- What Does Not Kill Me -

Wow, what a great time. Got there just in time.

Thanks to Todd from Opium (http://www.opiummagazine.com/)for a great event, was very cool chatting. I mentioned to him my short “Animal Magnetism” that they published online, and he actually remembered it. Said that he was kind of burnt out one day, and picked up my story, and like it so much, it kid of revamped his energy for the online part of Opium. Or something like that. Well, you weren’t standing there. Todd was hilarious, and did a great job of hosting. His co-host Claire Zulkey was just as funny and very nice.

The judges were great, and I got the chance to talk to local crime writer Kevin Guilfoile (http://www.guilfoile.net/). Great writer, part of a lot of Chicago stuff going on, and his 1st book CAST OF SHADOWS (a great read) has really been very successful. His next book, THE THOUSAND will be out this year. Very cool guy, I chatted him up about the Chicago scene, publishing, agents. Very cool guy. I talked about interviewing him and getting him to contribute to Colored Chalk, and he seemed down with it all. Gave me his card. Great guy, was in advertising for a long time (like me), very funny.

Mark Bazer a local columnist and Matt Herlihy a local writer were the other judges, very funny too.

The writers were all fantastic. Megan Stielstra runs 2nd Story, a storytelling series (http://www.storiesandwine.com) and started first, very funny story about speed dating and Ton Loc. We had a nice chat too. She teaches at Columbia, so of course I had to bring up Joe Meno writing for CC.

Holly Wilson read a wild tale about sorority sisters, very sexy and strange, loved it. She edits fiction for Southeast Review (http://southeastreview.org/) I’ll have to hit them up. She is also friends with the editor of Juked (John Wang – http://www.juked.com/), so that’s always a nice connection, a place I want to publish.

Gwendolyn Knapp read a funny “southern gothic” tale, that was actually set in the south, but about GOTHS. A nice twist. She’s at U of Iowa.

Rachel Yoder read a strange tale about an imaginary man who never shows up.

Hobart editor Aaron Burch read from somebody else (Wendy Wilson?) and it was some great stuff, gotta find out what he read. They are another place I’d LOVE to publish (http://www.hobartpulp.com/). We chatted a bit after, very nice guy. I asked him when they are going to open submissions again (right after AWP) and what he was looking for (anything that excited me). I asked him about the 2008 BASS, and he nodded when I mentioned AM Homes and TC Boyle. Maybe I should start submitting as RG Thomas.

Anyway, great time, thanks Caleb, sorry you didn’t get in in time, stupid planes.

UPDATED: January 18, 2010

Richard Thomas lives in the northwest suburbs of Chicago. He was born in St. Louis, MO (Webster Groves) where he attended Webster Groves High School. He did his undergraduate studies at Bradley University, where he majored in Advertising and Communications, and minored in Psychology. He was a member of the theater department, the Bradley Chorale, and Delta Upsilon Fraternity.

He was the winner of the ChiZine Publications 2009 “Enter the World of Filaria” contest. His short story “Maker of Flight” was chosen by Filaria author Brent Hayward and Bram Stoker Award-Winning editor Brett Alexander Savory.

Publishing credits include Cemetery Dance (Shivers VI anthology, early 2010), Living Dead Press (Eternal Nights: A Vampire Anthology), 3:AM Magazine, Word Riot, Dogmatika, Cherry Bleeds, The Oddville Press, Colored Chalk, Cause and Effect, Gold Dust, Vain, Nefarious Muse, Troubadour 21 and Opium.

He is currently pursuing a MFA at Murray State University in their low-residency program. In his spare time he moderates at The Cult writer’s workshop where they are putting together an anthology that Chuck will publish in 2010. He has been an Editor for Colored Chalk (Issue #6 – Waking Up Strange and Issue #9 – Heaven and Hell) and is Co-Editor and Designer at Sideshow Fables.

His debut novel, a neo-noir thriller entitled Transubstantiate will be out with Otherworld Publications on 6.18.10.

Richard is a member of the Horror Writers Association.

You can reach me at wickerkat at aol dot com. Or use the form below.

So, here’s a quick list of alternative, cool, and subversive places:

JOURNALS AND MAGS THAT WERE VERY COOL – SUBMIT TO THEM:

Avery* – very cool girl named Emma Straub. Last name sound familiar?
Mississippi Review – but the current issue, V36, N3 it is ON literary mags
Hobart
ACM* (Another Chicago Magazine) – very cool, kind of punk rock
Roger – small, seems open
Monkeybicycle
Bat City Review* – very cool, got 1 rejection, so far
Blue Earth Review – new, small
St. Petersburg Review – seems cool
Quick Fiction* – cool, short stuff, under 1000
Redivider* – been eyeing them, I like them even more now
Copper Nickel* – VERY cool, dark stuff
Opium Magazine – published online, good stuff
American Short Fiction – SEEM open
Fringe – online only, very cool chicks
Salamander – seem cool
Turnrow* – bit surreal, seem very open

CONTESTS/PRESSES/MISC:
Harper Perennial* – heard they are very cool and open
Grub Street Book Prize
Les Figues Press
Red Hen Press – Short Story Award
http://www.squad365.blogspot.com – promotion, good panel
The Review Review* – like duotrope, but actual review of lit mags

PRESSES:
CoffeeHouse*
Red Hen
Dzanc
Harper Perennial
Tin House
Dalkey Archive – great press, open to subversive, experimental

AGENTS:
Robin Mitchell – new, but very sweet she suggested
Nat Sobel – supposed to be looking for writers

BOOKS I BOUGHT:
The Abstracy by Goodloe Byron – cool guy pimping his book
All Over by Roy Kesey – very cool, 2007 BASS, will interview/get to submit
Big World by Mary Miller – Hobart published this, Aaron, the editor, read from it at Opium
Ovenman by Jeff Parker – Tin House, Caleb suggestion, looks very cool

Hope that helps.

Wow, what a great time. Got there just in time.

Thanks to Todd from Opium for a great event, was very cool chatting. I mentioned to him my short “Animal Magnetism” that they published online, and he actually remembered it. Said that he was kind of burnt out one day, and picked up my story, and like it so much, it kid of revamped his energy for the online part of Opium. Or something like that. Well, you weren’t standing there. Todd was hilarious, and did a great job of hosting. His co-host Claire Zulkey was just as funny and very nice.

The judges were great, and I got the chance to talk to local crime writer Kevin Guilfoile . Great writer, part of a lot of Chicago stuff going on, and his 1st book CAST OF SHADOWS (a great read) has really been very successful. His next book, THE THOUSAND will be out this year. Very cool guy, I chatted him up about the Chicago scene, publishing, agents. Very cool guy. I talked about interviewing him and getting him to contribute to Colored Chalk, and he seemed down with it all. Gave me his card. Great guy, was in advertising for a long time (like me), very funny.

Mark Bazer a local columnist and Matt Herlihy a local writer were the other judges, very funny too.

The writers were all fantastic. Megan Stielstra runs 2nd Story, a storytelling series S&W and started first, very funny story about speed dating and Ton Loc. We had a nice chat too. She teaches at Columbia, so of course I had to bring up Joe Meno writing for CC.

Holly Wilson read a wild tale about sorority sisters, very sexy and strange, loved it. She edits fiction for Southeast Review SER I’ll have to hit them up. She is also friends with the editor of Juked (John Wang – JUKED), so that’s always a nice connection, a place I want to publish.

Gwendolyn Knapp read a funny “southern gothic” tale, that was actually set in the south, but about GOTHS. A nice twist. She’s at U of Iowa.

Rachel Yoder read a strange tale about an imaginary man who never shows up.

Hobart editor Aaron Burch read from somebody else (Wendy Wilson?) and it was some great stuff, gotta find out what he read. They are another place I’d LOVE to publish HOBART. We chatted a bit after, very nice guy. I asked him when they are going to open submissions again (right after AWP) and what he was looking for (anything that excited me). I asked him about the 2008 BASS, and he nodded when I mentioned AM Homes and TC Boyle. Maybe I should start submitting as RG Thomas.

Anyway, great time, thanks Caleb for the Opium reminder, sorry you didn’t get in in time, stupid planes. Jesse and Nik and Grover went to the Chiasmus reading. Dwyer in the AM. Great start. Going to bed.

Peace,
Richard

PS-Megan won, and there was almost a stabbing.

Heading down to the Hideout for the Opium LDM.

GO, it will be a blast. Here is the link:

http://www.awpwriter.org/conference/2009awpconf.php

Here’s what I’m thinking of attending:

RICHARD’S 2009 AWP MASTER PLAN
Which really means so very little
If there are multiple selections per time period, * marks my choice for now

WED FEB 11 (night)

FC2 reading (Chiasmus) with SGJ
6 pm @ AWP

Opium’s Literary Death Match
The Hideout
1354 W Wabansia Ave.
Chicago, IL
6-8

THURSDAY FEB 12

9-10:15 (Breakfast) – nothing really jumps out at me

10:30-11:45

R126. First Books of Fiction*

NOON-1:15

R142. The City – Real and Imagined (Dybek)
R147. What’s in the Magazines: A Conversation about Lit Journals (Frangello)*
R149. Don’t Stand So Close to Me: Controlling Narrative Distance
R154. Bob Hope, Joey Ramone, Wolfman and Me: Pop Culture in Fiction*

1:30-2:45 (lunch?)

R160. Loft Series (Scott Russell Sanders)*
R171. Art Shool Confidential: CW in Art School (Monica Drake) – OT, but love MD

3:00-4:15

R178. How to Make Money Writing Now (nonfiction)
R183. Editing – The Business of Writing
R185. CLMP Panel – Finding Needle in Haystack: Mktg for Indie Pubs*
(Milkweed, Melville, RedBone, Four Way Books, Missouri Review)
R187. This is the Midwest? Landscape in Narrative

4:30-5:45

R199. Reading by Eric Bogosian*
R202. It’s a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood: 5 Chicago Writers
R205. Tribute to Scott Russell Sanders
R207. Bruce Jay Friedman & Friends on SS
NIGHT

8:30-10 Keynote by Art Spiegelman

FC2 7pm with SGJ
Curtiss Hall,
10th floor of the Fine Arts Building,
410 S. Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Illinois.

Murray State University
Richard Thomas reading (that’s me – trying to read LATE)
8:00pm – 11:00pm
Beat Kitchen (upstairs)
2100 W. Belmont
Chicago, IL

FRIDAY FEB 13

9-10:15 (Breakfast) – nothing jumping out at me

10:30-11:45

F127. Shameless Promotion

NOON-1:15

F142. Digi-Analog: Print, Online, Alternative Methods*
(SGJ!, Mississippi Review, Ninth Letter, Hobat, Juked, Iron Horse Review, Southeast Review)
F148. Omniscience: We Know, We Know

1:30-2:45 (lunch, nothing looks good – BOOKFAIR?)

3:00-4:15

F176. Vermont Studios (Hempel)
F189. Dzanc Books Reading (indie, nonprof, Minor has a new book out, looks good, a press I’m targeting)
(Dzanc also bought OV Books, Black Lawrence, and Monkeybicycle, fyi)

4:30-5:45

F196. Flash Fast Sudden Fiction and the Short Story (Almond)
F204. Chicago’s Global Voices: Other Voices Mag (Frangello)

8:30-10

F# ZZ Packer and Joe Meno (no Irvine Welsh)

SATURDAY FEB 14 (Valentine’s Day, don’t forget)

9-10:15

S105. Getting the Creative Writing Job: How We Did It and How You Can Too*
S113. Truth or Consequences in Nonrealist Fiction: Which Are We Reading For (Evenson)

10:30-11:45

S121. Yearning Meets Epiphany: Intersection of Prose Poetry and Short Fiction (Robert Olen Butler, Carlson)
S132. The New MFA
S133. Viva Tony Soprano (subversive techniques and non-resolution)*

NOON-1:15

S150. Inside Publishing: How Editors Acquire Books (Pat Walsh, Johnny Temple)*** MUST SEE
S158. Switching Hats: Poets Writing Memoir (Nick Flynn)
S164. Avoiding: Tropes & Traps (Almond, Black Warrior, SE Review)
S166. Writing in the Windy City

3-4:15

S173. The Steady Gaze: Writing Frankly about Sex* (duh)
S176. Reading by Stuart Dybek
S189. Running With the Bulls (about Hemingway, Robert Olen Butler)

4:30-5:45

S197. Then She Lit a Cigarette: Rethinking Fictional Gesture*

IT’S ALL OVER

Many will have VDay plans, but maybe there is an opportunity here as well for dinner and or going out.

MOST IMPORTANTLY: Go, have fun, see the panels that move YOU, really take some time with the bookfair, it is a great chance to meet and talk to editors, and get sample copies for cheap. And hang out!

PEACE,
Richard

Proud to be editor and designer

Wanted to let you know that the sixth issue of Colored Chalk is now live. The theme is “Waking Up Strange”, so believe me, there are some great stories in here. Go to http://coloredchalk.com/ and either read it online or download a printable PDF.

Thanks so much to Jason for all of his hard work. I really enjoyed editing and designing this issue, and hope to do it again. Soon. Not REAL soon, but soon.

You will certainly recognize some names from the Velvet, Cult and the literary world at large.

And a final thanks to all of the talented writers who put a lot of hard work, edits and thought to paper, not to mention fantastic writing. I really enjoyed every single story, and if I could’ve, I would’ve done an issue with about 50 pages of fiction. These are some of my favorite authors going right now.

Authors (in no particular order):
Joey Goebel
Joe Meno
Richard Martin
Rayo Casablanca
Christopher Dwyer
Caleb Ross
Nik Korpon
Craig Wallwork
Chris Deal
Eddy Rathke
Alex Cassun
Simon West-Bulford
Jeff Macfee
William T. Allen
Joe Dornich
Axel Taiari

ENJOY!

And be sure to submit to issue #7, “MacGuffins for Hire” it is open right now with a deadline of Feb. 28.

Peace,
Richard