The Weekly Atticus

This Week at Atticus Review

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

This week I'd like to introduce you to our longstanding Mixed Media Editor. Matt Mullins is an Associate Professor of Creative Writing at Ball State University. His film poems have won awards and been screened at numerous festivals and exhibitions in the United States and around the world. Matt has published poetry and fiction in print and online journals, and he is the author of the short story collection Three Ways of the Saw (Atticus Books), which was named a finalist for Foreword Magazine’s Book of the Year. His work has been archived by the Library of Congress as part of The New River archive project. I sat down with Matt to discover what he's looking for in a submission. Matt says, "For me, mixed media feels like literature that has ascended from the page to become something beyond literature itself while still doing what literature does at its core—speak to the human condition in some way. This is not to say that literature itself is inadequate. It is to say that while there is nothing to replace what literature is and does, there are art forms that can tread some of that same territory (speaking to the human condition) in ways that meld 'literary' language/thought with other visual and/or sonic art forms. Mixed media means putting something beyond paint on a canvas. It means setting aside the traditional concept of a song and instead creating a sound collage that perhaps utilizes spoken word. It means combining moving images and sound with spoken word or text on screen to become videopoetry or videoessay. Essentially it is concept/language/literary intent plus whatever it is the artist sees fit to bring into the mix. And this is what interests me most about mixed media: There is power and originality and discovery and transformation in that transcending of boundaries."You can see a fuller range of the pieces Matt likes on our Mixed Media page. This week Matt published Marilyn McCabe and Dan Scott's collaborative sound-image piece "Lac Du Saint Sacrament." Matt is currently seeking submissions for our upcoming issues. We have special guidelines here. Elsewhere on the site, Kim Groninga's poem "Sunflowers" dazzles with a series of breathtaking lines before ending with a heartbreaking image. In creative nonfiction, Suzanne Farrell Smith's lyrical piece "The Feeding" explores the nuances of leaving food for animals outside of her house. In fiction, Lisa Korzeniowski's flash "An Apple is Not a Snake" dips into a painful childhood, skillfully leaving many important questions unanswered. At the Attic our new fiction reader, Kari Treese, writes beautifully about the demands of life on her writing schedule and how she has come to terms with her process. Lastly, at Atticus Books, founder Dan Cafaro is still on the lookout for book manuscripts. He's accepting book manuscripts in several genres until March 31st! Until next week, thanks so much for reading. Christopher LinforthEditor-in-Chief

THIS WEEK AT ATTICUS

NEW FROM THE ATTIC

THINKING IS WRITINGbyKari Treese"Were I a different writer, I might have finished the novel draft I started, the short story collection I started, the essay collection I started. But the truth for me has always been that I need the busyness of life to write. In the emptiness of those hours with nothing to do and no one to see, I froze."

FICTION

AN APPLE IS NOT A SNAKEbyLisa Korzeniowski"I sat on the couch and slipped into an awake-dream where I was holding a snake in my arms. My snake was a girl like me and her body was smooth and shiny. She didn’t have legs or eyelids, but I loved her anyway."

POETRY

SUNFLOWERSbyKim Groninga"A different kind of lovely than flowers.A potential, maybe. Or maybethey were just plantedlike I felt— soon-to-be married,diploma tucked under my arm."

CREATIVE NONFICTION

THE FEEDINGbySuzanne Farrell Smith"My boys sit on slate under the willow, and I feed them graham crackers. I tell them everyone must eat, even the bear. I tell them the narrow slit in the granite face on our back hill, beyond the fern field, might be a bear cave."

MIXED MEDIA

LAC DU SAINT SACRAMENTbyMarilyn McCabe & Dan ScottPhotographer Dan Scott and poet Marilyn McCabe are old friends who share an obsession with beautiful Lake George (once known as Lac du Saint Sacrament) in upstate New York, their old stomping ground. With this collaboration, they built on each other’s visions and creative exploration.

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