The Weekly Atticus

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A recap of the week's writing at Atticus Review. Intro by Christopher Linforth.

 This week I'm writing to you from the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. In this snowy landscape, I'm among a community of writers and artists dedicated to their process, their work. Being here reminded me of the importance of a supportive community in times of global upheaval. Rachel Laverdiere, our Nonfiction Editor, follows a similar line of thought in her piece for The Attic this week. She writes about finding your people and gives some advice about how and where to start if you're new to the writing community. Atticus founder, Dan Cafaro, talked to me this week about starting the Atticus community more than ten years ago. A champion of independent literature, Dan has long admired the books of Sarabande, New Directions, Tiny Hardcore, Dzanc, Black Lawrence Press, Gargoyle/Peacock Press, among many others. Though Dan's taste runs the gamut, some iconic books for him include Circulation by Tim Horvath (2008), alt.punk by Lavinia Ludlow (2011), Treasure Island!!! by Sara Levine (2012), and Praying Drunk by Kyle Minor (2014). Dan is accepting book submissions until the end of March. He told me, "When I think of the aesthetic and personality of Atticus—the spirit and vibe of Atticus—I am wearing my publisher's cap and not necessarily my reader's hat. That is, I have many favorite lesser-known authors who would have been and could have been (and could still be—ha!) an arrow in the Atticus arsenal (John Fante, Diane Wakoski, Tobias Wolff, Diane Ackerman)." Dan and his acquisitions team, Nick Sweeney and Avery Cunningham, are open to a wide range of books and are hoping to be surprised and blown away by your work. Over at Atticus Review this week, we have several spellbinding pieces. First up Alison Glennie's video art "Steps," which represents the sensory experiences of an older person under Covid lockdown in Ireland. In poetry, we have a serendipitous complement with Emily Lake Hansen's stunning "Pastoral in Quarantine." Meanwhile, in creative nonfiction, Kathryn Silver-Hajo's "Migraine" delivers an electric piece on her affliction. Also, please don't miss Dan Crawley's flash fiction "Haboob." The story transports us to the precarious world of an adjunct teaching while a sandstorm rages outside. Finally, Keene Short, our Managing Editor, has an open call for book reviews. He prefers reviews of small press and university press books, as well as reviews of chapbooks. As always, book review submissions are free. Until next week, thanks so much for reading. Christopher LinforthEditor-in-Chief

THIS WEEK AT ATTICUS

NEW FROM THE ATTIC

ON THE IMPORTANCE OF A WRITING COMMUNITY

by

Rachel Laverdiere

"I didn’t know where or how to begin, so I replaced the bed in our spare room with my writing desk, a wooden chair, a bulletin board and a growing stack of literary journals."

FICTION

HABOOB

by

Dan Crawley

"The students give me perplexed looks and begin writing. The wind is apoplectic outside the long bank of classroom windows, so I turn up the speakers."

POETRY

PASTORAL IN QUARANTINE

by

Emily Lake Hansen

"I traced for you the footpath

the frogs must have taken in order

to leap from doormat to potted

plant to glass. You laughed as if

you were amused anything

would be trying to break in

rather than out."

CREATIVE NONFICTION

MIGRAINE

by

Kathryn Silver-Hajo

"The beast—mythic or not—is riding my optic nerve. It bends a long, curved claw around my field of vision, drags a bioluminescent trail around my line of sight..."

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