We're taking the plunge...again!

That’s right—we’ll be taking the Polar Bear Plunge this New Year’s Day for the second year in a row, and like last year, we’re raising funds for Stoneboat while we’re at it.

Holiday/Winter Deals!

Just in time for the holidays (and all you last-minute gift-givers), we’re offering a couple different package deals on our two latest Pebblebrook Press releases: Marilyn Zelke-Windau’s poetry collection, Momentary Ordinary, and Erik Richardson's chapbook, a berserker stuck in traffic. 

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.

Zoltar Speaks! Call for Fortune Poems!

Perhaps you have heard we at Stoneboat are collaborating with our friends at the Paradigm Annex Theatre Collective (PATC) to offer Art Prom, a fundraiser to support the work of our two organizations.

Calling to the Muses

"Where do you get the inspiration for your [insert chosen media here]?” is an inquiry often heard in the “question and answer” portion of any typical artistic event. I heard it tonight at a poetry reading on Lakeland College’s campus, where Stephanie Lenox, a poet from Oregon, read from her debut collection, Congress of Strange People, as well as some of her newer, not-yet-published work.

The AWP Report

Last week Rob and I spent four glorious days in Seattle at AWP catching up with old friends, making new friends, learning from other writers and publishers, binging on literary journals, and -- yes, we admit it -- doing a little sightseeing and eating copious amounts of gelato.

Review of Eric Greinke's For the Living Dead: New & Selected Poems

Zombies vs. Robots

by Mary Kate DeJardin

If I had to wrap up Eric Greinke’s collection of poems, For the Living Dead: New & Selected Poems, in three words, I would say: simple, yet complex.  Greinke uses simple language to show the complex relationship between the natural and the supernatural over four decades of his writing career. He does this throughout the book by writing about everything from zombies and clowns to storms and seasons.

Review: The Biology of Luck by Jacob M. Appel

They Don’t Call it Novel for Nothing
by Katie Amundsen

The Biology of Luck isn’t just the name of Jacob M. Appel's novel, it’s the name of protagonist Larry Bloom’s novel as well, the one he has written from the perspective of the eccentric Starshine Hart, his would-be lover. The tale of Larry, a New York City tour guide, is told alongside Starshine’s (or rather, Larry’s fictional depiction of Starshine’s life) in alternating chapters of this innovative novel. The entire story takes place in a single day, documenting the lives of both Larry and Starshine as they brave the day’s events leading up to their scheduled dinner date.

We ♥ Interns (Part II)

Hello, my name is Mary Kate DeJardin, and I will be interning with Stoneboat this spring. I grew up in the small town of Luxemburg, Wisconsin, and I have been reading and writing fiction, nonfiction, and poetry for the last nine years, although poetry has always been my favorite to write and read. As a child, I filled many books with poems or story ideas that would pop into my head at any place or time. If I didn’t have my notebook with me, a random napkin would happily take its place. As years passed, my passion for writing never ceased. In fact, it grew, which led me to Lakeland College, where I am currently a senior and in the final semester of my writing major. I am very excited to work with Stoneboat and those who share my passion for writing. I look forward to gaining valuable knowledge and bettering myself as a writer. 

We ♥ Interns

Hello, everyone! My name is Katie Amundsen, and I will be interning with Stoneboat for the next several months. I grew up in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, where my interest in all things literary started early in my life. As a kid, I often had my nose buried in a book, and as soon as I could pick up a pen, I knew that I wanted to write in some capacity—I have about twenty childhood journals at home filled with stories, scribblings, and drawings to prove it. As I grew older this passion didn’t change much, leading me to major in both Writing and English at Lakeland College, where I am currently in my third year. I'm incredibly excited to be working alongside the editors of Stoneboat to gain knowledge and experience in a field that interests me while also celebrating the types of artists who have always influenced me to keep creating.