The 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 […]

The 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 […]

Seeking 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” […]

Introducing 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 […]

Announcing 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 […]

Dawn 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 […]

Introducing 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 […]

The 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. […]

The Story Behind “Perfect Child” by Melissa Ballard

Today’s post is written by Melissa Ballard. Her essay “Perfect Child” appears in our Spring 2016 issue.  In 2011, I drafted a poem about the “I choose ‘zis” scene in “Perfect Child.” But my poems are prose with random line breaks, so I abandoned that effort. During the summer of 2012, I took a class with […]

The Story Behind “Big Alabama and the Danforth Avenue Gang” by James Valvis

Today’s post is written by James Valvis. We published his short story “Big Alabama and the Danforth Avenue Gang” in our Spring 2016 issue. Charles Bukowski was in his declining years when, after years of snubbing him, they chose one of his poems for Best American Poetry. When they finally took that poem, they asked […]