text:
Literary Magazines
The NewPages
Literary Magazine Reviews
Edited by Denise Hill
Reviewers (see
Contributors page):
MC - Mark Cunningham; WC - Weston Cutter; DE - Devon Ellington; JG - Jamey Gallagher; JHG - Jeannine Hall Gailey; JQG - Jennifer Gomoll; DH - Denise Hill; GK - Gina Kokes; RL - Reb Livingston; DM - Deborah Mead; SRP - Sarah R. Payne; JP - Jessica Powers; SR - Sima Rabinowitz; ST - Sarah Tarkington
Posted May 18, 2004
Number 26
Tabloid sized, with its impressive, glossy jacket and hard cover, Tampa Review always feels like an extravagant gift (especially considering its unbelievably reasonable price). And that's before you even look inside. Eclectic as always, this issue contains impressive, distinctly varied work by Tampa Press favorites: "a portfolio" of poems from Tampa Review Prize poetry winner Julia B. Levine, and another of poems by Richard Terrill, along with poet Richard Chess and fiction writer Paul Rawlins. This issue also features wide-ranging work from a dozen and a half others. I was struck, above all, by M. K. Babcock's surprising "Even As I Tell It, It's Wrong or Lines, a String of" and Gary Fincke's absolutely stupendous essay about compulsive writing, obsessive counting, and obsessive-compulsive memorizing. The centerpiece of the issue is poetry editor Don Morrill's long, chatty interview with jazz musician, poet, and nonfiction writer Richard Terrill, whose Coming Late to Rachmaninoff was published by the press in 2003. I appreciated, in particular, what Terrill has to say about "artful" memoirs: "…while everybody's life can be equally valuable, I don't think that everybody's writing is equally evocative…you can write about your own experience no matter how unremarkable it is…but the writing damn well better be good." [Tampa Review, The University of Tampa, 401 West Kennedy Boulevard, Tampa, Florida 33060-1490. E-mail: email@example.com. Single issue $9.95. http://tampareview.ut.edu] - SR
Volume 1 Number 1
Spring/Summer 2004
Ninth Letter is a vigorous and fearlessly enterprising magazine, unconventional in both appearance and content without lapsing from quality. Instead of the trade paperback format favored by most lit mags, the Ninth Letter editors have opted for an exhibition-catalog size printing, an eccentric incarnation that aptly suits the journal's adventurous character and could easily inspire a wider scope of design among the lit mag community. This inaugural issue is peopled by established names such as Dave Eggers, Steve Almond, and Robert Olen Butler (who's story "Hotel Touraine" is simply enchanting), while managing to feature in its lavishly designed pages a wealth of other writers equally eligible for widespread attention. Three tiny prose-poems by Louis Jenkins fascinate with their sumptuous brevity (paradox intended). Michael Martone's nonfiction musings entitled "Ephemera" offer John Berger-esque perspectives on the metaphysics behind two brief letters scribbled by Mark Twain a century ago, and launch a whole contemplation on the cosmic significance of such postal curios to our computerized age. An interview with Life of Pi author Yann Martel serves up some candid authorial theory, and a thoughtful essay on the famously truant swallows of Southern California's Mission San Juan Capistrano takes a look at the meaning of kitsch in our everyday lives. [Ninth Letter, Dept. of English, University of Illinois, 608 South Wright Street, Urbana, IL 61801. E-mail: email@example.com. Single issue $12.95. www.ninthletter.com] - MC
Number 3
March 2004
More alternative than academic, InkPot is a literary and art magazine of distinct voices, and few of them sound like creative writing instructors. Many pieces in this issue zero in on relationships, romantic and familial. Infidelities, love triangles, and stubborn family members all get their due. In some of the strongest pieces, there is a sense of real people making bad decisions (I'm thinking particularly of Angela Havel's "Pickle and the Road Crew," a riveting but sad account of the author's experiences with road crew work and self-destructive behavior). Such stories are not always neatly tied up at the end, nor do they go out on a note of sarcasm or detached irony. There is, instead, often a refreshing indication of something learned. Amidst all the drama, I liked the quiet moment presented by Celia Homesley's poem, "Widow Moon," and the confidence of Kathleen McCall's "Disrobing My Emperor," about her middle-aged clothing-optional vacation: "Nobody sneered at my elastic-puckers or my cellulite, but nobody ignored them, either. They didn't have anything to overlook or forgive me for. And neither, by the end of the day, did I." If you can get past the huge margins and tiny print, you might want to take a squint at Inkpot. [Lit Pot Press, Inc., 3090 Reche Rd. Ste #132, Fallbrook, CA 92028. E-mail: email@example.com. Single issue $10. http://www.litpot.com] - JQG
The Southern Review
Volume 40 Number 1
Winter 2004
The Southern Review is one in that clutch of legendary literary journals, which in many decades of existence have unfailingly proffered the work of America's finest writers. In fact, it would seem silly to bother recommending a lit mag that is more like an institution, were it not for the fact that The Southern Review maintains such a lively and altogether anti-stodgy approach. In this winter issue I was most thrilled by Susan Lohafer's short story "The Man Who Understood Everybody." Her protagonist Howard, a middle-age real estate agent with razor instincts who's beginning to slip from top form beneath pressure from his disconsolate wife, is a Willy Loman for our age, minus the incoherent ramblings. The story is so expertly plotted as to be a recommendation in itself for purchase of this issue. But nearly as absorbing is Brock Clarke's story "The Fundraiser's Dance Card." In its depiction of suburban dysfunction gone over to alcoholic surrealism, it seems an uncanny complement to Lohafer's tale. Then too, the poetry in this issue simply sparkles, beginning with Julianna Baggott's lyrical rosary concerning the life and loves of Norman Rockwell. Margaret Holley's poetic meditations on the great 20th century art of Edward Hopper and T.S. Eliot mystify by their blend of maximal sentiment and graceful restraint. [The Southern Review, 43 Allen Hall, LSU, Baton Rouge, LA 70803-5005. E-mail: email@example.com. Single issue $8. http://appl003.lsu.edu/southernreview.nsf/index] - MC
The First Line
Volume 6 Issue 1
Spring 2004
The First Line is a fiction magazine in which every short story begins with the same first line and, of course, ends in an entirely different place. This issue's first line is "There were five of them, which was two more than I'd been expecting." Some of the resulting pieces are mainstream fiction, and rather funny. I particularly enjoyed Tom Green's "No Comment," about a sleazy political campaign manager who bumbles his way through an embarrassing news conference after his candidate winds up in the hospital following a drunk driving accident. Other stories are more speculative. Some pesky Cubs fans cause trouble for an angel in "A Problem with the Catholic Account" by Steve Massart. (The angel expected Three Dowries of the Soul, not Five; the two extra appear to be beer and polish sausage). Stephen Paske's "All for an Extra Dollar" gives us a well-meaning school teacher bitten by a "demonic" student, an incident which fails to irk the cheerful money-grubbing principal in any way (a product of the Chicago Public Schools myself, I hesitate to label this story "speculative" and not "mainstream"). The First Line is a fun experiment in imaginative thinking, and perfect for readers looking for short bursts of highly creative fiction. [The First Line, P.O. Box 250382, Plano, TX 75025-0382. E-mail: email@example.com. Single issue $2. http://www.thefirstline.com] - JQG
Volume 56 Number 1
Winter 2004
Established back in 1948, the tiny literary magazine known as The Carolina Quarterly is a model of humility: a pamphlet-style book not even a hundred pages long, yet filled with writing of such distinction that the reader is provoked to the kind of loving pondering elicited by publications of the snazzier variety. After careening straight through this winter issue, I found myself turning it over and over in my hands in wonder. Nanci Kincaid's Polaroid-style novel excerpt, "First I Shoot You, Then You Shoot Me," chronicles the humiliating inaugural moments of ten women entering a state prison, and in four brief, laconic pages manages to pack a wallop equal to that of a great documentary film: "I haven't even gotten inside the prison and locked away, but already I'm thinking dangerous thoughts like the dangerous person they believe I am." Utterly different but wonderful is Kevin Wilson's second-person narrative, "The Choir Director Affair (The Baby's Teeth)," about a man helplessly endeared to his lecherous friend's baby, which has sprung from the womb with a full set of pearly-whites. The poetry selections include fine metrical compositions by Chris Childers and Robert West. This is a journal whose value far exceeds the subscription cost. Read it in one sitting and find your enamorment of great literary writing well met. [The Carolina Quarterly, Greenlaw Hall, CB#3520, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3520. E-mail: email@example.com. Single issue $5. http://www.unc.edu/depts/cqonline] - MC
Volume 3 Number 2
Fall/Winter 2003
The poetry of Diner reflects the journal's title: hearty, digestible, eschewing the frou-frou. Sometimes the fare seems a bit undercooked; you want to tweak a line here or cut a word there, but the read is a good experience. There are two featured poets/translators (Blue Plate Specials): Annie Finch and Dzvinia Orlowsky. Notes on each are provided, outlining their history, interests and writing style, all of which heightens the experience of reading their work. Finch's "My Baby Fell Apart" is, in my opinion, the strongest poem in the issue, a rhythmic and poignant piece on losing (or fear of losing) a child. A few lines: "My baby fell apart. Then I could see // her falling, through a loud internal sea, / away from the one place that still was tender. / There was no baby left inside of me." Other highlights include Steven Cordova's clever "Ms. Daydream to You," in which Daydream is presented as a woman with a Russian accent; and Alexander Chertok's "What Is Morning?" about waking to a sweet birdsong. Scattered throughout the issue are evocative digitally-altered photographs by Colin Sjostedt. An enjoyable magazine all around. [Diner, P.O. Box 60676, Greendale Station, Worcester, MA 01606-2378. E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com. Single issue $10. http://www.spokenword.to/Diner] - JQG
A Journal of Prose Poetics
Number 1
Size and shape matter — literally and metaphorically. And because they do, Sentence is off to a great start with this inaugural issue. The journal has an inordinately pleasing size and shape, both literally and metaphorically. With an announced bias for work that does not veer toward sudden fiction, editor Brian Clements describes the journal's purpose as "a full-service forum for readers, writers, critics, and scholars of the prose poem tradition…critical and scholarly essays, translations, occasional interviews, a bibliography of recent criticism…and our 'Views and Reviews' section where you can vent your most dearly held opinions…Sentence will have the widest scope." That wide scope includes: the "Sentence Feature," the introduction from contributing editor Peter Johnson's critical study (published by White Pine Press) of Jacob, Ponge, and Follain, followed by translations of their work; glorious prose poems from four dozen writers, including work by Maxine Chernoff, Jesse Lee Kercheval, Denise Duhamel, Ray Gonzalez, and Mary Ruefle; and noteworthy work from lesser-known writers, including a pithy two-liner from P.F. Potvin and Ana Delgadillo's lyrical "Surrounding My Birth in Veracruz." If this issue is an indication of what's to come, Sentence will make an exceptional contribution to the ever expanding universe of the prose poem. [Sentence, c/o Firewheel Editions, P.O. Box 793677, Dallas, TX 75379. E-mail: email@example.com. Single issue $10, www.firewheel-editions.org] - SR
Number 6
A wry anecdote appears in Ed Readicker-Henderson's "How to Go to Hell" in this issue of Motionsickness. There's a Japanese pilgrimage which features 88 temples across 700 miles; it can take up to two months to walk it. Recently, would-be pilgrims have been given the options of quick 'n' easy bus tours, flyovers by helicopter, and even a video to watch if one really can't be bothered. All this has prompted a friend of the author's to remark, "They do know they're still going to hell, right?" I mention this story because it seems at heart to be what Motionsickness is all about; it is travel writing for wayfarers who still want to do it the good, hard, spiritual way. This issue includes an interview with George Meegan, who walked over 19,000 miles from South America, across the U.S., and over to Alaska. Just as impressive are Jason Lewis and Steve Smith, who are gradually trying to go around the world on human power alone and have actually succeeded in pedaling a boat across the Atlantic! Motionsickness not only shuns the prepackaged path, it has a conscience and explores such issues as environmental damage caused by tourism. An engaging read of authentic experience. [Motionsickness Magazine, 4117 SE Division St., #417, Portland, OR 97202. E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com. Single issue $4.50. http://www.motionsickmag.com] - JQG
Volume 31 Number 1
Spring 2004
This is a particularly good issue with many exceptional poems and stories. Melita Schaum's nonfiction "Enough" is enough all on its own to make this one worth buying, keeping, and re-reading. It's more than enough to make this reader change her mind about "dysfunctional family" tales. Even in these glut-of-family-memoir-days, it is possible to write an original, unusual, and utterly memorable account of one's wretched and unreasonable family. It's enough to make me crave more of Schaum's work, though since the journal does not include contributors' notes, it will take some effort (well worth it, certainly) to find it. The other nonfiction piece in this issue deserves mention, too - Barrett Hathcock's "Catch a Fire," an essay exploring a difficult subject (a parent's choice of after-death rituals) in a style that is natural and laudably free of clichés. This outstanding nonfiction is well accompanied by more than enough excellent stories, including moving work by Laura LeCorgne and Nance Van Winckel, and forty pages of strong and unusual poems from Aliki Barnstone, Dana Curtis, Kazim Ali, and Ellen Doré Watson, among others. Donald Platt's "Treble and Treble and Back" is one of the finest post 9/11 "war poems" I've encountered. [Colorado Review, The Center for Literary Publishing, Department of English, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523. E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com. Single issue $10. http://www.coloradoreview.com] - SR
Volume 7 Issue 2
Winter 2003-04
What Blue Collar Review succeeds in doing, I think, is putting a human face on nearly every problem you've seen on the nightly news in recent years. War, layoffs, violence, crap jobs, bad schools: these are the subjects of the poetry published here. I have to be honest: not every piece is very well crafted, but what some poems lack in skill they make up for in conviction. As I write this, the U.S. is attempting damage control on the Iraqi prisoner abuse scandal, and Mike Maggio's "Collateral Damage" is an impressive litany of mind-numbing public apology snippets that certainly fits this situation as well. An excerpt: "(we swear on our mothers) / (we swear on the flag) / (we swear on the bible) / (we swear on the corporation) / (we're sorry)." Amy E. Oliver's "Professional Chef," about what really goes on in restaurant kitchens, took me back to my waitress years ("the sick onion grease stench" indeed!), and I admired the quiet dignity of Jeff Vande Zande's "Losing Work," about a laid-off man fearing loss of respect by his family yet finding support from his wife. If you like poetry by and for the people, you'll want to pick up a copy of this magazine. [Blue Collar Review, Partisan Press, P.O. Box 11417, Norfolk, VA 23517. E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com. Single issue $5. http://www.Partisanpress.org] - JQG
The Laurel Review
Volume 38 Number 1
Spring 2004
The Laurel Review is unpretentious and reliable, qualities not to be underestimated in these precarious times, especially when that means poems like Susan Ludvingson's "Barcelona, The Spanish Civil War: Alfonso Laurencic Invents Torture by Art": "We know the body can be made / to lose its recollections birthed in music / its desire for bread / and sex, its only remaining wish / confession // Who'd have guessed how easily / the brain opens its many mouths / to red." How I wished, on reading this poem, that it were not of the moment as much as of another era, were not an example of a poet's uncanny ability not only to look back, but forward. My anguish is not so much soothed as momentarily appeased by Katherine Soniat's still life of a poem, "Hopper's Wife" and then re-stimulated by Kent Shaw's "Prologue": "the ocean consumes itself / and the ocean consumes itself." There are many other fine poems, as well, including Arielle Greenburg's "Tumbler" and Bin Ramke's "Song of the North American Martyr's." Six solid stories round out the issue. My favorite: Judith Slater's "Snow Day," psychologically astute and hopeful. Also, astute — Peter Makuck's review of Robert Cording's Against Consolation. This issue introduces a new feature, "Book Recommendations," chosen this time by editor John Gallaher. [The Laurel Review, Department of English, Northwest Missouri State University, Maryville, MO 64468-6001. E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com issue $7. http://info.nwmissouri.edu/~m500025/laurel/index2.html] - SR
The Antioch Review
All Essay Issue
Volume 62 Number 2
Spring 2004
I have always loved The Antioch Review and this "All Essay" issue deepens my appreciation. The editors succeed in demonstrating that "essays…comes in all forms and about all subjects" and in meeting their goal to "highlight [the essay's] diversity and vivacity." This would make a fine volume for any workshop in the essay's strengths and varieties and is exceptional reading for any devotee of serious nonfiction. The thirteen essays include political/social analysis (Bruce Jackson, Bruce Fleming, Michael Meyers and John P. Nidiry, Irwin Abrams), personal essays (Floyd Skloot, Nick Papandreou, P.F. Kluge, Paul Christensen, Carol Hebald), a short biography/book essay that happily defies categorization (Barbara Sjoholm), art critique/biography (Steven Vincent, Alex Colville), and a personal/scholarly consideration of the art of translation (Lawrence Rosenwald). Of course, these essays fit all and none of these categories at the same time, which is, partly, what makes them successful. They display thoughtful scholarship, keen powers of observation, and deft, but widely different styles of composition. They reveal new information and insights about familiar topics (Abrams on Jimmy Carter and Jackson on the "Real O.J. Story"), introduce us to the unfamiliar (Sjoholm on Olaus Magnus) and translate these writers' idiosyncratic worlds (Papandreou on growing up bilingual, Christensen on growing up in Beirut, Kluge on breakfast in Ohio). [The Antioch Review, P.O. Box 148, Yellow Springs, OH 45387. E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com. Single issue $8. http://www.antioch.edu/review/home.html] - SR
All-Vermont Issue
Number 4
Spring 2004
With new editors each time, Hunger Mountain can be vastly different from issue to issue, and that unpredictability can be exciting. Guest editors Syndey Lea's and Jim Schley's vision for this all-Vermont special edition to "keep the door open" led them to the discovery of writers they had not known, a celebration of writers who seem "insufficiently applauded" and to what managing editor Caroline Mercurio calls "a few treasured Vermont favorites" (Ruth Stone, Hayden Carruth). There are plenty of reminders that this work is from and of Vermont; Vermont as a physical landscape (Thomas Absher's "Chesea"), as a metaphorical landscape (Nadell Fishman's "Coincidence"), and as a metaphysical landscape (Linda Hyatt Young's "October Morning"), though all of these pieces transcend the merely local, as does Victoria Taylor Smith's humorous story of the search for love in Montpelier, "This Need." And there is plenty of work that could not be identified, except in the author's bio, as coming from Vermont, from edgy (Joan O'Connor's story "If It's Bad It Happens to Me") to lyrical (Alexis Lathem's poem "Walking"). Photographs of the work of Vermont sculptors Jerry Williams and Giuliano Cecchinelli and "Meander," the cover painting by Gail Salzman are stunning, enlarging even further this issue's generous vision. [Hunger Mountain, Vermont College, 36 College St., Monpelier, VT 05602. E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com. Single issue $10. www.tui.edu/hungermtn/index.asp] - SR
Volume 42 Number 2
Winter 2004
This issue features the winner of the magazine's 2003 Maclean Hunter Endowment Award for literary nonfiction, an essay contest judge Andreas Schroeder calls "beautifully calibrated." Russell Wangersky's "Mechanics of Injury" is an expertly crafted account of his work as a volunteer fireman, work he no longer does, not because of any permanent injury, but for reasons more complex and, therefore, more interesting ("burns heal, but other things linger…they are things that warp the way you see."). Wagnerky helps us not only to see, but to experience on a deeper level what he has seen. He knows which details to tell and when to tell them; he demonstrates a firefighter's sense of urgency and a writer's instinct for restraint. He finds a necessary balance between description and contemplation and his prose is often alarmingly beautiful, given the nature of his subject: "This equation is strangely reduced in my memory to geometry: the curve of her stomach, the triangle of her skirt, the oval of people standing around her looking down." Equally fine this issue is fiction from E.J. Levy ("Gravity"), a writer with a great ear for dialogue, a mature sense of story, and masterful control over her characters' emotional journeys. [PRISM International, University of British Columbia, Buchanan E-462, 1866 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6T 1Z1. E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com. Single issue $7. www.prism.arts.ubc.ca] - SR
Contemporary Poetry and Poetics
Number 70
Spring 2004
Field is a journal with an admirably clear and consistent editorial vision. Typically, this issue presents serious, difficult, reverent poems with very little that is conversational, casual, or occasional; poems that demand to be read slowly and then reread, including work by Carl Phillips, Marvin Bell, Michael Waters, Charles Wright, and Angie Estes, among others, wonderfully wrought translations from Chinese, German, and French, and three in-depth review essays by the editors. I was particularly taken with gorgeous translations of two poems by Chinese poet Bian Zhilin (1910-2000). Translators Mary M.Y. Fung and David Lunde are working on a full-length collection, which I happily look forward to. An excerpt of V. Peneleope Pelizzon's work-in-progress The Monogahela Book of Hours also offers a glimpse of new writing to anticipate with eagerness. Pape contributes a haunting painting of a poem, "Red Moon," with dual fire ravaged landscapes, mountains and heart, and Franz Wright contributes four spare, stark, and powerful poems. Here is an excerpt from "Scribbled Testament": "Having read the great books / of this world only / to completely forget them again; / having learned how to speak / this language only // (darken it up a bit will you) / to translate my heart for you / from the original silence" [FIELD, 10 North Professor Street, Oberlin, OH 44074. E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com. Single issue $7. http://www.oberlin.edu/ocpress] - SR
Number 75
Spring 2004
This spring issue of The Greensboro Review contains two short stories that are simply breathtaking: Adam Berlin's "The Karaoke Bet" and Matt Valentine's "Zohra." Berlin's piece, in its portrayal of a soulless, lustful bookie is worth close study by any aspiring short story writer, so perfect is its characterization, voice, plotting, and overall thematic significance. After betting against another man's wife in a karaoke contest, with the trophy to be the man's Harvard diploma, the bookie fantasizes: "On nights when I came home drunk, with cash in my pocket from my cash business, with memories of hands getting broken, and memories of empty lap dances, I'd look at the diploma and read the elaborate script . . . and I'd pretend I'd taken another road until I fell asleep." Matt Valentine's "Zohra" is an acute tale of three American tourists in Morocco (Paul Bowles terrain revisited), and pointedly captures the disorientations of travel, while managing to construct a larger metaphorical architecture. Also notable among the eight short fictions offered is Diana Sprechler's "Close to Lebanon," about a confused young Jewish woman living in Boston, stymied at every attempt to escape her existential befuddlement. The entire other half of this issue is devoted to poetry. [The Greensboro Review, English Dept., 134 McIver Building, UNCG, PO Box 26170, Greensboro, NC 27402-6170. E-mail: email@example.com. Single issue $5. http://www.uncg.edu/eng/mfa] - MC
Number 43
Winter 2003-2004
If you've ever wondered where all the Dorothy Parkers have gone, they're submitting poems to Light, wearing glasses, seldom receiving passes, and all. This quarterly magazine of light verse specializes in rhyming wit, puns, palindromes, and a heap of good old-fashioned showing off (Robert Schechter, "My Grandmother, the Actress": "Of the two famous playwrights / who charmed and beguiled her, / Oscar was Wilde / but Thornton was Wilder."). The poems here fall under such broad categories as "The Mating Season," "Quandaries?" and "Warped Worlds"; sometimes the mere inclusion of a certain work under one of those titles brings a smile. It all ends with essays and reviews, including a surprisingly fine piece by Barbara Loots on the nature and purpose of greeting card poetry. If you've ever been accused of Nerd Humor, you'll want to take out a subscription to this one. However, if puns make you groan, you might want to skip it, or at least pass up Christopher Scribner's very funny "Shattered," inspired by an inmate's attempt to escape jail by breaking a bulletproof window with his bare rear end. It contains the line, "And never let a little pane deter you." [Light, P.O. Box 7500, Chicago, IL 60680. Single issue $6. http://www.lightquarterly.com] - JQG
Posted May 5, 2004
Volume 16 Number 1
Winter/Spring 2004
At first glance, Sycamore Review seems a typical literary journal, divided into the usual blocks: poetry, fiction, interview, review. A deeper look reveals an eclectic and engaging selection of work. Smart but not obtuse, the poetry is well-crafted with diverse subject matter - mortality, refugee camps, a child's collection of pets - but my favorites are the witty pieces. One standout is Mary Jo Firth Gillett's "On Being Asked by a Student How You Know When a Poem Is Done" ("I say, when you've given up searching / for something to rhyme with orange because / you've eaten the orange.") Three pieces comprise the fiction section: one about a new father, another on a divorced mother, and sandwiched between them, C.A. Lahines' lyrical telling of Wagner, plagued by itching testicles and longings for woman named Mathilde in "Of Tristan, Isolde, and Unbearable Itches." (Did I mention this journal is eclectic?) This issue is editor Sean M. Conrey's first. It's good, but a bit short. Aside from the cover photography, there is no art spread, and that's a shame because Sycamore Review has featured gorgeous work in the past. Here's hoping that future issues continue to offer vital content, and more of it. [Sycamore Review, Department of English, 1356 Heavilon Hall, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907-1356. E-mail: email@example.com. Single issue $7. www.sla.purdue.edu/sycamore] - JQG
Winter 2004
Always surprising and unconventional, this issue of Salt Hill is even edgier than usual, with Thom Ward's "imaginary" scholar Dr. Arnold Schnagel and Schnagel's parody of reviews and critiques (like this one!) of the work of "imaginary poet" Jan DeKeerk whose very real poetry is translated here (from Flemish) by Schnagel; and Steve Almond's interview with novelist and screenwriter Tom Perotta ("Q: But you don't behave badly?" A: Well, I'm a fiction writer"); and Denise Duhamel's poem "Lost Bra," thirty-four couplets, every line of which ends with the words "Maidenform Bra." G. C. Waldrep contributes three poems with his signature merger of the sacred and the profane (as it happens, a story about Waldrep's conversion to the Amish is featured in the latest issue of Poets & Writers and provides a context for his work). Poet Miles Waggener contributes excellent translations from the Spanish of three poems by Jaime Siles — poems that at moments sound as raw as Peter Cooley, who also has a poem in this issue, and a verse or two later as erudite as Jorge Luis Borges: "Hace que deulen hasta los pronombres/It hurts right to the very pronouns." There's never a dull moment at Salt Hill. [Salt Hill, Syracuse University, English Department, Syracuse, NY 13244. E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com. Single issue $8. http://students.syr.edu/salthill/] - SR
Volume 78 Number 1
Spring 2004
There is always something for nearly every serious reader in Prairie Schooner. It's not because Raz lacks a consistent editorial vision. On the contrary, issue after issue the journal feels whole and unified. It's more because her vision is large and generous. The prose is especially strong this issue, with a tender and memorable story by Tamara Friedman ("Stealing Sherisha") and a fine example of literary journalism by David A. Taylor, "Nailing a Freight on the Fly: The Federal Writer's Project in Nebraska." Taylor's essay is a solid and pleasingly humble combination of competent research, travel writing, and literary history. Three short fiction pieces by Iranian writer Leonardo Alishan ("Black City my soul called home.") will likely encourage readers, as it has me, to seek out his collections of poetry. As usual, there's an abundance of fine poems. Poems by Judith Arcana ("Facts of Life") and Peter Viereck ("Two Liners") demonstrate the range of styles represented in this issue. From Arcana: " All that we do, living, is killing; birth / and death the pumping hearts of life." And from Viereck, this two-liner ("Progress"): "What has the tech age left the soul for food? / Look for the road kill crushed across the road." [Prairie Schooner, 201 Andrews Hall, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68588-0334. E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com. Single issue $9. www.unl.edu/schooner/psmain.htm] - SR
Nimrod International Journal
Vietnam Revisited
Volume 47 Number 2
Spring/Summer 2004
Nimrod's spring issue is always theme-based and always superb. The subject of Vietnam is timely in ways I wish it were not, though it makes the work all the more necessary. The issue begins with an essay by poet John Balaban, who volunteered in Vietnam as a civilian conscientious objector, and excerpts from his outstanding collection of Vietnamese folk poems, published by Copper Canyon. That book is also reviewed here by Britton Gildersleeve, who aptly calls Balaban's translations "elegant." (Gildersleeve's essay about growing up in Southeast Asia, "39A Phàn dinh Phàn" is also quite elegant: "I don't remember leaving. I only remember being gone."). "Poetry, that fragile construct, is Vietnam's enduring monument," Balaban writes. His work is followed by a collection of Nimrod's own enduring moments: exceptional poems, stories, essays, an interview with novelist Lan Cao, and exquisite black and white photographs. Andrew Lam's story, "Star Anise, Charred Onion, and Five Kinds of Basil," offers a small taste of this issue's powerful writing: "Nga, remember those mornings when the borders were still real and even talking across the clotheslines or the courtyard as treacherous as crossing the ocean? Yet how I long for that world! For the smallness of things." [Nimrod, The University of Tulsa, 600 S. College, Tulsa, OK 74104. E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com. http://www.utulsa.edu/nimrod] - SR
The Same Mistakes
Volume 31 Number 4
Spring 2004
The same mistakes is not…a mistake. In fact, it's a provocative and successful theme, beginning with editor Kent Bruyneed's witty introduction and his description of these writers "doubting and soaring." The poems and stories in this issue share a casual energy that is more difficult to achieve than it may at first seem, elevating mistakes to art. The theme of admitting a mistake, telling on oneself, has moved these writers to elect tones and diction that are highly personal, without becoming sentimental, and exceedingly familiar, while still deliberate and artful. It's surprising how much serious, thoughtful and original material is contained in what can appear so informal and natural, as in this poem by Michael Quilty, "Anniversary Ride: Theme of Opposition": "a year ago this morning I sat in the closed room of a seminar, / the first hour the prof explained The Theme of Opposition / in Four Victorian Writers, / after our break she told us about the planes (and twin towers)." All of the work is strong, but several pieces warrant special mention: Yann Martel's scathing short fiction/social commentary, beautiful poems by warren heiti, and a very fine story, "Blue," by Kim Trainor. [Grain, Box 67, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada S7K 3K1. E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com . Single issue $9.95. http://www.grainmagazine.ca] - SR
Number 97
Spring 2004
Anne Carson, Gary Shhteyngart, and Mark Doty, all in this issue! There's also a wonderful story ("The Red Fox Fur Coat") by Teolinda Gersao, translated from the Portuguese by Margert Jull Costa, who also contributes a translation of an essay on Faulkner by Javier Marías, outstanding book essays by P.N. Furbank (on Geoffrey Hill's Style and Faith) and Rachel Cohen (on a new edition of Rilke's Letters On Cézanne), and C.K. Williams on Lowell's Collected Poems, comparing poets to composers: "…that there are elements in the poems that I don't care for, or even have to forgive, is incidental to the elemental experience of being taken again by Lowell's singularly gratifying music." The prose is accompanied by marvelous poems. In particular, I loved "Five Year Plan," by Victoria Chang. The pièce de résistance: Carson's Stein-like "How to Like 'If I Had Told Him A Completed Portrait of Picasso' by Gertrude Stein": "If she told us we would like it. Yes we would. Or at least I do. To complete a portrait is to learn to like your likeness albeit miraculously and never more than three." I count on The Threepenny Review for intelligent, unexpected, and stimulating work. Here it is. [The Threepenny Review, P.O. Box 9131, Berkeley, CA 94709. E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com. Single issue $7. http://www.threepennyreview.com] - SR
Volume 42 Number 1
Fall 2003
Sometimes clichés are true: this issue of Prism International illustrates the concept that good things do come in small packages. The journal contains poetry which ranges from Bernadette Higgins' traditional poem, "Short Wave," describing language, music, and thoughts which tease and cross on the air late at night, to a strong contemporary poem by Matt Robinson, "why we wrap our wrists the same each time," exploring a hockey player's quest to "do anything" to beat his "jinx." Ouyang Yu translates four Chinese poems from the 8th and 9th century, which are beautiful in their simplicity and complexity. One of the most remarkable poems is Leanne Boschman-Epp's "Prince Rupert Rain Journal: night rain." In this extraordinary poem, the reader is treated to both an auditory and visual simulation of rain through sound and creative placement of words. The contemporary fiction is short, averaging about eight pages per story, but packs a punch. Lauro Palomba's knock-out piece, "Salesmanship," shows us even Santa can have an "angle." Royston Tester contributes "Once Upon a Prissy," a powerful and gritty story of a young Englishman learning to prostitute in Spain. Finally, give the cover by Janieta Eyre a second look. Yes, it's unusual. A young woman with bright orange hair, blacked-out eyes, and graphics attached to her cheek is stirring a pot on a stove. Now, add the title, "Making Babies" and notice the container of eggs, semen, and blood. Interesting. [Prism International. Creative Writing Program, UBC Buch. E 462 – Main Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z1, Canada. E-mail: prism at interchange.ubc.ca. Single issue $7. http://prism.arts.ubc.ca/] – GK
I had a sense of déjà vu while reading The Tampa Review. I held the large slim 7x11 hardcover and remembered beautifully illustrated fairy tales books from my childhood. Although The Tampa Review is not filled with whimsical tales, the cover artwork by Florida artist James Rosenquist along with the black and white photos in the journal creates a book of beauty. The unusual format also sends a subtle message that the journal should be treasured and enjoyed over and over again. The journal opens with Patrick J. Murphy's "Night Fishing," a story about young boy who defies his new stepfather's rules and takes a skiff out deep sea fishing. Instead of returning home with a fishing trophy, the boy catches and kills a giant ray. This unexpected disappointment and tragedy mirrors his own life as his father is replaced with another man. Another interesting regional work is Marcia Fairbanks' "The Ghost Orchid of Fakahatchee." The author searches for the allusive "ghost orchid" made famous by the movie Adaptation and Susan Orlean's book about an orchid thief. The non-regional works are all solid pieces of writing reflecting other areas of the country and other dreams. W. Scott Olsen's piece "The Joy of Beginning" heads out onto the Alaska Highway. Rafael Perez Estrada's poem, "The Enterprising Young Man," shows the stature gained by a young Bangladesh man who sells his kidney to a New Yorker. "Lessons," a short story by James S. Proffitt, portrays a man who can't find home—geographically and mentally. [Tampa Review. The University of Tampa, 401 West Kennedy Boulevard, Tampa, Florida 33606. E-mail: email@example.com. Single issue $9.95. http://tampareview.utampa.edu/] - GK
NewPages Literary Magazine Stand Archives
April 2004
March 2004
February 2004
January 2004
December 2003
November 2003
October 2003
September 2003
August 2003
July 2003
June 2003
Cumulative Index of Lit Mags Reviewed
Note: If you are interested in writing reviews for the NewPages Literary Magazine Stand, please look over the reviewer's guidelines.


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- Ryan Donaldson '15
- Hometown: North Canton, Ohio
- Major: Medical Technology
When I graduated from high school, I knew I wanted to pursue a career in the medical field. I was interested in becoming a medical technologist, and heard that Mount Union had an outstanding medical technology program.
- Roxanne Hoch '15
- Hometown: Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania
- Major: International Studies
Main Navigation
Office Buildings
The many offices on Mount Union's campus work hard to ensure that the needs of students, parents, faculty and staff are taken care of.
Office Buildings Include:

subset: commoncrawl


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Local athletes sign letters to play college sports
December 3, 2013
Several area high school athletes recently signed a National Letter of Intent during the NCAA's early signing period from Nov. 13-20:
- Katie Bucy, Lindenwood (Mo.) women's lacrosse: Skyline High School senior had 35 goals, 20 assists as a junior en route to Division II scholarship offer.
- Derek Chapman, Washington State University baseball: Issaquah High School outfielder hit .350, earned All-KingCo Conference second-team honors as a junior.
- Rachel Lorentson, Central Washington University women's basketball: The 6-foot-1 forward has a deadly outside shot, and transferred to Eastlake High School after three seasons in Meridian, Idaho.
Registration opens for Little League
November 26, 2013
Registration of the 2014 Issaquah Little League Baseball and Softball is now open for all boys and girls ages 5 to 15 within the league boundaries.
The league offers T-Ball through major baseball for boys and T-Ball through junior fast-pitch softball for girls.
Early registration saves on fees, and scholarships are available. Register, or get more information, at www.issaquahlittleleague.org.
Issaquah's Team AMEX is set to fight Dec. 7
November 26, 2013
Issaquah mixed martial arts fighters Dex Montenegro and Amy Cadwell will be on the card at CageSport MMA's show Dec. 7 at the Emerald Queen Casino.
The duo will each be fighting, but the happily engaged couple will also be rooting for each other.
Tickets for CageSport XXVIII can be purchased at the Emerald Queen Casino box office or through Ticketmaster. Prices start at $35.
Hail to the champ
November 5, 2013
Anthony Hamilton wins heavyweight MMA title
All it took was 12 seconds.
Well, 12 seconds, a swift kick to the face, and moments later, Newcastle resident Anthony Hamilton hoisted a gilded belt above his head, cementing his worth as one of the world's top heavyweight fighters.
Hamilton bested opponent Smealinho Rama in a Maximum Fighting Championship match in Canada on Oct. 4, earning the league's title of heavyweight champion of the world.
Tough love
October 15, 2013
Klahanie MMA fighters are undefeated as a couple
Amy Cadwell admitted that, like most girls growing up, she had many visions of what the moment would look like when she received a wedding proposal.
Kip Brown finishes third in 2013 High Point
September 24, 2013
Preston's Our Gang Racing, and driver Kip Brown, completed its best season ever, finishing third in the National High Point Championships.
The 95 Spirit of Qatar finished behind hydroplane circuit legends Jimmy Shane and Steve David in H1 Unlimited racing.
It caps a season in which the team had three podium finishes, including a win in the Gold Cup.
Cyclocross comes to Lake Sammamish
September 24, 2013
MFG Cyclocross presents its second leg of its Cyclocross series at Lake Sammamish State Park Sept. 29. The race is a combination of off-road bicycling and running hurdles.
Pre-register by 5 p.m. Sept. 27 online at BikeReg.com for a $5 discount. Day-of-race registration is available.
Adults are $30, beginners are $15, children 10 and older are $10, and children younger than 10 are free. There is a cash prize of $80 for first place, $60 for second and $40 for third. The race is part of a five-part series.
Trout Unlimited hosts Run with the Kokanee
September 17, 2013
On Oct. 19, the Bellevue-Issaquah chapter of Trout Unlimited will host its second annual Run with the Kokanee.
The race is a 5K and 10K run and walk through Lake Sammamish State Park, beginning at 9 a.m., and proceeds from the registration will go to support Trout Unlimited's efforts to conserve the kokanee salmon.
Trout Unlimited works frequently with the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife to help count the number of fish in Lake Sammamish during spawning season. Over the past five years, Trout Unlimited has seen record lows in number of kokanee, according to Mark Taylor, who is in charge of conservation and education efforts for Trout Unlimited.
Issaquah hosts body building competition
September 17, 2013
The NW Royal Natural Bodybuilding Championships is coming to the Issaquah Community Center on Sept. 21.
Athletes will compete in the following categories, with the top five in each receiving awards:
- Xtreme Fit: Open
- Bikini: Beginner, open
Wheels or shoes, this race is for you
September 10, 2013
Whether you race on two wheels or two feet, there is an event to challenge you in conjunction with Salmon Days, Oct. 5 and 6.
The Salmon Days-sponsored Upstream Hill Climb for bicycles will be Sept. 28. The 37th annual Issaquah Rotary Run with the Fishes will be Oct. 6.
Salmon Days took over sponsorship of the established Cougar Mountain Climb for Cancer and changed the name to Upstream Hill Climb to fit with the Salmon Days theme, according to Brian Twiggs, director of sponsorships for Salmon Days.


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Jupiter with my iPhone.
Jupiter with my iPhone.
Jupiter and some moons.
How do you brand your school? It isn't always about comparing yourself to others but about standing for something and making that your core value.
When you market your school the trap is to compare yourself to other schools around you. That simply isn't a great way to attract new clients. Schools need to take a stand on how they choose to educate students and then believe in that purpose. Marketing efforts that explain what your school stands for will have much more impact than a marketing effort that explains how your school is superior to another.
This has some great applications for the modern day classroom. I often feel that empathy for students is something that needs to be addressed more often. We sometimes hurt when students hurt, but we don't often create solutions to help them at school based on their circumstances.
Hello friends!
My name is Jason Cross and I am an educator. I have spent years developing new ideas to help bring the digital age into the analog classroom. Currently I am Principal of Legacy Academy iSchool in Elizabeth Colorado, where I have been able to enjoy the blessing of bringing iPad technology to 450 well deserving students. I have seen this technology in the hands of students transform lives. It has brought adaptive technology to help students who struggle to keep up, and has allowed all other students to grow and prosper at their own pace. As we look into the near future and see exciting changes in robotics, energy and technology it is hard to imagine the challenges that this next generation of students will face.
It is important that the next generation not be limited to using technology, but to adapt and create with all of the tools that they will have the opportunity to utilize. As machines and equipment become more adaptable to our lives, they will be an intrinsic part of what we do every day. The modern Kindergartner has never lived in a world where the entirety of human information is not at the palm of their hands. In 20 years from now that student will be living in a world that is not comprehensible by today's measurements.
Education needs to change. It isn't about technology specifically, it is about rethinking what learning is really all about. The success of future generations of students relies on critical thinking and the ability to learn on the go. The days of strict memorization and recall will no longer work in a world of excess information. We need to purpose education to be more engaging by allowing youth to solve problems and create content. We need to inspire the next generation to not be users, but innovators and creators.
I hope you enjoy visiting my website. Below I post a blog frequently about things I am seeing with technology education. I also make training videos that can be used to educate students, and parents of a variety of technology skills and applications. As I move forward I am beginning to research new ways to increase student engagement in school and in the classroom, and I will be posting that information as it comes along under the research tab. If you would like to contact me, you can do so by using the ask me anything link. I will try and respond as quickly as possible.
With best wishes,
-Jason Cross-
QR Codes can be a great addition to lesson plans. The ability for a teacher to get a student exactly to the content they specify without the need for navigating web pages, or complex URL's is crucial. Teachers will find that using these codes will increase the speed at which they are able to maneuver through content on the web. It is even a great way to get students to the right application on your ipad. This brief tutorial explains how to add a QR code to a project you might be working on.
Somebody just completed the final stage of the legendary chain. Wasn't me, but it was cool to be there.


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Rather then lugging around a DSLR, of which I'm not worthy of, I'd rather have my new trusty SE C903. I especially love taking details of subjects in macro mode.
I admit though with the 5.o mega pixels I couldn't take details really close up. But I'm happy with these 2 pictures I took recently with a noirish twist.
I know it's just a kepala udang prawn heads,
but I love how the burnt bits adds a gritty feel to this.
Let sleeping dogs lie.
Sky having a nap despite me hovering around him like a pesky fly.
I'm obviously not a professional photographer but any advice or comments on these pictures are humbly welcomed.
P/S: These are virgin photos straight from my MS untouched , uncropped, unsaturated, unchanged by PS understand? ^^ Not by choice but by lack of knowledge.


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Narrow your search
Denon's new wireless, multiroom audio platform will go head-to-head with Sonos and its growing list of competitors.
The three new S-Series receivers from Denon all pack built-in Bluetooth and HDMI 2.0, starting at a very competitive $250 entry-level price.
These Bluetooth in-ear headphones are the perfect combination of sporty and nerdy.
Paramount Pictures' "Transformers: Age of Extinction" will be first the official Blu-ray encoded with a Dolby Atmos soundtrack when it is released later this month.
Coming later this year, Dolby takes its professional Atmos theater sound technology to the home theater market.
The $499.99 Denon Globe Cruiser AH-NCW500 strives to kill background noise, and links to smartphones over Bluetooth to play stereo audio and take hands-free calls.
While in design they may resemble a pair of jumbo hearing aids, the Denon AH-W150 Exercise Freaks are among the better wireless sports headphones available.
Denon's AVR-E400 embodies some progress in simplifying the arduous AV receiver setup process, but it lacks convenient wireless features you'd expect at this price.
The Denon AH-C300 Urban Raver in-ear headphones deliver ample bass and will please hip-hop and rock fans with its lively dynamics and treble detailing.
Denon announced its 2013 line of AV receiver, focusing on improving ease-of-use with new push-in speaker jacks and a guided setup assistant.


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Reader Story: Turning Debt Repayment Into a Game
Published on - January 31st, 2010 (by J.D. Roth)
This guest post from Amanda is part of a new feature here at Get Rich Slowly. Every Sunday will include a reader story (in the new "reader stories" category). Some will be general "how I did X" stories, and others will be examples of how a GRS reader achieved financial success.
In May of 2008, I graduated with my MBA from a great school. I went straight from my undergraduate career into an MBA program, so despite numerous internships, I didn't have a great deal of work experience, nor did I have a nest egg of any kind. Luckily, what I did have was a CPA for a mother who taught me the value of saving a buck when I was very young.
I also was able to go to school on a partial scholarship and applied for numerous others while in the program. With all this said, I went to four years of college and two years of an MBA program and came out with around $37,000 in debt. That's a large number to swallow; however, as far as education goes, I still look at that as quite a bargain.
Back in May 2008, I was 24 years old with $37,000 owed to good old Sallie Mae. I was starting my first full-time job in June, with a salary of $65,000 plus bonus potential. It wasn't the $90,000 others from my class were making, but I thought I was doing very well considering I wasn't yet 35 and I wasn't moving to a big city (like NYC or DC).
Fast forward to today, roughly a year and a half later: I have $8000 left to pay on my student loans. I also have an emergency fund of around $17,000 and have over $15,000 in my retirement accounts. I've gone from having about $1000 to my name (net worth of about negative $36,000) to today where my net worth (emergency fund plus retirement accounts minus remaining student loans) is approximately $24,000. I've paid off $29,000 and saved $32,000 in a year-and-a-half: a total of $61,000.
How did I do it? I didn't live like a pauper, but I did and do live frugally. I didn't do anything that any of you haven't heard before. I have no secret that hasn't been revealed on personal finance blogs, but nonetheless, here's the laundry list of how I've tackled my debt and built my savings:
I set goals! Before I began working, I set up my budget and set stretch goals for each month on what I could save/pay off.
I paid myself first and automated my finances. I immediately set up my 401(k) with my company. I set my contribution rate to 10% and didn't concern myself with company match whatsoever. I figured if I never knew what it was like to have that 10% in my paycheck, I'd never miss it.
I also took a couple hundred bucks (it adjusted over time so there isn't an exact figure to put here) from each paycheck and immediately moved it over to an ING Savings Account that I set up to build my Emergency Fund. Finally, I set up a Roth IRA where any excess cash could go at the end of each month.
I got a roommate. I wanted to live in a nice, safe area with a pool and a gym. It didn't have to be the Ritz but I wanted it to be a place I was happy to call home. After looking at the prices of such places, I knew to accomplish my financial goals, I was going to need to get a two-bedroom and split the rent. I found a great roommate and split everything down the middle with them. This kept my rent and utility bills far under the 33% suggested rate. (I paid approximately $650 in rent for those of you who like exact numbers.)
I negotiated on all utilities and kept them to a minimum. I didn't get a home phone number; my cell phone was all I needed. I had regular cable (no fancy movie channels) and regular internet through a bundle package. I negotiated these rates to the absolute minimum offered and when they tried to raise them, I called the cable company and told them their services were not worth that amount and that I would like to cancel. It was easy and fast and worked like a charm.
I kept the heat and A/C on at limited levels. If it was hot, I used a ceiling fan rather than pump A/C through the whole house. I opened the windows and let the breeze cool off the house. When it was cold, I used heat but also wore socks, sweatpants and a sweatshirt so that I could be warm without making my house a sauna. I used a drying rack as much as possible to save on dryer costs. It also helps keep your clothes from wearing out — an added bonus!
I learned the art of couponing at the grocery store and taught myself how to cook. Every Sunday, I faithfully clipped coupons and used sites like Coupon Mom or Frugal in Virginia to help me match coupons to sales to get the lowest prices possible. This seemed daunting at first but quickly became a ten to fifteen minute routine which often saved great deals of money
I didn't buy pre-made food: I cooked from scratch. I found this was cheaper and far healthier! All Recipes was a great and free resource so that I didn't get bored with the same old meals.
I bought produce that was in season so I could still get fresh fruits and veggies. I also stuck with apples, bananas, and pears instead of their more expensive berry counterparts. I ate vegetarian a few meals each week. I didn't completely take meat out of the equation but did limit my intake of it. I also grew my own. I couldn't have a full garden but I did grow tomatoes on the back terrace.
I didn't eat out often! I probably ate out once to twice a week to keep up with my social calendar. Instead of eating out, I invited friends to my house or met them for a pot-luck. Finally, I brought my lunch to work almost every day.
I didn't buy Stuff. Don't get me wrong: If I wanted something, I bought it. I just evaluated whether it was something I really needed or if that want was only temporary. Usually, I'd wait a week to see if I was still thinking about the item. When I did shop, I used coupons at the stores and Retail Me Not when shopping online. I also shopped the sale section first.
I used the library and swapped books/DVDs with friends. Instead of hitting Barnes and Nobles, I went to the library or did PaperBackSwap. I've never been left wanting for something good to read or watch.
I worked out and spent a lot of time hiking outside. Hiking and enjoying the great outdoors is healthy, fun and free! I also did live in a beautiful area for hiking so was very lucky in that regard.
I worked hard at my job. I busted booty to get bonuses and raises at work. I made sure that I gave 110% and that my bosses were happy with my work. Any extra money (bonuses, tax returns etc) went straight into loan repayment after a small celebratory dinner of some kind.
I made side money. This also went straight into loan repayment. I used eBay to sell items I didn't want/need anymore. I sold books and DVDs that I no longer wanted on Amazon. I did Swagbucks. It's amazing how easy it is to get those $5 Amazon gift cards. It's essentially free money!
Basically, I just didn't let myself fall victim to lifestyle inflation. I didn't need to have the latest Coach purse or a brand new car. I took good care of what I did have and bought nice things without the ridiculous price tags. I didn't blow money at the bar, and I built my social calendar on less expensive outings with friends (picnics, free concerts, dinner parties etc).
I turned my debt repayment into a game where it was fun to send in that big payment and I turned any shopping into a quest for a great deal. It won't work for everyone, but it worked for me!
Reminder: This is a story from one of your fellow readers. Please be nice. After nearly a decade of blogging, I have a thick skin, but it can be scary to put your story out in public for the first time. Remember that this guest author isn't a professional writer, and is just learning about money like you are. Photo by fotographix.ca.
This article is about Debt, Reader Stories
Hats off to you for "not following the crowd" of young grads. You were very disciplined with your money and it showed. Making an emergency fund and retirement a priority shows that you have your financial priorities straight. Fantastic job!
Congratulations, Amanda! A wonderful story about financial responsibility and the power of goals. I wish you luck in paying off the final part of your loans. Consider taking a vacation once you are out of debt – I didn't see that in your story (and maybe you had the luxury to travel as a student), but you should celebrate the time and effort you have put in – and take a trip or some time off also reminds me of why all the hard work is worth it. Just a thought. Good luck!
I love the various games that Amanda made up to making paying off debt easier. Making up games is such a great way to pay off debt more quickly.
For my savings goals, I love how ING Direct allow you to create special savings accounts. If I want to make a big purchase, like a new laptop, I create a separate laptop savings account. Then it is a game to how fast I can build up that account.
I'm always impressed with graduates who start funding a retirement account right away. When I was in college, IRAs were new. One of my marketing professors devoted an entire class to explaining this wonderful new retirement option to us and urged us to start one. Wish I had heeded his advice. It would be another 10 years before I would start a retirement account.
Good for you! Being smart about money when you graduate is a huge step forward. I wish I'd had your starting salary, but these steps are totally doable no matter what you earn.
That is so inspiring! I didn't do every one of those things to pay off my debt, and I probably paid it off a little slower than Amanda did. But every one of those ideas is worth a try for anyone! I especially love the one about bringing lunch to work. That has become second nature to me, too, and the money it saves is outrageous. I don't even make my lunch, I buy all the $2 or less frozen diet dinners at the supermarket and have a wide variety of quick grab lunches for weeks.
Secretly, I bet the $10 lunch people wish they could be like you!
The biggest thing that sticks out to me is the couponing. I, too, am 20-something and making $63k a year. I have been couponing like mad, and I've been wondering if it's worth it. I certainly make enough to support a frugal lifestyle. Couponing has always seemed "extreme" to me, but here I am, still doing so today!
Congrats to you!
You know how hard it is NOT to follow the "crowd" not just in your personal life, but at your job as well? One risks alienation and ridicule from fellow co-workers. Congrats Amanda! It takes one to be mentally strong as well as being goal-oriented to go against the grain. I think setting goals are great, but to truly achieve those goals, one must be mentally strong first. It's obvious that Amanda is a "mental giant"! I truly hope that all young professionals read this article. =)
Great post! I'm a huge fan of setting goals and of automating finances. I'm also a big fan of bringing lunch to work. My first couple years working I brought lunch every day except one Friday per month I'd go out to lunch with co-workers. Years later, I still bring my lunch most days and go out to lunch about once every two weeks.
Very nice! Great job at the reduction in debt and increase in savings!
CONGRATS!!!!! One year ago I started out pretty good following some of the same goals you have written about here. About June, I had some health and personal issues that steered me off track. By the end of the year, I was actually worse off than I was at the start of the year.
Thanks for the motivation!!! I want to make 2010 a "NEW BEGINING" for me. Your article has stimulated me to get out the excel worksheets I started a year ago to help me get out of debt.
Thanks for posting this article!!
There must have been a lot of raises, bonuses, or outside money if these numbers are right: $61k in debt payments and savings on a $65k salary leaves $4k to live on for the whole year not counting taxes.
I wish I had your debt and your salary. Ha ha. I'm at $47,000 in student loans and I'll be lucky to make $40,000 a year (most likely $32,000). Thanks for the tips though, this will be helpful when I find a job.
Good on you Amanda !
You knew it would make cen(t)se ! You steared your own course and with some discipline and common sence you got where you are today . Difficult ? Not really..
Amanda, to read your story is absolutely inspiring. With your money skills you are going to get rich slowly with a minimum of stress. Having a fully funded emergency fund is fundamental to living a well managed financial life. With your frugal skills and a great job you are well launched into your working life. Bravo.
Yeah, it's easy to pay off your student loans when you make $65k. Try it on $20-30k. Even living a frugal lifestyle it takes years to pay down debt when you make the average (individual around $32K). About 75% of Americans make less than $50K per year. Even with a master's degree, like Amanda, the average individual income is $61,324. Good for you for getting out of debt so quickly, but your success is the exception not the rule, even for those motivated to pay off debt.
JJ: She says a year and a half, roughly, so that is more like 35,000 not 4000, before taxes.
Rent @ 650/month = almost 12,000 for 18 months, so that leaves the bonuses and ebay and scrounging for the outside expenses, which is totally doable, especially if, like me, when she says "rent", she includes the utilities, or if she had a lot of crap on ebay.
I wonder if the 10% (regardless of match) in a 401k is the best way to go. I'm not sure, but I feel like you would be better off only contributing "up to the match" and put the rest in your IRA. In case of no match, put it all in your IRA.
I think it has something to do with pulling money out, which in case of a 401k is a bigger hassle and more expensive, than with an IRA. But maybe, someone else could clarify.
(Great story btw!)
Great job Amanda. Whether at 65K or some other salary, your success was based on having specific goals, creating a clear plan to reach those goals and sticking to it. Others with different incomes and loan amounts can take the same steps to achieve their financial goals. It may take more or less time, but the basic principles will be the same.
Sounds like you playing great financial offense and defense! Kudos to you.
Lifestyle creep (or Lifestyle Inflation as you call it) is currently my most difficult struggle. I'll be debt-free soon and it's hard not to spend money on those nice little extras in life…
I followed the pattern you described above for the last 15 years, except I never did the coupon thing (one of my biggest mistakes). I've had roommates for years, then I got lucky by finding a cheap bachelor pad (very very small apartment, I called it my shoebox). Another alternative to a roommates is to rent just a bed room from someone.
Keep up the great work, and use those goals they work (I call them milestones at my site…)
Great Story…
I'm basically in the same boat. I'll be graduating in mid-May from a top 15 MBA program with about $51K in debt (all Federal student loans). I'm working hard to find a great job and am hopeful that I'll find something soon.
I can't wait to graduate, work, eliminate my debt and save money!
Way to go Amanda! I like the little things … they do add up. Packing a lunch is one of the easiest things to do, and the savings can be tremendous. Heck, just not buying out of the machines at work can be dollars a day. Sometimes its just doing the little things that can lead to the big things.
Katie-hang in there. Sometimes starting on the lower paying job and doing what Amanda did-giving 110% can lead you to far greater things. Ask me how I know-in 10 years I tripled my salary. One thing I did? Invested in a $100 golf club set and joined a league to smooze with the right people in an off work setting … that alone paid me back a thousand fold. Look for your opportunities and take them when they come.
Amanda —
Great story. Some of your choices would have affected your roommate, too (heating and air conditioning, keeping other utility bills down, basic cable, etc.). If you have a chance, I'd love to hear how you negotiated those decisions with your roomie. Was that the deal from the get-go? Did you figure things out as you went along? Were there tensions?
Congratulations on your progress so far!
Yes, a year and a half later, not a year, so there was plenty of money. I basically had my net worth increase by about $2400 a month and I brought home (after my retirement deductions etc) about $3200 a month. I basically used $800 a month for all expenses and pocketed the rest. Of course, some months, I'm not quite that disclipined but that's the gist of it. Hope that helps clear up any confusion.
26@ Tracy -
I'm definitely considering my next vacation. My goal was to get out of debt (about THREE months from now!) and then plan a nice vacation for this spring! Thanks for the encouragement.
No reason to be so pessimistic! I can see where you're coming from, but:
a) It may seem "easy" to pay off debt when making $65k, but it still takes goals and discipline no matter what income level you have. How many people make that much (or more!) and just spend the extra income on Stuff and incur even more debt when they make more money?
b) You said: "your success is the exception not the rule…." So what? This is one reader's own success story, not a formula for others to follow and expect the same results.
c) This is Get Rich *Slowly* — It will undoubtedly be slower for some than for others, but no reason to be down on those who get off to a quicker start.
Great story! Thanks for sharing!
28@ Jean
I did discuss finances with my roommate early on. We both had debt we wanted to get rid of and we helped encourage each other. Also, I stayed flexible. The whole goal was to live frugally, but not to be miserable, so I didn't let it get to me if my roommate did turn on the AC on a day when I would have wanted to open the windows. There really weren't tensions but I think that's because we were on the same wave length about our debt repayment goals. I definitely got lucky there.
What this post really illustrates to me is the different perspectives people have on debt and finances.
Some of us dread even considering our finances while others choose to look at debt as a challenge to be conquered.
Debt reduction is freakin fun!!!
"I was starting my first full-time job in June, with a salary of $65,000 plus bonus potential. It wasn't the $90,000 others from my class were making, but I thought I was doing very well considering I wasn't yet 35 and I wasn't moving to a big city (like NYC or DC)."
It's funny how many college students and grads think this way. It seems that it's just human nature to feel like you're "doing pretty well" when you're making more money than you've ever made before, even if it's only half of what your peers are making doing the same work.
I've heard lots and lots of people say things like "I'm making $30k/year, that's pretty well considering…" followed by a list of excuses like "I'm young" or "I don't live in a big city".
The fact is, these people *aren't* doing well. They're just doing better than they're used to. Making $65k as an MBA? It's probably not even average, let alone good. I've seen the same sort of thing from people making $55k/year as a programmer, or $15/hr as almost anything. Because these people have never had a "real job" before, anything more than $9/hr feels "really good" to them, even if it's half of what others in the same field are making.
This isn't meant as a jab at Amanda, but just a warning for everyone coming out of college, since so many people end up in this same place, and Amanda really isn't nearly the worst I've seen in this respect. New college grads: If you go to a job interview and notice the people in the office with the same job title as you (or one level higher) are all driving BMW 5-series to lunch, and you get offered a $45k starting salary, ask for more.
But maybe I'm weird, I'll ask for raises and negotiate salaries. In the last 4 years or so, I've increased my salary by $43k/year just by asking. In the same time period, I've just been given a total of $7k/year in raises without asking for them. It's obvious which strategy has worked better.
Kudos to you, Amanda! And to your mom—my husband and I are working on being the kind of people who instill good financial sense in their children like she did with you.
I think the unsung part of this story is how her mom influenced her from a young age. J.D. if you could post another article from Amanda about her she was raised regarding money or from someone else on that front I would love it. Being a mom that's an area of intense curiosity to me.
As Wendy #31 notes, these habits are best forged in childhood, by example.
Also, the best and easiest time to practice frugality is when one is right out of school. You generally don't have a bunch of bad habits or big obligations at that point. It is much easier–not to mention fun–to start ADDING meals out after a bit, than it is to CUT DOWN on meals out while still paying past meals off on your credit card.
@katie, I agree with you. $37,000 is getting away with next to no debt (as Amanda said herself) and then pair that with an above average salary, I'm glad she got out of debt, but I'm not surprised. I have two Masters and $47,000 of debt and some of my potential employers think that my starting salary should be below $30,000. I've made a budget where that is possible, but it entails a second part-time job and even then barely getting by. I understand that a majority of these issues are my fault for not doing better research or studying something of value, but it can be frustrating to owe 2.5 times as much as the average Bachelor grad and face employers who think you should be paid 3/4 what someone with a bachelors makes on average. My initial salary request is $40,000 ($3,000 under the average for a Bachelors) and that will put me out of range for a lot of employers. Oh, if only I had it all to do over again. Ha ha.
I agree with Wendy (#32), I'd love to see a guest post from a parent who's had success teaching their kids not to fall into the consumerism trap. How do you get a 10 year old to want to save money instead of begging for the same shoes/video games/whatever their friends all have?
Help me understand this.
You make 65k. After taxes, that comes down to roughly 45k take-home. Multiply that by 1.5 and you get about 68k in a year and a half.
So how do you save 61k out of 68k in 1.5 years? It just doesn't seem to add up!
Billy #36 ~ Amanda wrote that she also sold things on e-bay, had opportunities for bonuses, sold books and DVD's on Amazon, etc. She also mentioned putting tax refund immediately towards debt.
I think we tend to get bogged down on the details and numbers of Amanda's story and then compare to our own. Look at the principles of what she did and how this has led to her success. Even if you start small it's better than doing nothing. Every little bit helps in getting you to your goal.
Kudos to you Amanda! Your goal-setting, creativity and perserverance are an encouragement to me! I teach my kids to make the hard stuff fun and it will be a much "easier" road. Congrats and thank you so much for sharing your story.
This sounds a lot like what I did, but it sounds like you did a better job of having fun with it. It's also awesome to get it all paid off when you're single. My husband and I paid off 10k in credit card debt in 1 year after he graduated from college, while living in NYC, on combined salaries of about $65k. It was difficult but really rewarding, especially when we made it into a game with a target paid-off date, and a reward after it was all done. It's definitely harder when you have to compromise with someone who isn't as focused as you are on the goal, so good for you for getting it done
#36 post don't forget she also recvd bonuses.
Good for you Amanda! Great story!
I really need to get on the couponing thing. I use them when they show up, but I don't actively seek them out. They always seem to be for food I don't eat, like chips and ice cream.
Good for you, Amanda. I'm jealous, really. I'm tackling ~70k in debt on a $45k salary while living in a major city.
@Billy: If you make your numbers a little more optimistic, she brings home about $50k a year… or $75k in 1.5 years. Add to that, bonuses, maybe the occassional company reimbursement, selling stuff on eBay, etc, etc, she probably took home $85k in 1.5 years.
Keeping in mind that her 401(k) contributions are pre-tax, I can clearly see how she's paid debt and saved for a net of $61k.
I'm in the same boat. I grossed $60k for the last two years. In that time, I've paid down about $45k in debt and have saved $15k. It's completely doable, living frugally, but not miserably!
Way to go Amanda. With your attitude and knowledge about finances, your future looks good.
I've always been turned off to using coupons, but what I do is buy most of my vegetables at our $.99 store. The quality is still there, and often it can be $.25 on the dollar.
I'm lucky too in that my spouse and I both agree to and live a frugal lifestyle.
43@ billy -
A good chunk of my 61k is accounted for by my pre-tax savings in my 401k (around $10k) so that all occurred before I even got my pay-check. In addition, I only said I started at $65k, not that I made that now, so yes I did receive a raise (that I asked for) in there. Finally, when I reached certain milestones at work, I received bonuses that were based on performance. That also upped my total salary by a decent amount.
The goal of the article really isn't about the numbers – my financial results won't actually help anyone else. The goal was to hopefully give someone a new idea on how to save.
@Tyler – I'm completely with you that you have to put yourself out there if you want to make more money. However, with that being said, I think averages, or even comparing one's salary to anothers is a dangerous game. Without knowing the locale, the work history, the job itself, the work-life balance etc, it is hard to judge a person's salary. With all that said, if you have specific ideas on how to negotiate salaries, I'd love to hear them.
I only included the numbers so that people could use it as a frame of reference. Again, the point is to discuss ideas and how I made debt repayment fun, instead of troublesome.
Thanks for all the comments! It's certainly fun (and a little scary!) to hear different viewpoints.
Tyler K– Making 65K as an MBA without years of work experience IS fine. Most people get the MBAs after work experience, so of course they're making more. Companies value actual work experience in addition to education. And living someplace like Houston rather than Santa Clara… well, you get a lot more for your money, even if you're not living on the beach.
Sure she can and should ask for raises in the future, but given what she's said it sounds like she's doing a bit above average given her circumstances. Not that having the highest salary should necessarily be the goal in life.
I'm really happy for you, but the real game changer in your case, I think, was a job with a huge salary. My wife and I came out of school with $100,000 in debts plus a couple thousand in credit cards, and the only people who hire in her field right now pay minimum wage, while I still have three more years of school before I'm eligible for a job in my field.
Let me tell you, I'd kill for a job that paid half of what you have. For us, debt isn't so much of a game as a fight to survive. Good for you for being so blessed with such great opportunities.
I guess my point is, a great way to pay off this kind of debt more quickly would be to eliminate all those people who tell high schoolers that they can do something they love and make money at it.
Great article Amanda! Turning your debt repayment into a game is an excellent idea. Just about any task can be approached this way, my mom taught me that early on. I think it's called "reframing"? Take lawn mowing for example. It wound be very easy for me to be sour and irritated about mowing the lawn, it's a lot of work. However what I do is make it fun. I mow patterns into to the lawn (can't say the hubs is too happy when I mow in patterns, but he gets over it because he's just happy not to have to mow the lawn!) or I see how fast I can mow and try to beat my previous lawn mowing times. Or sometimes when I'm batch cooking for the week to save money, I pretend that I'm the star of a cooking show. This may seem silly to some, but I enjoy life and I smile a lot because I turn the "unfun" into a game. Give it a try.
I'm also really impressed about how you managed to get through two years of graduate school (and 4 years of college) with so little debt. I know a lot of people who racked up a lot of bills figuring they'd be able to pay it all off once they had a real job. But it's hard to keep up with the compound interest on a credit card, even when you're making a real salary, and it is very easy to succumb to lifestyle inflation.
I love that you have been *proactive* in so many things here:
You took 'numerous internships' making your CV look great and gave you valuable perspective for your choice of field.
You got your 'graduate job' straight away. Many people don't get around to finding a job as they are preparing for their uni finals (it took me until the April after graduation to transition to my 'graduate job'). You had one waiting for you when you came out of school.
You actively chose 10% as a pension contribution. Most people just do the match (which is very often less than 10%), not realising the power of compounding a higher contribution.
The list goes on: cooking yourself,coupons and negotiation. Through and through, your account here shows the merits of being proactive so thanks for sharing. I'm sure it gave a lot of readers some extra energy to go out there and make a difference through activity -even though its really tempting to flop on the sofa after putting in a 110% effort day at work.
I'm really inspired that you were able to so quickly realize the important things in your life.
It's so easy to be a spendthrift for the first few years when you start working because it's the first time that a lot of us make any money. I know first hand!
Numbers aside, it's very clear that you are very diligent about doing just about every "little" thing you can to achieve your financial goals. That's quite commendable. And your salary is not bad for starting out, by any stretch, but even that is something you achieved. You weren't handed a big salary for no reason at all. Your diligence brought you to that place. Great job!


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A Florida panther rescued as a kitten has been released in forest near Naples.
Biologists with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission released the female panther Thursday in the Picayune Strand State Forest.
Wildlife officials rescued the panther and its brother in Sept. 2011 in Collier County after their mother was found dead. They were raised at the White Oak Conservation Center in Yulee since they were 5 months old. The male panther remains at the center.
Darrell Land is the commission's panther team leader. He said Friday that the female panther was healthy and had "grown to a size that should prepare her for life in the wild."
The Florida panther is an endangered species. Officials estimate there are around 160 adult and sub-adult panthers in South Florida.
Pictures courtesy of the FWC.
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