Thank you so much to Weasel Press for nominating my poem, “The Sound of Metal,” for the Pushcart Prize. The poem, first published in Degenerates: Voices for Peace, appears in Slide a Mirror to Me (Transcendent Zero Press, 2017).
Author: Anna Kander
Anna Kander is a Pushcart Prize-nominated author in the Midwest. She writes poetry, fiction, and dark fantasy. Her first poetry collection is SLIDE A MIRROR TO ME (Transcendent Zero Press, 2017).
Quiet Girl in a Noisy World: An Introvert’s Story
Last night I read an advance copy of QUIET GIRL IN A NOISY WORLD: AN INTROVERT’S STORY, a new book of cartoons by Debbie Tung.
If you like Allie Brosh’s HYPERBOLE AND A HALF comics, you might like this book, too. Its autobiographical cartoons feature a young woman (the author) as she navigates milestones of adulthood. She describes herself as an introvert and a person with anxiety. Parties are exhausting. She’s coming to terms with who she is.
The book has some lovely illustrations–line drawings and watercolor. The narrator’s stressed-out face was in a more cartoon-y style, while the single panel, full-page illustrations felt most polished (and were my favorites). Screencapping one of them would make a reassuring wallpaper.
Most of all, the book felt gentle. As I read, I thought of one of my younger cousins, a girl who’s struggled with mental health. I might give her this book. It would feel like sending a hug and a “you’re okay.”
Slide a Mirror to Me
Thrilled to share that my first book, SLIDE A MIRROR TO ME, will be published later this year by Transcendent Zero Press. With poetry and short fiction, the book tells one story–and two women survive.
Blue (new prose poem/flash piece for the 99%)
Blue-chip companies take their name from the color of the highest-valued chips at poker tables on October 28, 1929.
(we’re reliable, all-American, safe)
Then comes October 29, 1929: the day the stock markets crash.
Then comes October 30, 2009: me, new to a minimum-wage custodial crew, learning that the most important thing, when you clean the headquarters of a multibillion-dollar corporation, is the executive washroom…
Alternatives to Pronoun: By Sai Marie Johnson – An Indie Author’s Guide to Expanded Distributors & Aggregators for Self-Publishing
Here are some other ways for indie authors to go wide, distributing books, now that Pronoun is closing…
Pronoun’s Closing:What Now?
written by Sai Marie Johnson
Today the announcement that Pronoun would be closing came as a sudden and unexpected shock to the indie publishing community. I have decided to gather together a list of places that can serve as viable alternatives for the indie author who is seeking for expanding their distribution channels with the easiest methods possible.
Here is a list of some of the great places still available to fulfill this need:
BookRix – BookRix is a free self publishing platform that offers eBook distribution services to independent writers. Our users can share their writing, connect with other readers, and discover new books and authors – all in one place. We make eBook publishing easy and indie reading fun!
Smashwords – an ebook aggregator providing ebook distribution to all markets except for Amazon/Kindle. SW offers many features and perks, including library distribution…
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What else would you like to see on this blog?
As you can see, I did a blog mini-makeover yesterday. One project I’m still working on is listing/sorting my poetry & short stories in a way that’s easier for readers to browse. Advice welcome! I’d also appreciate hearing anything else you’d like to see here. You can email me or comment below. Thanks!
P.S. The chihuahua puppy is unrelated but SO CUTE, RIGHT?
SUCH A GOOD BOY, YES YOU ARE… 
Room Four (new flash fiction)
AT LAST, ALICE returns. She bares her bright scars to the class, in a group notice like a wedding invitation or a graduation announcement. She says, “I had to tell my roommates…”
—from “Room Four,” flash fiction about strangers, kindness, and survival, published this month at Five on the Fifth.
Hydrangeas (new flash fiction)
Don’t bring a loving family to a broken one. It’s like bringing a knife to a gun fight.
–from “Hydrangeas,” flash fiction published today in Ellipsis Zine
Button Poetry Press
This week, I’ve been reading amazing poetry from Button Poetry Press. I’m wrangling my thoughts (like herding cats) to write something down about their collections. In the meantime, I wanted to say–go read! The press publishes performance poets, artists who write and perform slam poetry / spoken word poetry. As I flip through the Button Poetry books, I end up reading the poems out loud, and now my throat is hoarse. Worth it.
The Jinni’s Wish (new poem)
The Jinni’s Wish
A wish for endings
like tied shoe strings.A wish for finishing
like stains on cut tree limbs,
glossy in death
and dining-room tables…
Read the rest in Star*Line (issue 40.4, fall 2017). The issue is 40+ pages chock-full of poetry, available for sale in PDF and print.
Thank you to Vince Gotera and the Science Fiction and Fantasy Poetry Association for publishing the poem.
Anna Kander 