Dec 30, 2016
The big day is finally here. About two weeks after The Conium Review: Vol. 5 paperback hit shelves, the collector’s edition is ready to go out into the world.
As with previous collector’s editions, the contents are handcrafted with care. Each booklet has been designed to form an aesthetically cohesive collection of stories. The 3″ by 3.25″ booklets are printed with craft paper covers, a parchment title page, and linen inner pages. They are saddle bound and then tied together with natural hemp twine. Finally, there’s a wax seal that keeps the parcel together, and it’s deposited neatly into a little wooden box hand-stamped with archival ink. In total, there are eleven micro-chapbooks (one for each story in the issue) plus a little black booklet that contains copyright info, masthead details, and the table of contents.
In this collection, you’ll find new work from Jessica Roeder, Samantha Duncan, Liz Kellebrew, Kate Gies, Shane Jones, Kathryn Hill, Emily Koon, Jasmine Sawers, Ingrid Jendrzejewski, and Maryse Meijer. A woman falls in love with a giant banana, a tiny goat takes up residence in a woman’s left ventricle, a ghost tour goes awry, and more.
This box set will be shipped to contributors and a few of our bookstore and library partners first. Once those orders have gone out, the remaining copies of the collector’s edition will go up on our website for sale to the general public. This is a limited-run product, and we expect it to sell out. Be sure to check our online store regularly if you’re trying to snag a copy!
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.
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.
Mar 21, 2016
Caitlin Scarano’s micro-chap, Pitcher of Cream, will be released at the 2016 AWP Conference in Los Angeles. You can get a FREE copy and have it signed by the author at our table (#1238) on Thursday, March 31st from 3:00pm to 4:00pm.
Below, you can see a sneak peak of this 6″ x 6″ micro-chapbook (not so “micro” depending on your definition). Caitlin’s story won our 2015 Flash Fiction Contest, judged by Laura Ellen Joyce. It was also recently selected for inclusion in The Best Small Fictions 2016 (forthcoming from Queen’s Ferry Press) by guest editor Stuart Dybek.
This micro-chapbook was produced as a limited-run publication. There are only 50 copies available. Each copy will be signed and numbered. We expect these to go fast (as a general rule, people love free stuff), so be sure to show up right at 3:00pm if you want a copy! Find information about all our AWP book signings here.
Mar 17, 2016
Caitlin Scarano‘s “Pitcher of Cream” has been selected for the Queen’s Ferry Press Best Small Fiction anthology!
Caitlin’s story recently won our 2015 Flash Fiction Contest, judged by Laura Ellen Joyce. It was published on our website, and it will be re-released as a limited-run micro-chap later this month. The micro-chap will be available for free at the 2016 AWP Conference in Los Angeles, CA. Caitlin will be doing a signing at our exhibitor table (#1238) on Thursday, March 31st from 3:00pm to 4:00pm.
Last year’s Innovative Short Fiction Contest judge, Amelia Gray, also had her piece “These Are the Fables” selected for the Best Small Fictions anthology. Additionally, Amelia’s story “On a Pleasant Afternoon, Every Battle Is Recalled” was named a finalist.
John Englehardt‘s “This Is Great But You Don’t Need It” was also named as a semifinalist—this piece was originally published on our website and was made into a micro-chap for the 2015 AWP Conference in Minneapolis, MN.
Lastly, Daniel Aristi (former contributor to our website) had his Sand story, “Tempus Fugit,” selected for publication, and Mercedes Lawry (former contributor to our website) was named a semifinalist for her recent Cleaver Magazine story, “Was there transposition?“
We’re excited to see so many contributors and friends of The Conium Review on the long list and short list for Best Small Fictions, and we hope you’ll all pick up a copy when Queen’s Ferry Press releases the anthology later this year. The full list of semifinalist, finalists, and winners is available on the Queen’s Ferry Press website.