The Pinch‘s AWP experience was phenomenal.  Here’s why:

After months of email communication and planning, we finally got to meet the awesome staff of New Delta Review.  We couldn’t have asked for better bookfair buddies.

Speaking of the bookfair, we feel honored that poets Bruce Bond and Nicky Beer (judge of our poetry contest) joined us at our table for book signings.  We sold out of journals Saturday and are so happy to think of all our current and back issues going to new, loving homes.  Don’t be sad you missed our awesome deals.  You can take advantage of our low AWP prices through March 10 here.

Our annual AWP bash with The Normal School was the place to be on Friday night. The basement of Elephant & Castle pub was packed from one end to another with talented (and attractive!) writers.  If we didn’t see you there on Friday night, you better plan to be there next year!

On Saturday, our Editor-in-Chief Kristen Iversen spoke on the panel “Writers on Reading Like an Editor” along with Dawn Raffel, James Yeh and Kate Bernheimer. She talked about her experience editing The Pinch and explained what we’re looking for in our submissions.  Our Assistant Managing Editor Tom Useted took the mike to briefly describe how  “Touch” by Steve Adams stood out in the slush pile (it’s one of the great pieces of CNF we’re proud to showcase in Pinch 32.1).  Video of Tom’s talk is here–check it out!

Due to the amazing amount of interest in our journal at the conference, we’re excited to announce deadline extensions for both our Literary Contest and regular submissions period.  Entries to our contest postmarked through March 15 will be considered.  As well, submissions postmarked through April 1 will be considered for regular publication.  Don’t forget you can submit online, too!  If you haven’t sent us your work  yet, get on it–we’re making it easy for you!

What a great trip!  See you next year in Boston!

Hey there AWP-ers!  Did you stop by our table at the bookfair only to find we’d sold out of our current and back issues and walk away dejected?  Or maybe you wanted to bring The Pinch home with you, but you couldn’t fit any more journals in your suitcase?  Don’t cry.  Don’t futilely imagine yourself sitting at a little cafe, poring over The Pinch, and being approached by an attractive, mysterious stranger desperate to know what you’re reading.  Don’t wonder about what could have been.  We’re here to help.

In celebration of our amazing AWP experience, we’re offering subscriptions and single issues at our discounted AWP Bookfair rates if you purchase online. Check out our  bargains before they disappear on March 10:

One-year subscription for only $25 (normally $28)!

Two-year subscription for only $45 (normally $50)!

Back issues for only $5 (normally $7)!

And this one we’re really proud of:  Current issue 32.1, Spring 2012, for only $10 (normally $16)!

Take advantage of these deals here!

Hey all!

We are having such a lovely time at AWP and we know that y’all are too! We have some great deals on journals so if you haven’t yet, you should stop by and pick one up!

$7 for our current issue and $3 for back issues. We would love to see you!

That’s the place to be at AWP. Here’s why:

1.Special Prices on Merchandise:

One year subscription is $25 (normally $28)  (Did you know submissions are                      free with a subscription?)

4. Book signing on Friday with Nicky Beer (1:30-2:30)  and Bruce Bond (11:00-12:00)!

5. We are really nice. And very cool. We are willing to bet you are too. Let’s be friends.

Our new Poem of the Month is up! Enjoy!

We here at the Pinch always enjoy crossing things off of our to-do lists. It’s good to make sure that you have turned the gas off and fed your cat.

However, we’ve noticed that it is much more fun to cross things off that were enriching to our lives. To cross off the literary. Or the fun. So we present to you–a fun to do list!

1. Firstly, you should check to see if you have fed your cat (dog/snake/gerbil/chinchilla/bald eagle/kids), because it/they rely on you, you know.

2. Once you have finished dispensing nourishment, you can check out our Poem of the Month.

3. Here is a good opportunity to give yourself time to write and read. Take an hour (or a half hour if your bald eagle needs to be fed as much as ours does) to read or write or both.

4. Here is where the list gets meta: Mark your calendars, or make another to-do list for the following.

•    On March 1st-Check out the new Poem of the Month that we simply cannot wait to publish!
• Submit to the Contest before March 1st! We have incredible Judges!
• Mark March 2rd on your calendar because that’s the day we are having a fabulous party with The Normal School in Chicago!
•  On March 1-3 The Pinch will be at the bookfair of AWP at Booth F3.

• On Friday the 2nd we will have a book-signing with Bruce Bond from 11-12 and with Nicky Beer from 1:30-2:30! We are so honored to have them!

5. Submit to the journal.

6. Go for a walk and look for inspiration! No matter what your art form, some trees and sky (or a few gum wads and trash bags) should get the creative juices flowing.

7. Give yourself a little gift today. It could be a box of candy. Or it could be a subscription to our lovely journal! Back-issues are also available.

8.Post an angry rant about the Oscars on your status that everyone will disagree with. Tell people Meryl Streep is smug. The responses will be funny.

9. Check out Anti-Poetry! Our contributer Glenn Shaheen has been beautifully featured.

10. Compose a poem to our bald eagle. Then turn it into a paper airplane and release it into the sky!

Have a good week everyone! See you at AWP?

Glenn Shaheen is being featured on the website Anti-Poetry. You may remember Glenn from our Fall 2011 issue ( “Modern Division Techniques” and “Battery and Kinetic”)  or from his wonderful reading at our Release Party last November!

Congrats Glenn!

http://anti-poetry.com/

Just one week until we publish our new Poem of the Month!

If you can’t wait that long to read new poetry, you can buy our current issue, a back issue (submissions free with the purchase of a back issue!), and you can look at our current Poem of the Month, and our Poem of the Month archive!

This is a good way for you poets out there to get an idea of the kind of work we like to publish. Speaking of, in addition to a new poem for March 1st–that is also the deadline for our contest. Are you submitting?

You can submit free with the purchase of a back issue!

Click here to purchase and submit. Back issue bundles of three are also available.

Is future you in Chicago? Is future you all dressed up with no place to go? Well future Normal School is ready to party, and future Pinch wants to enjoy a Friday night in Chicago, and we’re inviting future you to join us. Unless future you has anything better to do…

As if this isn’t cool enough, future Nicky Beer, Bruce Bond and Brian Barker will be there!