Seth Fried, whose has published two stories with us (“The Siege” and “Loeka Discovered”), has just had his first story collection accepted at Soft Skull Press.  He even has a mathematical formula to explain this:

Soft Skull + Seth Fried = (Endless Love + Debut Short Story Collection) x Awesomeness

That sounds about right.  Congratulations, Seth!

Several of our authors published in 2009 have been shortlisted for the Best American anthologies in 2010.  These include:

Andrew Cohen, “Television Days,” Vol 32.4 (essay)

Cheryl Strayed, “Munro County,” Vol 32.4 (essay)

Deborah Thompson, “What’s the Matter with Houdini,” Vol 32.1 (essay)

Elise Juska, “The Way I Saw The World Then,” Vol 32.4 (story)

Eleanor Lerman, “Persistent Views of the Unknown,” Vol 32.3 (story)

It’s wonderful to see these writers recongized for their work. Congratulations to all! You can check out these particular back issues (all of our back issues, actually) here and read (re-read?) their amazing work.

Scott Coffel‘s poems appeared in TMR 31.2, our summer 2008 issue.  In the introduction to his poems, Scott wrote “poetry should resist easy victories or the siren songs of self-improvement.” So he knows that getting his first book of poems, Toucans in the Arctic, published last years was not a small accomplishment.

Even better, the Poetry Society of America has just awarded Scott’s collection the  2010 Norma Farber First Book Award.  This is a terrific honor given to a first book of original poetry.

Congratulations, Scott!

You may purchase Scott’s book at Amazon or purchase the summer 2008 issue of The Missouri Review.

Every once in a while I pause in the midst of my contest organization duties to marvel at the prizes being awarded this year: $5,000 per genre. That is crazy money, enough to launch me into dreams of how I might spend it, were I eligible to win. From least to most frivolous, I could: make a dent in my student loans; buy a truly excellent handbag in which to tuck my passport as I embarked on a tour of Eastern Europe, beginning in Austria; get my cat a diamond studded collar and a sterling silver water dish and feed him only sushi-grade tuna for a year.

But none of these things seem quite fitting. I would have earned the money writing, and, as any sharp entrepreneur will tell you, it is essential to reinvest profits in your business in order to keep it vital. So, why not outfit a truly inspiring office space?
First of all, it would need a desk. Not all writers use desks. Vladimir Nabokov wrote in bed, and Philip Roth writes standing up. But a desk offers comfort while preventing accidental napping. Hemingway had a great one (second photo from the bottom, under the water buffalo head):
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/chicago/travel/escapes-ernest-hemingways-home-outside-havana-029233

I particularly like the glass top, which lets you display postcards, photos, and various ephemera underneath it. Luckily, furniture designers love Hemingway’s aesthetic, so reproduction desks and similar styles can be found for around $2,000.
That leaves us with $3,000. What next, Joseph?

All best,
Kate

P.S. Anyone interested in taking a shot at that $5,000 should check out TMR’s contest page at: http://missourireview.com/contest/ .  All writers are welcomed: We are looking for the best talent we can find.

Documentary
First place, $1,000: Lu Olkowski, “Grandpa”
First runner-up and Editors’ Choice Award, $100: Richard Paul, “Shakespeare in Black and White”
Second runner-up: Ken Cormier, “The Secret Pianos of Manhattan”
Third runner-up: Dan Collison, “Lord God Bird”

10-minute play
First place, $500: Kris Saknusemm: “Memory Wound”
First runner-up: George Zarr: Old Dog/Newer Tricks
Second runner-up: Sue Zizza, National Audio Theatre Festivals, “Avian Invasion”

Voice-only Literature
Creative Nonfiction
First place in Voice-only Literature category and Creative Nonfiction subcategory, $500: Albert Haley, “The Cough”
First runner-up and Editors’ Choice Award, $100: Lisa K. Buchanan, “All That I Missed”
Second runner-up: Randolph Jordan, “A Death in the Family”
Third runner-up: Angela Cervantes, “A House of Women”

Flash fiction
First place in subcategory and Editors’ Choice Award, $100: Josh McDonald, “Lost”
First runner-up and Editors’ Choice Award, $100: Jithendria Kumar Aravamudhan, “Memoirs of a Mad Man”

Poetry
First place in subcategory and Editors’ Choice Award, $100: Todd Boss, “To Wind a Mechanical Toy”
First runner up: Todd Boss, “Yellow Rocket”
Second runner-up: Runner up: Susan B.A. Sommers-Willett, “The Golden Lesson”
Third runner-up: Eric Torgersen, “Taking Tickets”
Fourth runner-up: Josh McDonald, “Women in Strange Trousers”