Dispatches | January 18, 2007
The TMR Unofficial New Year’s Wish List
Here’s our unofficial wish list for January, 2007 — or any time in the next year:
•1) More great essays. I’m talking about the ones that are going to be anthologized for the next thirty years or more. They’re out there; we’re sure of it. If you’ve written one, don’t be coy; send it. We’ll pay you a thousand dollars for a full-length piece of good nonfiction. That’s really true.
•2) More smart, edgy comedy. This is my own personal wish because I like things that are funny and brain-teasing. The comic story or humorous essay with both a heart and a brain is hard to come by. If you’ve written something approximating that description, send it ASAP.
•3) Excellent interviews with important authors. We’d really like one with Thomas Pynchon or Cormac McCarthy, but other, less elusive writers will do. Send them to Mike Piafsky, Interview Editor. You can see his picture here.
•4) Passionate readers. We always want those, and we try to treat them well. If you subscribe already, don’t forget to renew. If you don’t you are missing out — especially now that TMR has become a quarterly. Forthcoming issues will feature the three winners of our 2006 Editors’ Prize contest, an interview with David Sedaris, fresh fiction, essays and poetry by talented new and established writers . . . and more.
•5) More time to read. We get over twelve thousand submissions a year, and no one has ever been heard to say around here that they wish we didn’t get so many. But there are those novels sitting on each of our nightstands that we haven’t quite gotten to and the lists of “must-reads” from friends and acquaintances — not to mention the books we got as Christmas gifts because our families all know we like to read. I don’t think 2007 is going to see days expand to twenty-eight hours, and I doubt our rate of submissions is going to slow (in fact, it seems to be increasing). Of course, a lot of what we have to read as TMR editors or think we want to read as literature junkies turns out to be not what we expected. . . .
•6) . . . so maybe what we should be asking for isn’t more time at all, but a heightened “sixth sense” about the right book, the right manuscript for right now.
— Evelyn Somers
SEE THE ISSUE
SUGGESTED CONTENT

Dispatches
Feb 28 2020
2020 Miller Guest Judge in the Spotlight: Alex Sujong Laughlin
2020 Miller Audio Prize Guest Judge Alex Sujong Laughlin shares her journey to becoming an audio producer, the lens through which she sees the world, and how TikTok makes her… read more

Dispatches
Oct 15 2019
Last Call for Submissions to the Jeffrey E. Smith Editors’ Prize
The LASY DAY to enter TMR‘s Editors’ Prize has arrived And with it, the last call. The 29th Annual Jeffrey E. Smith Editors’ Prize Contest closes tonight! You have the rest of… read more

Dispatches
Mar 08 2019
Interview with 2019 Miller Audio Prize Guest Judge Cher Vincent
Our guest judge this year, Cher Vincent (she/her), is an audio producer based in Chicago. She is currently Lead Audio Producer for One Illinois, a nonprofit news outlet, covering statewide news and producing… read more