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Jamie L. Olson's translations of Russian poet, Vyacheslav Kiktenko's poems appear in the Summer '09 issue of Crab Creek Review. We asked Dr. Olson about his translation of Kiktenko's work and the process he went through to convey both the thematic and structural elements of the original Russian poems. He graciously agreed to write an entry for our Writer's Notebook Series:
On Translating Russian Poetry (and Kiktenko in Particular)
I suspect that my translations of the three poems by Vyacheslav Kiktenko that appear in the Summer 2009 issue of Crab Creek Review must have contributed to the editors’ impulse to dub this the “corpse issue,” as they did in their introductory note. Reading the first of Kiktenko’s poems—which incidentally are not arranged in any meaningful order—we experience a distinct sense of Jekyll-and-Hyde grimness as Kiktenko’s speaker gazes into a forest puddle and finds that, through his reflection, he has been “exposed as a monster.” His soul becomes “blackened” in the puddle’s “contrary hell-pit.”
The real gloom, though, arrives with the second poem, “A Cry in the Night,” which is dedicated to Sadako Sasaki, the Japanese girl who developed leukemia after being exposed to radiation in the U.S. bombing of Hiroshima. (The poem seems to be voiced for her as well.) A Japanese legend has it that anyone who folds a thousand paper cranes will be granted one wish, so with an eye towards calling for peace, Sasaki spent her last months transforming whatever paper she could get her hands on into origami cranes. Alas, she never reached her goal. Still, Sasaki’s effort has become a unifying symbol for the peace movement, and a statue memorializing her stands in Seattle Peace Park in the city’s University District.
In Kiktenko’s poem for her, however, we have only the disease, the suffering, the futile desire for life—not the peace movement that found inspiration in her, nor even the paper cranes that caught the world’s attention. By the poem's climax, all that remains is a hunger for red blood cells to displace the “white blood” (belokrovie) of the disease:
In the stars, the night keeps a cache
of blood cells slyly hidden.
And the stars transfuse the sultry,
cherry heat with a scarlet hue…
A butterfly, a chalky butterfly
flits about beneath the moon!
Ah, but for a bit, just a drop,
of those rich, crimson globes…
Yes!
Although we know that the speaker’s desire for the “rich, crimson globes” goes ungratified, just as Sasaki never finished folding her cranes, the poem remains nonetheless poignant and even uplifting; sometimes, just wishing is enough. (If everyone wished for peace, wouldn’t it ultimately happen?) But the uplift of “A Cry in the Night” comes from the form of the poem as well—a chant that builds to an exultant shout. Indeed, form in its most traditional guise is fundamental to much contemporary Russian poetry, and I hope I’ve left more than a trace of Kiktenko’s forms intact in my translations.
Let me jump right to a key point: most Russian poets would never play “tennis with the net down,” as Frost put it. That is to say, free verse doesn’t dominate Russian poetry as it does American poetry. In fact, more Russian poems are composed in tetrameter quatrains—the 4x4 blocks favored by Russian poets at least since the beginning of the nineteenth century—than in any other form. (Among Kiktenko’s poems in Crab Creek Review, the third one, “A yellowish moon,” consists in practice of tetrameter quatrains, though it lacks stanza breaks.) When translating a poem from Russian, therefore, one must consider not only the form of that particular poem, but the general preponderance of formal poetry across Russian literature. To put it another way, a Russian translator would never translate an American poem without carefully and conscientiously recreating its form in Russian, so shouldn’t I play by the same rules?
A. E. Stallings wrote in the February 2009 issue of Poetry that stripping a poem of its form amounts to a kind of pillaging: “Translators who translate poems that rhyme into poems that don’t rhyme solely because they claim keeping the rhyme is impossible without doing violence to the poem have done violence to the poem. They are also lazy.” To my mind, the violence that Stallings speaks of becomes multiplied when a Russian poem is poorly translated—that is, when it is translated without careful attention to form. In a tradition of formalism, form matters all that much more.
On the other hand, even the cleverest translator can’t always find an equivalent phrase in the target language while maintaining form, meaning, and tone, so to some degree translation must be an “act of compromise,” as Brian Boyd explains in his recent introduction to Nabokov’s Verses and Versions: no matter how much we translators strive for perfection, we must acknowledge that our task is an “inevitable compromise between the resources of From-ish and those of To-ish.” Still, we should keep striving. The mere awareness of an apotheosis of perfection, elusive as it may be, should ensure that we don’t grow complacent—or “lazy,” as Stallings puts it—and leave form by the wayside.
Others who translate from Russian to English also struggle with the issue of fidelity to form. Jim Kates, the editor of several collections of contemporary Russian poetry in English, describes an exchange in his afterword to In the Grip of Strange Thoughts that I think expresses well the tension that Russian-to-English translators feel between the two traditions:
Once in Moscow I was reading my own poems—all of which begin in strict rhyme and meter, and many of which stay that way—as well as my translations of Mikhail Aizenberg. In the critical discussion that always follows a Russian poetry reading, I explained my reasons for translating the strict forms of the Russian verses into slightly looser structures in English—a practice understood and approved by Aizenberg. But one prominent critic stood up and commented, “That’s all very well. You make a good case. But you should try harder.”
Since then, I have tried harder.
Kates has chosen, as I have, to do his best to maintain form in his translations of Russian verse, but others have made the opposite decision with sometimes impressive results. Indeed, wherever you land in the debate, you would be foolish to wish that Clarence Brown and W. S. Merwin’s marvelous free-verse translations of Mandelstam had been written any other way. In the end, the only true test of a translation comes when you ask yourself the question, Is it poetry?
The Russian originals of the poems by Kiktenko that appear in Crab Creek Review were first published in a Moscow journal called Druzhba narodov, a phrase whose figurative meaning could be rendered in English as “multiculturalism” or “cultural diversity,” and whose literal meaning, “Friendship of the Peoples,” is a Soviet-era cliché—the idea being that international communism happily held together a diverse bunch of ethnic groups from Central Europe to Central Asia. Indeed, Kiktenko was born and spent much of his life in one of those far-flung corners of the Soviet empire that were home to non-Russian “peoples”: Alma-Ata (now Almaty), Kazakhstan’s former capital and largest city. And although he relocated to Moscow a few years back, he has continued to be involved in Kazakh literary culture, often sustaining Kazakh-Russian “friendship of the peoples” as a translator himself, so it seems appropriate that his poems should now reach another people in another language—beyond even the post-Soviet audience in Baku or Belarus that one might expect him to have. I just hope that I have done my job and turned Kiktenko’s poems into something more than mere wooden renderings: with any luck, they have become English poems in their own right.
Jamie L. Olson teaches in the English Department at Saint Martin’s University in Lacey, Washington. These are his first published translations.
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Monday, December 21, 2009
Guest Blogger: Kathi Morrison-Taylor
Today's blog post is by poet Kathi Morrison-Taylor, author of By the Nest...
The Oven Timer
On the first day of the MFA program, a professor asked our class, “Why do you write?” We wrote in our notebooks and then discussed our responses in class. A surprising number of students, myself included, answered “Because I have to.” At 22, I was bewildered by the sort of gentle scolding that ensued. What was wrong with this debonair, senior poet that he didn’t understand the inescapable power of the muse? But now I get it– I don’t have to write. The choice to write can become inconvenient and difficult. The choice to write is something I have to fight for, fighting harder, perhaps, as my life grows richer.
My husband is more practical than I am and knowing how much I cherish free time to write, he asks me questions: Why are you baking those cookies for your students? Why are you reading The Lord of the Rings to our children? Why are you planting tomatoes again this year? (I don’t have to.)
It’s August; this last August. (Remember August?) The oven timer is on, and I’m at my computer. The oven timer is serious business in our house. When it goes off you better be ready to move on – out the door to the bus stop, or off the computer game to the homework task, or back inside and into the tub.
While my family is loading the car for our annual long weekend at the ocean – the last hurrah before school begins—I am trying to pry my weekly poem from a pop culture prompt, and I’ve put myself on the clock. I’m in one of the final weeks of a poetry contest modeled on Project Runway – Dustin Brookshire’s Project Verse. I find myself tangled in emotions and details: a scene from Star Wars, my father’s autopsy report, a rubberband ball of grief, longing, anger, regret...
“Where’s the crabbing net?!” someone yells from upstairs.
Little feet coming down...”Mommy, when are we getting new sandals?” Then, “Oh, I forgot...your poem, the contest.”
The timer is on – something my kids understand. I have one hour and forty-eight minutes left. While none of us imagines I’d really be left behind, the threat seems more real with that digital countdown.
Now, watching my middle school students and my own children grow and learn, I feel the years accelerating, becoming both more fleeting and more pressing. In a good way—in a garden tomato way, sweet and labor-intensive. Milestones matter. Bilbo is eleventy-one at the beginning of The Fellowship of the Ring, a milestone of a birthday that never fully registered in my childhood reading of Tolkien. At 111 Bilbo makes his own new beginning, as he leaves the Shire to write his book. In fact, it was the magic age of 40, combined with missing my final opportunity to enter the Yale Younger Poet’s Prize (that was the year the deadline changed) that convinced me to put away my old manuscript. I began something new, By the Nest, which became my first book of poems, dedicated to my family. And, off the page, dedicated to the oven timer that helps me manage the childish part of myself and focus on writing, something I have chosen to do.
_____________________
The Oven Timer
On the first day of the MFA program, a professor asked our class, “Why do you write?” We wrote in our notebooks and then discussed our responses in class. A surprising number of students, myself included, answered “Because I have to.” At 22, I was bewildered by the sort of gentle scolding that ensued. What was wrong with this debonair, senior poet that he didn’t understand the inescapable power of the muse? But now I get it– I don’t have to write. The choice to write can become inconvenient and difficult. The choice to write is something I have to fight for, fighting harder, perhaps, as my life grows richer.
My husband is more practical than I am and knowing how much I cherish free time to write, he asks me questions: Why are you baking those cookies for your students? Why are you reading The Lord of the Rings to our children? Why are you planting tomatoes again this year? (I don’t have to.)
It’s August; this last August. (Remember August?) The oven timer is on, and I’m at my computer. The oven timer is serious business in our house. When it goes off you better be ready to move on – out the door to the bus stop, or off the computer game to the homework task, or back inside and into the tub.
While my family is loading the car for our annual long weekend at the ocean – the last hurrah before school begins—I am trying to pry my weekly poem from a pop culture prompt, and I’ve put myself on the clock. I’m in one of the final weeks of a poetry contest modeled on Project Runway – Dustin Brookshire’s Project Verse. I find myself tangled in emotions and details: a scene from Star Wars, my father’s autopsy report, a rubberband ball of grief, longing, anger, regret...
“Where’s the crabbing net?!” someone yells from upstairs.
Little feet coming down...”Mommy, when are we getting new sandals?” Then, “Oh, I forgot...your poem, the contest.”
The timer is on – something my kids understand. I have one hour and forty-eight minutes left. While none of us imagines I’d really be left behind, the threat seems more real with that digital countdown.
Now, watching my middle school students and my own children grow and learn, I feel the years accelerating, becoming both more fleeting and more pressing. In a good way—in a garden tomato way, sweet and labor-intensive. Milestones matter. Bilbo is eleventy-one at the beginning of The Fellowship of the Ring, a milestone of a birthday that never fully registered in my childhood reading of Tolkien. At 111 Bilbo makes his own new beginning, as he leaves the Shire to write his book. In fact, it was the magic age of 40, combined with missing my final opportunity to enter the Yale Younger Poet’s Prize (that was the year the deadline changed) that convinced me to put away my old manuscript. I began something new, By the Nest, which became my first book of poems, dedicated to my family. And, off the page, dedicated to the oven timer that helps me manage the childish part of myself and focus on writing, something I have chosen to do.
_____________________
Monday, November 23, 2009
Pushcart Prize Nominations for 2009!
Crab Creek Review would like to congratulate the following contributors whose work we nominated for this year's Pushcart Prize from either our Fall/Winter 2009 issue or our Summer 2009 issue--
Shannon Robinson for her story "Everyone Has A Tell"
Martha Silano for her poem "Women are Not Alone and That"
Tod Marshall for his poem "Bait"
Fernando Perez for his poem "In The Mirror When You're Wearing Someone Else's Clothes"
Lisa Allen Ortiz for her poem "The Tortoise Survives the Fire"
Elizabeth Austen for her poem "Humans"
Congratulations! And good luck!
Shannon Robinson for her story "Everyone Has A Tell"
Martha Silano for her poem "Women are Not Alone and That"
Tod Marshall for his poem "Bait"
Fernando Perez for his poem "In The Mirror When You're Wearing Someone Else's Clothes"
Lisa Allen Ortiz for her poem "The Tortoise Survives the Fire"
Elizabeth Austen for her poem "Humans"
Congratulations! And good luck!
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Lisa Allen Ortiz featured on Verse Daily (from Crab Creek Review's Summer '09 issue)
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Lisa Allen Ortiz's poem, The Tortoise Survives the Fire, from Crab Creek Review's Summer '09 issue is featured today on Verse Daily. You can read Lisa's poem here.
The poems of Lisa Allen Ortiz have appeared in Zyzzyva, Comstock Review and Literary Mama among other places. She lives in Santa Cruz, California with her husband and two daughters. Lisa wrote this about her inspiration for The Tortoise Survives the Fire: My seven year old daughter has a voice for our cat—when we hear this voice, we in the family know it is the cat talking. I have a similar voice for the cat, also for a horse I keep out in a barn in the country. It’s funny to me how we understand the animals in our lives this way: by the narratives we improvise when we watch them. Someday, you should go to the zoo and look at the tortoises; I swear, you will open your mouth and their opinions will pour out.
Congratulations, Lisa!
Lisa Allen Ortiz's poem, The Tortoise Survives the Fire, from Crab Creek Review's Summer '09 issue is featured today on Verse Daily. You can read Lisa's poem here.
The poems of Lisa Allen Ortiz have appeared in Zyzzyva, Comstock Review and Literary Mama among other places. She lives in Santa Cruz, California with her husband and two daughters. Lisa wrote this about her inspiration for The Tortoise Survives the Fire: My seven year old daughter has a voice for our cat—when we hear this voice, we in the family know it is the cat talking. I have a similar voice for the cat, also for a horse I keep out in a barn in the country. It’s funny to me how we understand the animals in our lives this way: by the narratives we improvise when we watch them. Someday, you should go to the zoo and look at the tortoises; I swear, you will open your mouth and their opinions will pour out.
Congratulations, Lisa!
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Verse Daily features "Wonder" by Kascha Semonovitch (from our current issue, Summer '09)
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Congratulations, Kascha!
You can read Kascha Semonovitch's poem, Wonder, here on Verse Daily. The current issue of Crab Creek Review (Summer '09) features this poem along with two other poems by Kascha.
Kascha Semonovitch is completing an MFA in poetry at the Warren Wilson College and a PhD in philosophy at Boston College. Meanwhile, she teaches philosophy at Seattle University. Her work has or will appear in the Kenyon Review, Broome Review and Tar Wolf Review.
When asked about the inspiration behind Wonder, Kascha wrote, I have been thinking about hospitality and how we encounter the unfamiliar--human, divine or animal. In Wonder, I take up that theme directly.
Congratulations, Kascha!
You can read Kascha Semonovitch's poem, Wonder, here on Verse Daily. The current issue of Crab Creek Review (Summer '09) features this poem along with two other poems by Kascha.
Kascha Semonovitch is completing an MFA in poetry at the Warren Wilson College and a PhD in philosophy at Boston College. Meanwhile, she teaches philosophy at Seattle University. Her work has or will appear in the Kenyon Review, Broome Review and Tar Wolf Review.
When asked about the inspiration behind Wonder, Kascha wrote, I have been thinking about hospitality and how we encounter the unfamiliar--human, divine or animal. In Wonder, I take up that theme directly.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Crab Creek Review Co-Editor Wins White Pine Press Poetry Prize
Crab Creek Review's Co-Editor, Kelli Russell Agodon, has won the White Pine Press Poetry Prize for her manuscript, Letters From the Emily Dickinson Room.
Kelli's collection was chosen by guest judge, Carl Dennis, from over 500 poetry manuscripts.
Letters From the Emily Dickinson Room will be published in October 2010. Kelli is also the author of Small Knots (2004) and Geography, winner of the 2003 Floating Bridge Press Chapbook Award. Visit Kelli's website here.
White Pine Press is a non-profit literary publisher, established in 1973, which publishes poetry, fiction, essays, and literature in translation from around the world. For the past thirty years they have been at the forefront in bringing the rich diversity of world literature to the English speaking audience. White Pine Press seeks to enrich our literary heritage; to promote the cultural awareness, understanding, and respect so vital in out rapidly changing world; and to address complex social and human rights issues through literature.
Congratulations, Kelli, from all of us on the Crab Creek Review staff! You are both an incredible editor and a talented poet and we can't wait to read your new collection!
Visit White Pine Press here and learn more about Kelli's upcoming book. We will keep you updated on Letters From the Emily Dickinson Room , so check back often.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Crab Creek Review's Summer '09 Issue is Available!
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Summer '09 is hot off the press! This issue is filled with some exceptional poetry and fiction (including Anne McDuffie's interview with notable Seattle poet, Madeline DeFrees) and features the beautiful cover art, Girl in a Green Room, by Emily Ruch. Two other works of visual art by Emily are also featured in the journal.
You can purchase your copy of Summer '09 here.
The poets/writers in Summer '09: Paul David Adkins, Judith Arcana, Nick Bacon, Kimberly L. Becker, Ashley Chow, Madeline DeFrees, Maya Ganesan, Ann Gerike, Ann Batchelor Hursey, Vyacheslav Kiktenko (translated by Jamie L. Olson), Eric Lee, Marjorie Manwaring, Chad Marsh, Tod Marshall, Buzz Mauro, Anne McDuffie, James McKean, January Gill O'Neil, Lisa Allen Ortiz, Alison Pelegrin, Fernando Perez, Paul S. Piper, Joseph Powell, Shann Ray, Shannon Robinson, Emily Ruch, Kascha Semonovitch, Joannie Kervran Stangeland, Katerina Stoykova-Klemer, Gail White, and Jill Crammond Wickham.
Here's a snippet from our Editors' Note:
As we read through the submissions for our Summer ’09 issue, we were struck by a consistent theme that echoed through each piece of work—struggle. The writers in this issue represent a variety of backgrounds in terms of culture, age, and writing experience, yet all of their work engages us in the struggle with life’s inherent difficulties, whether political, social, interpersonal, or philosophical. One of our editors jokingly referred to Summer ’09 as the “corpse issue” because many of the pieces deal with mortality and serious global concerns, but we believe the writing in this issue is ultimately an affirmation of the resilience of the human spirit.
Among the voices you will discover in this issue are two veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, an eleven year old girl, a ninety year old poet who is still publishing new work, several NEA winners, and a first time published high school teacher. We are proud to feature distinguished, established writers and several amazing emerging writers whose work impressed us. . .
Thank you to all of our contributors in this issue--it is an honor for us to publish your work.
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Summer '09 is hot off the press! This issue is filled with some exceptional poetry and fiction (including Anne McDuffie's interview with notable Seattle poet, Madeline DeFrees) and features the beautiful cover art, Girl in a Green Room, by Emily Ruch. Two other works of visual art by Emily are also featured in the journal.
You can purchase your copy of Summer '09 here.
The poets/writers in Summer '09: Paul David Adkins, Judith Arcana, Nick Bacon, Kimberly L. Becker, Ashley Chow, Madeline DeFrees, Maya Ganesan, Ann Gerike, Ann Batchelor Hursey, Vyacheslav Kiktenko (translated by Jamie L. Olson), Eric Lee, Marjorie Manwaring, Chad Marsh, Tod Marshall, Buzz Mauro, Anne McDuffie, James McKean, January Gill O'Neil, Lisa Allen Ortiz, Alison Pelegrin, Fernando Perez, Paul S. Piper, Joseph Powell, Shann Ray, Shannon Robinson, Emily Ruch, Kascha Semonovitch, Joannie Kervran Stangeland, Katerina Stoykova-Klemer, Gail White, and Jill Crammond Wickham.
Here's a snippet from our Editors' Note:
As we read through the submissions for our Summer ’09 issue, we were struck by a consistent theme that echoed through each piece of work—struggle. The writers in this issue represent a variety of backgrounds in terms of culture, age, and writing experience, yet all of their work engages us in the struggle with life’s inherent difficulties, whether political, social, interpersonal, or philosophical. One of our editors jokingly referred to Summer ’09 as the “corpse issue” because many of the pieces deal with mortality and serious global concerns, but we believe the writing in this issue is ultimately an affirmation of the resilience of the human spirit.
Among the voices you will discover in this issue are two veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, an eleven year old girl, a ninety year old poet who is still publishing new work, several NEA winners, and a first time published high school teacher. We are proud to feature distinguished, established writers and several amazing emerging writers whose work impressed us. . .
Thank you to all of our contributors in this issue--it is an honor for us to publish your work.
An Evening with A River and Sound Review
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Crab Creek Review Staff with Madeline DeFrees and Anne McDuffie (from left to right: Anne McDuffie, Madeline DeFrees, Nancy Canyon, Carol Levin, Lana Hechtman Ayers, Annette Spaulding-Convy, Jennifer Culkin, Kelli Russell Agodon, and Ronda Broatch).
A River and Sound Review's founder and host for the evening, Jay Bates.
Crab Creek Review joined A River and Sound Review's live performance on Oct. 8th at Richard Hugo House in Seattle for the release of our Summer '09 Issue. We enjoyed an evening of poetry, music, humor, and interviews hosted by A River and Sound Review's Jay Bates, Michael Schmeltzer, and Julie Case.
Special thanks to our readers: Ann Batchelor Hursey, Kate Lebo, and Joannie Kervran Stangeland. And special thanks to Anne McDuffie for her wonderful on stage interview with Madeline DeFrees, who will be turning 90 in November! We also enjoyed the incredible music of Andrea Wittgens (her CDs are available here).
Thanks to Hugo House and to the great Cabaret Cafe staff who invented a cocktail for the evening called, "The Crab Walk."
The performance will be posted soon (podcast) on A River and Sound Review's website, so please visit and download this musical and literary show. And we owe Jay and Michael a huge thank you for organizing the event.
Look for more photos of the performance to be posted soon on our website.
Crab Creek Review Staff with Madeline DeFrees and Anne McDuffie (from left to right: Anne McDuffie, Madeline DeFrees, Nancy Canyon, Carol Levin, Lana Hechtman Ayers, Annette Spaulding-Convy, Jennifer Culkin, Kelli Russell Agodon, and Ronda Broatch).
A River and Sound Review's founder and host for the evening, Jay Bates.Crab Creek Review joined A River and Sound Review's live performance on Oct. 8th at Richard Hugo House in Seattle for the release of our Summer '09 Issue. We enjoyed an evening of poetry, music, humor, and interviews hosted by A River and Sound Review's Jay Bates, Michael Schmeltzer, and Julie Case.
Special thanks to our readers: Ann Batchelor Hursey, Kate Lebo, and Joannie Kervran Stangeland. And special thanks to Anne McDuffie for her wonderful on stage interview with Madeline DeFrees, who will be turning 90 in November! We also enjoyed the incredible music of Andrea Wittgens (her CDs are available here).
Thanks to Hugo House and to the great Cabaret Cafe staff who invented a cocktail for the evening called, "The Crab Walk."
The performance will be posted soon (podcast) on A River and Sound Review's website, so please visit and download this musical and literary show. And we owe Jay and Michael a huge thank you for organizing the event.
Look for more photos of the performance to be posted soon on our website.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Crab Creek Review Fiction Contest, Judged by Kathleen Alcala
Crab Creek Review is currently accepting submissions for our Fiction Contest (Sept. 15th - Nov. 16th). We are delighted that author Kathleen Alcala will be the judge for the contest.
Submit your original, unpublished fiction (up to 3,000 words) and win $100 and publication in Crab Creek Review. All contest submissions will be considered for publication. $10 entry fee. Please read the complete contest guidelines here.
Kathleen Alcalá is a writer whose trilogy on nineteenth century Mexico was published by Chronicle Books. Her work has received the Western States Book Award, the Governor's Writers Award, a Pacific Northwest Bookseller's Award, and a Washington State Book Award. A co-founder and contributing editor to The Raven Chronicles, Kathleen teaches at the Northwest Institute of Literary Arts on Whidbey Island, a low-residency program.
She is the recipient of an Artist Trust/Washington State Arts Commission Award for work on her new book, Cities of Gold. Her work was recently nominated for a Pushcart Prize, and her most recent book received a Latino International Book Award and a ForeWord Magazine Award.
Kathleen is a member of Los Norteños writers group. Her work has been produced for public radio, and she co-wrote, with director Olga Sanchez, a play based on her novel, Spirits of the Ordinary that was produced by The Miracle Theatre of Portland, Oregon.
Kathleen is the author of a short story collection, Mrs. Vargas and the Dead Naturalist, and three novels: Spirits of the Ordinary, The Flower in the Skull, and Treasures in Heaven. Her collection of essays, The Desert Remembers My Name is available from the University of Arizona Press, and her previous books are all available in paperback.
For more information on Kathleen Alcala's work, please visit her website.
Submit your original, unpublished fiction (up to 3,000 words) and win $100 and publication in Crab Creek Review. All contest submissions will be considered for publication. $10 entry fee. Please read the complete contest guidelines here.
Kathleen Alcalá is a writer whose trilogy on nineteenth century Mexico was published by Chronicle Books. Her work has received the Western States Book Award, the Governor's Writers Award, a Pacific Northwest Bookseller's Award, and a Washington State Book Award. A co-founder and contributing editor to The Raven Chronicles, Kathleen teaches at the Northwest Institute of Literary Arts on Whidbey Island, a low-residency program.
She is the recipient of an Artist Trust/Washington State Arts Commission Award for work on her new book, Cities of Gold. Her work was recently nominated for a Pushcart Prize, and her most recent book received a Latino International Book Award and a ForeWord Magazine Award.
Kathleen is a member of Los Norteños writers group. Her work has been produced for public radio, and she co-wrote, with director Olga Sanchez, a play based on her novel, Spirits of the Ordinary that was produced by The Miracle Theatre of Portland, Oregon.
Kathleen is the author of a short story collection, Mrs. Vargas and the Dead Naturalist, and three novels: Spirits of the Ordinary, The Flower in the Skull, and Treasures in Heaven. Her collection of essays, The Desert Remembers My Name is available from the University of Arizona Press, and her previous books are all available in paperback.
For more information on Kathleen Alcala's work, please visit her website.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
And The Winners Are... (2009 Crab Creek Review Poetry Contest)
Our Poetry Editor, Lana Hechtman Ayers, wrote such a wonderful announcement letter to all of the poets who submitted work for our annual Poetry Contest, we are going to post it here verbatim:
All of us at Crab Creek Review sincerely thank you for entering our 2009 poetry contest. The hundreds of wonderful poems we received made it an enjoyable yet challenging process to judge. Aimee Nezhukumatathil has selected the following poems:
Winner
"bring back the knife" by Victor David Sandiego
Runner-Up
“My Eyebrows” by Molly Tenenbaum
Honorable Mentions
"The Cure For Headaches" by Kate Lebo
"The Aprons of Adam and Eve" by Molly Tenenbaum
Finalists
"And What If Bookmarks Are Claustrophobic" by Josh Cooper
"Fitness For Duty" by Rachel Contreni Flynn
"That Which I Should Have Done I Did Not Do" by Rachel Contreni Flynn
"Dear Reader" by Deborah Hauser
"Not Sorry" by Kate Lebo
"Greed" by Cati Porter
We are grateful for your confidence in Crab Creek Review and hope you will allow us to consider more of your work in the future.
Wishing you all the best in your poetry endeavors,
The Editors
All of us at Crab Creek Review sincerely thank you for entering our 2009 poetry contest. The hundreds of wonderful poems we received made it an enjoyable yet challenging process to judge. Aimee Nezhukumatathil has selected the following poems:
Winner
"bring back the knife" by Victor David Sandiego
Runner-Up
“My Eyebrows” by Molly Tenenbaum
Honorable Mentions
"The Cure For Headaches" by Kate Lebo
"The Aprons of Adam and Eve" by Molly Tenenbaum
Finalists
"And What If Bookmarks Are Claustrophobic" by Josh Cooper
"Fitness For Duty" by Rachel Contreni Flynn
"That Which I Should Have Done I Did Not Do" by Rachel Contreni Flynn
"Dear Reader" by Deborah Hauser
"Not Sorry" by Kate Lebo
"Greed" by Cati Porter
We are grateful for your confidence in Crab Creek Review and hope you will allow us to consider more of your work in the future.
Wishing you all the best in your poetry endeavors,
The Editors
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Upcoming Events/News--Crab Creek Review
Crab Creek Review welcomes autumn! Here are some of the things we are currently working on:
*Look for our Summer '09 Issue to be out by the beginning of October.
*Crab Creek Review will join A River & Sound Review for an evening of music, poetry, interviews, and humor at Richard Hugo House in Seattle on Oct. 8th. Check out A River & Sound Review here.
*Crab Creek Review staff will be involved with Dinner With An Author--a fundraiser for the Kitsap Regional Library Foundation. Kingston poets and CCR editors Kelli Russell Agodon, Ronda Broatch, and Annette Spaulding-Convy (along with Bainbridge Island poets John Davis and Janet Norman Knox, Poulsbo poet, Jenifer Browne Lawrence and Seattle poet/harpist, Monica Schley) will be reading from their work on Sunday, Oct. 18th at 7:00 p.m. at Pegasus Coffee House on Bainbridge Island. Crab Creek Review's graphic designer, Jessica Star Rockers, will also be performing her songs. For information on tickets for the Dinner With An Author Series please visit: http://www.krl.org/index.php/calendar2/1/379-dinner-with-an-author
*Our annual Fiction Contest is underway (Sept.15th - Nov. 16th). Submit your short fiction (up to 3,000) words and win $100 and publication in Crab Creek Review. $10 entry fee. Our guest Fiction Judge is award winning writer Kathleen Alcala. Read complete guidelines here.
*We will be announcing the winners/finalists of our Poetry Contest soon! Many thanks to judge Aimee Nezhukumatathil, who chose four winners.
*We are excited about announcing our first annual 2009 Editors' Prize, awarded to the writer of an outstanding piece of fiction or poetry chosen from the two issues we have published this year.
*In early December, Crab Creek Review will post nominations for the Pushcart Prize. It will be a difficult choice because this year's issues are filled with exceptional writing, both poetry and fiction.
*Look for our Summer '09 Issue to be out by the beginning of October.
*Crab Creek Review will join A River & Sound Review for an evening of music, poetry, interviews, and humor at Richard Hugo House in Seattle on Oct. 8th. Check out A River & Sound Review here.
*Crab Creek Review staff will be involved with Dinner With An Author--a fundraiser for the Kitsap Regional Library Foundation. Kingston poets and CCR editors Kelli Russell Agodon, Ronda Broatch, and Annette Spaulding-Convy (along with Bainbridge Island poets John Davis and Janet Norman Knox, Poulsbo poet, Jenifer Browne Lawrence and Seattle poet/harpist, Monica Schley) will be reading from their work on Sunday, Oct. 18th at 7:00 p.m. at Pegasus Coffee House on Bainbridge Island. Crab Creek Review's graphic designer, Jessica Star Rockers, will also be performing her songs. For information on tickets for the Dinner With An Author Series please visit: http://www.krl.org/index.php/calendar2/1/379-dinner-with-an-author
*Our annual Fiction Contest is underway (Sept.15th - Nov. 16th). Submit your short fiction (up to 3,000) words and win $100 and publication in Crab Creek Review. $10 entry fee. Our guest Fiction Judge is award winning writer Kathleen Alcala. Read complete guidelines here.
*We will be announcing the winners/finalists of our Poetry Contest soon! Many thanks to judge Aimee Nezhukumatathil, who chose four winners.
*We are excited about announcing our first annual 2009 Editors' Prize, awarded to the writer of an outstanding piece of fiction or poetry chosen from the two issues we have published this year.
*In early December, Crab Creek Review will post nominations for the Pushcart Prize. It will be a difficult choice because this year's issues are filled with exceptional writing, both poetry and fiction.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Crab Creek Review's Summer '09 Issue available at the beginning of October
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We are in the final production phase of our Summer '09 Issue and we're very excited about the quality of the poetry, short fiction, the interview, and artwork.
Summer '09 will feature a "kitchen table" interview with the distinguished Seattle poet, Madeline DeFrees, conducted by Seattle writer, Anne McDuffie. Three previously unpublished poems by Madeline DeFrees are also included at the end of the interview. We will also feature our Fiction Contest winner, Shann Ray, and a short story that all of the editors found intriguing by Shannon Robinson.
As always, we have some incredible Seattle area and WA State poets in this issue: Joseph Powell, Tod Marshall, Marjorie Manwaring, Ann Batchelor Hursey, Kascha Semonovitch, Joannie Kervran Stangeland, Ann Gerike, and Jamie L. Olson, translator of the poetry of Russian writer, Vyacheslav Kiktenko.
This issue also features the artwork and poetry of Evergreen State College student Emily Ruch, an army mechanic twice deployed to Iraq. Poets January Gill O'Neil, James McKean, and Alison Pelegrin have poems in Summer '09, and we are also proud to publish some amazing emerging writers (one of them is only eleven years old!).
We can't wait for you to read this issue!
We are in the final production phase of our Summer '09 Issue and we're very excited about the quality of the poetry, short fiction, the interview, and artwork.
Summer '09 will feature a "kitchen table" interview with the distinguished Seattle poet, Madeline DeFrees, conducted by Seattle writer, Anne McDuffie. Three previously unpublished poems by Madeline DeFrees are also included at the end of the interview. We will also feature our Fiction Contest winner, Shann Ray, and a short story that all of the editors found intriguing by Shannon Robinson.
As always, we have some incredible Seattle area and WA State poets in this issue: Joseph Powell, Tod Marshall, Marjorie Manwaring, Ann Batchelor Hursey, Kascha Semonovitch, Joannie Kervran Stangeland, Ann Gerike, and Jamie L. Olson, translator of the poetry of Russian writer, Vyacheslav Kiktenko.
This issue also features the artwork and poetry of Evergreen State College student Emily Ruch, an army mechanic twice deployed to Iraq. Poets January Gill O'Neil, James McKean, and Alison Pelegrin have poems in Summer '09, and we are also proud to publish some amazing emerging writers (one of them is only eleven years old!).
We can't wait for you to read this issue!
Thursday, August 13, 2009
SlugFest!
Crab Creek Review was happy to sponsor and judge the poetry contest for the first ever Slug inFESTation (SlugFest '09!) in Kingston, Washington.
Our winner, a 5th grader from the community named Paige Lamar read her poem at the gallery's celebration that evening.
She was award a cash prize and certificate from Crab Creek Review and did a wonderful reading of her poem to a packed house!
We hope to be part of this wonderful event every year and are thankful to have so many incredible artists and writers in our community.
Read more about what the SLUGFEST is here in the Kingston Community News.
And see photos of some of the slugs and details about the event in an article from the KITSAP SUN.
Our winner, a 5th grader from the community named Paige Lamar read her poem at the gallery's celebration that evening.
She was award a cash prize and certificate from Crab Creek Review and did a wonderful reading of her poem to a packed house!
We hope to be part of this wonderful event every year and are thankful to have so many incredible artists and writers in our community.
Read more about what the SLUGFEST is here in the Kingston Community News.
And see photos of some of the slugs and details about the event in an article from the KITSAP SUN.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
A River & Sound Review
My favorite people River & Sound Review sent us an email saying their first issue of the RSR is online right now.
Here's the details. Check it out, they have some great writers included--
We at RSR are proud to annouce that our first issue of the RSR online journal is available now at our new website, www.riverandsoundreview.org, featuring the best in poetry, fiction, nonfiction, humor, and more.
Our first issue includes work contributed by Peggy Shumaker, David Huddle, Anne-Marie Oomen, and Brian Doyle.
Stay tuned for more details, as we are soon to open the reading period for our 2009 Poetry Contest, including a $500 first place prize. More info can be found on our website.
Let us know what you think, and help us pass the word of our new journal.
Many Thanks,
Jay Bates
_____________________
We hope to be having our October reading with River & Sound Review, more details on that coming later!
Here's the details. Check it out, they have some great writers included--
We at RSR are proud to annouce that our first issue of the RSR online journal is available now at our new website, www.riverandsoundreview.org, featuring the best in poetry, fiction, nonfiction, humor, and more.
Our first issue includes work contributed by Peggy Shumaker, David Huddle, Anne-Marie Oomen, and Brian Doyle.
Stay tuned for more details, as we are soon to open the reading period for our 2009 Poetry Contest, including a $500 first place prize. More info can be found on our website.
Let us know what you think, and help us pass the word of our new journal.
Many Thanks,
Jay Bates
_____________________
We hope to be having our October reading with River & Sound Review, more details on that coming later!
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Crab Creek Review Staff Changes
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Crab Creek Review wishes the best of luck to two of our staff members who are beginning new projects and leaving their CCR positions: Design and Production Manager, Tonya Namura, and Fiction Editor, Kerry Banazek. Thank you, Tonya and Kerry, for all of the thought and time that you put into Crab Creek Review and for the high level of skill and professionalism that you brought to the journal. You will both be greatly missed and we wish you the best of luck in your future literary and design endeavors.
We would also like to welcome our new Graphic Designer, Jessica Star Rockers, who is the former Managing Editor of Willow Springs literary journal (Eastern WA University) and the Editor and Publisher of the strange fruit literary journal, which she both created and designed. Jessica has her MFA from Eastern WA University in literary editing and design. Welcome to Crab Creek Review, Jessica! We look forward to working with you.
Our amazing intern, Jen Betterley, is now Fiction Editor with Nancy Canyon. Jen did such outstanding work for us as an intern in marketing, reading, and proofing, that we know she will be an excellent editor.
And as always, thank you to our terrific staff whose positions aren't changing: Lana Hechtman Ayers, Carol Levin, Jennifer Culkin, Nancy Canyon, and Ronda Broatch.
Look for the new issue of Crab Creek Review to be out in October.
Crab Creek Review wishes the best of luck to two of our staff members who are beginning new projects and leaving their CCR positions: Design and Production Manager, Tonya Namura, and Fiction Editor, Kerry Banazek. Thank you, Tonya and Kerry, for all of the thought and time that you put into Crab Creek Review and for the high level of skill and professionalism that you brought to the journal. You will both be greatly missed and we wish you the best of luck in your future literary and design endeavors.
We would also like to welcome our new Graphic Designer, Jessica Star Rockers, who is the former Managing Editor of Willow Springs literary journal (Eastern WA University) and the Editor and Publisher of the strange fruit literary journal, which she both created and designed. Jessica has her MFA from Eastern WA University in literary editing and design. Welcome to Crab Creek Review, Jessica! We look forward to working with you.
Our amazing intern, Jen Betterley, is now Fiction Editor with Nancy Canyon. Jen did such outstanding work for us as an intern in marketing, reading, and proofing, that we know she will be an excellent editor.
And as always, thank you to our terrific staff whose positions aren't changing: Lana Hechtman Ayers, Carol Levin, Jennifer Culkin, Nancy Canyon, and Ronda Broatch.
Look for the new issue of Crab Creek Review to be out in October.
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