A Special Public Service Announcement

April marks a fairly large change for my life here in the Wallowas. No, it doesn’t have to do with the fact that I’m experiencing warmer than 40 degree temperatures for the first time in 7 months (with the exception of October). It has to do with my schedule.

Yes, that most boring of words. SCHEDULE. And yet…for months I’ve had my eyes set on this month for two exciting reasons:

First, the magazine I help publish released it’s latest issue TRACHODON 2 and it looks great. This is a big part of my life, but not something I blog about often. I put about 10 hours a week of volunteer time into this project, and am calling on all friends, blog readers, and supporters of the literary arts for their help keeping this magazine alive! Thus, a brief PSA, and bear with me because if you’re a writer in search of critique, you might really dig this:

Folks can buy TRACHODON 2 in ebook format on Smashwords for $4.99, or visit our Amazon store to preview or purchase the print journal. Of course, there’s always good old fashioned subscribing, too (also in print or digital). It’s cheap, makes a great gift, supports quality literature, and will make someone’s day when you purchase it!

Writers—We’re open for submissions in APRIL so check out our online submission manager. Writers may submit their work in two categories: regular submissions or critiqued submissions.

Writers submitting for critique can expect a one-page, single-spaced letter from the Associate Editor [THAT’S ME!], detailing craft concerns and strengths of the manuscript. The critique will include a blend of practical line-level feedback, big-picture narrative considerations, and creative suggestions for improvement. Stories submitted for critique will still be considered for publication. Should a story submitted in this way be accepted, the $10 critique fee (minus our standard $3 submission fee) will be refunded. Try your hand at being published, get great feedback from a professional editor (for dirt cheap!), and become a part of our growing community of writers.

[End PSA. Thanks, faithful readers!]

The second big change that April brings for my two-year tour is the official end of my time as Wallowa County Writer-in-Residence and the beginning of a three-week experience called Imnaha Writers’ Retreat. Three weeks with a handful of different writers (a new group each week), sharing dinners and critiques in the evenings and daytime quiet hours to fill with writing, reading, walking, and dreaming. I look forward to blogging about my time in “the low spot” of the county, along the shores of the Imnaha River, not too far from the Snake River, and in Hell’s Canyon. It’s just 48 miles from Joseph, but apparently an entirely different world. More to come…