl.

Issue 5 Lost and Found by Lisa Borders is a realistic third person narrative, in a domestic setting. The story opens with Debra, who daydreams about finding lost cats. One July night, shes out for her nightly walk and passes a flier for a lost cat, a silver tabby named Tinkerbell Superstar. She studies the flier to memorize the cats features, but is drawn to the picture because in it, the cat is pictured with a little girl. Pale eyes, blonde or light brown hair. A big smile on her face, a tutu around her hips, the cat in her arms. Heather. She could be Heather. Heather is Debras dead daughter. Debra continues her walk, eventually finds a cat, and goes back to the flier to get the provided phone number. She drives to the house, but realizes while on the way that the cat isnt the lost one. She decides to try anyway and gives the cat to the woman and her little girl. They realize its not the right cat, but take it anyway and invite Debra in for coffee. She notices a shrine to a dead young boy in the living room. She knows that this family has lost someone too, and she accepts the invite for coffee because she feels relieved to know shes not alone. The story uses a close third person POV to further show Debras character. The idea amused Debra, but she knew, of course, the grim reality; the cats were most often gone for good, possibly dead. Debra was not a woman given to great displays of sentiment, and even in her imagination she would only let whimsy go so far. Also, there is a clear sense of what the story is really about. Debra has a strong connection to animals, one that she cant make with children anymore because her daughter is dead. The original intro to Heather is quick and is heightened with the use of backstory. Debra is divorced, and was at some point falsely accused of physically abusing her daughter. Even her husband didnt believe her, one of the factors that probably leads

10 to their divorce. I think the present story is compelling, and the use of backstory adds another layer. The story is well done, and it comes full circle in the end.

Badman by Rusty Barnes is a realistic third person story, in a domestic setting. Mac, a trucker and mechanic, is visiting a lifelong female friend, Corey. He has always had feelings for her. This visit is well-timed because her current love interest Gerald isnt around. Mac didnt like to think about how much Gerald had been over lately. He knew Gerald had no official claim to her didnt really want one, nor did he but he didnt like the feeling of sharing her. Corey invites Mac in, and he finally gets a chance to make his move. They started fooling around some until Coreys little girl Jillian wakes up and begins crying. Corey gets the child from her bedroom and when they return to the living room, Jillian points at Mac and continually calls him Badman. Mac is upset by this, but eventually realizes that Jillian is calling him Badman because of the old photograph in the living room, where he is in a Batman costume. Mac feels relieved by this and knows that if Jillian doesnt think hes a Badman, he might have a shot with Corey afterall. The piece ends with Gerald and Corey pulling up outside in Coreys truck. Jillian drags Mac to the porch, and he lets her run to them. There is a short scene of flashback in this story, to when Mac and Corey are in a pool with Gerald and Johnny, drinking and smoking pot. Corey was seventeen, Mac was eighteen, and Corey was three years away from having her first child, the one she had given up, and a great and important life still seemed possible, if not inevitable. This scene shows their past interactions and that Mac has wanted Corey for a long time, which I think is more effective than just saying Mac loves her. The piece has good pacing, and I especially like how information is disclosed. Mac had been on the road then, driving nuclear waste through Catasauqua,

11 Pennsylvania to Ottawa, Ontario. From this, the reader can tell that Mac is a trucker, instead of it having to be explained with backstory. His job gives us many aspects of his characters, including his class and education. The friendship between the two is very clear, but the piece is driven by the fact that Mac wants more, even if not a full commitment. The present story moment is driven by Macs inner conflict and desire. Its crafted very well from beginning to end.

Interview with Head Editor and Writer Katherine Kulpa (November 15, 2011)

David Jones: What is the most common mistake you see from young writers? Katherine Kulpa: Sending a piece out before its ready. Writing really is re-writing, but we see a lot of stories and poems that have really obvious structural problems as well as spelling and grammatical errors. This tells me that the writer hasnt taken the time to read the work with the close attention it deserves. If the writer doesnt care, why should I?

DJ: What kinds of stories do you find clich and uninteresting? KK: Stories where the protagonist learns a lesson that the reader can see coming on the first page; stories that are obviously written to support a twist ending (not that all twist endings are bad, but if the story feels like its only there to support a punch line, Im just not interested); stories about childhood that are cute and sentimental; stories in which the protagonists identity and self-worth depend entirely upon her controlling vampire boyfriend.

12 DJ: How does your writing process influence your editing process, and how does your editing process influence your writing? KK: This topic just came up last night! Three of us were meeting to go over our finalist choices for the flash fiction contest before we sent them to the contest judge, and one comment that an editor made--"If I don't know what the story's about by the end of the first page, it's probably going to be a no"--really resonated with all of us. The more I read fiction submissions and see mistakes other writers make, the better I get at recognizing those mistakes in my own writing (not that I won't still make them!) I think writing makes me a better editor and editing makes me a better writer because I know how writing works. I know how difficult it is to get it right and how amazing it can be when you do.

DJ: How long have you been editing? KK: I edited student publications in high school and college and later did copy editing at some local newspapers. My first professional magazine editing job was at Merlyns Pen, a magazine of writing by teens. I was published in Newport Review in the late 1990s, then volunteered to work on the magazine.

DJ: How do you finance the magazine? KK: We have applied for and been awarded grants from RISCA (RI State Council on the Arts). Grants are the primary source of funding, followed by individual donations. We also sponsor writing contests, and any income left over after paying the writers and contest judge is used to fund the magazine.

13 DJ: Do you have any other jobs? How do you balance editing the magazine with other responsibilities? KK: Yes, I work as a reference librarian and I teach creative writing at URI, so it can be challenging to try to fit everything in lots of late nights, lots of coffee!

DJ: What are your thoughts on the emergence of online magizines? KK: I love that I can access a magazine anytime and from anywhere, and that if I publish something online, I can share it instantly with friends. The downside is that if online publications go out of business, your work can disappear into the ether. We keep an archive of past work, and I hope we would be able to continue to host the archive online, even if the magazine stopped publishing.

DJ: What other magazines/online publications do you read? Why do you like them? KK: I like One Storyit has a unique format, just publishing one short story at a time, and I like that you can read author interviews online to go along with the stories. The Sun is a beautifully designed print journal. I try to subscribe to at least one print journal per year to support small publishing. Online, I tend to read journals Ive published in or that writers I know have published in: Monkeybicycle, Metazen, deComp, The Pedestal, Vestal Review, Pank, Flashquake, Foundling Review, Northville Review I also look at Duotrope online to see where writers who submit to Newport Review have sent or published other work. I like to see the range of work thats out there.

DJ: Name one piece that youre especially proud of publishing, and explain why.

14 KK: Well, Id like to split this into two, because the two examples Im thinking of really show both sides of Newport Review. We recently published poems by Marge Piercy, and that was a thrill, because shes a poet and fiction writer I studied in college, someone Ive always admired, and having her send work to the magazine was just amazing. But in the same issue, we also published two stories by X. U. Navarro, a new writer, and that was his first professional publication. I started writing at a young age and really worked hard to get published for the first time, so I have a special affinity for publishing new writers. So we had work by a tremendously respected, established writer and work by an amazingly talented young writer just starting his career, both in the same issue. DJ: There are multiple editors on the magazine. Do you ever bump heads when making editorial decisions? Or is everything ultimately your decision as head editor? KK: Were pretty collegial, and every piece gets voted on by two or more editors. If I really loved something and all the other editors hated it, I could probably override them, but that really hasnt happened. (Yet!)

DJ: What are the advantages and disadvantages to running an online-only magazine? KK: It requires a lot less space we dont have a physical office; all our editors work from home and its less costly, I think, than publishing a print journal. We just have to pay for web hosting. But there are still some funders and some writers who dont consider web publications real magazines. I think that will change with time.

DJ: How do your spread awareness about the mag? Do you do any marketing/promotion when you have extra time?

15 KK: We have a blog and Facebook page that we try to update, and we have an email list, so we can send out announcements about readings or new issues. Weve also advertised in Poets & Writers and other writing journals.

DJ: Whats a piece of advice you can give to aspiring writers? KK: Have patience, and know that it can take a long time to publish your work. Use that time to make your writing as good as it can be. It will be worth the effort!