NewPages Review of TLR4

Thank you to NewPages for their lovely review of issue 4 of The Lindenwood Review. Click here to read the article.

www.lindenwood.edu/lindenwoodReview

LU MFA Founder Michael Castro Named First St. Louis Poet Laureate

Michael Castro, founder of Lindenwood University's MFA in Writing Program, has been named the first Poet Laureate of St. Louis. Congratulations, Michael, on this well-deserved honor! 

St. Louis Poet Laureate page

Poet Laureate Nominee Michael Castro Says Words Can Help Heal St. Louis

Michael Castro Nominated as St. Louis' first poet laureate

MFA Program website

Prospective student info

Online option

MFA Faculty

Instructor Course Descriptions

MFA Program Facebook page

The Lindenwood Review

LU Commencement December 2014

Congratulations to our new Masters of the Fine Art of Writing! Lee Douglas, Cristine Emerson, Jordan Hosmer, Trevor Roe, Bill Sharpe, Terry St. Clair, Jazmine Lampley, and Lynn Wynen-Chamberlain walked across the stage today, and Thai Kaewkaen did an outstanding job as the graduate student speaker. 

Thai

 Lee

Cristine

 Jordan

 Trevor

 Bill

 Terry

 Jazmine

Lynn

Brooke Christina Bartlett
Glenn Arden Bruce
Juan Sebastian Cornet
Jennifer Elizabeth Cunningham
Donald Lee Douglas III
Cristine Joan Emerson
Adrian Aaron Fort
Jordan Joseph Douglas Hosmer
Jeannette M. Landon
Jennifer Lee Marcus
Kristina C. Mottla
Wayne Howard Palmer
Cynthia A. Roby
Trevor Shawn Roe
Jason Christopher Rubin
Peter L. Schmidt
Chryssa Diane Sharp
Terry L. St. Clair
Jazmine Marie Williams Lampley
Lynn Wynen-Chamberlain

Commencement Address by Bill McClellan,
Senior Columnist, Post-Dispatch

Pushcart Nominees for TLR4

We are happy to announce our Pushcart Prize nominations for issue 4 of The Lindenwood Review:

Christine Stewart-Nuñez: Disordered

S. Frederic Liss: Another Flight of Stairs

Cécile Barlier: Forgetting

Mohineet Kaur Boparai: Blindness

Kate Peper: The Serial Killer's Parents, Afterward

Suellen Wedmore: The Keeper of Black Rock Light

Winter 2015 MFA Class Schedule

Students may send Beth class choices now to reserve spots, and then she will register students on November 17 in the order of emails received. If a class fills, Beth will create a wait list. Classes that fill early may be offered again in the spring. Winter quarter begins January 6 for on-campus clusters and January 12 for online classes. Winter quarter ends March 28. Contact Beth with any questions. Prospective student information is available here.

CLASS INFO LINKS (instructor course descriptions, textbooks, first assignments) are available HERE.

ONLINE CLASSES:

Workshop/Craft online classes:
IMF545 Creative Nonfiction Workshop--Catherine Rankovic
IMF524 Focused Scriptwriting Workshop--Zachary Vickers -- FULL
IMF531 Adv Focused Poetry Workshop--Scott Berzon
IMF574 Literary Novel Workshop: Polishing the In-Progress Novel--Anthony Connolly
IMF516 Fiction Genres: Flash Fiction--Eve Jones -- FULL
IMF516 Fiction Genres: Flash Fiction--Mary Anderson -- 2 spots left
IMF544 Genre Fiction Workshop: Science Fiction & Fantasy--Kelli Allen -- FULL

Literature/Craft online classes:
IMF517 Poetry Genres: Women Poets--Eve Jones
IMF573 The Literary Novel: Contemporary Fiction--Tony D'Souza
IMF556 The Prose Collection: Essay: David Sedaris--Beth Mead -- FULL 


ON-CAMPUS CLUSTER:
IMF519/538/559 Adv Fiction Cluster--Tuesdays--David Hollingsworth

Welcome to our new LU MFA Faculty Member: Zachary Vickers

Zachary Tyler Vickers is a graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop where he was the Provost’s Fellow. He is the recipient of the Richard Yates Prize and the Clark Fisher Ansley Prize for excellence in fiction. His work has appeared in The American Reader, KGB Bar Lit Journal, Hobart, and elsewhere. His short story, "Karst," has been optioned for feature film, and he is cowriting the script. In the LU MFA Program, Zachary will teach classes in scriptwriting craft/workshop, short story literature and workshop, and literature study in the graphic novel.

Calls for Submission & Upcoming Literary Events

I regularly post calls for submission and literary event info on our program facebook page, but for those who do not use facebook, I try to post occasional updates here as well. Below are some upcoming literary events, as well as journals that have recently announced calls for submission:

LITERARY EVENTS:

Tonight: Architrave Book Release & Reading
This weekend: Lit in the Lou
St. Louis Jewish Book Festival
Left Bank Books Author Series


CALLS FOR SUBMISSION:
QXOTC
Shark Reef
Flyaway
CURA
Prairie Schooner
Thin Air Magazine

LU MFA site

What About Publishing? Q & A – Catherine Rankovic

Part 1
Q. Should I enter my work in contests? Should I pay reading fees?
A. Money should flow toward, not away from, the writer. If you’re new to publishing, don’t enter contests that charge entry fees or submit to publications that ask for reading fees. Most venues holding contests still read regular submissions for free. If the venue uses Submittable software in place of postal mail, do pay the two or three dollars that is asked of you when you upload your work. That’s what you would have spent on postage anyway. Odds of winning any literary contest range between 200:1 to 1200:1. Writing contest entry fees are commonly $10 to $30. Would you put that kind of money on a horse with those odds? I do it once or twice a year for the sport of it.

Part 2
Q. Where should I send my work?
A. I know your first impulse is to send to high-paying national venues and work your way down, but be honest with yourself: No one in any profession starts at the top. For best results, begin by finding and reading journals based in your home area and submit to those that publish your type of work. Rejected? Never give up, and go to local open readings and read and listen and meet people. Build a good local reputation and network, and you will be invited to give readings or teach workshops, and as you circulate you will also meet local editors, publishers and bookstore owners. A network is as important to a writer as it is to any other professional. After conquering your home area, submit to the journals in your state, then in your region.

Part 3
Q: Can I submit my work to more than one journal or venue at once?
A: Most now allow that, but some don’t. Find the journal’s website and click the button or tab “Submissions” or “Writers’ Guidelines.” That’s where they give their requirements. Follow the instructions precisely.
Q. Which venues are the most prestigious, and which are less so, and how can I tell?
A: Look at the publication credits in the latest book by your favorite contemporary writer, or in his or her online biography. Those are probably high-prestige venues—or at least they were. In the digital age, journals are born and die every day, and likely half the names on that list have folded or lost their standing; the three or four big established names have probably barely survived digitization. Truly, the most prestigious journals are the ones you read and admire. I subscribe to a “poem-a-day” emailed from a journal I’d love to publish in. Each day I learn more about what it might take to get published in that journal.

Upcoming Literary Events

Lit in the Lou
Oct 10-12, 2014
Click HERE for schedule of events
Click HERE for event maps

Left Bank Books Author Series

www.left-bank.com

New TV Commercial for Lindenwood's Accelerated Evening Programs

New TV spot for Lindenwood's accelerated evening degree programs,
which includes the on-campus option for the MFA in Writing degree:

MFA Student Thai Kaewkaen to Speak at December Commencement

MFA student Anothai Kaewkaen has been chosen as the graduate student speaker for Lindenwood University's December Commencement ceremony. Thai is currently finalizing his graduate thesis, under the mentorship of Professor Emeritus Michael Castro, to complete his MFA in Writing degree at the end of this month. Thai was a Fulbright scholar, has won a first place award at the SRSE for the past two years, has read his poetry at several local literary readings, and has had his work published during his time in the program. He is teaching ESL classes for Lindenwood as he finishes up his thesis. More information about Thai is available here. The LU MFA in Writing Program is very proud that one of our students has once again been chosen for this honor. Congratulations, Thai! 

Enrolling Now for Fall Quarter

Enrollment for fall MFA classes is now underway, and classes are filling fast. The class schedule is available here, and detailed class info is available here. Contact Beth soon if you plan to enroll.

MFA Program website

Prospective student info

Online option

MFA Faculty

Instructor Course Descriptions

The Lindenwood Review

MFA Program Facebook page

Congratulations to Catherine Rankovic

Congratulations to LU MFA faculty member Catherine Rankovic for her multiple awards in the St. Louis Writers Guild’s 2014 Deane Wagner Poetry Contest. Her poem Deckle-Edged won Third Place, her poem The New Country won First Honorable Mention, and her poem To Another Young Artist won Third Honorable Mention. 

Recent Faculty Publications

MFA Faculty Bios

Fall Quarter 2014 Registration & Class Info

Current LU MFA students: To register for Fall classes, email your class choices to the Program Director, Beth Mead, at bmead@lindenwood.edu. Confirmation will be emailed upon enrollment on August 25.

The full Fall class schedule is available here. 

The full Fall textbook list is available here.

The info for each cluster/class, including the instructor's course description, class type, textbook list, first assignment, and start date, is available at the appropriate link below:

IN-CLASS CLUSTERS:
Prose Cluster--Tuesday--Andrew Pryor
Scriptwriting--Monday--Peter Carlos

ONLINE CLASSES:

Flash Nonfiction--Mary Anderson

Poetry Writing Workshop--Kelli Allen

Adv Studies Craft of Poetry--Catherine Rankovic

Narrative Journalism--Tony D'Souza

Magical Realism--Eve Jones

Adv Studies Contemporary Fiction--Wm. Anthony Connolly

Literary Journal Editing--Beth Mead (students may enroll in one or two sections of journal editing)

LU MFA in Writing Program Website

Prospective Student information

New Publications by LU MFA Faculty Members

New poems by Eve Jones at Vinyl Poetry

New flash fiction piece by Kelli Allen at Fjords Review

Upcoming story by Mark George, "The Marrowbone Sessions," in The Southeast Review

Upcoming book by Julia Gordon-Bramer, "Fixed Stars Govern a Life: Decoding Sylvia Plath," from Stephen F. Austin University Press

Upcoming poems by Catherine Rankovic in December magazine and River Styx

Upcoming poetry collection by Michael Castro, "How Things Stack Up," from Singing Bone Press

MFA Reading & TLR4 Book Launch

Thank you to Kelli Allen for her lovely job hosting our July 2014 reading and book launch, and congratulations to our wonderful readers: Patricia Feeney, Tom O'Keefe, Lisa Haag Kang, Ryan Trimble, Shirley Smith, Nick Bateman, and Karen Burton.

Fall Quarter 2014 Class Schedule

NOTE: Detailed info for each class (course descriptions and types, textbooks, first assignment info) is available HERE. Fall registration begins August 25. Fall quarter runs October 6 through December 20. New coursework options in genre fiction and the novel will be offered beginning with Winter Quarter 2015. Contact Beth with any questions. 

F14 In-Class Clusters:

Prose Cluster (Fiction & Creative Nonfiction)
Andrew Pryor
Tuesdays

Scriptwriting Cluster
Peter Carlos
Mondays


F14 Online Classes: 

IMF523 Focused Nonfiction Workshop: Flash Nonfiction -- Mary Anderson

IMF525 Poetry Writing Workshop -- Kelli Allen

IMF529 Adv Studies Craft of Poetry -- Catherine Rankovic

IMF537 Selected Emphases in Fiction: Magical Realism -- Eve Jones

IMF539 Adv Studies Contemporary Fiction -- Wm. Anthony Connolly

IMF566 Narrative Journalism -- Tony D'Souza

IMF557 The Literary Journal -- Beth Mead
[four separate sections: Fiction, Essay, Poetry, and Flash Fiction; students may take up to two sections in one quarter; students will serve as editorial assistants for issue 5 of The Lindenwood Review]

New Online Coursework in Genre Fiction and the Novel

UPDATE Spring 2015: Click here to view the coursework and emphases that have been offered in genre fiction and the novel to date.

The following new courses have been approved to offer in the upcoming academic year:

Genre Fiction as Literature

Genre Fiction Workshop

The Literary Novel

Literary Novel Workshop

IMF 54300 Genre Fiction as Literature (3) This literature course focuses on the study and analysis of genre fiction. Emphases studied may include Children’s Literature, Young Adult Literature, Romance, Mystery, and Science Fiction/Fantasy. Study will include novels by authors using literary writing techniques and working in modes ranging from realistic to abstract. Introduces aesthetic and strategic concepts with a focus on narrative, theme, character, and style.

IMF 54400 Genre Fiction Workshop (3) This craft and workshop course focuses on creation and discussion of original genre fiction with a focus on thematic purpose and the creative process. Workshop pieces may include Children’s Literature, Young Adult Literature, Romance, Mystery, and Science Fiction/Fantasy. Students simultaneously increase their proficiency as fiction writers and deepen their critical responses to the work of peers.

IMF 57300 The Literary Novel (3) This literature course explores the machinery of the literary novel, including narrative arc, theme, character, style, and point of view. Critical discussion and study will include focus on the way each component is employed in long fiction. Students will analyze works from both a literary analysis perspective and a writer’s perspective.

IMF 57400 Literary Novel Workshop (3) This craft and workshop course focuses on creation and discussion of original long fiction with a focus on thematic purpose and the creative process. Students simultaneously increase their proficiency as fiction writers and deepen their critical responses to the work of peers. Workshop sessions will focus on individual novel chapters, as students work toward completing and polishing a full literary novel.

LU MFA Reading & TLR4 Book Launch July 17

The MFA in Writing Program at Lindenwood University will host a literary reading and book launch on Thursday, July 17, at 7pm, in the auditorium of the LU Cultural Center. LU MFA alumni and contributors to issue 4 of The Lindenwood Review will read their work. Light refreshments will be served, and copies of TLR4 will be available for $5.00. This event is open to the public, so bring your family and friends to help us celebrate our talented alumni and our outstanding fourth issue of TLR.

Host: Kelli Allen

Readers:
Patricia Feeney (TLR4 contributor and LU MFA alum)
Tom O’Keefe (TLR4 contributor; you can hear one of Tom’s movie review podcasts here or read one of his movie reviews here)
Lisa Kang (LU MFA alum)
Ryan Trimble (LU MFA alum)
Shirley Smith (LU MFA alum)
Nick Bateman (LU MFA alum)
Karen Burton (LU MFA alum)

 

 





Issue 4 of The Lindenwood Review

Issue 4 of The Lindenwood Review is now available. Read excerpts and purchase a copy HERE.

From the Editor

Contributor Bios

Featured Fiction: The Glass Spider by Joe Baumann

Featured Poem: The Keeper of Black Rock Light by Suellen Wedmore

Featured Lyric Essay: Notes from St. John's Hospital by Brenna J. Conley

New URL for our MFA website

Looking for the LU MFA in Writing Program website? We can now be found here. Contact Program Director Beth Mead with any questions about the MFA in Writing degree, including our fully online option with no residency requirement. If you teach elementary, middle school, or high school, you can receive a grant of $60 off per credit hour when pursuing the LU MFA in Writing degree. Students age 60 and over receive a 50% tuition discount. More prospective student information can be found here.

TLR website

TLR Contributor William Stratton publishes debut poetry collection

Congratulations to William Stratton, contributor to Issue 1 of The Lindenwood Review, on publication of his debut poetry collection.

Under the Water Was Stone is available here. Visit his author page and website, and read Face Down Days, his Pushcart-nominated poem from TLR1.

TLR5 Flash Fiction Contest--No Entry Fee

UPDATE: 
Our Flash Fiction Contest winner and honorable mentions are listed here. Issue 5 will be published in spring 2015.

Issue 6: Prose Poetry Contest--No Entry Fee submissions will be accepted May 1 through August 1, 2015.


We are happy to announce our Flash Fiction Contest for Issue 5 of The Lindenwood Review:

• No Entry Fee.
• Winner receives $50, publication in Issue 5 of The Lindenwood Review, and three contributor copies.
• Honorable Mentions receive publication and three contributor copies of TLR5.
• Contest entries will be accepted 6/15/14 through 11/15/14. 
• All contest submissions will receive a response by December 30, 2014. Issue 5 will be published by June 2015. 
• Email your story as a Word document attachment to: TheLindenwoodReview@lindenwood.edu. Type Flash Fiction Contest in the subject line. Include a brief bio in the body of the email.
• Length Requirement: 50 to 750 words. Stories over 750 words may be considered for our regular fiction section. Stories under 50 words will not be considered for publication. Include word count on your submission. 
• Up to three flash fiction pieces may be submitted per writer. Attach each story as a separate Word document.
• We allow simultaneous submissions, but please contact us immediately if your work is accepted elsewhere.
• We welcome submissions from both new and established writers. Please note that current Lindenwood University students and faculty are not eligible to submit work to The Lindenwood Review. (LU alumni are eligible to submit.)
• For more information about our journal, visit our website. Regular submission guidelines for TLR are available here (fiction, poetry, and personal essay, accepted 7/15/14 - 12/15/14). Writers who enter our contest may also submit work for our regular issue submissions (beginning 7/15). For more information about Lindenwood University's MFA Program, with both in-class and fully online options, visit us here. 
• Questions: Contact the Editor, Beth Mead, at TheLindenwoodReview@lindenwood.edu or bmead@lindenwood.edu.

Lindenwood University MFA in Writing Program
On-Campus or Fully Online (No Residency Requirement)

Congratulations to our new Masters of the Fine Art of Writing

Congratulations to our MFA graduates who walked in the Commencement ceremony tonight, and congratulations to all of our MFA students who completed their degree this year. We're very proud of this talented group of writers!

Linda

Kasey

Thai

Brian

Congratulations to Professor Emeritus Dan Kemper

Tonight at Commencement, our Dean was named Professor Emeritus. Congratulations, Dan!

Issue 4 of The Lindenwood Review is dedicated to Dan:

Registration & Class Info for Summer Quarter 2014

Current LU MFA students: To register for classes, email your class choices to the Program Director, Beth Mead, at bmead@lindenwood.edu.

The full summer class schedule is available HERE.

Class info, including the instructor's course description, class type, textbook list, first assignment, and start date, are available at the links below for each cluster/class:

Fiction Cluster (George)
Prose Poetry Cluster (Allen)
Online Focused Poetry Workshop (Jones)
Online Craft of Poetry (Anderson) NOTE: This class is now FULL.
Online Adv Focused Fiction Workshop (D'Souza)
Online Fundamentals of Contemporary Fiction (Connolly) NOTE: This class is now FULL.
Online Prose Poetry (Jones) NOTE: This class is now FULL.
Online Creative Nonfiction Workshop (Rankovic)
Online Prose Collection: Fiction: Munro (Anderson) [A second section is now open.]
Online Prose Collection: Essay: Wallace (Allen)

LU MFA in Writing Program Website

Prospective Student information

Congratulations to LU MFA Winners and Participants in the 2014 Research Symposium

Congratulations to our LU MFA students who participated in the 2014 Student Research Symposium & Exposition held at Lindenwood University!

First Place: Anothai Kaewkaen

Presentation: Homage to Heroes: Thai Poems of Political Protest

 

Second Place: Jeannette Landon

Fiction Reading: "Tubby Clutz, Slim Fisher, and Momma's Gun"

 

 

LU MFA students chosen to participate:

Lynn Wynen-Chamberlain

Lee Douglas

Kasey Feldman
Anothai Kaewkaen
Jeannette Landon

 

Publication Opportunities

Send a friend request to us on Facebook for postings about upcoming publication opportunities, along with program updates and information. Below are three opportunities we recently posted on Facebook:

Prose/Poem

 

Best New Poets Open Competition

It's that time of year. Starting now, Best New Poets, an annual anthology of 50 poems from emerging writers, is accepting submissions for its 2014 open competition. When the competition closes on May 20, guest editor Dorianne Laux and our team of readers will begin the process of selecting 50 finalists for publication in the anthology, which will arrive on bookshelves in November.

Are you ready to throw your hat in the ring? Here are your next steps:

1. Check to make sure you're eligible.

2. Read our How To Submit page.

3. Prepare ONE document (.doc, .txt, .rtf or .pdf) with up to two poems. Make sure your name doesn't appear in the file or in the filename.

4. Head to ManuscriptHub.com and submit!

If you have additional questions, please check outour FAQs, or contact the series editor. We wish you the best of luck.

(Be sure to follow us on Facebook or Twitter for contest updates.)

Novella-T

Novella-T is looking for literary fiction between 13,000 and 40,000 words. Please send a synopsis and short bio, along with your story attached as Word document to novella.t.submit@gmail.com. We accept previously published work as long as you tell us where and when it was published. We have a rolling deadline. For those writers in programs, this is a great opportunity to showcase a thesis-length work. 

A Reading with LU MFA Faculty Member Eve Jones

For full info, click here.

Congratulations to LU MFA alum Sarah Jones for creating this wonderful literary series.