Line Assembly Poetry Tour

Coming in Summer 2013 to a place near you! The Line Assembly Poetry Tour, featuring poets S. E. Smith, Anne Marie Rooney, Zachary Harris, Adam Atkinson, Ben Pelhan, and  former 9L assistant editor Lillian-Yvonne Bertram, is a new kind of poetry adventure. From their Kickstarter page:

"Unlike most reading tours that focus on the presentation of the author’s work, our tour will combine readings with free poetry and literary arts workshops at libraries and community spaces around the country."

Line Assembly will also donate contemporary poetry books and develop a resource magazine with tips on organizing reading and writing groups, hosting productive workshops, and more! Click on the link above to support this fantastic project.  

Monster Mags of the Midwest III

I hinted the other day that we'd have some other big AWP news and, finally, I can announce: Monster Mags of the Midwest III.

That's right, our AWP reading team up with Cincinnati Review and Mid-American Review is now a trilogy. Here's this year's line-up:

Tarfia Faizullah (vol. 7, no. 1)

Roy Kesey (vol. 2, no. 2, vol. 3, no. 2 & vol. 7, no. 2)

Mary Miller (vol. 7, no. 2)

Sarah Rose Nordgren

Marcus Wicker

The reading will be on Wednesday, March 6 at the Back Bay Social Club. Cocktail hour is from 6-7 pm. Readings start at 7 pm. It's going to be a phenomenal time. Hope to see you there!

Lions in Winter: A Literary Festival

This year's Lions in Winter literary festival kicks off on Friday, January 25th at Eastern Illinois University. The two day event features readings, workshops, and special sessions led by the festival's featured writers. And it is quite the line-up. The opening night celebration, which is free and open to the public, will include a reading by National Book Award winner, Jaimy Gordon. Other writers featured will include: Eduardo C. Corral, Tina May Hall, and Randa Jarrar.

On Saturday, January 26, 9L's very own Jodee Stanley will be on the editor's panel, which will also include Roxane Gay (PANK, and she is featured in our current issue, vol. 9, no. 2) Michael Nye (The Missouri Review), George David Clark (32 Poems), and Olga Abella (Bluestem).

For more information on the festival, including registration for workshops/sessions and the reading events, visit the Lions in Winter site.

It's going to be a great time. Hope to see you there!

Stories and Beer Reading

Ninth Letter is pleased to be a sponsor for this weekend's Stories and Beer reading in Champaign as part of Smile Politely's 5th anniversary celebration. Readers include: Jen Percy (forthcoming in our soon to be released next issue, vol. 9, no. 2), Roya Khatiblou, David Wright, Sal Pane, Lindsey Gates-Markel, and Ruben Quesada.

Here the other important event details:

When: Saturday, December 5th/ 5-7pm
Where: Mike and Molly's in Champaign

It's going to be a great time! Hope to see you there.

Carr Reading Series: U of I Alumni Reading

Tomorrow (Wednesday, October 3), is a big day around here as The Carr Reading Series welcomes back three graduates of the U of I MFA program to celebrate the release of their new books. Here's the line-up:

Lillian-Yvonne Bertram (But a Storm is Blowing from Paradise)
Ted Sanders (No Animals We could Name)
Arley McNeney (The Time We Went Marching)

The reading, which is free and open to the public, will begin at 4:30pm in the Author's Corner on the second floor of the Illini Union Bookstore. Hope to see you there! 

WORDHARVEST Recap

Okay, not so much a recap as more of an opportunity to say we had a great time at WORDHARVEST on Saturday! Thanks to our readers, Amy Sayre, Chad Simpson, Jensen Beach, Ted Sanders, and Roxane Gay, for being rock stars and making it a stellar event. Pictures of the readers can be found on our Facebook page. Ideally, there would be more pictures of the audience, the great discussions that broke out during the intermission, and the writers signing books, but my camera died before I could get any of those moments. I'll be sure to have a fully charged camera battery next time. Of course, I can't wrap things up without many thanks to everyone who turned out for the event. We're lucky in Urbana-Champaign to have a wonderful community interested in literary events. We appreciate it!

A few more things before I go. Congrats to Chad Simpson as today is the official publication date for his story collection, Tell Everyone I Said Hi. You should check it out!

Also, if you're looking for other great reading material be sure to check out these books too:

No Animals We could Name (Ted Sanders)
Ayiti (Roxane Gay)
For Our of the Heart Proceed (Jensen Beach)

Finally, Amy Sayre's play, The Widows of WhiteChapel, which allows the victims of Jack the Ripper to finally have their say, will be at The Legacy Theater in Springfield, IL on October 13 and 31. Don't miss it, folks!

Micro Interview: Roxane Gay

We'll wrap up our WORDHARVEST micro interviews with Roxane Gay, author of Ayiti. I want to take a moment to thank Roxane and all the WORDHARVEST readers for taking the time to answer my questions. This is going to be a great reading, folks! Okay, let's hear from Roxane.

Ninth Letter: How do you prepare for a reading? Any pre-show rituals? 

Roxane Gay: Sometimes I vomit. Sometimes I drink. Sometimes I just pretend I'm not actually going to have to read before an audience. None of these work very well.


9L: When deciding which material to read, do you try to anticipate or take into account how the audience might react to what you read based on the event or venue? 

RG: I definitely think about audience at readings. Writing should entertain, particularly when being read aloud so I try to blend funny, shorter pieces with my more serious stories so that people can have a good time and not feel like OMG I AM AT ANOTHER LITERARY READING.


9L: What's one of your favorite moments from a reading, either yours or one you've attended?

RG: My favorite moment was at the Literary Death Match 200 at AWP 2012, during the spell off. My friend and I spelled Dostoevsky with an e but the host thought it was spelled with a y. An audience member Googled and found out that the name is spelled both ways and instead of losing LDM, I won! A close second is when I read at Sunday Salon in NYC and read a story about expired yogurt and a woman in the audience got visibly nauseous. Good times. As an audience member, it's always electric to see Scott McClanahan or Amelia Gray read.

WORDHARVEST starts at 4pm on Saturday, September 29, at Cowboy Monkey in Champaign, IL. More details about the event can be found here. Hope to see you tomorrow!

Micro Interview: Jensen Beach

Today is WORDHARVEST eve, so we'll have micro interviews with the two remaining readers to celebrate.  First, we have Jensen Beach, author of For Out of the Heart Proceed as well as a contributor to our vol. 8, no. 1 issue. Here are his responses to my questions about prepping for a reading. Enjoy!

Ninth Letter: How do you prepare for a reading? Any pre-show rituals?

Jensen Beach: Well, I get kind of nervous when I read, so if the reading's at a bar, I'll usually have a drink to loosen up. But I find I can't drink too much or I'll get tongue-tied. Otherwise, I don't really have too many rituals. I try not to think too much about the reading in the days leading up to it. If I do, I find myself planning out how I'll introduce each story and that never really works out like I plan it; so I find it works best for me to just wing it.

9L: When deciding which material to read, do you try to anticipate or take into account how the audience might react to what you read based on the event or venue?

JB: Usually, I'll think of a few options for what I might want to read and make a decision at the reading. I try to read things that feel right for who's there and for the tone or nature of the reading. I usually won't read things with too much sex in them, for example, if my mother or my boss are in the audience. But that rarely happens, so usually I'm comfortable reading whatever. I kind of let my mood decide the first thing I read and then go from there. I'm making it sound way more complicated than it should be.

9L: What's one of your favorite moments from a reading, either yours or one you've attended?

JB: Back in 1999 or 2000 or so I saw Sherman Alexie read at Moe's in Berkley. I don't remember what he was there to read, if he had a  book out or anything, but the reading was great. Sherman Alexie is famous
for being a funny reader a great oral storyteller, and this reading was great. The best part of the reading, though, wasn't him. It was a fistfight that broke out near the back of the audience. These two women got into it over a seat. I was sitting right next to them. First there was some muffled shouting, then it escalated into pushing. Finally, the two started throwing punches. It was pretty surreal. One of the women got her earring ripped out. There was blood kind of splattered down her shoulder. They kept shouting at each other. Sherman Alexie, of course, stopped reading and the audience all turned and looked at the fight. It happened pretty quickly. Someone broke up the fight and one of the woman shouts to Sherman Alexie, "Hey, Sherman, just like the rez, huh?" And Sherman Alexie just said, "No, nothing like that." Then he went back to the reading. It was perfect.

WORDHARVEST starts at 4pm tomorrow at Cowboy Monkey in Champaign, IL. More details about the event can be found here. Check back later today for our next micro interview with Roxane Gay.

Micro Interview: Chad Simpson

Today's WORDHARVEST micro interview is with Chad Simpson, author of the very soon to be released, Tell Everyone I said Hi, which won the 2012 John Simmons Fiction Award. Enjoy!

Ninth Letter:  How do you prepare for a reading? Any pre-show rituals?

Chad Simpson: I usually practice reading to my cat Disco. While I read, Disco purrs and rubs up against my leg. She mewls. I feel like I’m really making a connection with my audience. Mostly, though, I time myself during theses practice runs, to make sure I’m going to stay within my time constraints, so as not to anger either the audience or the people with whom I’m reading.

As for pre-show rituals, I like bourbon. I mean, in general, I like bourbon. It’s not a ritual or anything but occasionally I’ll have one or two before I give a reading.

9L: When deciding which material to read, do you try to anticipate or take into account how the audience might react to what you read based on the event or venue?

CS: I do, but not much. I write mostly sad stories, which don’t go over as well at readings as, say, funny stories. So, really, there’s not much for me to take into account, since I only have certain things to offer. I do, however, write a lot of stories that aren’t very long, so the biggest thing for me to think about is whether I want to read two or three short stories, or the first half of something longer.

9L: What's one of your favorite moments from a reading, either yours or one you've attended?

CS: This is easy: About six years ago, I went to see Tim O’Brien give a reading at Augustana College. I was a huge fan prior to the reading, which is why my wife Jane and I made the 45-minute drive to see him, and his performance just blew us away. He basically told a story for the first half hour of the reading, like we were all sitting at a bar. He didn’t look down at any notes, didn’t flip through the bookmarked pages of some text. He just talked, and it was mesmerizing. He said smart stuff, funny stuff; he juggled tropes. When he was done, he said that the story he’d just told us was the “real” story of what had become the first chapter of his novel-in-progress. Then, to top things off, he read a short piece he’d published fairly recently, “A Letter To My Son,” which was heartbreaking and honest and just beautiful. I don’t think there was a person in the audience who wasn’t crying. And if there was, that person probably has no soul, and is not worth thinking much about.



WORDHARVEST is this Saturday, September 29 at 4pm at Cowboy Monkey in Champaign, IL. More details about the event can be found here. Check back tomorrow for our next micro interview with Jensen Beach.

Flash Nonfiction Reading at The Book Cellar

Another great literary event happening this week, a flash nonfiction reading on Friday, September 28 at The Book Cellar in Chicago. The reading is to celebrate the publication of The Rose Metal Press Field Guide to Writing Flash Nonfiction. There's an impressive line-up of readers, including, 9L CNF editor, Philip Graham and 9L contributor, Sue Silverman (vol. 8, no. 2). The event starts at 7pm. For more information on the other readers and location, check out the link above. It will be a great event, so be sure to make it out if you're in the Chicago area!

Micro Interview: Amy Sayre

The next WORDHARVEST reader on the micro interview docket is another graduate of the University of Illinois MFA program, Amy Sayre. Amy's haunting story, "Whatsoever," appears in the current issue of Ninth Letter. You can check out a longer interview I did with her earlier this year about the story. She is also now a playwright. Her play, The Widows of Whitechapel, will open at The Legacy Theater in Springfield, IL on October 13.

Ninth Letter: How do you prepare for a reading? Any pre-show rituals?

Amy Sayre: Preparation includes traveling about my neighborhood on a pogo stick reciting my work. For me the gravitational pull of the pogo while speaking dramatically is challenging, so by default that makes the reading seem quite easy. Pre-show rituals, by that do you mean activities besides tarot card reading, contacting deceased ancestors via Ouija board and wine? I don't know if those count or not. Sometimes, when the previously mentioned fail, I just read my work aloud a few times to a glass of river water. These were all techniques I was taught in MFA by Professor Michael Madonick. He also suggested wigs.

9L: When deciding which material to read, do you try to anticipate or take into account how the audience might react to what you read based on the event or venue?

AS: I don't take the audience into account.I think if someone asks me to read, they understand the darkness they have just invited in their door. But, this is not always the case, a few years ago, at a reading in Pennsylvania, I was describing a character partaking in a ritual that included setting fire to a unicorn's umbilical cord. A woman in the crowd hustled over to a nearby piano and began pounding the ivories to drown me out. She was afraid my work might offend the sensibilities of a group of Catholic seminary students in attendance.  The seminarians, however, gave me a standing ovation. The seminarians were from New Orleans, though I don't know if that had anything to do with their enthusiasm for my work.

9L: What's one of your favorite moments from a reading, either yours or one you've attended? 

AS: Once at AWP (the  best stories all begin this way, right?), Ricki Ducornet began a reading of what the audience thought was a non-fiction piece, then proceeded to break into a totally made-up language which included a set of outrageous sounds and utterances with origins wholly unknown. Slowly, the audience realizes that she is having them on, but she never broke character throughout the entire reading. I loved her work prior to the reading, but after that, I flat adored her. It  was brave and brilliant, exemplifying the artist that she is.

Details, including time and location for Saturday's WORDHARVEST can be found here.

Micro Interview: Ted Sanders

It's WORDHARVEST week! Over the next few days, I'll be posting micro interviews with the readers. First up is University of Illinois MFA alum and author of No Animals We could Name, Ted Sanders.

Ninth Letter: How do you prepare for a reading? Any pre-show rituals? 

Ted Sanders: My major preps are making sure the piece is the right length--which I have down pretty scientifically by now--and then lint-brushing the cat hair off my front. Otherwise I'm pretty anti-ritual. I probably have some displays of fussiness of which I'm largely unaware.

9L: When deciding which material to read, do you try to anticipate or take into account how the audience might react to what you read based on the event or venue? 

TS: Yes, I guess I do, but prefer to read stuff that's totally new. If I don't have that, I pick something that I know is likely to go over well for almost any audience there might be. Readings generally happen either in the quarantined quiet of the bookstore/academic scene or in the greater chaos of a bar. Generally I'd say the thoughtfulness or delicacy of what I choose to read is inversely proportional to both noise and alcohol levels. Bars are more likely to get the cussier, funnier stuff, though I don't always have something like that lying around, so sometimes the bar gets something too pompous, maybe, for the surroundings.

9L: What's one of your favorite moments from a reading, either yours or one you've attended?

TS: Oh, man. Seems like this could get me into trouble somehow, since for me "memorable" usually translates to "cringe-worthy." I'll confess I've not been able to completely shed the sight and sound of Patrick Lane, former grad student in the MFA here, try to read a story while playing his accordion. This was a thematic thing. Like, I think there was ambient accordion music in the story. But he hadn't really rehearsed the multi-tasking, wasn't really prepared for the complexity of the physical deed, and so it ended of being kind of awkward and earnest and plumply sweaty. Which now that I think of it, is probably not a bad thing to shoot for.

WORDHARVEST is this Saturday, September 29 at 4pm at Cowboy Monkey in Champaign, IL. Hope to see you there!

WORDHARVEST

Don't forget that Ninth Letter will present WORDHARVEST this Saturday, September 29 starting at 4pm. Here's a reminder of the five ridiculously talented writers reading that night:

• Jensen Beach (For Out of the Heart Proceed)
• Roxane Gay (Ayiti)
• Ted Sanders (No Animals We Could Name)
• Amy Sayre (The Widows of Whitechapel)
• Chad Simpson (Tell Everyone I Said Hi)

If you're anywhere near Urbana-Champaign, you should stop by Cowboy Monkey (6 Taylor Street, Champaign, Illinois 68120) on Saturday to hear these people read. Seriously, it's going to be a blast! Hope to see you there!

News Round Up

Ninth Letter is happy to present WORDHARVEST on Saturday, September 29 starting at 4pm. The official description: Five stellar writers read from their work as the harvest moon rises. Check out this ridiculously fantastic roster:

• Jensen Beach (For Out of the Heart Proceed)
• Roxane Gay (Ayiti)
• Ted Sanders (No Animals We Could Name)
• Amy Sayre (The Widows of Whitechapel)
• Chad Simpson (Tell Everyone I Said Hi)

Wow! I've had the pleasure of hearing each of them read before and it will be a real treat to see them all together. You're going to be there, right? Of course. It's totally worth a trip to Champaign, IL. The reading will be at Cowboy Monkey (6 Taylor Street, Champaign, Illinois 68120). Seriously, it's going to one hell of a good time. Hope to see you there!

Congratulations to LeAnne Howe, U of I creative writing professor and former CNF editor for 9L, on being awarded The Lifetime Achievement Award from the Native Writers’ Circle of the Americas.
 
Head over to the A/V section of ninthletter.com for the latest in a series of two handed drawing  videos from Ninth Letter designers, inspired by the stories and essays in our Spring/Summer 2012 issue. This month's videos are for "Picnic Geese," "Something Californian," and "The Scientist." Psst...I can also tell you that I'm working on an interview with "Picnic Geese" author Joseph Gross, so keep an eye out for that in the coming weeks.

Brynn Saito's poem, "Match," from the Spring/Summer 2012 issue was featured on Verse Daily.

Okay, I think that's it for now. Don't forget to enter our contest for Robin Hemley's "Study Questions for the Essay at Hand," if you haven't already. 

Contributors: we love sharing good news, so be sure to let us know if you have a new book coming out or have readings scheduled or any other news we can pass along to our readers via the blog. Contact us at info@ninthletter.com.

Monster Mags of the Midwest Reading--Live Blog

Hello, dear readers, we are moments away from the second Monster Mags of the Midwest Reading. We're all getting settled here at Murphy's Bleachers, grabbing a drink and such before the festivities begin.




7:01pm MAR Editor-in-Chief is hosting and let us know there will be a contest where we have to name parts of a pig. Yay, prizes!

7:10pm Keith Lee Morris claims he will win the contest. We shall see, sir.

7:14pm Great turnout, people still coming in, so we're waiting a little bit before getting started. Nice to see so many current and former 9L staffers here.

7:20pm Not to brag, but there are literary celebrities galore here.

7:24pm Getting started. Featured readers are going to play Cornhole against each other. Winner gets a t-shirt.

7:25pm People are getting creativity points in the naming the parts of the pig contest.

7:26pm Matthew Gavin Frank is first up in Cornhole. Current score 5 to 1.

7:27pm First reader up-- poet Michael Robins. He has dedicated his reading to Whitney Houston.

7:28pm We're at standing room only now.

7:31pm Well timed pause as a train went by. This guy knows what he's doing.

7:35pm Michael is reading his poem from the current issue of MAR. You should check it out at the bookfair tomorrow.

7:37pm So many people here that I can barely see the stage.

7:40pm Confirmed that 9L contributor Brock Clarke is up next.

7:41pm Keith got 1 out of 5 in the contest.

7:42pm Everyone give a hand for Brock Clarke. He'll be reading a short short called "Cartoons."

7:44pm Brock's story is poignant and funny as always. Great response from the crowd. That was a sexy story. He killed it.

7:47pm Break for food and such. I highly recommend the tater tots at Murphy's Bleachers.

7:55pm No one in the room knows Cubs trivia. For shame.

7:57pm Cornhole round 2.

8:00pm 9L contributor Mary Biddinger is up next to dazzle us with some poetry. She gave a shout out to 9L. Woo hoo! She has revealed that having the microphone makes her feel like she should sing to us. Sadly, no singing.

8:02pm Becoming an expert finding spaces between audience members to take pictures of the readers through.

8:04pm Mary tells us people always ask her if she writes poems about the funny things her kids say. Her response, "no, no, no." Sadly this does not turn into a rendition of Destiny's Child, "No, No, No." But the poem she does read is awesome.

8:09pm Contest winners being announced. 4 finalists. 2 of them are 9L staffers Max Somers and Angie Hines. 1 one of them is not Keith Lee Morris. Time for rock, paper, scissors to determine the winner. "You may know your hog, but not your rock, paper, scissors." -- Mike Czyzniejewski.

8:11pm 9Lers lose. Sad face. Rachael McKinney is the winner.

8:12pm Keith Lee Morris is reading. Hooray!

8:16pm Brock Clarke makes a better door than a window. Just saying.

8:18pm Food paging system totally drowns Keith Lee Morris out. Oops. I'm sure whatever he was reading at the time was amazing.

8:25pm Four out of six readers down. Too much awesomeness, so we need a quick break.

Taking lots of pictures, so I'll be uploading them later tonight. Everyone seems to be having a great time.

8:34pm And the next reader is.....Matthew Gavin Frank!!! Go 9L contributors!

8:37pm Matthew Frank thanks Jodee. Big round of applause.

8:38pm Matthew is reading a poem at the Morrow Plots at the U of I. In the 20s and 30s it was a body dump and now it's a world renowned known research plot.

8:40pm His 2nd poem is from 9L! Mike C is holding Matthew's book to allow for more arm gestures. There is not gesturing during poetry readings.

8:51pm Corn hole champ to be declared soon! Matthew Gavin Frank is the champion!

8:55pm Tonight's word: decimating.

8:56pm Last reader--Laura Van den Berg. Yikes we almost wore the same shirt. Good thing I changed at the last minute. She's reading a new story about bank robbers.

9:06pm Another blockbuster performance!

9:08pm And with Mike C's closing remarks the reading is over and we can declare the 2012 AWP conference open!

Thanks to all the readers and for everyone who came out on this rainy Chicago evening.

9L @ AWP 2012

AWP 2012 week is finally here! There's so much good stuff going on this year that I don't know if I have time to tell you all about it/attend all the cool events. But here are some highlights that you should pencil in on your schedule.

Ninth Letter will of course be at the bookfair, so be sure to stop by table O24 to say hi, check out the new issue, and pick up some rockin' swag. This year's t-shirt may feature a certain cast member from Welcome Back, Kotter that also figures into one the essays in the new issue.

We'll have the following on-site deals:

1. A 3-for-1 subscription with Mid-American Review and The Cincinnati Review, where you will get a 1-year subscription to all three magazines for $33.

2. A 1-year subscription to Ninth Letter for $17 (reg. price $21.95), which also comes with a free t-shirt.

3. Copies of the current issue will be $9 (reg. price $14.95).

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We'll also be teaming up with our partners in crime, Mid-American Review and The Cincinnati Review for the Monster Mags of the Midwest, Part II reading. Here are the details:

When: Wednesday, February 29 at 7pm

Where: Murphy's Bleachers (across from Wrigley Field)

Readers: Mary Biddinger (vol. 5, no. 1), Brock Clarke (vol 4, no. 1), Matthew Gavin Frank (most recently vol. 8, no. 1), Michael Robins, Laura Van den Berg, and Keith Lee Morris (most recently vol. 5, no. 2)

The reading is free and open to the public. I'll also be live blogging from the event. Follow us on Twitter (@ninthletter) to get updates about AWP throughout the week.

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My original plan was to post info about the readings, signings, and panels that our contributors will be on, but there are just too many to list here. I'm going to try to make it to a bunch of them and will post pictures and information from them on the blog.

I will be roaming the bookfair and will be at the Ninth Letter table (O24) from time to time, so I may be asking you a quick question or two with the answers posted here on the blog.

AWP is going to be a lot of fun! See you there!

Countdown to AWP 2012

AWP 2012 is just a few weeks away now, so we'll start bringing you info on our deals, swag, and Ninth Letter related events.

One thing you'll want to be sure to put on your schedule is the Monster Mags of the Midwest, Part II reading, which we are co-sponsoring with The Cincinnati Review and Mid-American Review. Here is the awesome list of readers: Mary Biddinger (vol. 5, no. 1), Brock Clarke (vol 4, no. 1), Matthew Gavin Frank (most recently vol. 8, no. 1), Michael Robins, Laura Van den Berg, and Keith Lee Morris (most recently vol. 5, no. 2). The reading, which is free and open to the public, will be on Wednesday, February 29, at Murphy's Bleachers (across from Wrigley Field!). The event will start at 7pm. It will be a great way to kick off AWP. I'll also be live blogging the event, so be sure to check back here for pictures and inside scoop.

In other news, here are a few recently published books from our contributors:

The Flight of Gemma Hardy by Margot Livesey (vol. 6, no.1). BookPage recently interviewed Margot about the book.

The Night Swimmer by Matt Bondurant (vol. 4, no. 2). Check out his blog for information on his research for the novel.

Stay Awake by Dan Chaon, which includes "Patrick Lane, Flabbergasted," which first appeared in vol. 4, no. 2 of Ninth Letter. Dates, times, and locations of where he'll be reading can be found on his website.

Contributors: if you have some news on a new book or have readings scheduled, be sure to contact us at info@ninthletter.com, so we can pass on the news to our readers.

2012: A Look Ahead

Happy 2012! Hope everyone had a great holiday season. There are a lot of great things to look forward to this year, including our new issue, which will be out this month. Take a look at the back cover, if you haven't already. Here are a few more reasons why we're excited it's 2012:

The musical adaptation of Cathy Day's (vol. 6, no. 2) The Circus in Winter will be part of the American College Theater Festival regional competition right here in Urbana-Champaign at the Krannert Performing Arts Center. The show will run from January 3-7.

New books from contributors, such as Stay Awake by Dan Chaon (vol. 4, no. 2), Chicago Stories: 40 Dramatic Fictions by Michael Czyzniejewski (vol. 7, no. 2), and The Green Shore by Natalie Bakopoulos (vol. 5, no. 1). I'm sure there are more that I missed. If you're a contributor and have a new book either just out or coming out later this year, let me know at info@ninthletter.com.

We're teaming up again with The Cincinnati Review and Mid-American Review for Monster Mags of the Midwest, Part II at AWP Chicago. This is one sequel that won't disappoint. Check out this list of readers: Mary Biddinger (vol. 5, no. 1), Brock Clarke (vol. 4, no. 1), Matthew Gavin Frank (most recently vol. 8, no. 1), Michael Robins, Laura Van den Berg, and Keith Lee Morris (most recently vol. 5, no. 2). The (free!) reading will be on February 29 at Murphy's Bleachers. We'll have more details as we get closer to AWP.

AWP is also exciting because it gives us a chance to meet some of our readers. We're, as always, grateful for your readership and support!

Local Readings

There are a couple of readings happening in the Urbana-Champaign area this week:

This Thursday is the VOICE Reading Series featuring a trio of 9L staffers. Max Somers and Sara Gelston will represent poetry. I just interviewed with them about being on the 9L poetry editorial board. Check it out, if you haven't already. You can get your fiction fix via Sean McIntyre. The event starts at 7:30pm at the Krannert Art Museum.

The last Stories & Beer of this semester happens on Saturday, December 3 at The Iron Post in Urbana. The reading starts at 3pm. Writers scheduled to appear include:

• PANK co-editor, Roxanne Gay
• Chris Newgent
• John Rubins
• 9L staffer, Eric Tanyavutti
• Josh Wild
• And making her Stories & Beer debut, former 9L staffer and one of our favorite people, Amy Sayre-Roberts

Both of these event are free and open to the public. It's sure to be a good time, so hopefully you make it out if you're in the Urbana-Champaign area.

While, there isn't an official Support Your Local Reading Series Month (hmmmm...), we hope wherever you are, you'll get out and support local readings.

Contributor Round-Up

Congratulations to Camille Dungy (vol. 5, no. 1) for winning an ABA/Before Columbus award!

Congratulations are also in order for Matthew Siegel (vol. 7, no. 2). His poem from Ninth Letter, "Matthew you're leaving again so soon" received a special mention in the 2012 Pushcart Prize anthology.

Ashley Butler (vol. 4, no. 2) will be reading from her collection of essays, Dear Sound of Footstep, at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee on Monday, November 7 at 8pm.

Whit Coppedge (vol. 7, no. 1) talks with Agni's senior editor, William Pierce, and our very own editor, Jodee Stanley, about what happens behind the scenes at lit mags.

Check out this New York Times article on Peter Orner's (vol. 7, no. 2) new novel, Love and Shame and Love, which will be released on November 7. Also check out Peter's thoughts on sad stories in a new edition of The Lonely Voice.

Finally, thanks to all the readers who subscribed during our October subscription special! We greatly appreciate your support!