Sight set on BOMBsite

BOMB is, well... the bomb. For artists by artists. They claim that: "No other arts magazine pays such close and serious attention to developments in new art and writing, regardless of commercial appeal or name recognition." OK, you say. Maybe. Then you start reading and you discover the people involved in BOMB. Just some of the best and brightest voices of our times. So, I know most of us Writer Bums will be interested in their fiction contest. Normally I wouldn't advocate for a contest with a $20 reading fee. But, this is BOMB. I'd want to donate to them anyway. Why not donate with an opportunity to be printed in their pages? We're talking the launch of a career here.

Publishing to the Web 2.0

Web 2.0 has been wowing the iSavvy for years. I'm late to the game. Oh gee, look, I have a blog!

Now free, easy-to-use content management systems are the norm, creating communities and bubbling information up to users faster than you can develop a MySpace site or add thoughts to the wiki.

All this comes to mind today when I thought to share a list of books for writers. I love Web tools.

Ode to Poetry Month

The listening booth.

the X-change

Writer Bums have been raving about the online powerhouse resource that is Poets & Writers. If you are a literary artist and into online forums, their Speakeasy Message Forum is a must. This is the best, focused, professionally monitored, writers' forum we've seen. Need hints, tips, or information on the writing life, querying agents, tracking submissions, publishing in literary journals, hot links to new markets, how to reach acceptance into an MFA... it's a vibrant community. And it's free. Sign up just requires an email.

Books for kiddies

The Writer Bum community has been blessed with numerous new births and many more on the way. This brings to mind the genius of children's books. What Writer Bum can have a baby and not consider penning a few tales?

With so many children's books about random funny things, this should be easy, right? Then, there are some rare amazing, classically trained artists who just happen to also create amazing illustrations and decide to write books. Enter Peter Sis.

Recently he was spotlighted on an HBO Family special that featured books about different cultures. His featured book was a wonderful adventure through cultures in a New York City neighborhood with Madlenka.

Suddenly it's obvious that children's books require just as much serious dedication as a literary novel. No wonder, a read through Sis's bio is a jaw-dropping experience for writers and artists alike.

One for the shelf

Last year at the Willamette Writers Conference I caught a session with “author, editor, teacher, speaker” Elizabeth Lyon. More than one literary agent at the conference spoke highly of her talented red pen. Recently at Powell’s I discovered her book The Sell Your Novel Tool Kit. It’s a classic, so maybe a little dated, but still a great read and a must-have addition to any growing library on publishing and connecting with literary agents. "Everything you need to know about queries, synopses, marketing, and breaking in." Don't miss the real letters that landed literary agents and the sidebar commentary on why they worked. Good stuff.

Poetry in the Rain

April is National Poetry Month. No fooling. Here in Portland there are dozens of outlets and open mics to check out. And here are some Portland poetry links to browse:

Poetry Northwest Magazine
Caffeine Destiny
Poetry Downtown
Poetry in Motion