Marissa Bell Toffoli

Archive for the ‘literary journals’ Category

Interview With Writer Jane Hirshfield

In books, literary journals, poetry, writing on December 5, 2011 at 6:28 pm
Jane Hirshfield

Jane Hirshfield. Photo by Robert Hatch.

An introduction to poet Jane Hirshfield, author of the new collection Come, Thief (Alfred A Knopf). When asked whether the poems of Come, Thief reflect any particular concerns of hers, Hirshfield begins with, “One lifelong theme for me has been saying yes to what’s difficult.”  Hirshfield is the author of six previous collections of poetry, a book of essays called Nine Gates: Entering the Mind of Poetry, and four books collecting the work of poets from the past. Her accolades include fellowships from the Guggenheim and Rockefeller foundations, the Academy of American Poets, and the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as three Pushcart Prizes, the California Book Award, The Poetry Center Book Award, and more. Her poems appear regularly in The New Yorker, The Atlantic, and Poetry, and have been included in six editions of The Best American Poetry.  Read the rest of this entry »

Updated Paul Harding Interview

In fiction, literary journals, pulitzer prize on August 23, 2011 at 11:00 pm
Paul Harding

Paul Harding. Photo by Gary Ottley.

My extended interview with Paul Harding is available in the newly published Eleven Eleven Issue 11. Hot off the press and only available in print, Harding expands on his Words With Writers interview from 2010. He answers additional questions about his current project, how his background in music influences his writing, what it’s like to win the Pulitzer for your first book, what he finds challenging about writing, how his goals have changed over time, and his advice for aspiring writers. Go forth and read, and enjoy that you’re also supporting an artful literary mag!

Interview With Monday Night Editors

In art, books, editors, fiction, literary journals, nonfiction, poetry, writing on May 23, 2011 at 11:32 pm
Monday Night 9 cover

Monday Night Issue 9. Cover design by Sharon McGill (2010).

An introduction to Sharon McGill, Heather Miller, Nana K Twumasi, and Jessica Wickens, the editorial team that publishes the literary journal Monday Night. Open submissions are held from September to December. The idea to start Monday Night came out of a writing group where Jessica Wickens and Sharon McGill first met. The debut issue of the journal published in 2001. Read the rest of this entry »

Interview With Writer Jonathan Evison

In books, editors, fiction, literary journals, writing on March 5, 2011 at 2:44 pm
Jonathan Evison

Jonathan Evison. Photo by Marissa Bell Toffoli (2011).

An introduction to Jonathan Evison, author of West of Here (Algonquin, 2011). Writer, reader, editor, and blogger extraordinaire Jonathan Evison is a friendly, witty, encouraging, and thoughtful presence in the online literary world. In person, he is all that plus a whole lot of fun. If you attend an Evison book event, you will be rewarded by candid answers and personal anecdotes. He might even play a recording of a Sasquatch whoop howl from his mobile phone. Yes, he believes in Bigfoot. Of everything Evison said, I went to sleep the night after meeting him still thinking about this: “Bigfoot is one last wild possibility that may or may not be out there. I believe because I want to believe.” He is a man with heart, willing to believe in what others might consider the impossible.
Read the rest of this entry »

Interview With Cerise Press Editors

In editors, fiction, literary journals, poetry, translation, writing on August 23, 2010 at 9:28 pm

Cerise Press Summer 2010

Cerise Press Summer 2010 Issue. Cover Art by Mikhail Gubin.

An introduction to Cerise Press and the literary ladies who founded it: Sally Molini, Karen Rigby, and Fiona Sze-Lorrain. Cerise Press is an international online journal that publishes three issues annually. They accept submissions year round.

Read the rest of this entry »

Interview With Writer Hugh Behm-Steinberg

In books, editors, literary journals, poetry, writing on April 4, 2010 at 12:53 pm
Hugh Behm-Steinberg

Hugh Behm-Steinberg. Photo by Marissa Bell Toffoli (2010).

An introduction to the author of the poetry book Shy Green Fields and faculty editor of the literary journal Eleven Eleven. Hugh Behm-Steinberg was a Wallace Stegner Fellow at Stanford University and recipient of an NEA Creative Writing Fellowship. He discusses writing, editing, and his current projects in this interview.  Read the rest of this entry »

Interview With Editors Laureen Mahler & John Peck

In comics, editors, fiction, literary journals, poetry, short stories, writing on March 27, 2010 at 12:53 pm
""

Laureen Mahler & John Peck. Photo by John Peck (2009).

An introduction to literary magazine editors of Beeswax Magazine, Laureen Mahler and John Peck, who also run an independent letterpress and book arts studio. The dynamic married couple publishes Beeswax Magazine from their print studio, Volta Press. Mahler and Peck have backgrounds in writing and literature, which lends them unique perspective as editors and printmakers.

Read the rest of this entry »