A Break in the Guest Blogging

Sy Regan reads his work at the inaugural
Stoneboat release reading, 11/2010.

Hey, Stoneboaters.  Signe here.  We're taking a break in our guest blogging series to bring you an update on the spring issue. My co-editors and I are getting really excited about the work we chose, and production is well underway.  The first round of copyediting is complete, the text is on its way into InDesign, and the cover is coming into focus. We've still got a lot of work to do, but Lisa -- the bubbly, social member of our little quartet -- has turned her attention to our issue release reading while Jim works on the layout.  (We won't take our proverbial red pens to the text again until we've got something that looks like a journal.)

Here's the essential info about the reading:
May 11th, 2013
2:00-4:00 p.m.
Paradigm Coffee & Music
1202 N. 8th Street, Sheboygan WI



Those of you who have been following Stoneboat for a while already know the routine. We produce a slick journal, we celebrate by having a reading of work from the issue, we sell the new issue (and back issues and T-shirts!), and everybody is happy.

For those of you who are new to Stoneboat, though, let me explain in a little more depth.  We're a small journal in East Central Wisconsin.  A handful of our contributors in each issue are some of the best poets and writers in our state.  They live in places like Green Bay and Milwaukee and Door County, and many of them graciously make the trip to our corner of the state to read their work at our release.  Most of our contributors, though, send work from far-flung places.  (The winners, so far, are England, Scandinavia, and China.)  Once, a contributor hopped on a plane from Tucson to read at our issue release.  That was pretty cool.  A few contributors have also read via Skype in the past.  Generally speaking, though, our "long distance" contributors aren't able to be present.

And that's were the Friends of Stoneboat come in. These are local writers, college students, and community members who step in to "ghost read" for the Alaskans and Ohioans and Europeans who can't make it.  They read a poem or prose excerpt from the new issue and, if they choose, a piece of their own work as well.  This eclectic mix of people always brings the issue to life.  Something unexpected always happens, too -- last time, for instance, Leighanne Metter-Jensen brought a piñata full of words that we burst to make poetry.  You just never know what the day will bring.

If you're in the Sheboygan area, or will be here on May 11th, and if ghost reading is something you'd be interested in doing, please let us know -- we'd love to add some new faces to our roster of ghosts.  You can email us (stoneboat.journal AT gmail.com), message us on Twitter (@StoneboatWI), or get in touch on Facebook (search for the Stoneboat group). Join us!