a loose amalgamation of writers

"Commute" at Moon Milk Review

2011-10-31T10:45:00.000-07:00

Erik's strange little story "Commute" is in the latest edition of Moon Milk Review, which includes some great fiction, poetry, prosetry, and an interview with Matt Bell.

An Interview at The Writer Magazine

2011-10-11T13:54:00.000-07:00

Erika Dreifus spoke to a handful of journal editors -- including Erik -- whose journals specialize in what might be referred to as niche or specialized literature for an article in the latest edition of The Writer magazine (November '11). The issue is currently available on newsstands, etc.

New Pages Reviews the Latest from The MacGuffin

2011-07-16T08:53:00.000-07:00

Jon Palen highlights the fiction in the spring/summer issue, including "The Line Between Men" by Sarah Kuntz Jones.

An Acceptance at Moon Milk Review

2011-06-07T11:43:00.000-07:00

Erik's short story "Commute" has been accepted by Moon Milk Review for an issue later this year (maybe next).

An Acceptance at Midwestern Gothic

2011-06-02T22:22:00.000-07:00

Deb's story "American Honey" will appear in the July 2011 issue of Midwestern Gothic.

An Acceptance at Bluestem Magazine

2011-04-08T10:19:00.000-07:00

Erik's short story "Cast Away" has been accepted by Bluestem Magazine for their June issue.

2011 Baseball Predictions (and Cheeseburger Recommendations) at Hobart

2011-04-01T10:05:00.000-07:00

Erik's predictions for the 2011 baseball season along with corresponding cheeseburger recommendations are live as part of this year's edition of the Hobart baseball issue. His words appear along with predictions from the likes of: Stewart O'Nan, Jim Ruland, Jess Walter, Rick Moody, Andrew Ervin, Michael Czyzniejewski, Nick Mainieri, and Owen King.

The issue also features new fiction from John Dermot Woods, Aubrey Hirsch, Dan Sanders, Wendy Oleson, Patrick Walczy, and Alice Lowe.

"In a Name" at Annalemma

2011-03-09T09:26:00.000-08:00

Erik's short story "In a Name" is the featured work (beginning March 9th) at Annalemma, it's accompanied by original artwork from Jules Vander Laan.

Prompt #1: The Wonders of Craigslist

2011-03-06T17:40:00.000-08:00

Some days I don't have it in me to conjure up much of anything, but that anxiousness of untapped creativity is just buzzing in my skull. That's when I turn to craigslist.org. Here, narratives, characters, and circumstances abound. The most obvious places to look are "Missed Connections" or the infinitely more salacious "Casual Encounters," but I often wonder what events have led to the sale of a brand new sofa bed "bought in November and now moving out of flat end of this month so need to sell." The best part of these ads is that you are not limited to your own town--most major cities in this country and the rest of world have their own craigslist filled with stories.

So, pick a city, find a post, and start writing. See what kind of short story you can find lurking among the anonymous posts looking for love, sex, or a double oven.

An Acceptance at ATG

2011-03-02T05:47:00.000-08:00

Sarah's short story "Little Fish" has been accepted by All Things Girl for their March/April issue.

An Accceptance at IHLR

2011-03-02T05:44:00.000-08:00

Sarah's one-sentence story "Some Surprise" was accepted for a forthcoming issue of Iron Horse Literary Review. It is reported to be a "State of Fiction" issue.

An Acceptance at The Missouri Review

2011-02-10T11:49:00.000-08:00

Erik's omnibus review, tentatively titled "Books with Bite: The Evolution of the Vampire in Contemporary Literature" has been accepted for publication in the Spring 2011 edition of The Missouri Review.

The Samaritan Available for Kindle

2011-02-07T11:54:00.000-08:00

The Samaritan, Fred's debut novel published by Blank Slate Press, is now available for purchase at Amazon (for the Kindle) and pre-order at the publisher's website (and will soon be available at a bookstore near you).

A Novel Update

2010-12-07T14:15:00.000-08:00

Fred's publisher, Blank Slate Press, is reviewing proofs of The Samaritan this week and hopes to have review ARCs out very soon. In other The Samaritan news, the final covers have been selected (Hardback | Paperback). More information about Blank Slate Press is available at their website and/or on their Facebook page.

An Acceptance at BLIP Magazine

2010-11-20T14:08:00.000-08:00

Erik's short story "Morning Rush" has been accepted by Guest Editor Courtney Eldridge for publication in the Winter 2011 edition of BLIP Magazine (formerly published as MississippiReview.com).

Get Out the Vote

2010-10-22T07:24:00.000-07:00

Fred's debut novel The Samaritan needs your help -- it's in desperate need of a cover to hold its pages together. And what better way to select a cover than through a public vote? The covers, the voting tool and more is available at the publisher's website. Click here to vote!

An Acceptance at Morpheus Tales

2010-08-16T08:09:00.000-07:00

Erik's short story "Ryu's Method" written under his awesome new "stories I don't want my family or students to find by way of Google" nom de plume has been accepted at Morpheus Tales for publication in a future issue.

A Reading - Poems, Prose and Pints

2010-07-29T07:24:00.000-07:00

Sarah has been invited to read at the August edition of Poems, Prose and Pints!

Poems, Prose and Pints is a monthly event, held the first Tuesday at the ever amazing Dressel's, showcasing writers from the St. Louis area and sometimes points farther away. Check out Poems, Prose and Pints on Facebook for the latest on the reading series.

An Acceptance at Gloom Cupboard

2010-07-12T14:49:00.000-07:00

Erik's very short story "Working Class Zero" has been accepted (and published) at Gloom Cupboard.

An Acceptance at The MacGuffin

2010-06-30T19:18:00.000-07:00

Sarah's short story "The Line Between Men" has been accepted at The MacGuffin for publication in a future issue.

An Acceptance at The Summerset Review

2010-06-14T19:13:00.000-07:00

Sarah's short story "A History of Lies" has been accepted (and published) at The Summerset Review.

A Book Deal with Blank Slate Press

2010-06-01T14:53:00.000-07:00

Fred has been selected and subsequently signed on with Blank Slate Press to publish his debut novel as part of their inventive author incubator program. The novel, scheduled for publication in 2011, is titled The Samaritan. More information and an excerpt can be found at Fred's website (www.fredventurini.com).

A Loose Amalgamation of Writers

2010-06-01T10:14:00.000-07:00

That's the defacto moniker for the group whose website you've stumbled upon; we're made up of Sarah Kuntz Jones, Fred Venturini, Deb Garwood, and Erik Smetana. While we've been workshopping stories together since sometime in 2008 (courtesy of our introduction by way of the Lindenwood University MFA program), this is our first foray into the internet (at least as a group, and inspired in part by the crew at Snutch Labs). As we have publication news, decide to muse about the craft, or have something else to share that is both writerly and interesting (at least to us) we'll be sure to post it.