An Interview with Sandra Kleven

Photo: Michael Kleven

We asked our friend Sandra Kleven to answer a few questions for us, covering her processes, beliefs, and experience as an artist. Sandra is a poet, writer, filmmaker, and editor of Cirque, a literary journal based in Alaska. Her answers, as expected, proved thought-provoking with just the right touch of that “quirky Sandy thing.” (Keep reading for more on that!)

Introducing our new intern...

Hello! My name is Caitlin Bailey and I will be interning with Stoneboat starting this fall. I’ve lived all over Wisconsin and in parts of Minnesota and Kentucky. I began journaling in middle school and have been in love with writing ever since. My intended major had been instrumental music—as I have a soft spot for many art forms—but I decided to hone my writing skills during my freshman year. Now here I am, three years into my writing major at Lakeland College and in love all over again. Not much has changed since middle school. I still journal, devour fiction and graphic novels, and continuously seek to become a better writer. I expect that Stoneboat will provide wonderful and knowledgeable experiences in the months to come.

Erik Richardson’s chapbook, a berserker stuck in traffic, now available

Pebblebrook Press, an imprint of Stoneboat Literary Journal, is proud to announce the release of its third publication, a berserker stuck in traffic. Authored by poet Erik Richardson, a past contributor to Stoneboat, this chapbook intelligently reflects upon the lunacy of mundane existence through introspection and exploration of an eclectic past.

Art Prom 2014

Stoneboat Editors attempting to party

With Lisa as the exception, we here at Stoneboat are not extroverts. Our social skills are lacking, our willingness to go out in public is minimal, and our desire to meet new people is nearly nonexistent. Even talking on the phone gives us the willies. For Rob, Jim, and I, dancing the night away in front of strangers is about as appealing as water torture.  So when Lisa first proposed the idea of Art Prom, a "prom for grown-ups" fundraiser, we were a little skeptical. Willing to go along with it and willing to help her make it happen, but definitely skeptical. (And scared.) In the weeks leading up to the big event, we secretly wondered if anyone would come. We wondered if we'd lose a lot of money putting on this big dance party. And we wondered how on earth Lisa had convinced us to go along with it.

It's that time...

Sean Gilligan reads his poem at the fall issue release reading

The spring issue is out, the subscriptions have been mailed, and the reading period for the Fall 2014 issue has opened, which can mean only one thing: it's time to celebrate!

SBJ vs. n+1: The Two Cultures of American Magazine Editors

As a founder and co-editor in chief of Stoneboat Literary Journal, I often wonder what big-league editors do to build a successful magazine. I recently had the opportunity to do just that when best-selling author and editor of n+1 magazine Chad Harbach visited my alma mater to give an informative talk and answer questions about his books, magazine, and potential television project.

Is Writer's Block All Bad?

I always used to use the excuse of writer’s block whenever I couldn’t think of something to write that day or if I got stuck writing a piece of prose. (I'm a poet.) But then I thought about what writer’s block really is. It’s just an excuse to not write or avoid writing. A lot of people use random excuses to not write: I have to do laundry. I need to pick my kids up. I have homework to do. I have to eat. In my opinion, true writers write, and those who truly love writing will always find a way to get around writer’s block—they don’t let is defeat them.