June 2, 2014 by augurybooks

PICS: Frances Justine Post Reads for Sundown Poetry Series, Offers Publication Advice as Gulf Coast Guest Blogger

Last Tuesday, Frances Justine Post (BEAST, Augury Books, 2014) read in Charleston, SC, at the Piccolo Spoleto Festival with South Carolina Poet Laureate Marjory Heath Wentworth. The reading, part of the Sundown Poetry Series, was held at the historic Dock Street Theater. Thanks to everyone who came out to enjoy the reading. Here are some pics from the event.

Outside the Dock Street Theater (Photo by Cecelia Post)

The crowd settles in for the Piccolo Spoleto Reading (Photo by Cecelia Post)

Frances Justine Post reads from BEAST (Photo by Cecelia Post)

Frances Justine Post signs books after the Sundown Poetry Series reading (Photo by Susan Laughter Meyers)

Frances Justine Post with South Carolina Poet Laureate Marjory Heath Wentworth (Photo by Susan Laughter Meyers)

Also, don’t miss out on Post’s three-part blog series for Gulf Coast, “My First Book of Poetry, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Independent Presses,” in which she talks about writing her first book of poetry, the road to getting published, and how an independent press can be just the answer an author is looking for:

Independent poetry presses are publishing the most daring, mind-blowing work. As a whole, they are not concerned with making money like the publishing behemoths of yore. They are interested in finding voices that speak to them. One of those voices may be yours.” —Frances Justine Post’s Blog Series for Gulf Coast, Part II.

Read Part I of the blog series (Putting Your Manuscript Together) here.

Read Part II (Submitting Your Manuscript) here.

Read Part III (Where to Submit) here.

PICS: Maureen Alsop Wins Tony Quagliano International Poetry Award, Reads at Berl’s in Brooklyn

Augury’s own Maureen Alsop (MANTIC, Augury Books, 2013) is the new recipient of the Tony Quagliano International Poetry Award, which, in conjunction with the Hawai’i Council for the Humanities (HCH), annually recognizes an accomplished poet with an outstanding body of work. HCH and Tony shared the vision that:

“the words we know, all the words we have acquired along the ways of connecting them in all our respective cultures, are nothing less than the irreducible expression of a singular nature we call human.” —Tony Quagliano

Poet Devreaux Baker, last year’s winner of the Tony Quagliano Award and primary judge for this year, had this to say about Maureen Alsop’s work:

“Maureen Alsop creates a world where language and rhythm form a perfect ‘fusion.’ This poetry that is both inventive and elegant and yet never loses emotional depth…. As a reader I felt I was being taken on an extraordinary journey in which I was offered new and unexpected ways to experience the world. Throughout all the poems there is the underlying beauty of expression; a sense of real joy that is felt by a poet pushing the limits, bypassing boundaries, creating whole new territories of the mind, heart, and voice.”

Also this week, more pictures from Maureen’s recent reading with fellow writers Julie Carr, Sasha Steensen, and Graeme Bezanson at Berl’s Poetry Shop in Brooklyn. Thanks to everyone that came out, and congratulations again to Maureen Alsop!

Augury’s Maureen Alsop reads from MANTIC at Berl’s Poetry Shop

Sasha Steensen (HOUSE OF DEER, Fence Books) reads at Berl’s Poetry Shop

Julie Carr (RAG, Omnidawn) reads at Berl’s Poetry Shop

Founding Editor of Coldfront, Graeme Bezanson reads at Berl’s Poetry Shop

Find out more about the readers and the event here on Berl’s site.

Cleaver Magazine Reviews Maureen Alsop’s MANTIC

Photo by Dave Bledsoe of FreeVerse Photography

Cleaver Magazine‘s Matthew Girolami reviews MANTIC (Augury Books, 2013) by Maureen Alsop, wherein, according to Girolami, “both the divine and the worldly share the same page.” Girolami continues:

“As the ‘-mancy’ titles suggest, Mantic is as a much a lexical read (or listen—read aloud) as it is an exploration of reaction; Mantic is beautiful for its teaching verse and for its honesty: with poem after poem inspired by divining, Alsop points to the many ways humanity has attempted to shape the world in its favor, whether that favor comes from desire or fear. As a result, the poems shift from their theses and speak less of divining and prediction than what innately drives these practices and, ultimately, humanity.” —Matthew Girolami, Cleaver Magazine — Read the full review here

The Rumpus Reviews Frances Justine Post’s BEAST

Photo by Dave Bledsoe of FreeVerse Photography

This week Tova Gannana from The Rumpus reviews Frances Justine Post’s BEAST (Augury, 2014), calling it a “post-world where the poet wanders alone in memory and shadow.”

Post is a poet who begins her first book with the line ‘I put on my face.’ I put on my face feels like the opening line of an honest monologue. A dark stage with one light from that light a voice. I put on my face is a pleading, an opening for a listener. Here in lies the complexity and sophistication of Beast. I put on my face means Post has a past. We have much to gain from Post because she has much to give. Beast is a book to fight off mediocrity and middle of the road culture. These are poems that stick to your bones.” —Tova Gannana, The Rumpus

Read the full review here.

PICS: Justine Post Talks at Houston MenilFest Indie Book Panel

Frances Justine Post Speaks at Houston MenilFest—Photo by Brenda Cook

This year the Houston MenilFest, an annual one-day festival of visual, literary and performing arts (“Art, Words, Noise”), featured Augury Books’ Frances Justine Post (author of BEAST, 2014) in its Indie Book Panel, Approaches to Publishing Your First Book, with fellow participants Martin Rock, David Tomas Martinez, Matthew Salesses and Jonathan Wells.

Frances Justine Post with former students Gabrielle Langley and Stacy Nigliazzo

If you’re in the Houston area, see Justine next read at Brazos Bookstore’s Monday night event (May 19th, 7 p.m.), “I Have to Go Back to 1994 and Hustle a Beast.” She will be reading with Elizabeth Lyons, Karyna McGlynn (I Have to Go Back to 1994 and Kill a Girl: Poems, Sarabande Books, 2009), and David Tomas Martinez (Hustle, Sarabande Books, 2014).

Read this great blog post about the upcoming Brazos reading from Inprint’s Open Book Blog.

Support New York City Poetry Festival’s Kickstarter

Photo by Dave Bledsoe by FreeVerse Photography

The Poetry Society of New York needs your help to make the 2014 New York City Poetry Festival happen. The festival, which just launched its beautiful new website, is running its annual Kickstarter campaign for the event. If the festival can meet its goal, the 2014 annual event will be held Saturday and Sunday, July 26th and 27th, on Governors Island. More than 60 poetry organizations, small presses, reading series and other collectives will present over 250 poets, including headliners (brought to you by the Poetry Society of New York), Paul Muldoon & the Wayside Shrines, Mark Doty, Joyelle McSweeney, and Matthea Harvey.

Augury Books, with readers Frances Justine Post (Beast, 2014), David Joel Friedman (Soldier Quick with Rain, 2013), and B.C. Edwards (To Mend Small Children, 2012), will be at the White Horse Stage on Saturday, July 26th at 4 p.m.

Go here for a complete lineup.

B.C. Edwards Reads for Augury Books, 2012—Photo by Dave Bledsoe of FreeVerse Photography

According to organizers Stephanie Berger and Nicholas Adamski, “This year our Kickstarter goal is $10,000, which we will combine with an additional $10,000 in grants, private funding, and earned revenue from last year’s event to bring our operating budget for 2014 to $20,000. The New York City Poetry Festival is free and open to the public, and over the course of its three year tenure on Governors Island, it has served over 5000 attendees. Now, all we ask is for $2 from each of them …. What better season to remember pleasures of the poetic word and give something back?”

The New York City Poetry Festival is volunteer-run, and all funds raised from the Kickstarter will go towards the rental of stages, sound systems, generators and tents; paying for security fees, liability insurance, licensing fees, and other safety precautions; and the purchase and transportation of other equipment to and from the island. The Kickstarter concludes on Friday, May 16th.

Please support the festival with a donation today!

Augury Books’ reading period is open — Submit your manuscript!

May 10, 2014 by augurybooks

Yoga and Writing Retreat Led by Halina Duraj: Openings Still Available

This retreat will help you discover, nurture and support your own creative potential by providing you with yoga and writing tools that unravel the writer within. The retreat will take place in the world famous yoga retreat center Prana del Mar — located in the southern tip of Baja, Mexico — from Saturday, May 31st to Thursday June 5th, 2014.

Find out more here!

VIDEO: Frances Justine Post and Kate Angus Visit ‘The Casserole’ Online Reading Series

BEAST author Frances Justine Post stopped by The Side Dish, part of the online reading series, The Casserole, to read from her new book (available here) and talk with series runner Chelsea Kurnick about the imagery of the book, its narrative arc, and writing “creepy poetry.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACCnSdIkVCc

Also check out Augury Books editor Kate Angus’ reading on The Casserole:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKIk26ZLe4o

The Casserole is a weekly online reading series hosted by Chelsea Kurnick and featuring poetry and prose writers every Sunday. Writers hang out with Chelsea on Google Hangouts and the result is aired live on Youtube. The Casserole goes live at 6:30pm until 7:30pm PDT each week. If you miss an episode, you can come back any time to watch the recordings.

Submit your manuscript to Augury Books — Our reading period is open!

May 1, 2014 by augurybooks

It’s Time: Augury Books’ Reading Period OPEN for Poetry and Prose Full-Length Manuscripts

Photo by Dave Bledsoe of FreeVerse Photography

Our reading period is now OPEN through July 31, 2014. We are accepting submissions of full-length manuscripts in the categories of Poetry and Prose. The new Prose category includes Short Fiction Collections and Creative Nonfiction Manuscripts.

See our Submissions Page for length requirements and other guidelines, or find out everything you need to know (including our discounted book specials for those submitting!) on our third-party submissions manager, Submittable, where you can also send us your manuscript.

We can’t wait to read your work and find out who the authors of our 2015 books will be. Thanks to all of you in advance for sharing your work with us.

Want to find out more about our aesthetic before submitting? Visit our Books and Orders page to order books or read synopses, reviews, and press material about the books in our catalogue.

Don’t forget to Like us on Facebook and Follow this Blog (link in bottom corner) for updates about the reading period and announcements about our next publications and finalists.

April 24, 2014 by augurybooks

Augury’s Reading Period Opens May 1 – July 31 for Poetry and Prose MSs

Photo by Dave Bledsoe of FreeVerse Photography

It’s almost time to start polishing up your full-length manuscripts to submit to Augury Books for publication in 2015.

This year, we will be accepting manuscripts for publication in two categories: Poetry and Prose. Our new, expanded Prose Category includes both Short Fiction Collections and Creative Nonfiction Manuscripts. Augury’s reading period will open via Submittable on midnight of May 1, 2014, and remain open until 11:59 on July 31, 2014.

For you early birds who want to know what’s in store, here’s a peek at our upcoming guidelines:

FOR FULL-LENGTH POETRY MANUSCRIPTS:

Submissions should be 45-80 pages. This page requirement does not include any front and back matter your manuscript might contain (title page, table of contents, dedication, acknowledgements, notes, about the author, etc.).

FOR FULL-LENGTH PROSE MANUSCRIPTS:

Submissions should be 150-220 pages, double-spaced, with 1″ margins. This page requirement does not include any front and back matter your manuscript might contain (title page, table of contents, dedication, acknowledgements, notes, about the author, etc.).
The prose sub-category in which you are submitting — Short Fiction OR Creative Nonfiction — must be clearly stated in your Submittable Cover Letter / Bio field AND on the first page of the uploaded manuscript itself.

FOR EVERYTHING, ACROSS THE BOARD:

Brief (approx. 300-word) bio is required, pasted separately from your uploaded manuscript on the Submittable form.
Multiple submissions, either within or across categories, are welcome, but must be submitted separately with separate reading fees.
Simultaneous submissions are welcome, but please withdraw your MS immediately if it is accepted elsewhere, up until the time we announce our selections in the fall.
Except under special circumstances, we are unable to accept submissions from international authors. Contact us for more information if this applies to you.
Acceptable formats for uploaded manuscripts are PDF, DOC, and DOCX.

AND … WE’RE RUNNING A SPECIAL!

All those submitting will have the option of getting a discounted book from our catalogue along with your submission. Find out more about the discounted titles when our reading period opens. Fee for submission without a book purchase: $10 per submission. Fee for submission with a book purchase: $18 per submission.*

Check back with us on May 1, when we will publish the link to our Submittable Campaign on our SUBMISSIONS PAGE, as well as here on our blog. We can’t wait to see you then and read your work!

Check out our current catalogue to get a feel for our aesthetic.

*Discount is only available with a Submittable submission. One book per submission. Your decision to submit with or without a book purchase has no bearing on our consideration of your manuscript. All funds Augury Books receives through Submittable will go toward the titles’ production fees and the maintenance of our catalogue. Complimentary copies will be available to authors of accepted titles.