Crab Creek Review: Independent Poetry and Short Fiction

Celebrating over twenty-five years of publishing, Crab Creek Review is dedicated
to introducing you to the best writing from the Northwest and beyond.

Summer 2009 Issue Now Available

Crab Creek Review is a perfect-bound print literary journal dedicated to publishing the best poetry, fiction, and creative non-fiction.

We are interested in publishing both emerging and established poets and writers. Over the years we have published: Naomi Shihab Nye, Rebecca Wells, William Stafford, Madeline DeFrees, Lyn Lifshin, Dorianne Laux, Marvin Bell, Peter Pereira, Ilya Kaminsky, Kathleen Alcala, Denise Duhamel, Aimee Nezhukumatathil, Peggy Shumaker, William Doreski, Joshua Marie Wilkinson, Susan Rich, Ryan G. Van Cleave, Alison Pelegrin, Mary Biddinger, Frances McCue, Virgil Suarez, Nancy Pagh, Alice Fogel, Oliver de la Paz, Martha Silano, Jim Daniels, James Bertolino, Ciaran Berry, Kathleen Flenniken, Patricia Fargnoli, Sam Hamill, Tod Marshall, Joseph Powell, Alice Derry, Marjorie Manwaring, Joannie Kervran Stangeland, Molly Tenenbaum, and Kary Wayson.

Order our current issue, Summer '09, here.
Featuring new work from Madeline DeFrees, Judith Arcana, Marjorie Manwaring, Tod Marshall, Buzz Mauro, James McKean, January Gill O'Neil, Alison Pelegrin, Joseph Powell, Kascha Semonovitch, Joannie Kervran Stangeland and Katerina Stoykova-Klemer.

And featuring an interview with Madeline DeFrees by Anne McDuffie, Fiction Contest Winner Shann Ray, and a translation of Russian poet Vyacheslav Kiktenko by Jamie L. Olson.

Cover Art: Girl in a Green Room, by Emily Ruch.

Crab Creek Review publishes two issues a year.

What's New
Crab Creek Review's 2010 Poetry Contest (Feb. 1st - May 31st) Submit up to 5 previously unpublished poems Entry fee: $10, check payable to Crab Creek Review Deadline for all submissions: May 31, 2010 The winning poet will receive $200 and publication in CCR 2010 Vol. II All entries will be considered for publication Guest Judge: Crab Creek Review Advisory Board member and poet, Nancy Pagh, author of the prize winning poetry books, No Sweeter Fat (Autumn House Press, 2007) and After (Floating Bridge Press, 2008). Please visit our contest page for complete guidelines and for more information on our guest judge, Nancy Pagh. Crab Creek Review Announces 2009 Editors' Prize We are awarding our first annual Crab Creek Review Editors' Prize to Shannon Robinson for her fiction piece "Everyone Has a Tell" published in our Summer '09 issue. The Editors' Prize is awarded to the best poem, short story, or essay published in the previous year's issues. All poems, short stories, and essays that have appeared in the previous year's issues are eligible. The author of the winning piece receives $100. Congratulations, Shannon! Special Call For Poetry Submissions: Ekphrastic Poetry (for inclusion in our 2010 Vol. II issue) Guest Editor: Susan Rich We begin with the visual. Ekphrastic poetry is a response in words to a painting, photograph, dance, building, sculpture, Ikea catalogue, child’s drawing, or bumper sticker. An ekphrastic poem begins with inspiration from another piece of art and with the intuitive understanding that art begets art. In a sense, the art object becomes the rough draft of the poem. We are looking for the best ekphrastic poems, 30-lines (or less) to showcase in an upcoming issue of Crab Creek Review. For this project, we are accepting email submissions to the email address below. To submit to this special portfolio of ekphrastic poetry, write your name and title of the submission in the subject line and then send your previously unpublished poems in the body of an email to Editor, Susan Rich at: duende3417@yahoo.com Please send 3-5 poems at the most. Also, include a short bio and contact info as well. Deadline is May 31, 2010 Please note that we are still accepting regular submissions of poetry sent to our Seattle address for the 2010 Vol. II issue. Please see our submissions page for complete guidelines. Susan Rich is on the Crab Creek Review Advisory Board and is the award winning author of The Cartographer's Tongue: Poems of the World (White Pine Press, 2000), Cures Include Travel (White Pine Press, 2006) and The Alchemist's Kitchen due out in spring of 2010. To learn more about Susan and her work, please visit her website: http://www.susanrich.net Crab Creek Review Will Now Feature Book Reviews (beginning in 2010 Vol. I) We are excited to announce that we will be featuring mini reviews in our journal. We invite poets and writers (or your publishers) to mail us a copy of your book. Our editorial staff will be reading all of the books we receive and choosing our favorites for review and for inclusion in our new "Editors' Choice" section. We are interested in poetry, short story collections, and creative non-fiction. It's not a guarantee that your book will be reviewed, but whether it's chosen or not, your book will be listed under "Publications Received" in our journal. If we don't have room for a print review, we hope to feature some of these books on our blog. Please send us a review copy or have your publisher do so! Please mail your book to: Crab Creek Review PO Box 1524 Kingston, WA 98346 Crab Creek Review Announces 2009 Pushcart Nominations Crab Creek Review would like to congratulate the following contributors whose work we nominated for this year's Pushcart Prize from either our Fall/Winter 2009 issue or our Summer 2009 issue. Fiction: "Everyone Has a Tell" by Shannon Robinson Poetry: "Women are Not Alone and That" by Martha Silano "Bait" by Tod Marshall "In The Mirror When You're Wearing Someone Else's Clothes" by Fernando Perez "The Tortoise Survives the Fire" by Lisa Allen Ortiz "Humans" by Elizabeth Austen Congratulations! 2 Poems from Crab Creek Review featured on Verse Daily Crab Creek Review congratulates 2 poets from our Summer '09 issue, whose poems appeared on Verse Daily: Lisa Allen Ortiz: The Tortoise Survives the Fire Kascha Semonovitch: Wonder *Thank you to A River and Sound Review* for a wonderful show at Hugo House (Oct. 8th).** Crab Creek Review was featured in A River and Sound Review's live performance at the Hugo House on October 8th in Seattle. It was a wonderful evening of music, poetry, humor, and interviews hosted by A River and Sound Review's Jay Bates, Michael Schmeltzer, and Julie Case. Listen to the podcast, which is posted on A River and Sound Review's website. Special thanks to our readers: Madeline DeFrees, Ann Batchelor Hursey, Kate Lebo, Anne McDuffie, and Joannie Kervran Stangeland. Musician and song writer, Andrea Wittgens, performed several amazing songs (you can visit her website here and purchase her CDs, which we highly recommend). Also, thanks to Hugo House for hosting us and to the Hugo House Cabaret Cafe for inventing the infamous "Crab Walk" cocktail. The evening was a perfect launch for our fantastic Summer '09 Issue. Look for photos to be posted soon! New Submission Period Crab Creek Review is now accepting all submissions (poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction) from September 1st through April 30th. Please read our complete submission guidelines here. 2009 Poetry Contest Winners Announced! Crab Creek Review is proud to announce the results of our annual Poetry Contest: Winner: "bring back the knife" by Victor David Sandiego Runner-Up: “My Eyebrows” by Molly Tenenbaum Honorable Mentions: "The Cure For Headaches" by Kate Lebo "The Aprons of Adam and Eve" by Molly Tenenbaum Finalists: "And What If Bookmarks Are Claustrophobic" by Josh Cooper "Fitness For Duty" by Rachel Contreni Flynn "That Which I Should Have Done I Did Not Do" by Rachel Contreni Flynn "Dear Reader" by Deborah Hauser "Not Sorry" by Kate Lebo "Greed" by Cati Porter Special thanks to our contest judge and Advisory Board Member, Aimee Nezhukumatathil and to our Poetry Editor, Lana Hechtman Ayers. Congratulations to the winners/finalists! Look for their poems in our 2010 Vol. I issue. Crab Creek Review is now accepting Creative Non-Fiction submissions. Submit now for our 2010 Vol.I issue. Please visit our submissions page for complete guidelines. We have welcomed Jennifer Culkin to our staff as non-fiction editor. Jennifer is the author of A Final Arc of Sky: A Memoir of Critical Care, published by Beacon Press and available for purchase here. We are now on Facebook! Become a member of our Crab Creek Review Group and receive the latest news and updates. We also blog! Check out our Crab Creek Review Blog for more news, events, and read our Writers' Notebook Series, where you will learn more about the poets/writers who have been published in our journal (in their own words). Crab Creek Review's Literary Advisory Board The following poets have graciously accepted our invitation to serve on our Crab Creek Review Board: Aimee Nezhukumatathil Nancy Pagh Peter Pereira Susan Rich Peggy Shumaker We are delighted that these talented writers will be working with us in an advisory role. Our Fall/Winter 2009 issue features their poetry.

What's New

Crab Creek Review's 2010 Poetry Contest (Feb. 1st - May 31st)

Submit up to 5 previously unpublished poems
Entry fee: $10, check payable to Crab Creek Review
Deadline for all submissions: May 31, 2010
The winning poet will receive $200 and publication in CCR 2010 Vol. II
All entries will be considered for publication
Guest Judge: Crab Creek Review Advisory Board member and poet, Nancy Pagh, author of the prize winning poetry books, No Sweeter Fat (Autumn House Press, 2007) and After (Floating Bridge Press, 2008).
Please visit our contest page for complete guidelines and for more information on our guest judge, Nancy Pagh.

Crab Creek Review Announces 2009 Editors' Prize
We are awarding our first annual Crab Creek Review Editors' Prize to Shannon Robinson for her fiction piece "Everyone Has a Tell" published in our Summer '09 issue.
The Editors' Prize is awarded to the best poem, short story, or essay published in the previous year's issues. All poems, short stories, and essays that have appeared in the previous year's issues are eligible. The author of the winning piece receives $100.
Congratulations, Shannon!

Special Call For Poetry Submissions: Ekphrastic Poetry (for inclusion in our 2010 Vol. II issue)
Guest Editor: Susan Rich

We begin with the visual. Ekphrastic poetry is a response in words to a painting, photograph, dance, building, sculpture, Ikea catalogue, child’s drawing, or bumper sticker. An ekphrastic poem begins with inspiration from another piece of art and with the intuitive understanding that art begets art. In a sense, the art object becomes the rough draft of the poem.
We are looking for the best ekphrastic poems, 30-lines (or less) to showcase in an upcoming issue of Crab Creek Review.
For this project, we are accepting email submissions to the email address below. To submit to this special portfolio of ekphrastic poetry, write your name and title of the submission in the subject line and then send your previously unpublished poems in the body of an email to Editor, Susan Rich at: duende3417@yahoo.com
Please send 3-5 poems at the most.
Also, include a short bio and contact info as well.
Deadline is May 31, 2010
Please note that we are still accepting regular submissions of poetry sent to our Seattle address for the 2010 Vol. II issue. Please see our submissions page for complete guidelines.

Susan Rich is on the Crab Creek Review Advisory Board and is the award winning author of The Cartographer's Tongue: Poems of the World (White Pine Press, 2000), Cures Include Travel (White Pine Press, 2006) and The Alchemist's Kitchen due out in spring of 2010. To learn more about Susan and her work, please visit her website: http://www.susanrich.net

Crab Creek Review Will Now Feature Book Reviews (beginning in 2010 Vol. I)
We are excited to announce that we will be featuring mini reviews in our journal. We invite poets and writers (or your publishers) to mail us a copy of your book. Our editorial staff will be reading all of the books we receive and choosing our favorites for review and for inclusion in our new "Editors' Choice" section. We are interested in poetry, short story collections, and creative non-fiction.

It's not a guarantee that your book will be reviewed, but whether it's chosen or not, your book will be listed under "Publications Received" in our journal. If we don't have room for a print review, we hope to feature some of these books on our blog.

Please send us a review copy or have your publisher do so! Please mail your book to:

Crab Creek Review
PO Box 1524
Kingston, WA 98346

Crab Creek Review Announces 2009 Pushcart Nominations
Crab Creek Review would like to congratulate the following contributors whose work we nominated for this year's Pushcart Prize from either our Fall/Winter 2009 issue or our Summer 2009 issue.

Fiction:
"Everyone Has a Tell" by Shannon Robinson

Poetry:
"Women are Not Alone and That" by Martha Silano
"Bait" by Tod Marshall
"In The Mirror When You're Wearing Someone Else's Clothes" by Fernando Perez
"The Tortoise Survives the Fire" by Lisa Allen Ortiz
"Humans" by Elizabeth Austen

Congratulations!

2 Poems from Crab Creek Review featured on Verse Daily
Crab Creek Review congratulates 2 poets from our Summer '09 issue, whose poems appeared on Verse Daily:
Lisa Allen Ortiz: The Tortoise Survives the Fire
Kascha Semonovitch: Wonder

Thank you to A River and Sound Review for a wonderful show at Hugo House (Oct. 8th).
Crab Creek Review was featured in A River and Sound Review's live performance at the Hugo House on October 8th in Seattle. It was a wonderful evening of music, poetry, humor, and interviews hosted by A River and Sound Review's Jay Bates, Michael Schmeltzer, and Julie Case. Listen to the podcast, which is posted on A River and Sound Review's website.
Special thanks to our readers: Madeline DeFrees, Ann Batchelor Hursey, Kate Lebo, Anne McDuffie, and Joannie Kervran Stangeland.
Musician and song writer, Andrea Wittgens, performed several amazing songs (you can visit her website here and purchase her CDs, which we highly recommend).
Also, thanks to Hugo House for hosting us and to the Hugo House Cabaret Cafe for inventing the infamous "Crab Walk" cocktail.
The evening was a perfect launch for our fantastic Summer '09 Issue.
Look for photos to be posted soon!

New Submission Period
Crab Creek Review is now accepting all submissions (poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction) from September 1st through April 30th. Please read our complete submission guidelines here.

2009 Poetry Contest Winners Announced!
Crab Creek Review is proud to announce the results of our annual Poetry Contest:

Winner:
"bring back the knife" by Victor David Sandiego

Runner-Up:
“My Eyebrows” by Molly Tenenbaum

Honorable Mentions:
"The Cure For Headaches" by Kate Lebo
"The Aprons of Adam and Eve" by Molly Tenenbaum

Finalists:
"And What If Bookmarks Are Claustrophobic" by Josh Cooper
"Fitness For Duty" by Rachel Contreni Flynn
"That Which I Should Have Done I Did Not Do" by Rachel Contreni Flynn
"Dear Reader" by Deborah Hauser
"Not Sorry" by Kate Lebo
"Greed" by Cati Porter

Special thanks to our contest judge and Advisory Board Member, Aimee Nezhukumatathil and to our Poetry Editor, Lana Hechtman Ayers. Congratulations to the winners/finalists! Look for their poems in our 2010 Vol. I issue.

Crab Creek Review is now accepting Creative Non-Fiction submissions. Submit now for our 2010 Vol.I issue. Please visit our submissions page for complete guidelines. We have welcomed Jennifer Culkin to our staff as non-fiction editor. Jennifer is the author of A Final Arc of Sky: A Memoir of Critical Care, published by Beacon Press and available for purchase here.

We are now on Facebook! Become a member of our Crab Creek Review Group and receive the latest news and updates.
We also blog! Check out our Crab Creek Review Blog for more news, events, and read our Writers' Notebook Series, where you will learn more about the poets/writers who have been published in our journal (in their own words).

Crab Creek Review's Literary Advisory Board
The following poets have graciously accepted our invitation to serve on our Crab Creek Review Board:

Aimee Nezhukumatathil
Nancy Pagh
Peter Pereira
Susan Rich
Peggy Shumaker

We are delighted that these talented writers will be working with us in an advisory role. Our Fall/Winter 2009 issue features their poetry.

See About Us for a list of Book Stores where you can purchase Crab Creek Review.