The truth will enslave you

Writers write. Actors read. Audience listens. Everybody wins. Liars’ League is a monthly night of new short stories by rising authors, read by professional actors. With 90 minutes of fiction for only £3, literature as entertainment has never been so good. (Liars' League)

a letter of hope and hopiness to the pretend genii out there

dear pretend genii,

we are pleased to announce that we (the s? group) have purchased pretend genius. there will be very few changes to the current operation. we will try to conglamerize (we looked it up) all aspects of the empire (pretend genius and write this). dead henry will remain as our editor and point of contact for all matters relating to the press. other changes are internal and will be transparent to our lovers. an obvious change will be featured pieces published on the pretend genius website. we promise that we shall make up for past, current, and future laziness by acting on impulse. puny horblechumpsker. our goal is to not drive this publishing house into the ground.

thank you.

we've been buyed

we've been buyed by the s? group, which will begin running the pretend genius empire starting december 2, 2007. the group will release a statement soon.

thank you,

soon to be former pretend genius president,

barry

Eat our dust, Eggers

Short story prize for emerging literary talent

"The Willesden Herald short story prize, judged by Zadie Smith & open to all, is a cool £5000. No entry fee; submit by 12/21." (Maud Newton)

We taught us everything they knew

The Dead Walk Backwards by Steve Finbow

Peeling Oranges

Peeling Oranges

A novel [2007] by James Lawless, whose story "Jolt" is included in New Short Stories 1.

Interview with Willie Davis

The Urbanite magazine

"...his short story “Gather and Sing” was named one of the notable stories of the year by online literary magazine storySouth. [Included in the anthology Fish Drink Like Us]. In January 2007, his short story “Kid in a Well,” part of his novel The Darktown Strut, was the winner of the Willesden Short Story Prize. [Included in the anthology New Short Stories - 1]..."

In the news

"This year, the Willesden Herald has bumped up the prize for its short story competition, judged for the third year by Zadie Smith, from a 'rare inscribed mug' to £5,000. Entry remains free, as does the ethos of a competition, which is designed to encourage emerging talent in the literary short story. To enter, visit newshortstories.com. Closing date: December 21." (Guardian Unlimited Books)

pretend genius [press] - podcast 5

Kid in a Well by Willie Davis

I never work on days when there's a fire in town. It's a holiday as far as I'm concerned, and not just because it means the end of the world to some poor bastard, or family thereof...

"Kid in a Well" by Willie Davis, won the Willesden Short Story Prize 2007. Willie Davis teaches English at the University of Maryland. This story in included in the anthology New Short Stories 1 (Pretend Genius, 2007)

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go sell it on the mountain

blow your own



The Willesden Herald
International
Short Story Prize 2008
Judge: Zadie Smith

Closing date for receipt of entries: 21 December 2007.

The competition is open to all aged 18 or over, regardless of nationality or country of residence.

The prizes for 2008 are: 1st place £5000. For nine runners up, publication of their short-listed stories (optional) in the anthology “New Short Stories 2” together with the winner. In addition, up to four commended entries may be announced, which will be eligible for inclusion in the anthology.

Entry is free.

Entries must be in English, and accompanied by the official entry form.

There will be a prizegiving ceremony at The Space, London NW10 early in 2008.

Thanks to our generous sponsors, including Willesden Writers' Workshop, the London Borough of Brent Arts and Libraries Service, the Willesden Herald, and Pretend Genius Press, this competition is free to enter. All for love of the short story. This is the first literary entity since Shakespeare to offer both love and immortality.

There is no theme and no word limit other than the highly variable attention span of our short-listing team.

Full rules, entry form and address for entries: New Short Stories

Advertisement by Gombeen™

2008 Willesden International Short Story Competition - first prize of £5,000

Holy McCowCalf!

Announcing a first prize of £5,000 for the 2008 Willesden International Short Story Competition. This is no joke

It will still be a free competition but there are new rules, like sending entries the old-fashioned way. Do not send anything yet as entries without an entry form will be disqualified. Meanwhile, www.newshortstories.com has more about the competition.

Pretend Genius author at City Lights

Thursday, July 12th, 7pm. Joanne Kyger celebrated the release of About Now: Collected Poems (National Poetry Foundation, 2007) at the renowned City Lights bookstore in San Francisco.

"For decades, Joanne Kyger has played a crucial role in California's poetry scene. Her poetry has been influenced by her studies in Zen Buddhism and her connection to the poets of Black Mountain, the San Francisco Renaissance, and the Beat Generation. She frequently teaches at New College and the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics." (Press Release)

Two poems by Joanne Kyger are among the highlights of the outstanding Pretend Genius anthology, "Last Night's Dream Corrected". (Link)

What I learned from Miranda July

singular praise for Couplet

"Couplet is an ingenious object..."

read more here

Review this

The list of contributors to New Short Stories 1 (PretendGenius, 2007) continues to prove an outstanding literary form guide.

Earlier this week Canongate signed up Nicholas Hogg. They will publish his novel "Show Me the Sky" in 2008. Canongate's author list includes such names as Yann Martel and Margaret Attwood.

Today, the Daily Telegraph announces Vanessa Gebbie one of five winners out of over 2,300 entrants for their novel in a year competition.

Both writers appeared at the recent launch of New Short Stories 1.

Ossian

enough about us, what about pretend genius

a review of them there books: new short stories 1, couplet, one note symphonies

At the launch of New Short Stories 1

There Now



"The finest storytellers known to humankind, as identified by the talent scouts of the Willesden Herald gathered for the launch of New Short Stories 1."

A bigger bang

"Willesden Herald: New Short Stories 1" was launched at a special event in the London Metrowords festival.

Steve Finbow led the way with a rapid-fire, mesmerising reading from "Balzac of the Badlands" that had to be heard to be believed. Stupendous.

Here's Vanessa Gebbie's report on "the launch of the best anthology since the big bang." (Notice a rare sighting of a pristine copy of the WH.) To close the night, Vanessa delighted everyone with a reading of her Guildford prize-winning story, "Naming Finbar".

Lynsey Rose read from her disturbing new, unpublished novel, described as like Bridget Jones' Diary as it might have been written by Franz Kafka. Here's: Exitainment's review of the event.

Brought to you by www.newshortstories.com

A review of "New Short Stories 1"

Link

"Willesden Herald: New Short Stories 1" proves that the modern short story is alive and kicking... (Authortrek)

flash mob flyer

with juicy bits

The new underground

New Short Stories

In the publishing industry it is a given that many women but few men read novels while commuting to and from work. For the first time a publisher (Pretend Genius) is specifically offering that elusive male reader what we all know he really wants: instant gratification.

I put it to you that men want to arrive home or at work having completed a story, not part way through. The feeling of arriving at work having just read a complete story is without parallel. Scoff at clods who only know newspaper reports that you heard about earlier on the radio, or skimmed with your news aggregator. Pity those who signed up for "distance learning" and always have to plod through over-sized books full of dead verbiage.

Men, now is your chance to put us women in our place: always be finishing stories and snapping books shut with emphasis, while we poor girlies faff about endlessly in novels. (Speaking only for myself, of course.)

Kerry Ellison, Pretend Genius P.R.

Willesden Herald: New Short Stories 1. Editor: Stephen Moran. First year royalties to Comic Relief.

Special introductory offers including free delivery: Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, Barnes & Noble

Available to order from all online and independent high street bookshops. Isbn: 0977852628

couplet - texas and sweden sign historic peace treaty

ladies and gentlemen,

pretend genius [press] presents 'couplet', a collection of poetry by texas-based american poet james browning kepple and swedish-based swedish poet kim göransson in one of the most unique books of poetry ever producerated by mankind's gritty litty handses.

coming april 2007 (soon).

special report filed by Jasper Joebillybobson

Celebrate the poetry of Ed Dorn

Way More West: The Selected Poems of Edward Dorn

Wednesday, April 11, 8:00 pm
The Poetry Project at St. Marks Church
131 E. 10^th St at 2^nd Ave

A reading to mark the publication of Way More West: New and Selected Poems by Edward Dorn. Ed Dorn was author of numerous books, including the comic-epic masterpiece Gunslinger. At the core of all of Dorn's work is a deep sense of place and the people who occupy it, underpinned by a wry ironic dissent.

Reading Dorn's work will be Jennifer Dorn, Michael Rothenberg, Amiri Baraka, Anne Waldman, Ed Sanders, Ammiel Alcalay, George Kimball, Rosalie Sorrels and Anselm Berrigan.

If you can't make the NY reading fly to Boulder right away and repair to the Boulder bookstore in time for:

Way More West: The Poems of Ed Dorn

Friday, April 13, 7:30
Boulder Bookstore

Reading Dorn's work will be Jennifer Dorn, Michael Rothenberg. Joe Ritchie, Peter Michelson, Steven Taylor, Jack Collom, Bobbie Louise Hawkins, Matthew Cooperman, Randall Schroth and Jane Wodening

Felim O'Harakiri

Mo' readings

Monday, March 5th at Moe's

Golden Handcuffs Review

Editor Lou Rowan will MC this event featuring contributors David Bromige, Laynie Browne, Richard Denner, Michael McClure, David Meltzer, and Michael Rothenberg. The reading starts at 7:30pm.

Moe's Books
2476 Telegraph Avenue
Berkeley CA 94704
Internet/Art: (510) 849-2133
Main store: (510) 849-2087

Knock that 5-2 knock and say the obLiterati sent you

You're invited to David Meltzer and Michael Rothenberg's birthday celebration at the Beat Museum. Introduction by Michael McClure

Includes reading, wine and birthday cake
Free Admission

Saturday, February 24, 2007 at 7 pm
Beat Museum, 540 Broadway (at Columbus)
San Francisco, 94133

Willesden short story prize 2007: Result

Short list

"Born Again" by Shakti Bhatt
"Charles Magezi-Akiiki" by Olesya Mishechkina
"Felipe and the Sea" by Jonathan Attrill
"Jolt" by James Lawless
"Kid in a Well" by Willie Davis
"Mrs Nakamoto Takes a Vacation" by Steve Finbow
"Paradise" by Nicholas Hogg
"The Dead Don't Do That Kind of Thing" by Wes Lee
"Vaselino" by Lee Joans
"Words from a Glass Bubble" by Tobias Williams

Winner

And the winner of the Willesden short story prize 2007, as chosen by Zadie Smith, is "Kid in a Well" by Willie Davis.

Congratulations to Willie Davis, one of the featured writers in the Pretend Genius anthology Fish Drink Like Us.

According to our spies on MySpace, Olesya is also a friend of ours.

Felim O'Harakiri

Short story competition judged by Zadie 'the woman' Smith update

Just a reminder that the Willesden short story competition has now closed and the short list and winner for 2007 will be announced here as soon as the results are in, at which time short-listed writers will be notified by email. Thanks to everyone who entered.