i can't really sing, so

Back in 2012, I last posted a blog titled "Exciting Things in the Mail", and since then, there have been many times when I have wanted to resurrect the impetus behind this repeated post. So, less-than-but-almost three years later, I bring to you three things I got in the mail: one I bought, one I contributed to, and one sent unprompted--all wonderful. EXCITING THINGS IN THE MAIL, V This is a Twin Peaks Pin-ups calendar that I bought off the internet because how can you see this and not buy it? I'm not sure. You yourself can and should get one here . The art and product is from Emma Munger, who spends her time transforming many of your favorite characters from cult and popular shows alike into pin-ups. If you explore her website/social media, you'll find characters from Broad City, OITNB, Parks & Rec, and more . Go follow her on every website she is followable on. Meanwhile, I am sitting here staring at my favorite log lady, whilst also knowing what day of ...

I've been doing social media for the upcoming art/lit/small press/poetry extravaganza PHILALALIA, where Gigantic Sequins will be tabling AND co-hosting an on-site event as well as kicking off the first "official" off-site event of the event at Tattooed Moms along with Philadelphia Review of Books and The Head & the Hand Press.  The on-site events' schedule is on the official PHILALALIA site , and each and every one of them is FREE & OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. So please come out to the book fair and make some time to stop by one or more of the great on-site events. I am of course partial to the GS/Apiary reading, looking forward to the Temple Contemporary Publication Studio Presentation and their event Thursday night featuring the Poet Laureate and Youth Poet Laureate of Philly, and how can you go wrong with Eileen Myles Potluck Brunch? You just can't. There's so much great lit-ness happening during the 3-day period of the whole shabang, though, that I wa...

We've already announced on the GS Editors Blog the list of contributors for our 5.2 issue, but I'd like to re-announce them here and encourage you to donate some of your cashmoney to help this great issue go to print. This winter, we had one of our more selective if not most selective open submissions period. It seemed like a lot of the writing being sent to us was "close" but not quite THERE. For fiction, stories seemed either well written and the story fell flat or with a great story but not as solid writing. As for poetry, when the rest of the poem seemed to be working towards something whole, a single line or a word or an ending would break our hearts and not in the good way. We rejected a lot of very good-- very "close"-- pieces of work, it seemed. As for non-fiction, we never never never get enough and the two pieces we chose really spoke to us. We held onto some others up until days before our announcement of the contributors, but they didn't work...

THIS WEEKEND IN PHILADELPHIA We like to do things in Philadelphia. We like to do them and we like to go to them and we like to be an audience and we like to listen. This Friday, we will be doing t his , which is going to the TireFire reading series, curated and hosted by the lovely duo of Sarah Rose Etter & Annie Liontas. Friday, May 9th at 7pm  (which means, in special TireFire jive, most likely the reading will start at 8pm sharp) at Tattooed Moms (the first bar I ever drank at legally--) come out to see Roxane Gay (!!), Mike Young, Joseph Riippi, and Tara Murphy. I've read books by at least two of those people and plan to read a book by at least one of them this summer. RSVP here . On Saturday, May 10th from 8pm-10pm (Does that mean the reading really starts at 9pm? I don't know. I would show up at 8pm because that's what I do, but you can do as you wish...) poets Marion Bell, Meg Ronan and Lee Ann Brown are reading at the wonderful Chapterhouse & Verse rea...

I never get enough time to read. I am always reading what I've assignment students or reading submissions or reading student papers. This is what I've managed to read since the beginning of the semester this year: The Demon Room by J.E. Reich I bought this for my Kindle because Jaime is a GS contrib from issue 3.2, and I love supporting my GS contribs. I read it, taking a break from what I've been reading on my Kindle since January, The Complete Sherlock Holmes. I love Holmes and Watson, but I can only read so much of it before I feel like I know the answer to every mystery before it's been solved. Anyway, what a pleasant surprise this little book was! It's done like a character sketch almost with a devious plot which jumps back and forth in time in just the right ways. It takes you to early twentieth century Europe and invests you in an artist who's haunted by personal demons. I think this would be a great book for someone traveling who wants something to r...

THE GIGANTIC SEQUINS SECOND ANNUAL CONTEST IS OPEN! complete info on the GS contests page . submit via submittable .

Help us print our 4.2 Issue! One of the more difficult things for any journal is funding our endeavors. Gigantic Sequins wants you to be a part of our moving forward. We hope that you will join us in helping to print issue 4.1. To become a Friend of the Magazine, we will accept any amount, but the following amounts are suggested: Friend: up to $49 Donor: $50-$199 Patron: $200-499 Benefactor: $500 & up If you decide to support Gigantic Sequins , you will be credited as a Friend in the issue we send you.  You can request to be listed anonymously.  You can donate on our website by using the "buy now" buttons below, or by emailing us at giganticmagazine@gmail.com if you would like to request a different amount than those indicated above. Buying a copy/subscription of our journal also helps a lot! Visit the GIGANTIC SEQUINS STORE ! If you can't donate to us now, please spread the word! All supporters will receive a copy of our 4.2 issue, maile...

...of Gigantic Sequins! More info? CLICK HERE ! and HERE !

Soon, you will be able to PRE-ORDER Gigantic Sequins 3.2! How excited are you? HOW EXCITED AM I? Very excited. So close, so soon. But not yet... OKAY, so NOW you can pre-order Gigantic Sequins 3.2 . We haven't made the official announcement yet, but you can. The official announcement: COMING SOON. Meanwhile, visit the Gigantic Sequins Store and be one of our first pre-orders! We are also open for submissions , and we have our very first contest going on! Dig this flyer. I think it's one of the best flyers I've ever made. I am usually not gifted in the "flyer-making" area, but, well, I am pretty proud of this one.

I drove to Chicago and back for the AWP conference in late February through to earlier this month. Here are some notes on the states that I drove through. Pennsylvania is full of old dilapidated barns. People can actually drive in PA as long as you are not near a major city (Philly/Pittsburgh); if you are near a major city, they don't understand the "keep to the right/pass on the left" thing that makes highway driving amazing. I drove through four mountains, one back to back. I don't think I had ever driven through a mountain before.  On the road again! in PA Ohio has the best rest stops. They are clean and bright and very modern and make you feel welcome. I stayed overnight in Ohio and went through a drive-through for the first time in, like, forever? Since high school maybe? The food was actually good. Then I took a bath. That was nice. Red Roof Inn, mofos! Free wi-fi! Indiana was very windy on the way there, and not as windy on the way back. But it...

I've driven to Boston, stayed for less than 24 hours, and driven back. I've driven home from the Bay State leaving after midnight, pulling over to sleep in front of a rest stop parking lot outside of a Starbucks, and made it on time to work at a Barnes and Noble in New Jersey by 7:30am. I've been through more states in a weekend than some people have been to in their lives. Once, I drove north for 6 hours with no radio in my car. I sang most of the time and cursed the annoyingly catchy song (by the Barenaked Ladies that they used to play at work at least once every ten minutes) that I couldn't drive from my head or remember all of the words to. But I've never done what I'm doing over the next two weeks . On Thursday, immediately following the Poetry & Drama Quiz I'm administering to my Experiencing Lit students,  I will be driving to Boston. Gigantic Sequins has an event celebrating the winter release of our 3.1 issue , featuring four great fiction wr...

Please use this page to order a copy of  Gigantic Sequins 3.1 . There are many options-- do you also want 3.2? Do you just want 3.1? Do you want to check out our back issues? Choose what's best for you! $8.50 - Gigantic Sequins 3.1 $17.00 - GS 3.1 + 2.2 $30.00 - GS: all past issues $17.00 - 1 Year Subscription $32.00 - 2 Year Subscription $65.00 - 5 Year Subscription ...

the WELCOME SUMMER RAFFLE is here! brought to you by Gigantic Sequins! We have TEN prize packages-- that's right, TEN-- that each include between 2-4 prizes. Here's what you can win: SIGNED BOOKS : Tea by D.A. Powell, The Ticking is the Bomb by Nick Flynn & Freedom by Jonathan Franzen, Come On All You Ghosts by Matthew Zapruder, The Pajamist by Matthew Zapruder, Cocktails by D.A. Powell & Lunch by D.A. Powell, Like a Sea by Sam Amadon HARDCOVER BOOKS: Landing Light by Don Paterson, Hart Crane, a life by Clive Fisher, The Bigger World by Nicole Kocot, Destroyer and Preserver by Matthew Rohrer & I <3 Your Fate by Anthony McCann PAPERBACK BOOKS: Glass City by John Grochalski, Revisions Of by Goodloe Byron ART: pins handcrafted by Savannah Schroll Guz & animal sculptures made by Darla Jackson CDs: blanketfort records Sampler 1.1, Bright Day by Emily Rodgers, VDMA by VDMA, Glenrose by Brendan Little VINYL: Emily Easterly/J Seger split 45''...

I arrived safely in DC yesterday, and spent the evening with the lovely and wonderful editors of Big Lucks , Mark and Laura. They have been kind and hospitable and a joy as hosts. After a lovely night sleeping on the couch and then waking up to some grisly news from Egypt, I was glad to distract myself from Al Jazeera English and go with them to the hotel where the conference will be held out to register and help them set up their table. The Big Lucks editors are gracefully allowing Gigantic Sequins a spot on their table, so I set up a few of our newest issues, with a small stack of the first two beneath it. I also have our Gigantic Sequins stickers, submission flyers, and flyers advertising the 2.1 issue there. The Big Lucks table, K2, looks fantastic with its big banner, copies of their issues, fabulous (FREE!) buttons and a flyer for the raffle they're holding. After registering and setting up the table, we made our way to the train station to pick up Mike Young . We enjoyed t...

Hello there! We have exciting events coming up related to Gigantic Sequins. We have two readings coming up. The first one is at Robin’s Bookstore in Philadelphia, PA on Wednesday, May 26th from 7pm-9pm. Jordan Bowen and Jeff Laughlin, two of our contributors from issue 1.2 will be reading their work, as will our editor in chief, Kimberly Ann Southwick. Come show your support, and while you’re there, grab a copy of the magazine for only $5.00! | http://robinsbookstore.com On June 10th, we will be having a night at Trident Booksellers & Cafe in Boston, MA. So far, two of our 1.2 contributors, Zach Yontz and Cheena Marie Lo, will be reading there. We will have more information on this event as the date approaches. | http://www.tridentbookscafe.com In addition to these fun events, the Gigantic Sequins editor in chief-- me! Kimberly Ann Southwick-- has been invited to read at a poetry festival in Boston this summer. I'll keep you updated with more information on that, and al...

Gigantic Sequins 1.2 was released last month, and we will have a few events in the upcoming months to celebrate! Tentative NYC Celebration of Release: April 17th, @ the McKibben Lofts also... Reading in Boston, on a day in May still tbd , @ Trident Bookseller & Cafe on Newbury St. AND Reading in Philadelphia, on a day in May still tbd, @ Robin's Bookstore on 13th St. This information right now is rather vague and readers and/or bands are still TBD, but we wanted to let everyone know that we will be having these events in April and May. As soon as we have more information, more information will be posted!

Pre-order Gigantic Sequins 1.2 and receive a FREE copy of issue 1.1 while our limited supplies last! ALSO, if you order an ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION before December 31, 2009, you will be entered into a drawing to win a lifetime subscription to Gigantic Sequins! And, you will also, while supplies last, receive a copy of our 1.1 issue. Buy now before the end of the year to take advantage of the free issue as well as the chance to win! All prices listed below include shipping and handling costs. $8.50 - Gigantic Sequins 1.2 $18.00 - Gigantic Sequins Yearly Subscription

:: ATTENTION WRITERS OF AMAZING PROSE:: (this means you, novelists, fiction-writers, short-shortists, personal/travel/cultural essayists… etc...) good lord, we need you over here at Gigantic Sequins . our submissions pile is overflowing with verse! send some prose our way to even things out a bit. though in the past we’ve published more poetry than fiction, this is because we receive more poetry submissions than fiction submissions. THEREFORE, get your ink on (or keyboard or whatever), edit your favorite unpublished short story, essay or excerpt, and SEND IT ON OVER to [ giganticsequins@gmail.com ] PLEASE. Thanks Everyone! Gigantic Sequins Editors

S U B M I S S I O N S :: O P E N Just a reminder to all you Gigantic Sequins faithfuls that our submission period for our Spring 2010 issue is open! We've already gotten a large amount of submissions, so please be sure to send us your BEST work! Or, if you are feeling extra spicy, send us something that will totally stand out: perhaps another genre? an essay, a comic, a visual poem. DO IT. send all submissions to: [ giganticsequins@gmail.com ] :: check out our official website for more specific guidelines! ( big ups to daniel christensen for designing this rad flyer. )

TOMORROW! Friday! June 12! 8pm! Come one! Come all! The Supermachine Reading series in conjunction Gigantic Sequins presents... Ben Fama! Molly Finkelstein! Jeff Laughlin! & Kimberly Ann Southwick! Reading poems. In your face. At Outpost Lounge -- 1014 Fulton St. @ Grand and Classon. Take the C train to the Franklin Ave. stop OR the G train to the Clinton-Washington stop. TOTALLY FREE!!!!! (and thank you to Ben Fama for the poster image above)