Posts by Suzannah Windsor
The Story behind “Creatures” by Beth Sherman
Today’s post is written by Beth Sherman. We published a piece of her flash fiction, “Creatures,” in our Spring 2017 issue. I feel like I spend an inordinate amount of time searching for story ideas. For me, figuring out what to write about is the hardest part of the writing process. My life is pretty…
Read MoreThe Story Behind “bind” by Chris Murray
Today’s post is written by Chris Murray. We published two of her poems from ‘bind’ in our Spring 2017 issue. ‘bind’ is a short book, that is not quite a chapbook. It is set on peripheries, within self-imposed psychic borders and it is limited by human psychological boundaries, concerns that operate in silence for the most part. ‘bind’ takes…
Read MoreThe Story Behind “Layers” by Lita Kurth
Today’s post is written by Lita Kurth. We published her poem “Layers” in our Spring 2017 issue. In 1996, the year she won the Nobel Prize, I found Wislawa Szymborska’s “Some Like Poetry” on the Xerox machine at the university where I worked. Captivated, I promptly used it in my Composition classes to illustrate how the…
Read MoreSeeking Submissions for Our 10th Issue—Fall 2017
Ten.Our tenth issue. Ten.October 2017. Ten.1 + 2 + 3 + 4. Ten commandments.Ten plagues. Ten years—a decade. Ten.The completion of a cycle. Compose: A Journal of Simply Good Writing is now considering submissions for our tenth issue—Fall 2017. We’re on the lookout for pieces that address the theme “Ten” (the interpretation of which we…
Read MoreIntroducing Our Spring 2017 Contributors
Our Spring 2017 issue is now well under way, and we hope to launch very soon! If you’ve submitted work to us and haven’t yet received a response, your work is being considered for our Fall 2017 issue. We’re always reading, so send us your poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, photography and art anytime. Submission guidelines can be…
Read MoreAnnouncing Our 2016 Pushcart Prize Nominees
We are pleased to announce our nominees for the 2016 Pushcart Prize! What is the Pushcart Prize, you ask? “The Pushcart Prize: Best of the Small Presses series, published every year since 1976, is the most honored literary project in America. [H]undreds of presses and thousands of writers of short stories, poetry and essays have…
Read MoreDawn Manning on Debra Wierenga’s Poem “Fork”
Today’s post is written by Dawn Manning. We published her poetry commentary “A Closer Look at ‘Self-Portrait as Eve’ by Debra Wierenga” in our Fall 2016 issue. The following is Manning’s commentary on a second poem by Wierenga. * “Fork,” the poem placed in the middle of Marriage and Other Infidelities, is a strong example of…
Read MoreIntroducing our Fall 2016 Contributors
Fall is officially upon us, and our eighth issue is nearly ready to launch! Over the next couple of weeks we’ll finalize the layout of our Fall 2016 issue and send out final proofs. Our editors have devoted several months to putting together the issue, and we think you’re going to be pleased with the results. Hoping to have your…
Read MoreThe Story Behind “Super Summer Spectacular” by Anthony J. Mohr
Today’s post is written by Anthony J. Mohr. His essay “Super Summer Spectacular” appears in our Spring 2016 issue. For several years I’d been trying unsuccessfully to build an essay based on the wild contests that AM radio disc jockeys sponsored in Los Angeles between 1959 and 1970. I had so much to say, or so I thought.…
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