PRISM international

PRISM IS HUNGRY — Call for Submissions, Theme Issue

Posted on April 3, 2012 by jennyneale

Our tummies are rumbling. It’s loud and distracting: Anna and Leah can’t concentrate on the slush pile (for dreamy thoughts of slushies), Jen can’t process subscriptions with her shaky hands, and Sierra is refusing to pay a single invoice until she’s fed. We caught her trying to ingest fibre from a 1960’s back issue yesterday.

Our theme issue this Fall is FOOD, and we need you to feed us. Feed us now.

We’re looking for your stories/poems/creative non-fiction/translation involving family meals, diners, beverages, snacks, indulgences, breakfast, malnourishment, and hamburgers. Whatever. Food. Drink. We’ll leave it up to your brains and stomachs to decide.

Our deadline for the issue is August 28. Let us know on your cover letter or envelope that your submission is intended for the theme issue. Our submission guidelines are here.

Indulge us.

Posted in Events, News, Submissions | Tagged Fall issue, food, submission, theme issue | Leave a comment

Sixteen Years After: The Story Behind a Story in a 1997 issue of PRISM

Posted on March 30, 2012 by andrea bennett

In 1997, PRISM published a story, called “Young Lion Across the Water,” by Thomas Kennedy. A week ago, we received a request from Thomas for a copy of issue 36.1, in which the piece appears. In exchange for the issue (we had just one spare!) Thomas agreed to tell us the story of why he needed it.

Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged 1997, PRISM 36:1, PRISM history, Thomas Kennedy | Leave a comment

ANNOUNCING PRISM’S POETRY CONTEST SHORTLIST FOR 2012!

Posted on March 28, 2012 by leahhorlick

Wow. We had over 200 entrants and over 600 poems this year — our biggest contest ever! — so it was a difficult task to narrow the field.

In alphabetical order, here is PRISM’s Poetry Contest 2012 Shortlist:

“Endometriosis” by Ashley-Elizabeth Best
“In Last Chance, California” by Rochelle Hurt
“here” by Cynthia Oka
“how to explain pictures to a dead simulacra” by Sandy Pool
“the answer” by Sandy Pool
“Ghazal of Perpetual Motion” by Kyeren Regehr
“Love after the Pepsi Generation Ad” by Daniel Renton
“Self-Portrait” by Susan Steudel
“Toward a List of Definitions According to my Scottish Mother” by Patricia Young

Congratulations to the shortlisted writers and a very warm thank you to all of you for sharing your poetry with us! Jen Currin—our poetry judge this year—selects the winner and two runners up from these poems. Look for the announcement here in the next couple of weeks!

Posted in Contests, News | Tagged Ashley-Elizabeth Best, Cynthia Oka, Daniel Renton, Jen Currin, Kyeren Regehr, Patricia Young, Poetry Contest Shortlist, Rochelle Hurt, Sandy Pool, Susan Steudel | Leave a comment

Announcing PRISM’s Fiction Contest Shortlist for 2012!

Posted on March 26, 2012 by klundteigen

Wow. We had a record-breaking number of stories this year — more than 300! After hours and hours and hours of reading and debating, we’re pleased to announce the very fine shortlist for PRISM’s Short Fiction Contest for 2012:

“Canary” by Nancy Jo Cullen
“In the Foothills” by Andrew Forbes
“The Man Who Fell in Love with his Cello” by Heather Jessup
“All This, and Heaven Too” by Amanda Leduc
“The Lights on Canada Day” by Susan Mersereau
“Ms Pacman” by Josie Sigler
“Stakeout” by Hal Walling
“Shame Cycle” by Theodore Wheeler
“Quarry” by Thomas E. Winningham III
“Juvenile” by Clea Young

Congratulations to the shortlisted writers! And a heartfelt thanks to all of you who sent us your stories. The depth, quality, and variation in the stories we received shows the short story form is alive and well.

Jessica Grant, our fiction judge for 2012, selects the winner and two runners-up. Look for the announcement here in the next couple of weeks!

Posted in Contests, News | Tagged Amanda Leduc, Andrew Forbes, Clea Young, Contests, Hal Walling, Heather Jessup, Jessica Grant, Josie Sigler, Nancy Jo Cullen, Susan Mersereau, Theodore Wheeler, Thomas E. Winningham III | Leave a comment

Zany Zads! From Abbess to Zedlands.

Posted on February 26, 2012 by annaprism

Abbess-the mistress of a brothel. Zad-One who is crooked, like the letter Zed.

Your go-to guide to speaking like a Georgian pickpocket, Frances Grose’s infamous 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue: A Dictionary of Buckish Slang, University Wit and Pickpocket Eloquence provides entertainment for the puckish and literary alike. This verbal time-capsule is just one of the 38,000 eclectic treasures to be found on Project Gutenberg, the first producer of free e-books.

Posted in e-phemera | Tagged dictionary, e-books, Francis Grose, pickpockets, Project Gutenberg, slang | Leave a comment

2012 NONFICTION CONTEST WINNERS!

Posted on February 9, 2012 by klundteigen

PRISM is excited to announce the winners of this year’s nonfiction contest:

Grand Prize: ”Ice Diaries: a climate change memoir” by Jean McNeil
1st runner up: “Something as Big as a Mountain” by Jane Cawthorne
2nd runner up: “Rules of Play” by Katie Fritz

After our editorial board narrowed the huge number of entries down to eleven for the shortlist, our judge Amber Dawn selected the winners. Watch for our nonfiction contest issue in the spring — PRISM 50.3.

Thanks to everyone who participated in this year’s contest and congratulations to our winners!

Posted in Contests, News | Tagged Amber Dawn, Jane Cawthorne, Jean McNeil, Katie Fritz, nonfiction contest | Leave a comment

Erin Fisher wins Open Season Award

Posted on February 8, 2012 by andrea bennett

Interview conducted by Will Johnson

Last year, Victoria writer Erin Fisher won first place in PRISM’s fiction contest for her story “Bridges.” This year, Fisher repeated that success by taking the top spot in The Malahat Review’s fiction contest. PRISM caught up with Erin recently, to discuss her recent successes and her plans for the future.