CALYX Journal and Press

Get to Know the CALYX Board: Cynthia Spencer

2010-04-20T10:50:00.000-07:00

Hi all,
I've been on the Board about 6 years, having been recruited by retired Oregon State Business Professor Mary Alice Seville—one of those quiet, behind the scenes women who does a TON for our local community. When Mary Alice asks you to do something it's hard to say no to someone who gives so much of her time. My time on the Board will be term limiting out shortly...

I've been a potter for the past 25 years and the past seven I've been the Director of our local arts festival. I feel strongly that the arts enrich our lives and that being creative is good for everyone—not just artists. This is why I got involved with CALYX—an area of the arts I was a lot less knowledgeable about than the visual arts world. CALYX has done some valuable work publishing women's artwork and writing over the past 34 years. I am now eager to see how CALYX grows and expands as our younger staff women begin to transition into the helm at CALYX and lead it into the future.

CALYX and the AWP Conference

2010-04-14T11:44:00.000-07:00

Kelsey & Cass Dalglish, Ingrid Wendt,

& Fran Adler

Becky at the CALYX table

Flying back to Portland from mile-high Denver and the AWP conference, I began reading a copy of Fire and Ink and found my depleted conference energy rekindled by the voices in the book. Here is writing that speaks to my soul. The kind of voices I have spent the past 34 years making sure are heard. And I had to rethink CALYX’s attendance at AWP. It is incredibly expensive to attend the book exhibit (table costs have doubled in the past 4 years) and we NEVER cover the costs of attendance through sales (shipping books, drayage fees, AWP fees, plane fares, per diems, and hotels, despite going as cheaply as possible). But reading Fire and Ink while sitting next to Becky (CALYX’s new Assistant Editor), and hearing her enthusiasm for her conference experiences I remembered all the younger writers who had been by the table and spoken with us and found a way to let go of the worry over the money lost on the conference. Here is a new generation coming up who will be the new voices to discover, and the importance of connecting with our current authors as well as the new younger and enthusiastic voices became obvious. Bringing the newer staff members to AWP to attend CLMP training workshops and many of the AWP workshops was important. Becky let me know all she had learned about increasing subscriptions and reaching new readers and the many new groups she had connected with who are starting new feminist publishing ventures (WILLA, Earth’s Daughters, Southern Women’s Review, and others). While I had looked around AWP and seen many publishing peers and friends missing, the younger staff were establishing connections with members of this new generation of feminist writers. They were involved with literature and publishing and excited about putting together workshops for the next AWP. The transition we want to make at CALYX, which will involve the passing of the feminist publishing torch to younger staff members, was beginning during this AWP. And I can finally see the vistas opening for CALYX and feel the excitement and the possibilities that this future can hold. Attending AWP in mile-high Denver wore me out—but hanging out with CALYX authors Fran Adler, Marianne Villanueva, M. Evelina Galang, Ellen Bass, Cass Dalglish, Catherine Brady, and Sybil James was delightful. Yet the prize in this experience was seeing this new generation at work and the possibilities they will bring to CALYX as we begin to hand over the reins and move into transition.

Margarita Donnelly, Director, 4/13/10

Joining the CALYX Family!

2010-03-16T17:19:00.000-07:00

Hey there. My name is Kelsey Connell, and I just joined the wonderful group of women here at CALYX, Inc as the new Assistant Director. I am excited to begin my journey with CALYX and am already learning so much. It is inspiring to become a part of a literary journal with 34 years of rich history publishing fresh female voices. As a recent graduate of the University of Oregon’s English program, I have spent a lot of time studying and thinking about literature and working with literary magazines. I am thrilled to become a part of an organization that publishes the astounding authorial voices of our time and brings them to you, our fabulous readers.

As usual, it seems there is a lot going on at CALYX to be excited about. We just began accepting submissions for the Lois Cranston Memorial prize and it is so great to see that pile grow. Not to mention, there are just so many reasons to submit! For my part, I will be taking over where Kathy left off, assisting on the business side at CALYX. My training has just begun and I can't wait to keep learning from everyone who is a part of the press!

Happy reading and writing,

--Kelsey

me with Jan and Mollie

(interns extraordinnaire)

on my first day

The Director's Blog

2010-03-16T13:12:00.000-07:00

Penelope Scambly Schott

The announcement of the winner of the first Sarah Lantz Memorial Poetry Book Award that went to Penelope Scambly Schott for her collection Crow Mercies has been exciting. It has also kept CALYX and Penelope very busy. We were delighted to receive the news from the Final Judge, Colleen McElroy, earlier in January than expected. Our distributor, Consortium’s (CBSD) deadlines for the announcement of Fall titles were due in January and February. We rushed to get information from the author and write the “tipsheets” for the new title. Then rushed to write the catalogue copy for CBSD and rushed to get a cover design in as well. And at the same time we wrote to authors Penelope has suggested asking them if they would read Penelope’s manuscript and give a cover comment. I just wrote to Lucille Clifton earlier this week without knowing she had been ill, and just received the news she has died. How very sad.

The hard part of the award is all the good manuscripts that CALYX received for consideration that didn’t win. I was left contacting all the authors and letting them know. There’s never an easy way to handle that correspondence.
Sarah Lantz

This award came about because a generous donor set up funds to establish an award in Sarah Lantz’s memory after we published her book, Far Beyond Triage. Sarah was a great poet, a brilliant thinker, and an enthusiast for life. She was a long-time supporter of CALYX and had been an editorial member of CALYX Journal for a number of years. We had published her poetry in CALYX Journal early in her publishing life. When her book ms. was selected for publication, I had no idea that the experience would be life-changing for me. Sarah had become a close friend. She was suffering from brain cancer and had aphasia resulting from surgeries removing the tumors as we started editing her ms. Yet, her sense of humor and her exciting character were still intact through the cancer ordeal. But communication with Sarah over the ms. was a struggle with language. It was the most difficult editorial work we ever have done—discovering, as we worked together on the book, that Sarah, despite signs of hopeful remissions, would not be recuperating. And that Sarah’s struggle with words—this brilliant poet whose life had been the beauty of words—continued throughout the process. Despite all this Sarah’s eyes continued to shine with her remarkable humor and she continued to laugh through her episodes finding words as we finalized her first, and very unfortunately last, book.

Far Beyond Triage was released in October 2007. Sarah died September 10th, 2007 at the age of 48. It was the month before we had her book back from the printer. She did receive the galley copy of her book (the early copy that goes to reviewers months before the final release of the book) and was delighted with the design and cover art which she had helped select. I’ll never forget the day I brought her the galleys. How she hugged her new book and loved it! I miss Sarah but am glad that we are able to commemorate her love of poetry with the Sarah Lantz Memorial Poetry Book Prize.

Margarita Donnelly, Director

CALYX is 34 on March 11th

2010-03-02T15:46:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure where the year is disappearing to, but March has arrived, and with it CALYX anniversary/birthday. March 11, 1976 is the founding date, and we will be celebrating with a party on Saturday, March 13th, 7-9pm at the Corvallis Arts Center (700 SW Madison). The reception including music, refreshments, and poetry readings is free and open to the public, so if you're in the area - come say hello!

The readings include the Oregon and Washington Lois Cranston Memorial Poetry Prize award winners: Linda Strever (Olympia, WA), Kathryn Graves-Messer (Salem, OR), Jennifer Richter (Corvallis, OR), and Toni Van Deusen (Eugene, OR). Linda's poem “How to Become the Oracle” received the 2009 Lois Cranston Memorial Poetry Prize judged by poet Marilyn Chin, and was published in our most recent issue. Kathryn's poem "Findings" is a 2009 finalist and is on our website http://www.calyxpress.org/Cranstonprize.html. Toni and Jennifer are finalists from previous years -- and we're looking forward to seeing all of them at our party!

As with other events, there is a bit of work that goes into creating this party - getting the word out, coordinating with poets and the location... and the last minute details seem to be falling into place. In a little less than two weeks, we'll have some photos to post up here, and wrapup of the event. How time flies!

-- Cathy

Signs of Spring

2010-02-16T17:13:00.000-08:00

I know we shouldn't mention this, with the east coast buried in snow, and apparently snow in 49 of 50 states... but a few feet from the door of the CALYX office there are crocus, daffodils and snowdrops blooming! Spring has begun here in Oregon, and although we have had our "setbacks" before (notably a snow mid-April last year!), it's starting to feel like we're coming out of the winter! And if it's spring... CALYX birthday isn't far behind!

CALYX was founded on March 11, 1976, by four women with a vision to provide a publication that celebrates the excellence and diversity of women’s literature and art. It has continued to give opportunities to new and developing writers - more than 4,000, and we lost count a while ago!

A few writers who were published first or early in their careers include Julia Alvarez, Ellen Bass, Chitra Divakaruni, Molly Gloss, Linda Hogan, Natalie Goldberg, Barbara Kingsolver, Colleen McElroy, Sharon Olds, Nobel Laureate Wislawa Szymborska (the first English translations in the U.S.A.), and Eleanor Wilner. Did you know CALYX Journal was also the first U.S. publisher of color art reproductions of the work of the Mexican artist Frida Kahlo?

We will be celebrating CALYX' 34th birthday here in Corvallis, Oregon, with a party on March 13th that includes music, refreshments -- and of course, readings! More on that soon. But if you are inclined to celebrate with CALYX, you can have a house party of your own! We would be delighted to provide more information to you -- email us at: info(at)calyxpress(dot)org.

Readings for issue 23:5

2010-02-03T13:03:00.000-08:00

Hello there, dedicated followers!

It's Mollie, one of the winter interns here at Calyx! The sun is shining through the office window as Becky, Jan and I happily work away on great fun stuff for you.

So, you ask, what am I working on today? Readings for the new issue! I'm currently contacting bookstores to host readings in the San Francisco, Arlington, and New York City areas! Authors are starting to reply with availability and it's all terribly exciting!

Do you guys know of any great independent bookstores in these areas? We're hoping for Bluestockings in New York because we've worked with them before and they're great, but I would love the input of any readers in the S.F. or D.C. areas who know of some wonderful independent bookstores perfect for Calyx readings!

Hope you're all doing well and enjoying the sun/rain/wind/snow wherever you are!

--Mollie Peterson

Lois Prize 2010 is coming up

2010-02-03T12:57:00.000-08:00

Top 10 Reasons Why You Should Submit Your Poems to the 2010 Lois Cranston Poetry Prize:

10. winner gets $300 prize
9. winner gets published in a beautiful magazine
8. finalists get a free 3 issue subscription to CALYX
7. finalists get published on CALYX website
6. semi-finalists get the recognition of being really close to winning (yes!)
5. it makes editors smile to see lots of different poets writing and sharing their work
4. fun for interns to carry mail from our PO box to our office
3. raises funds for CALYX--support women's literature!
2. it's exciting to wait and see if you win (contest! contest! contest!)
1. ALL contestants get 1 free issue of CALYX

We start accepting submissions March 1!

Send 3 poems and $15 entry fee to PO Box B Corvallis, Oregon 97339

See http://www.calyxpress.org/ for full contest details

Feedback, Anyone?

2010-01-28T15:20:00.000-08:00

Hopefully, you have had a chance to read our latest issue, Vol. 25:3, which was shipped early January. Of course, as anxious parents, we simply love to hear how the latest creative "child" has been received! We have gotten some lovely emails, and several of you have filled out the Survey Monkey survey via our website (thanks!) But we'd love to hear from more readers.

As we begin to develop and expand our interactive abilities, we are hoping that we can begin a dialogue with our readers, and possibly facilitate a dialogue among you. Step one is to set up feedback mechanisms (such as the Survey Monkey questionaire), and of course we are reading and responding to our Facebook page. What next? What else would you like to see, either on this blog, or on the Calyx website? You can enter comments below, or email us at info(at)calyxpress(dot)org.

Sarah Lantz Memorial Poetry prize Winner Announced!

2010-01-26T15:50:00.000-08:00

We congratulate Penelope Scambly Schott for her winning book, Crow Mercies. Penelope is the winner of our first Sarah Lantz Memorial Poetry Book Prize. There were many entries, and it was not an easy decision, but final judge Colleen McElroy selected Crow Mercies from a final group of eight books.

Because the lead time on book publication is so early, we got busy right away! Crow Mercies has an ISBN number, and we have entered the summaries and other needed info online with our distributor -- a January deadline for an October printing! As someone who is relatively new to this, it is interesting to me how long a lead time there is for many aspects of the production.

I'll be blogging along the way, as I learn more about how to produce a book of poetry!
-- Cathy

It's here!

2010-01-11T15:57:00.000-08:00

Cathy and I stood in the empty parking lot of the storage locker facility. We were waiting for the drop-off. When the guy's truck pulled up, I knew it would be the good stuff. He unlatched the back of the truck...yeah, the good stuff.

Yes, our friend in the delivery truck was dropping off the newest issue (winter 2010 vol. 25:3) of CALYX! The cover features a lovely wrap-around black and white photograph by University of Oregon senior Andi Calliope Linden. I couldn't wait to get back to the office and take a peak at the full-color art and pages of delicious prose and poetry.

-Becky, Associate Editor and storage locker goon

Holiday Wishes from everyone at CALYX!

2009-12-23T12:36:00.000-08:00

We hope you all have a happy season, filled with creativity and with peace!

Also, we would like to invite all the friends of CALYX to tell us what you think of our blog -- you can use the Comment function, or you can send email to info(at)calyxpress(dot)org. What would you like to see here? Are there questions about a literary press that you would like answered? Are you curious about our herstory? We'd love to hear from you.

December 5, 2009 Poetry workshops by Frances Payne Adler and Willa Schneberg, Corvallis, Oregon

2009-12-15T15:08:00.000-08:00

The CALYX Workshops and readings on Saturday, December 5th were well attended and enjoyed by the participants. Eleven attendees for “Fire & Ink” heard Fran Adler describe several inspiring activist projects that either sprung from or resulted in poetry and image. She then challenged us to create a poem from a deep-seated concern. The shared poems ranged from hunger to abuse issues, to healthcare issues. Too quickly, the workshop itself was over, and attendees had the chance to buy Fran’s newest anthology “Fire & Ink” – it quickly sold out.

Frances Payne Adler giving "Fire & Ink" workshop

That afternoon, 13 attendees for Willa Schneberg’s “Dreaming the Poem” learned about how the unconscious can bring up images in dreams, how poets have used dream in various ways in their poetry, and how a poet can even use someone else’s dream to create an interesting poem. The attendees tried their hand at poems from selected anonymous dreams brought by Willa – the results were surprising. Several poets had the same dream, but created very different poems. Willa’s books were also available and popular with the attendees.

The evening reading showcased Willa and Fran’s poetry, in “Poems of Resistance and Resilience” – despite frigid weather, the audience proved that poetry is a draw in Corvallis. CALYX is very grateful to Willa and Fran for coming down from Portland to give these workshops and reading, and to Friends of the Corvallis Benton County Library, The Corvallis Arts Center, and the Benton County Cultural Coalition for sponsoring this event.

Sarah Lantz Finalists Chosen and Sent to Final Judge.

2009-12-15T12:59:00.000-08:00

All the contributors to the Sarah Lantz Oregon Women's Memorial Poetry Book Prize have been read blind by the CALYX editors (they were accepted from 9/1/09 to 11/20/09). The finalists were sent on to the Final Judge, Colleen McElroy, on 12/14/09. We plan to announce the winner in late January, 2010.

Rainy Tuesday Morning with Two New Interns

2009-12-15T11:55:00.000-08:00

Mollie, Jan, and Shayna in the office

I'm Mollie and today's my first day as an intern at CALYX! After graduating from the University of Oregon in June with a Bachelor of Arts in English, I contacted CALYX asking for an internship so that I might be able to learn more about jobs relating to literature. I'm really excited to be a part of such a great place and I look forward to all kinds of new knowledge and experiences. Maybe I'll even figure out for sure how to pronounce our name! --Mollie

My name is Jan, and today is my second day as an intern with CALYX. As Mollie, I am an English major from the U of O. My love is literature--reading and writing. I look forward to seeing just how a small press works, and being surrounded by women who have dedicated their time to literature, and hope to learn as much as possible from them. --Jan

My last day at CALYX

2009-12-09T14:56:00.000-08:00

I was asked to write a blog regarding my time at CALYX, which as a writer I had thought would come to me easily. However, I find myself stuck as to where to begin. I remember my first day in late-September, curious and nervous about my new surroundings. Little did I know the beautiful experience I was to come across, along with the warm friendships and kindness throughout the office.

Fall of 2009 has been a busy one, filled with the 33rd annual Glitterati, Sarah Lantz Poetry Prize submissions, filing the many manuscripts received each day, and of course watching 25:3 come to life. A few of my favorite memories are rocking the donor letters with Shayna (though she may think differently, she got a paper cut or two), going out to lunch with the staff to Evergreen, and reading the various works of women across the world.

A few interns start next week, and I wanted to think of a couple of things that would help them for their new journey in CALYX. Create a system with the other intern(s) that ensures speedy mailing, don’t be afraid to ask questions, and if in doubt: use the “RECEIVED” stamp. Margarita tells the best stories, Beverly has the greatest laugh, Cathy has the best smelling food, and Becky is a fantastic listener. CALYX is filled with wonderful, unique women, so enjoy the experience you are set to begin.

Thank you,
Kelly

Bonanza Jellybean proofs the journal

2009-12-09T13:45:00.000-08:00

The other day as the editorial team finished up proofing,

my cat Bonanza Jellybean decided to help.

Obviously, it was very productive.

CALYX Intern Day Is Here!

2009-12-08T16:17:00.000-08:00

12/8/09 Today is fall intern celebration day. Kelly and Shayna are joining the staff at Evergreen Restaurant for their thank you for all the hard work at CALYX this term. And all of us who worked with Kelly and Shayna will miss their great energy after they finish their term at CALYX next week. It has been a pleasure to have their help with the October CALYX Glitterati, the receipt of the Sarah Lantz Poetry Book Prize manuscripts, the production of the Winter CALYX Journal (which went to press yesterday), and their handling of the hundreds of manuscripts when CALYX Journal opened October 1st. They also were great about the bulk mailings, never complaining and even learning the rudimentaries of bulk sorting mail for our non-profit bulk mail permit. Shayna and Kelly deserve a great thank you from all of us at CALYX as well as our readers and contributors. We could not maintain this small press and publish so many women’s voices without the generous support of the student interns who provide their devotion and generous time to the work of CALYX. THANK YOU KELLY AND SHAYNA! -- Margarita

From the Director

2009-12-08T16:13:00.001-08:00

Margarita Donnelly

12/3/09 I just returned from a vacation to the Philadelphia area for Thanksgiving. Flying into Portland airport after a 12-hour travel day was delightful. As the plane banked over the silvery Columbia River Mt. Hood, the Three Sisters, Mt. St. Helens, and even Mt. Rainier were visible under an ascending full moon. A beautiful welcome home. Back at CALYX I returned to the new issue, Volume 25:3 (Winter 2010), which is going to press on Monday the 7th. We did all the last minute checks and corrections of another incredible issue of women’s poetry, prose, reviews, and art. Look for it in your mailboxes early in January if you are a subscriber. If you’re not a subscriber, become one by the end of the year to ensure your receipt by mail of another incredible Journal of women’s words and art.

I continue reading (with another CALYX editor) the first reads of poetry manuscripts for the Oregon Women Poets Sarah Lantz Memorial Poetry Book Prize. It is not an easy task selecting from the many fine manuscripts we have received. The meeting to select finalists to send on to the final judge Colleen McElroy is Friday, December 11th. We plan to announce the first prize winner of the Book Prize in early February. At the same time CALYX Journal also opened for the annual open submission period (October 1 to December 31) and our editors are immersed in reading those first reads. The manuscripts are coming in heavily at this point.

Calyx reading at Rebound Bookstore, San Rafael, CA

2009-12-02T13:08:00.000-08:00

On November 14, 2009, Calyx authors Nancy Cherry, Connie Post, Dian Duchin Reed and Theresa Whitehill, all poets published in Calyx Journal 25:2, met at a reading hosted by Rebound Bookstore.

Theresa Whitehill commented:

I thought Rebound did a great job producing the reading. Joel introduced the event with a little summary of Calyx and its importance in publishing. I thought it set a nice tone for the evening. It was an honor to be there reading our work and we decided that the four of us are now officially "Calyx Sisters" Connie, of course, was an immense help in getting the word out and making sure we gathered beforehand at Confucius Restaurant for a little sustenance and to chat, which I think helped the unity of the reading we gave. Thank you for your help in organizing.

Theresa Whitehill reading at Rebound

Dian Duchin Reed also commented on the evening:

The reading at Rebound Bookstore was simply wonderful. The venue was cozy and welcoming (and what a selection of books!), the audience appreciative, and my fellow readers a delight to meet. Thank you to each and every one of you for making this event possible, successful, and memorable! I enjoyed every minute of it. Thank you, Shayna and Calyx, for getting the ball rolling.

Dian Duchin Reed presents her poetry

Nancy Cherry reads at Rebound

Connie Post at Rebound

Calyx reading at Bluestockings, New York

2009-12-02T12:50:00.000-08:00

On October 30, 2009, two Calyx authors met at Bluestockings, New York for a reading: Cass Dalglish author of Humming the Blues and Tess Taylor, whose poem "Ohio Engagement" appeared in issue 25:2 of Calyx Journal. This is Tess's account of the evening.

On a dark, stormy Friday before Halloween, Cass Dalglish and I met and read at Bluestockings bookstore in New York City-- a wonderful enclave of feminist and radical books tucked on Manhattan's Lower East Side. October in New York is busy season, and the Friday before Halloween is even busier. We started with a small but devoted crowd, which included dear friends from across our lives and the world-- one literally in from Singapore that morning! All Souls spirit was in the air. The subways were already full of goblins, Cleopatras, pirates. The city had begun to morph, allowing in the carnival of Halloween.

While witches roved outside the windows, I read poems about daylight savings, ghosts, and ghosting. I read poems about shards that hold the past, objects that exert their claim on us, that tell cunning mysterious half stories. They are hauntingly partial windows, little glimpses, the odd stuff of which myths are made. My work was tracing family and American history, trying to understand the ambivalence of inheritance both within my own life and within this broken, sometimes painful America. On the surface it seemed to have little to do with Cass's work, which translates and interprets an ancient Sumerian text. Then again, what could be a more hauntingly partial fragment than a bit of poetry by a woman in ancient Sumer? My current work has, in its very daily way, epic aspirations. It wants to speak through fragments of selves to cast the bigger project of a nation. But Cass was actually reintroducing our audience to history's first poet, the first person ever to sign a name to an epic poem. That poet, it turns out, was a woman.

Lo and behold, Cass had studied and resurrected old clay tablets from Sumer, where the first writer signed a name, to claim authorship of a poem. It turns out that first writer was a she, Edhuanna, a poet, prince, and Sumerian leader. In Sumerian the word poet and prince were one in the same, and the word itself had no gender. Hooray, epic, I thought! I always knew you weren't limited to men. Hooray, woman long ago who signed her name and claimed her writing! Thank you for existing and living on now. Thank you for being there to see. I repeat this wonderful fact: The word poet is the same as the word prince and the word itself has no gender.

The joy went on: Cass's wonderful book, Humming the Blues, reintroduces Enheduanna's Song to Inanna, an ancient Sumerian text of a poet following a god into the underworld. The first epic poem, the early epic structure, the familiar prototype for 5000 years of poetry which follow. But in this case the poet and the god had female identity, and female form. I trembled with something called delight. Joseph Campbell had the notion that there was only one heroic story... this work shows that the hero was a female. Cass read beautifully. We sat on the edges of our chairs, meditating about the old reed-shapes in the clay, those patterned forms that came to us from a past-life, that spoke out from 5,000 years ago, as if they were exiting the underworld once more. The rhythms seemed to rise and shimmer in the bookstore light.

We walked out, newly cloaked, into the dark.

An Introduction

2009-11-16T13:59:00.000-08:00

Hello,
My name is Kelly, and I have been interning at CALYX for nearly two months now. I wanted to briefly introduce myself and share some of the wonderful things that I have done so far. After this term I will be graduating in Liberal Studies with a focus in Women Studies at Oregon State University. Having an interest in writing, publishing, and activism, CALYX has been the perfect experience.

My typical day includes sorting mail, filing journal and Sarah Lantz manuscripts, reviewing corrections, emailing, and updating websites. Helping with the 33rd Annual Glitterati was fun, and you can view photos at: http://www.calyxpress.org/newsletter.html. Also, seeing the many talented Sarah Lantz poetry submissions has been very fulfilling. Which are still being accepted through November 20th. The greatest part, though, has been watching a journal come to life.

Kelly

p.s. for the holidays, subscriptions make the perfect gift!

The Birth of a Feminist Journal

2009-11-11T10:22:00.000-08:00

(CALYX editorial staff Rebecca and Beverly, pictured left)

The CALYX Journal editorial staff is knee-deep in the production of the upcoming Winter 2010 journal. As the associate editor, I work with our senior editor Beverly, to copyedit, organize and arrange the journal's content.

One question that we have struggled with this week is what is the best way to open a feminist journal? The opening piece often sets the tone to how the journal is read, and it is important to have a strong start. Much of our prose and poetry content for this issue focuses around birth and mothers, themes in many previous CALYX Journals, and so we are tempted to open with a piece on birth. As women, we are intimately and deeply connected with the complicated feelings related to birth and raising children. But is that all that women are connected with?

While women's bodies and lives are often uniquely tied to children and child birth, woman's experience is not defined by birth (unless it is, perhaps, the birth of her own identity). The journal will open with "How to Become the Oracle" by Linda Strever, winner of the 2009 Lois Cranston Poetry Prize. Immediately following, will be the lush and moving prose piece by Christine Simokaitis, "Waiting for Elijah," focused around a woman's harrowing experiences with the birth of her son. We hope that our feminist readers recognize that stories and poems related to birth examine only a piece of the many experiences, dreams, curiosities and challenges that women face in their lives. At CALYX, we will do our best to represent all of the many faucets of woman's experiences and imagination; this includes, but is not limited to, birth.

-Rebecca Olson, Associate Editor

Lois Cranston Poetry Prize Winners on CALYX website!

2009-11-05T09:40:00.000-08:00

The hard work of judging the Lois Cranston Memorial Poetry Prize is done. The poems of our winner, Linda Strever of Olympia, WA and of our two Honorable Mentions -- Pat Cason of Vancouver, WA and Kathryn Alison Graves of Keizer, OR -- are on our website at http://www.calyxpress.org/ . After that always comes the hard work of thanking all those who submitted, and sending them a copy of CALYX Journal.

Our interns, Shayna and Kelly, did a lot of packing, sealing and sorting -- here's Kelly at work in our mailroom (above).

Almost 700 submissions were received! And yesterday, after at least a week's worth of prep, we got the many packages in the mail!

New Voices from CALYX Press

2009-10-22T13:30:00.000-07:00

Hi –
This is Cathy, the new assistant director at CALYX Press. I’ve just joined as half-time staff member, and we staff – after watching the fun the interns are having on this blog – have decided to jump in with some blogs of our own!

It’s a whirlwind here right now: the next issue is just wrapping up copy-editing, the Lois Cranston Memorial Prize has been chosen, and announcements are going out to the world; we just finished a fun gala – our Glitterati – which was my introduction to the CALYX board and volunteers, a great bunch! As the assistant on the business side, my focus is the website and ad sales and subscriptions and shipping… and quite a bit more I haven’t learned yet. It’s quite an education! I’ve been a writer and artist for years, but being part of the “other side” of the small press equation is quite an eye opener! The sheer amount of work that is involved in getting an issue out to press is amazing. I know that I’m going to have a different attitude toward each of the journals and small press books that come to my house from now on.

I’ll write more later, but now I have to get to stamping about a hundred envelopes!

New Intern, New Updates!

2009-09-16T11:59:00.000-07:00

Hello,
I'm Shayna, and I just started as an intern here at CALYX last week. I'm having fun so far, and there's lots going on here at CALYX.

First of all, we at CALYX are excited about a few things:

Tonight, September 16, at Annie Bloom's Bookstore in Portland there will be a reading by five of our most recently published authors from Oregon! Mary Calvin, Helen Gerhardt, Lois Rosen, Felicity Shoulders, and Leslie What will be there!
Leslie has been nominated for the Ken Kesey Award for fiction for "Crazy Love." Congratulations to her!
RIGHT NOW!! We are accepting manuscripts for the Sarah Lantz Memorial Poetry Book Prize. The contest is open until September 30th, so get your manuscripts mailed in ASAP, poets! Go to www.calyxpress.org for details!
Our annual Glitterati event will be an exciting night of spice--Friday, October 9. Tickets are on sale now at www.calyxpress.org!
There's another CALYX reading next month, October 30 at Bluestockings in New York: Rhonda Zangwill, Tess Taylor, and Cass Dalglish will be the stars of the show!

There are a few things I am working on as an intern, too.

Because so many authors from California were published in issue 25:2, I am working on setting up a reading for them in the Bay area.
Hopefully, I will be able to set up another Oregon reading for some of our recent authors. Salem has been suggested as a possible location!

Remember, we're open for prose and poetry submissions annually starting October 1 through December 31. That's coming up soon!

My last day at CALYX.

2009-09-09T14:42:00.000-07:00

Hi, blogosphere.

Today is my last day at CALYX, and I'm getting all my last minute things in order, handing over my projects to a new intern, and making a checklist of things I have to have done before I go. Today is also my last full day in the state of Oregon. Being here has been a completely new experience for me. I've seen new things, met new people, and had some of the most valuable experiences of my life. I know this isn't the end of my time spent in the publishing world, but it's still very sad for me to leave.

I was very fortunate to intern here in the midst of a lot of change in the organization. I've seen a great number of things happen. At the same time, there are so many things here that I won't get to be a part of! Today we're sending out invites to the Glitterati. Unfortunately, I'll be in Columbus when the Glitterati actually happens. I'm still happy to be a part of the invitation-sending; I just wish I could see the real thing!

I hope to come back to Oregon sometime. I've been very happy here. I'm glad I got to be a part of starting this CALYX blog, and I hope it continues to be a part of the organization in the future. I'll be reading to see what else is going on once I leave!

Thanks for everything, readers, contributors, and everyone else!

Kathleen

2009-08-18T14:33:00.000-07:00

Hi, blogosphere. I wanted to let you know about some of the projects going on around here this month (and ruminate on interconnectedness)!

Even though we're not always open for submissions, it seems like we're always getting ready for something around here. At the moment, I'm involved with a number of different tasks that will culminate in CALYX events. I'm following up on promotion for our poetry manuscript prize, which will lead to Oregon women writers sending us submissions. Eventually, someone who learns about this contest will be published by CALYX Press... and that's definitely important!
We've also been preparing for the CALYX Glitterati, the annual fundraising event we host every year. Seeing how many different people and businesses get involved in such an endeavor is really amazing. And the somewhat abstract work I'm doing on it now will eventually be put to use in an actual, physical event. (I'll be back in the Midwest when that happens, though, unfortunately. That is one of the strange things about being just a summer intern: I'm planning for all these things that I won't be around to see!)
It's really nice to work in an industry where even small things are big things. Suppose we send out an acceptance letter for a poet in the next journal. Sending this letter out takes a couple minutes, at the most. With technology, everything moves even more quickly. This isn't the nexus of a day at CALYX-- but getting an acceptance letter, maybe a first ever acceptance letter, from a respected and established literary institution could quite easily make someone's day.
See? Interconnectedness. I have no authorial ambitions, but it's so wonderful to be a part of a network of authors and writers. It's a good feeling to know that people can be everywhere, doing different, important things, and still be a part of the same collective experience.

By the way, I mentioned before that there would be a job opening at CALYX because of the stimulus money. The time for that statement to come to fruition is now! Go to http://corvallis.craigslist.org/npo/1320104337.html to see what you would need to do to work for CALYX.

Thanks for listening, e-world!
Kathleen

From the desk of Elise Filka, intern extraordinaire

2009-08-05T14:38:00.000-07:00

Oh, the joys of being a CALYX intern! This is my last day (actually last HOUR) of working here and I have been forced by everyone to write up a little thing for our blog, so I hope this will suffice. I remember my first day, I was fresh off the plane from Michigan, had never been farther west than Minnesota, and I was a little shell-shocked. But Beverly and Margarita were very warm and welcoming, they dealt kindly and patiently with my ignorance of just about everything, and since then have taught me so much about feminism, literary journals, and book publishers. As for my daily tasks and projects, though, I remember thinking that working on things like packing letters and other little tasks was like doing a clerical job but actually enjoying it. There is always this underlying sense in you here that what you are doing actually matters somewhere out there in the world. It also helped when you were addressing letters to famous writers/publications. It will, indeed, be weird when I have to go back to another rewardless job and won’t have things to look forward to like emails from authors and bookstores. I think that if you are any decent mix of literary nerd/ feminist/women’s studies person you will absolutely love to work with the marvelous women here at CALYX.

Inaugural Post

2009-07-21T13:47:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the brand new CALYX blog! (Margarita's apologies; she previously said that we weren't doing any blogging. We are doing some now.)
My name is Kathleen, and as part of my internship for CALYX, I’m starting a blog about what’s going on around CALYX this summer. I traveled from Minnesota to be a part of CALYX for twelve weeks. It’s hard to believe that four have already gone by. So much has already happened while I’ve been here.
Here’s one exciting announcement: CALYX got part of the NEA stimulus grant money for this year! That money goes exclusively toward salaries, which means CALYX will be hiring some new people. So if you’re dying for a job with them (and why wouldn’t you be?) make sure to pay attention to the job announcements.
This summer, there are three interns here at CALYX: Elise, Laura, and I (that’s us at the top of the page). Interns do a lot of things. We’re given long and short-term projects. CALYX depends a lot on volunteer support, and interns are essentially volunteers. Some of our duties are more ‘traditional’ intern duties: office work, mail, addressing, and computer work. The upside of working for a small press is that we get more significant projects as well. For instance, you may have noticed that I’m currently writing the only blog in the history of CALYX.
I’ve also been involved in editorial meetings, marketing and PR while I’ve been here. When one of the interns is put in charge of something, we are definitively put in charge of it. Beverly and Margarita don’t deal with the responses we get for our projects. It’s all up to us. I love that I’m trusted with that much responsibility here, and I love being able to speak on behalf of such an awesome forum for women’s literature.
One of the things I’ve been doing is keeping up with social networking and technology on behalf of CALYX. So we’ve been updating our Facebook and MySpace, and I also created a Twitter. Everyone has been especially wary of the Twitter. I’m the only current Twitter user in the office (besides CALYX!), and the charges leveled against Twitter have been numerous. I’ve heard everything from “It seems really pointless” to “I don’t understand what it’s for” to “I don’t see how anyone can update in only 140 characters”.
Well, one thing that social networking is really good for is disseminating information, quickly and to a large audience. This is especially important for organizations. Things are always happening here. And Twitter is nice because it doesn’t require a lot of time or effort. Like it or not, you only have 140 characters. Not only is it unnecessary to write more than two sentences, it’s impossible! I find it a useful exercise in brevity, and a good way to learn what’s going on in the world. So if you have a Twitter—or want one—make sure to follow @calyxpress.
Periodically, I’ll be updating and letting you all know what’s going on in my life as an intern as well as the important things happening at CALYX. Stay tuned!