Fragmented | The Conium Review

Micro-chap preview: “And It Will Be Called The Highway of Holiness,” by Brian Phillip Whalen

Aug 11, 2016

The micro-chapbook is finished for Brian Phillip Whalen’s And It Will Be Called The Highway of Holiness. Take a look at some preview photos below.

This limited-edition title will be released next week as a pre-order bonus for Melissa Reddish’s Girl & Flame. Only fifty numbered copies of this micro-chap will be released! Supplies are expected to run out soon. If the bonus micro-chap is still listed the Girl & Flame pre-order page then we’ve still got copies left.

Brian Phillip Whalen selected for “Fragmented” micro-chap

Aug 3, 2016

Last month, Melissa Reddish guest edited a special “Fragmented” call for submissions. After careful deliberation, Melissa selected Brian Phillip Whalen‘s “And It Will Be Called the Highway of Holiness” for publication. The piece will be made into a limited-run micro-chapbook, and it will be delivered as a free pre-order bonus with Melissa’s new book, Girl & Flame.

Brian Phillip Whalen’s poems and stories have appeared in Beecher’s, The Chattahoochee Review, Cream City Review, J Journal, Lake Effect, Mid-American Review, North American Review, RHINO, and elsewhere. He holds an MFA from Iowa State University and a PhD from SUNY-Albany. He lives in upstate New York with his wife and baby daughter.

Here’s what Melissa had to say about her final selection:

“Brian Phillip Whalen’s story, ‘And It Will be Called the Highway of Holiness,’ is part-hymn, part-celebration, part-dirge for Georgia, poor pup with staples in her gut who eats everything, babies and tinsel and foxes and trikes and Christmas trees, until her inevitable end. The people who orbit around Georgia have a particular feel: blue-collar rural Americans with F-150 flat-bed trucks and tractors and percolators and steel wool under cupboards, each battling their own particular demons. More circular than linear, more poetry than prose, the piece skips and glides with linguistic playfulness and clever asides, the format fragmenting then reassembling, creating meaning even as it dismantles it, all while retaining the emotional heart at the center.”

—Melissa Reddish, author of Girl & Flame

“Dis/appearances” stories chosen by Matt Tompkins

Jul 7, 2016

Guest editor Matt Tompkins has chosen four pieces for publication as part of the “Dis/appearances” theme. Congratulations to the selected authors: Joe Buamann, Emily McKay, Jefferson Navicky, and Phillip Sterling. Competition was stiff, but these four stood out above the crowd. We’ll be posting the accepted stories from these four authors throughout the weekend of July 15th. This date also coincides with the release of the ebook version of the guest editor’s latest book, Souvenirs and Other Stories (the print version of Souvenirs was released in mid-June).

Thanks to all those who submitted to this theme! We hope that you’ll consider our next themed call for submissions, “Fragmented,” considering pieces now through July 15th, guest edited by Melissa Reddish.

“Fragmented” theme open for submissions through July 15th!

Jul 1, 2016

The “Fragmented” call for submissions is open now through July 15th. This theme celebrates the upcoming release of Melissa Reddish’s new book, Girl & Flame: A Novella. Melissa will act as guest editor, selecting a single piece to be published as a micro-chapbook for distribution alongside Girl & Flame pre-orders. You may interpret the theme loosely (explore structure, style, theme, character, etc.), as long as it involves some form of fragmentation. Full guidelines are available here.

During the “Fragmented” reading period, we’re also hosting a Goodreads giveaway for Melissa’s new book. You can enter the giveaway for a chance to win a free advance copy of Girl & Flame.

Themed Call for Submissions: “Fragmented”

Jun 18, 2016

We’re holding another themed call for submissions from July 1st to July 15th: “Fragmented.”

This special call for submissions is guest edited by Melissa Reddish. Melissa’s forthcoming Conium Press title, Girl & Flame: A Novella, is full of fragments. Reddish’s sentences are sharp; her chapters read like flashes of fire and smoke; and her characters often find themselves splintered, raw, and emotionally fragmented.

The “Fragmented” theme can be interpreted broadly. Yes, sentence fragments count, but don’t limit yourself to that. Your theme should deal with some form of fragmentation, but the exact context is up to you. Have fun with the concept. Take risks with your story and see how things turn out.

Submissions should be 2,000 words or fewer. Melissa will select one piece for publication as a limited-run micro-chapbook. This micro-chap will be shipped as a free pre-order bonus with Girl & Flame (release date is August 15th). This is a great opportunity to see your short work as a standalone piece, distributed to Conium Press readers. Full guidelines are already available here.