AWP 2013: Boston!

Just a quick note to let you know that we will indeed be at AWP, ready and waiting to meet all our contributors, submitters and loyal readers! Our booth number is 109. We will be giving away bookmarks, stickers and postcards, selling issue 47 and issue 51, our most recent, and chatting away about what comes next for Hayden's Ferry Review (hint: issue 52 is going to be awesome). Since 51 features an In the Dark theme, expect plenty of activities to go along with that: a confession box for your darkest secrets, dark chocolate and yes, even a Lite Brite. We hope you'll stop by and see us, pick up an issue for yourself or a friend, or even subscribe! Safe travels and see you soon!

Desert Nights, Rising Stars Conference Contest!

It's almost that time again, when we gather fellow writers for some quality time in the warmth of the Tempe sun. That's right—the Desert Nights, Rising Stars conference is coming up! Last year we held our first-ever event contest, where the winner received entry to the entire conference. We had so much fun hanging out with last year's winner, Shawnte Orion, that we're doing it again! So here's the deal.
Now through January 25th, we’re opening a contest to win entry to our annual Desert Nights, Rising Stars (DNRS) conference. The winner will receive entry to the conference—valued at $375—which includes readings, receptions, book signings and sales, lectures, and plenty of opportunity to meet and mingle with fellow writers and attendees. This year's conference welcomes Barbara Peters, Tom Leveen, and Jewell Parker Rhodes (and so many more), so you don't want to miss it!

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To enter, retweet our DNRS tweets, share our DNRS posts on Facebook, and comment on this post. Each of those options counts as an entry, so you can enter a maximum of 3 times. Good luck!

What:  Win entry to Desert Nights, Rising Stars conference, held Feb. 22–24, 2013 

When:  Enter now through midnight, Jan. 25 

How:  Retweet, share, and comment on this post to win. On Facebook, be sure to share our original post so we can track your entry! And, when commenting, please leave a name (it doesn't have to be your real name, but it's unlikely we'll be able to tell one anonymous from the other).

The winner will be chosen at random and results will be posted here, on Facebook and on Twitter.

Please note that this giveaway does not include airfare or lodging. But if you haven't been to Arizona in February, you can absolutely count this as a vacation.

25th Anniversary Giveaway Winners

Big congratulations going out to the winners of our anniversary giveaway: Megan Paonessa and Emily J. Lawrence. Thank you for joining in our celebration! We invited submissions of photographs of a significant artifact and an accompanying anecdote—true or untrue. Below are the entries that won these two amazing ladies a copy of Issue 50.

"The baby that didn't make it." – Megan Paonessa

"These flecks on my fiance's face are dried seahorses he fetched me from the Atlantic brim. The seahorses are an allusion to a story I had written at the time he whisked off to Hilton Head. They mean "you were not invited but we are not far from each other." Artifacts ferrying adoration across 4 united states of separation, with a smell of sandy mayonnaise." – Emily J. Lawrence





Thank you again for helping us celebrate, and we hope you enjoy your copies of the anniversary issue!

25th Anniversary Celebration and Giveaway!

Silver might be the traditional gift for 25th anniversaries, but we like paper too much to care. Toss that tradition out the window! That's why, in celebration of our 50th issue, we're giving the gift of paper. More precisely, we're giving away five copies of HFR's 25th anniversary issue. If you're not excited yet, you should be, because this is a thick issue, filled with hand-selected writing and artwork based on the concept of the artifact.

To enter to win a copy of Issue 50, submit a photo of an important artifact in your life, and share the item's story. We're accepting one entry per person, so choose carefully! Submit by sharing on our Facebook wall, submitting through Twitter and tagging #HFR50, or posting on your own site and sending us the link through Facebook or Twitter.

HFR's managing editor, Beth, will select the winning entries this Friday, and winners will be announced on Monday, May 21. 

Good luck to you!

A Very Happy New Year: Enter to Win!

I hope you know: we thought a lot about you over the break. Yes, you. As one of our subscribers, contributors, submitters, blog readers, friends, you give us many of things. So we want to give you something, too. Fun. Excitement. Opportunity.

So. Now through Saturday, Jan. 7, we’re opening a contest to win entry to our annual Desert Nights, Rising Stars (DNRS) conference. The winner will receive entry to the conference—a $375 value—which includes readings, receptions, book signings and sales, lectures, and plenty of opportunity to meet and mingle with fellow writers and attendees. This year's conference features the likes of Robert Boswell, Carolyn Forché, Pam Houston, Adam Johnson, Denise Duhamel (and so many more),  so you don't want to miss it!

To enter, retweet our DNRS tweets, share our DNRS posts on Facebook, and comment on this post. Each of those options counts as an entry, so you can enter a maximum of 3 times. Read on, and good luck!

What:  Win entry to Desert Nights, Rising Stars conference, held Feb. 23–26, 2012 

When:  Enter now through Saturday, Jan. 7 

How:  Retweet, share, and comment on this post to win. On Facebook, be sure to share our original post so we can track your entry! And, when commenting, please leave a name (it doesn't have to be your real name, but it's unlikely we'll be able to tell one anonymous from the other).

Winners will be chosen at random and results will be posted Monday, Jan. 9, 2012 here, on Facebook and on Twitter.

Please note that this giveaway does not include airfare or lodging. But if you haven't been to Arizona in February, you can absolutely count this as a vacation.

Contest Winners!

Do you ever crave something really delicious? We suggest you get yourself a cup of coffee and try an Elizabeth Barrett Brownie, or maybe a smidge of Truman Compote. Or maybe you’re actually looking for something that will whip you into shape in no time. Well, all the code heroes are using Hemingweights nowadays!

All right, enough with the puns. We’re just giving you a taste of what we heard from the HFR horde on Twitter this week when we challenged everyone to give us their best author-inspired products. We had some great entries, and these are the winners!

• “Jorie Graham Crackers: when your post-poststructural hunger just won’t abate.” —@JamesDucat

• “Tired of regular pens? Try our new Bukowski Bics! Select from our flavors of Bitter, Old Man, Beer, and Bar Fight.” —@fartmaster5000

• “Worried about winter at Walden pond? Get your Henry David Throws today!” —@chidorme

• “Judy Bloomers!” —@eleanorstrouser

• “Sick of idling in line so long that you could’ve read an epic trilogy? Get your J. R. R. Tollpass.” —@ka_booms

Each of these witty wordsmiths won a copy of Word of Mouth, part of a new series published by our own Virginia G. Piper Center. This volume features candid conversations with writers and poets including Charles D’Ambrosio, Francine Prose, Kimiko Hahn, Bob Hicok, and Franz Wright. Thanks again to everyone who participated and made our Wednesday lively. If you didn’t get in on this challenge, we hope to hear from you next time!

AWP 2011 Cover Challenge - Day 5

Yesterday's question was a doozy, and today's has some equally great responses! The star of today's question is the dog on the front cover (seen at right, if you need a refresher.) There's only one more question after this one, so make sure your votes get cast in time. Remember, the winners get free subscriptions to Hayden's Ferry Review!

What did the dog chew up that morning?

1. The small child

2. He ate the girl's parents so that he could recruit the girl to complete his demonic acts -- beginning with a Voodoo chicken sacrifice.

3. A frozen bunny.

4. The boy's father's crisp, clean, submission, all ready to be mailed, to Hayden's Ferry Review.

5. The concept of Dog-ness

6. The UPS guy.

7. Nothing. The baby did it. Babies ruin everything.

8. Bees.

9. His sheet music.

10. The stuffed squirrel. He would have preferred it not be stuffed, but they don't allow him outside, so stuffing and memory have to suffice.

11. The rooster's comb

12. The owner of the red mittens (and look at the dog's face, the girl was obviously delicious and a little hallucinogenic!)

13. The white curtain behind the current UPS delivery truck (that's why the UPS curtain/blanket is up on the window - to hide the hole in the white curtain.)

14. What was left of my love for you.

15. "Uh, where'd my sister go...?"

16. My unpaid parking tickets, thankfully.

17. My life.

Vote for your favorite answer in the comment section! And vote for any days you might have missed in the posts below; voting is open for the whole week of the competition!

A Letter from Ralph Waldo Eggerson

We recently ran a contest through our Facebook page to name our chicken. There were many hilarious suggestions, but there could only be one winner. Alexandra from AZ was that winner, and the chicken is now named Ralph Waldo Eggerson. Ralph took the time to write a congratulatory letter to Alexandra, and would like to share it with you.





Dearest Alexandra,

Congratulations once again on your first-rate chicken-naming skills. For many moons I sat, unnamed, feeling like just another chicken in this large, lonely world. Your name, both witty and dignified, suits me perfectly. I now feel complete, and cannot wait to sign my name all over the Virginia G. Piper Center. Perhaps our paths will cross one day, and allow me to thank you properly. Until then, please accept this subscription to Hayden’s Ferry Review as a token of my sincerest gratitude. Enclosed are also some photographs of me taken in and around the Piper Center.

Yours truly,


Ralph Waldo Eggerson

AWP 2011 Cover Challenge - Day 1

The staff here at HFR recently attended the AWP Conference in Washington, D.C. Although our chicken (who was recently given the name Ralph Waldo Eggerson) was the star of the conference, we also had some fun with the cover of our current issue. We asked people questions related to the cover image, and ended up with some great responses.

Every day, we'll post another question and its accompanying responses, and let you, our readers, vote for your favorites. The answer with the most votes will not only get featured on our Twitter and Facebook, but the winners with also get a free subscription!

Today's Question is: What song is playing on the radio?

1. The Kidz Bop version of "99 Problems"

2. "Home Sweet Home" by Motley Crue

3. "Smooth Criminal" by Michael Jackson

4. "Proud Mary" by Tina Turner

5. "Too Much Booty in the Pants" by Soundmaster T

6. NPR

7. "Wild Thing" by The Troggs

8. "Peter and the Wolf" by Sergei Prokofiev

9. "All Along the Watchtower" by Jimi Hendrix

10. "Respect" by Aretha Franklin

Cast your votes in the comment section, and be sure to check back tomorrow for another question!

Free books! National Poetry Month! Oh my!

If you like free stuff and poetry, then boy do we have good news for you. Thanks to the Book of Kells blog, fifty poet-bloggers have teamed up to give away two of their favorite poetry books this month. Here's how it works: go to the Book of Kells to see the list of poets participating. Follow the links to the different blogs to see the books each poet is giving away. Leave a comment in response to the giveaway posts, and you'll be put in the running to receive one of the free books. Even if you don't win, you get to learn about what these poets are reading, and share in the love of National Poetry Month. Head on over!

Free Issue Week!

Oh Interns

This week in preparation for the printing of issue #46, Hayden's Ferry will be giving away copies of Issue 45 for free!

• Check out the Facebook page on Monday around 12pm for instruction on how to win free issues.
  
• On Wednesday we will be doing lightning questions through our Twitter (@HaydensFerryRev). So keep an eye on that around noon!
  

Friday will be the final deadline for our short response questions. The prompt is:

What is the favorite story or poem you've read in any Hayden's Ferry Review, and why?

All answers are a maximum of 100 words, and should be submitted to HFR@asu.edu. All emails need the subject "My Favorite HFR Story" followed by a dash with your name (Ex. My Favorite HFR Story - John Smith). Stories should be submitted as a text attachment in the .doc format.

The winner of the short response will win a two-year free subscription, while the three runner ups will win a free issue.

We are accepting applications for the favorite story now, and they are all due on Friday by noon.

Good luck to everyone. We can't wait to receive your submissions!

Website of the Week - Librophile

Do you like Audiobooks? Although I am quite new to the concept of having a book read to me by my headphones, I have taken a liking to catching up on the classics while riding a bike.

My search for free, high-quality content brought me to Librophile. Librophile is a web application that combines the public domain audiobook repository LibriVox and the for-pay audiobook portal Audible. The site allows users to see and preview all copies of cataloged audiobooks, so that you can either download them for free or buy them. The site also allows you to subscribe to audiobooks through RSS. Overall the site has a slick interface, along with plenty of free content.

Going to AWP!

If you're headed to the Association of Writers and Writing Programs conference (AWP) in Chicago later this week, we hope you'll come some hi to the HFR staff and ASU faculty at any of the following events...

Wednesday
HFR is participating in a Literary Death Match Wednesday night against five other literary entities. Readers will read, judges will judge, and there will be a literary showdown to determine the winner. Don't miss it! When: February 11, 6:15 (doors at 6:00). Where: The Hideout, 1354 W. Wabansia Ave., Chicago, IL. Cost: $5. More details here.

Thursday
The Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing and Arizona State's MFA progam (HFR's home) invite you to a reading by Eric Bogosian in the International Ballroom North, 2nd Floor of the Hilton from 4:30-5:45.

Afterwards, at 7:00, we'll be hosting a reception in the Continental C, Lobby Level room. Join us for a drink!

Friday
Private Dining Room 2, 3rd Floor, 1:30-2:45. Passing through the Fourth Wall: The Academy in the Community. (Cynthia Hogue, Melissa Pritchard, Sean Nevin, Sheilah Britton, Alberto Ríos) ASU's faculty, staff, and students have been involved in projects that seek to make the community the fourth wall of the classroom. Leaders of various community impact programs from ASU discuss ways in which the academic creative writing world can affect the surrounding community through artistic interventions, using our myriad programs as guides, for the terminally ill, hospitalized children, marginalized adolescents in Kolkata, US veterans and peace activists, and pedagogy for MFAs who work with K-12 students in underserved schools.

All the freaking time
We'll be at the bookfair! We've got free stuff, discounted HFR subscriptions, a raffle, and lots of charm. Our table is listed under "The Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing" but the HFR staff will be there in full force. Please stop by to say hi.

FREE ISSUES!

In honor of sending issue 43 off to the printer, we're offering free copies of issue 42! That's right, FREE. Just send your name and address to HFR@asu.edu before midnight tonight (Arizona time), and we'll send off a copy of issue 42 - our very cool grotesque-themed issue - post haste. At no cost to you. We just ask that you read it. And maybe - we won't be pushy - consider subscribing.