Keir Pratt and Matthew Landrum—Structo‘s fiction editor and poetry editor respectively—have had a busy month, and not just only with putting the finishing touches to the new issue.
This from Matthew:
I’m 26 days into Tupelo Press’ 30/30 challenge—writing a poem a day during the month of February. There’s an element of pressure to this challenge that’s stimulating. Good or bad, my new poem goes up on the blog every day. It’s wonderful and hard and sometimes terrifying.
This is my second time undertaking the challenge and it’s changed my writing. I’ve learned to rely less on inspiration and more on dogged determination. I’ve learned to commit to an idea and see it through and also to give up the idea and follow where the poem is leading. Most of all, I’ve learned to describe the real world—a month with internal drama and abstraction (what I’m naturally tempted to write on) would be hellish. I’ve written about animal death, the Chilean desert, a ferry ride, and chopping vegetables. Through this, all the things swirling inside my head, temptations and writing tendencies, have percolated through, coming out in a more manageable way.
And it’s all in support of a great cause. Through my writing, I’m raising money and awareness for a great non-profit press committed to bringing the best of diverse world literature to a wider audience. Their catalogue speaks for itself. I highly recommend Another English: Anglophone Poems from Around the World. Follow the last leg of my journey at the 30/30 blog. If you’re a writer, consider trying the challenge yourself. Now—to write today’s poem.
And this from Keir:
Last year, Structo was lucky enough to be nominated for a Stack Award in the category of Best Original Fiction. As well as hob-nobbing with other literary and magazine types, we were lucky enough to meet Amii Griffiths, radio producer and presenter extraordinaire. After using the free bar to get her well-lubricated, she foolishly agreed to allow me on her show. You can listen to the two of us, together with co-host Danny McLoughlin, discussing the latest issue, the world of literary magazines and those all-important rejection letters here. And if you get the chance, The After Afternoon show between 3pm and 6pm is available daily on Sino Radio. Be sure not to miss Literary Friday!