Illinois | The Conium Review

Editor Update: James R. Gapinski’s 2018 Book Tour

Aug 21, 2018

Join The Conium Review‘s managing editor, James R. Gapinski, as he celebrates the release of Edge of the Known Bus Line (Etchings Press, University of Indianapolis). Later this month, James embarks on a five-state reading tour, with stops in Seattle, Milwaukee, Chicago, Minneapolis, and Portland.

The tour kicks off on August 29th with a featured reading at the Two Hour Transport series in Seattle. Next stop is Boswell Books in Milwaukee. Then James visits Chicago for a conversation with former contributor and recent contest judge Maryse Meijer, author of Heartbreaker (FSG) and Northwood (Black Balloon Publishing). In Minneapolis, James reads with local and visiting authors Maya Beck, Madeline Reding, Kathryn Savage, and Erin Sharkey. Finally, James returns home for a reading in Portland. Full book tour details, Facebook links, and other information is available on James R. Gapinski’s author page.

Matt Tompkins talks about “Souvenirs” donations to Open Books

Jun 21, 2016

Conium Press is a socially responsible publisher. Among other things, that means we give back to the community. A portion of every print-run goes to charity. In the past, our managing editor has decided where the donated copies wind up. This time around, we thought we’d give the author a voice in the matter.

We asked Matt Tompkins to designate a charity to receive free copies of Souvenirs and Other Stories, and he selected Open Books in Chicago, IL. We mailed the donated copies earlier today, and they should reach Open Books within a couple days! This particular organization resells books in their nonprofit storefront to support their literacy programs; they also distribute books directly to Chicago area schools and other local charities. Here’s what Matt had to say about his choice:

I’ve chosen to donate copies of Souvenirs and Other Stories to Open Books in Chicago, because their multifold mission includes two things very close to my heart: browseable, brick-and-mortar bookstores; and literacy education. Having spent a year as an AmeriCorps literacy tutor, I’ve seen firsthand evidence of the acute need for additional reading and writing instruction for many of our country’s primary school students. I’ve also gained an appreciation for the positive difference that volunteer programs can make in this arena. And having spent countless hours since childhood, browsing bookstores and burying my nose, reveling in the joy of reading, I have a deep fondness for any place that individuals and families can go and unabashedly indulge their love of the written word. The fact that Open Books combines the two makes it a no-brainer. I would love to see their model catch on and go nation-wide, and I’m pleased to support them with donated copies of Souvenirs and Other Stories.

The Conium Review Vol. 3 is now available!

Nov 30, 2014

The Conium Review: Volume 3 is available for purchase! Support small press publishing, and get a copy directly through our website. The issue is available as a paperback, and we also have a snazzy collector’s edition box set for sale.

You can also find copies of the paperback at Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble’s website, and elsewhere on the Internet.

Copies hit brick-and-mortar bookstore shelves in the next couple days (or weeks, in some cases).Past publications have been stocked at the Big Idea Bookstore Cooperative (Pittsburgh, PA), Broadway Books (Portland, OR), Reading Frenzy (Portland, OR), Housing Works Bookstore Care (New York, NY), Quimby’s Bookstore (Chicago, IL), Open Books (Chicago, IL), and Woodland Pattern Book Center (Milwaukee, WI). This issue will appear at many of our usual bookstore partners, and we hope to expand to other independent bookstore locations very soon.

For cash-strapped lit lovers, Vol. 3 will also be available at several libraries, including the Mellow Pages Library (Brooklyn, NY), the University of Wisconsin Memorial Library (Madison, WI), the Library of Congress (Washington, DC) ,and elsewhere.

This volume of The Conium Review features new fiction from Olivia Ciacci, Tom Howard, D. V. Klenak, Jan LaPerle, Zach Powers, Christine Texeira, and Meeah Williams. In these eight strange and surreal narratives, you’ll find a company that sells night-in-shining-armor-style happy endings, a boy with a second person trapped inside of him, a contemporary fable with a chickadee protagonist, and more. The pieces include flash fiction, short stories, and novella-length fiction.