Verbal Pyrotechnics

I've got good news and I've got bad news...

2011-03-15T22:26:00.008-04:00

...which do you want first?

Bad news?

Okay.

Here goes: Blogspot is dead.

Or, at least dead to us.

Just know that Blogspot went peacefully. After enjoying a piece of perfect Key Lime Pie. Oh wait, that's that character on Dexter. So, Blogspot had no pie, but it still went in peace. Good ole Blogspot served VP well. VP left some posts, you left some comments; it was a perfect Ménage à trois that you, VP, and Blogspot had going on. But then- I know, I know, it's so cliche- something newer, younger, dare I say, prettier came along. And its name is Tumblr.

And that brings us to the good news. For those of you with your fingers in your ears humming "Oh Susanna" and skimming this post for the good news, you can start reading NOW.

HERE IT IS.

THE GOOD NEWS:

WE ARE STILL BLOGGING

AND

OUR NEW SITE IS LIVE!

Thanks to Kathryn Holmes, our amazingly talented Fiction Editor, and Benjamin Andrew Moore, our super cool Comics & Nonfiction Editor, the site is up and ready for you to visit. On the site you will find the link to our blog and Issue One of the magazine, which has some unbelievably awesome work in it and looks fanfreakingtastic, thanks to Justin Marshall. Such a good team we have. So exciting.

So, there you have it folks.

Oh, and just remember...

Emails Back Online!

2011-02-25T13:52:00.003-05:00

Hi everyone --

Our emails are officially back online! However, we have changed hosts, and so if you tried to send us something in the past two weeks, we may not have access to those messages. Please resend submissions and feedback, so that we can read and respond to you!

Thanks,

Kathryn

Technical Difficulties

2011-02-17T17:34:00.002-05:00

Afternoon, VP fans --

I have good news and bad news. The good news is that our first issue is being designed, and we are so excited to get it to you! We'll have the issue -- plus a few other announcements -- coming your way in the next few weeks.

The bad news: Our email addresses are temporarily down. If you have submitted a piece of work or have contacted us and we have not responded, don't despair! We're working to get our editorial emails back online as soon as possible. We truly value your submissions, feedback and support, and will respond as soon as we can.

That's all for now...

Kathryn

AWP Recap or Why My Brain Hurts

2011-02-10T08:59:00.010-05:00

So many words.

1,500 people. Writers.

Awkward, anxious authors.

And the people that love them.

Words.

Lots of words.

Words. Ideas. Questions. Problems.

Inspiration.

Okay, let me bring it back to the concrete for a moment. The Association of Writers and Writing Programs conference was three days, with activities scheduled from 9:00 am through midnight every day. Plus, there was a gigantic book fair and zillions of off-site readings, parties, and happenings. Look, here is the official schedule for one day:

And that is the condensed version! In addition to being a test of endurance, it is also one of decision making. Making decisions makes me anxious- for when I have chosen one thing, I have not chosen another, and in that is the troubling possibility that I have chosen incorrectly. So, imagine having to make, what at the time seems like a crucial decision, every hour and a half. Yikes.

Here is the full version of the schedule, with descriptions of all the awesome events that I had to choose between:

I won't detail every panel I went to every minute of every day, but I will give you some highlights.

I discovered the sharp, witty poetry of Bob Hicock and the spare, powerful fiction of Amy Hempel. Good stuff. Google that shit.

I went to a panel called "Jets vs. Sharks?" that had the potential to be awful- given the fact that they were debating that age old, or at least three decade old, debate, can craft be taught or is it a waste of time- but turned out to be one of my favorite events of the whole conference. In addition to having some supremely soothing Southern accents, the panelists, (Michael Croley, Richard Bausch, C. Michael Curtis, Elizabeth Cox, and Jill McCorkle) were charming, passionate, and bright. I want to work with them. Ya'll reading this? Seriously, I'm sending over my resume. I know ya'll aren't hiring, but I think you should make an exception for me. I'm kinda awesome. And I think we'd be good friends. But, I digress.

I also loved hearing Junot Diaz school a roomful of white people. He cursed up a storm and acted mad casual, saying it was important to be true and not conform to the oppressive language of respectability, but then when questions were tossed at him he answered them so profoundly that it made me wonder which one is really his real real.

I learned about the NEA's important Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience as well as tons of interesting magazines and literary journals.

All in all, I am very glad I went. Perhaps next year I will be there working a Verbal Pyrotechnics booth at the book fair!

Status Update: This is my "Status Update" updating you on our status.

2011-02-01T19:16:00.009-05:00

So, VPers, as I'm sure you know, our nation just finished No Name-Calling Week (inspired by a YA novel, no less! The Misfits by James Howe- a very fun read); I hope you were all good boys and girls and avoided nouns of all sorts! I mean, yes, I am one hundred percent against bullying and the use of abusive words, but if it is NO Name-Calling week, how are teachers supposed to take attendance? Sheesh! You'd think a cause devoted to the proper usage of language could come up with a better title for their (very important) initiative.

Anyway, now that I've released that rant from my system, let me tell you about all of the exciting things going on here at VP. You ready for it? You sure? Our first issue is in production!

Benjamin, Kathryn, and I met today to go over final selection of pieces and work on the order and layout of our first issue. So exciting. We have super-amazing pieces by some super-amazing writers!!!!

We will also be working with the exceptionally talented graphic designer, Justin Marshall, whose work can be seen at his website, Printed on Bad Paper. See, didn't I tell you he was talented? We are very lucky to have him on board! We are also looking to have the official launch party somewhere in March somewhere in New York CIty. Be there or be lame.

In other exciting news, I am getting myself all ready to head to Washington DC for the annual conference and bookfair put on by The Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP). The schedule is mad. There are activities planned from 8:30 in the morning through midnight every day! Bring on the coffee! I hope to spread the word about Verbal Pyrotechnics and check out lots of other awesome literary journals. I will post about the experience when I get back (and have slept for 24 hours straight!).

So, VPers, we thank you for your continued support and really look forward to delivering you an extremely awesome product very, VERY SOON! Mwah!

Serial Novels? Sure, That's Great. But What About Serial Chapters?

2011-01-21T15:50:00.008-05:00

There's an article on io9 about the next evolutionary step in Young Adult Fantasy and Science-Fiction: Serial Novels! The wave of the future! Apparently, this is a novel idea?

I'm an enormous fan of comic books. I love the serialized nature of them, I love the nonstop continuity, and I love going to the store every Wednesday and being able to buy all the new books, most of which are terrible. I love all those things!

The idea here is similar -- Penguin is releasing four books by Incarceron writer, Catherine Fisher, that are based on a single book she wrote earlier in her career called Relic Master. These new books are also called Relic Master, but they have sub-titles like The Dark City and its sequels The Dark Town, The Dark Mountain, and the highly-anticipated finale, The Dark World (those last three are just hilarious jokes I made up, FYI).

Anara is a world mysteriously crumbling to devastation. Nothing is what it seems: Ancient relics emit technologically advanced powers, members of the old Order are hunted by the governing Watch yet revered by the people, and the great energy that connects all seems to also be destroying all. The only hope for the world lies in Galen, a man of the old Order and a Keeper of relics, and his 16-year-old apprentice, Raffi. They know of a secret relic with great power that has been hidden for centuries. As they search for it, they will be hunted, spied on, and tested beyond their limits. For there are monsters – some human, some not – that also want the relic's power and will stop at nothing to get it.

Oh, what fun this sounds like! Or, I don't know, maybe it doesn't sound like much fun at all. Regardless, these books are going to come out in a serialized, month-to-month format, from May through August, and my main concern is -- what crazy person wants to read so many of the same kind of hundred-plus page books, back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back? Maybe there are such people. Hell, I'm 100% certain there are such people. But are they many in number? Personally, if I read just one fantasy or sci-fi book, I want to take a break from that world and its stock characters for at least sixteen months. At least.

More to the point, I'd really rather see serialized chapters than serialized novels. Serialized chapters is not a new idea, of course, but I'm fairly certain it's new to the realm of YA. I don't know how they'd package these babies -- maybe twelve chapters in a single book, each chapter for a different story altogether -- but I imagine it could be quite successful. Cliffhangers! Excitement! Small servings of fantastic literature on a monthly basis! Kids and YA lovers alike gathering around the Serial Chapter Book store every...uh, let's go with Thursday! Now that's the wave of the future.

But wait -- you don't even need to release them as actual physical books anymore, what with the release of the Kindle, the Nook, and the iPad. Release them on a monthly basis on these technological wonders, then when they're finished, collect them in hardcover (before softcover) books. Whoa! I just blew your mind, didn't I? You're welcome, Book Publishers, for this amazing idea I just gave you. Send the royalties to my PayPal.

Sincerely,

Benjamin Andrew Moore

When Words Work

2011-01-14T13:29:00.002-05:00

This week, I've been reminded of the power of words, both in the writing and in the receiving.

I spent this morning with a friend who is mourning the recent loss of her father. As the actual funeral hasn't been scheduled yet, she decided to put together a brief memorial on her own, and asked several friends to join her as she said goodbye in her own way. We gathered around her as she shared some memories she'd written down about her dad, and read two poems that were helping her through the loss. She played us songs that reminded her of him. And through listening to what she'd written and gathered, we were able to get a little glimpse into their relationship, into the life of a man none of us besides my friend herself had ever met.

Earlier in the week, this same friend spent time writing notes to people who mean something in her life; the act of writing down her love for her friends was healing, a reminder that life is more than just a trudge toward an inevitable end. And when I came across blog posts from a writer acquaintance who has been dealing with a similar loss, and is chronicling her emotions in writing, the first thing I did was forward the link along to my friend, in the hope that the words of another might help.

And so I've been thinking about how often we go looking for the right words to describe whatever it is we're going through. I don't just mean the bad times—also the joy, anxiety, excitement and contentment that accompanies the roller coaster of everyday life. We might say "there are no words" to explain how we're feeling, but then, most of the time, don't we go on to try to find those words? If not from ourselves, then from someone who may have already said it, more originally or eloquently than we ever could have.

As a teen, I started a notebook of quotes I liked. It was my version of a journal, jotting down bits of songs, movies, books and poems that I felt were funny or profound or beautifully composed. Eventually, I began to add words of my own: phrases that I'd note were "for a poem someday," and later, full poems. Looking at that notebook now, I can see a bit of where I was emotionally, based not only on the lines I'd written myself, but on what quotes I'd chosen that touched me.

One of the great things about teen literature is that it is written for readers who are often genuinely looking to find their own experience within a book's pages. They want—like I wanted, with my quote notebook—to find someone describing their feelings, especially the ones they can't put into words. As we at Verbal Pyrotechnics assemble our first issue, I hope that we'll be able to create something that is varied and exciting and REAL enough that readers see themselves in the words. I hope that these words will be, for someone, the right words at the right time.

~Kathryn

Coming Soon...

2011-01-07T15:23:00.004-05:00

Keep an eye out for our killer interview with Sean Beaudoin,

author of Going Nowhere Faster, Fade to Blue,

and the upcoming You Killed Wesley Payne...

if you dare!

To 2011 ... and Beyond!

2010-12-17T16:18:00.002-05:00

Hola, Verbal Pyrotechnicians!

So ... you may have noticed a big empty space where our regular weekly posts used to be. Rest assured — Verbal Pyrotechnics is still on the move! It's just that thanks to a little internal restructuring, combined with some end-of-year and holiday madness, we've all been fairly swamped.

Check back in 2011 for more of our usual book/writing/teen interest-related postings, as well as updates on when Issue One will be live!

Happy Holidays,

Kathryn

Social Network

2010-11-03T18:11:00.007-04:00

Last week I saw the movie Social Network. It was well acted and well made, albeit a little slow and the ending unsatisfying. The film tells the story of friendships ruined and support systems destroyed- ironic for a film about a group of guys building a "social network".

The obvious reason things went awry was money, but it also seemed to be about insecurity and the resulting need to dominate- creativity as a way to control. All of the players had an emptiness in their lives that they sought to fill, not through sincere human interaction, but through exerting power over those around them. What a mess.

The movie highlighted for me the importance of having a community of people working with you that you can really respect and trust. It's easy to have a good idea, hard to work together to see it through and weather the inevitable storms of collaboration.

As an artist it is important to create a strong network of people who understand and believe in the work you are doing, people who can council and encourage you, who can listen and challenge and accept and provoke, who can point you in the direction of other people and opportunities that could be of benefit to you and therefore to the community as a whole. You have to nurture those relationships. And that takes work. You have to immerse yourself in the network, not try and dominate it or hide from it. A challenge, yes, but one well worth it.

So in the spirit of open communication and community building, let me take this opportunity to thank all of you who have chosen to be, and continue to be, part of the Verbal Pyrotechnic network!

Days that End in 'Y'

2010-10-28T16:48:00.003-04:00

Sometimes, life just gets in the way.

Any of you who are writers (or any other kind of artist, for that matter) will understand what I mean.

You have grand ambitions of finishing that chapter or section or manuscript, but then ... stuff happens. Work happens. Family happens. Friends happen. Crises happen. Celebrations happen. And eventually you realize that the thing that hasn't been happening, the thing that has fallen by the wayside, is your book.

Some people respond by panicking. Some people simply shut themselves up in their room until they meet their goals. Other people adjust the goals, or throw them completely out the window. I'm a goal-adjuster, myself, because I work better with goals, in general, and don't focus well if I shut out the outside world. However, I don't necessarily think there's a right or wrong method to handle life getting in the way.

That is, as long as you do keep writing. Keep pushing forward. Words or pages or chapters at a time, once every two weeks or for ten minutes a day. Life can -- and will -- interrupt your writing, but I'm a firm believer that any progress is good progress.

What does this have to do with Verbal Pyrotechnics? Well, this magazine -- like writing itself -- is a labor of love for us on the editorial team. It's just one of many projects we've willingly taken on. Jobs currently held by one or more of us launching VP include, in no particular order: aspiring novelist, freelance writer, copyeditor, teacher, administrator, blogger, dog-sitter, jewelry-maker, dancer...the list goes on. Which means (speaking for myself, at least) that VP is not always at the top of the priority list.

But here's my point: It stays on the list. Everything stays on the list.

Sometimes, life gets in the way. Sometimes, for instance, the weekly Wednesday Verbal Pyrotechnics blog won't go up until Thursday afternoon (yup ... mea culpa). But it does get done in the end, because this project matters, to me and to the rest of the VP team. And when something matters, you find the time for it.

Now ... I have to get back to work. ;)

~Kathryn

Top (However Many) Fictional Protagonists

2010-10-20T12:33:00.021-04:00

A story is only as good as its protagonist.

Which is an absolute I absolutely disagree with. There are plenty of stories, or works, or whatever, whose protagonists are defined very minimally, if they are at all, and they're ****ing amazing. But for the purposes of this blog-post? A story is only as good as its protagonist. The reason I say this is I thought it'd be fun to list my...eleven? twelve?...favorite protagonists from my favorite books, comic books, movies, and television shows.

Batman -- Batman (Comic Books, Movies, TV)

He's a metaphor for humanity at its best. He is, in fact, the best we have to offer. Due primarily, if not entirely, to his popularity as a comic book character, he has never lost a fight--not to superheroes, not to gods, not to anybody. Grant Morrison's work on the character, which is ongoing, is legendary. Years from now, people will look back on it as the best Batman has ever been. Check out Batman and Robin and The Return of Bruce Wayne currently and, in a couple months, Batman INC. to pick up what I'm putting down.

Veronica Mars -- Veronica Mars (TV)

I challenge you to find a female protagonist as strong, smart, funny, tough, and awesome as Veronica Mars, be it in television, movies, books, and on. There may very well be such female protagonists, but they're few and far between. Here is a character who is better than every single male character onscreen with her. It's amazing.

All of the characters -- Arrested Development (TV)

This is the funniest, perhaps best television show of all time, and I would be remiss were I to list a single character as my favorite from the show. They work best together, as an ensemble. If you took out even one of the characters from the show--Michael, George Michael, Maebe, Tobias, Lucille, George Sr., G.O.B., Buster, or Lindsey--it just wouldn't be the same. Or as good.

Jules -- Pulp Fiction (Movies)

Sam Jackson deserved the best actor Oscar for his portrayal of Jules in Pulp Fiction, but because he's black, the Academy nominated him for best supporting actor and gave his onscreen partner, John Travolta, the best actor nomination (Travolta didn't win, FYI). Jules was hilarious, smart, and badass, at once a throwback to blaxploitation movies and a complex character. To this day, he's the best thing about the movie.

Holden Caulfield -- Catcher in the Rye (Books)

I don't care what the squares at your school are saying, no one's as cool as Holden Caulfield.

Ripley -- Alien, Aliens (Movies)

Here's another one of those few (and far in between) fantastic female protagonists. Remember when she got in a giant robot suit and boxed that massive alien queen? That was pretty good, huh?

Ash -- Evil Dead 1, 2, and Army of Darkness (Movies)

Ashley J. Williams is an idiot, but an incredibly fun idiot who knows how to kill demon-possessed a-holes with the best of them.

Scott Pilgrim -- Scott Pilgrim (Comic Books)

God, I love that Scott Pilgrim fellow. I've written enough about why in various blogs across the internet, so I won't add anything in that regard here. Just rest assured: he's awesome.

Bigwig -- Watership Down (Books)

Bigwig the badass rabbit fought a bigger, nastier, stronger rabbit named General Woundwort and won, all because he had the willpower to do so. Losing meant the deaths of all his friends and family. This amazing moment in this amazing book shaped my entire freaking life.

Huckleberry Finn -- The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Books)

If helping his friend, Jim, an escaped slave, live in freedom means Huck Finn's gonna go to hell, well, Huck Finn doesn't wanna go to heaven. You know Holden Caulfield and Bart Simpson? They wouldn't exist without Huckleberry, perhaps the funniest protagonist in all of literature.

Lyra Belacqua -- His Dark Materials (Books)

I love this badass little girl who stands up against her evil parents and all of existence to do the right and good thing.

Inspector Clouseau (as portrayed by Peter Sellers) -- The Pink Panther, A Shot in the Dark (Movies)

If you haven't seen the original The Pink Panther and its follow-up, A Shot in the Dark, do yourself a favor and see them now. They're hilarious, and so is Inspector Clouseau.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

How about you guys? Have any favorite protagonists you'd like to share with the rest of the class? Maybe, say, in list-form? Pretty please?

BAM OUT

P.S. I forgot Charlie Chaplin's the Tramp! And SNAKE PLISSKEN! And Han Solo! And Indiana Jones! And James Bond! And R2-D2! And Samwise Gamgee! And Coraline! And Bud White! And Sherlock Holmes! And Sam Spade! And Wall-E! And...

P.P.S. I had more images for this post, but Blogger is currently doing maintenance and not allowing me to upload any more. I'll have to come back later and do that, I suppose.

Short and Sweet

2010-10-14T17:33:00.003-04:00

There's a definite art to writing a good short story. And, full disclosure, it's not an art I've mastered. In my entire writing career, I've only written one short fiction piece that I felt was truly successful as a self-contained short story, rather than being a character sketch or outline for something that should eventually be a longer piece. (Never mind the embarrassing attempts in my "never see the light of day again" file on my computer...)

But I sure do love reading a great short story or collection of stories. My list of faves from recent years includes Jhumpa Lahiri's "Interpreter of Maladies" and "Unaccustomed Earth"; Elizabeth Strout's novel-in-interrelated-short stories "Olive Kitteridge"; and Neil Gaiman's "Fragile Things," an imaginative, magical collection that encompasses both short fiction and poetry. Some of these writers' stories cover an entire lifetime, while others are more like a photo flash that briefly illuminates a character or scene. Often, you're given a distinctive voice or a memorable event, and after two or five or 20 pages, you're cut off, left to imagine everything the author didn't tell you. What came before? Where do the characters end up next? Why this snapshot? Why this life?

It's a different reading process for me than what happens with a novel, like eating tapas—tasting lots of different, delicious bites—versus having a single huge bowl of pasta. Both are nourishing, but there's something satisfying about being able to finish an entire story in a single subway ride, or to shut the book at bedtime with a sense of closure while knowing there's still more to read in the morning.

Short stories don't seem to get as much attention as novels do in the YA world. Other than commissioned collections from established authors, few outlets exist for YA writers to show off their short fiction chops—and that's too bad, because short stories can be every bit as engaging to teens as longer works.

All of which is why I'm so excited at some of the amazing short story submissions we're considering for our first issue! The voices, characters and scenarios are so diverse—a trend I hope to be able to continue with each issue—and yet by virtue of being focused on pre-teen and teen experiences, they fit together beautifully. Please keep those submissions coming! I can't wait to read them.

~Kathryn

We're here...

2010-10-06T12:56:00.012-04:00

I'm sure that everyone has heard about the recent spate of teens committing suicide in response to bullying. These deaths were avoidable and it breaks my heart to think that these young people felt so shamed by society and so without hope that suicide seemed the only reasonable response. Of course, bullying and self-hatred is not a new issue for the LGBTQ community. Sadly, in amongst those folks speaking up for equality, there are those who insist on making hate and bigotry a part of the discourse. Yes, that is their constitutional right, but the damage done by language is not to be taken lightly. Intent posted a wonderful article by Sayantani DasGupta entitled "Kids are Dying: Can Stories Help?" that talks about the power of language to shape culture.

In 2007 Sara Whitman, a married lesbian mother of three boys living in Massachusetts, wrote this article for the Huffington Post encouraging parents to "plant a seed of acceptance" at an early age and for teachers "to teach understanding about different family structures." And almost three years later there is still a need for that message to be heard. Just last week Ellen Degneres posted this poignant video on her website along with links to the many organizations that a young person can turn to for help in the face of intolerance and bullying.

In this article posted on the CBS website, there is a quote from Steven Goldstein's impassioned statement about Tyler Clementi's suicide in which Goldstein says, "...We are sickened that anyone in our society, such as the students allegedly responsible for making the surreptitious video, might consider destroying others' lives as a sport..." This language is troubling. Goldstein, the chairman of the gay rights group Garden State Equality, equates outing someone with "destroying others' lives". Yes, a live sex web stream is far more upsetting than a verbal outting, but his language perpetuates the notion that being gay is something destructive. Obviously, his overall message is one of acceptance and he is strongly in favor of anti-bullying measures in New Jersey high schools, but the language seems to mimic the language of the oppressor.

Sarah Silverman's succinct message to America hammers home the point that it is not just children and teens that are to blame for a culture that rewards bullies.

Our first issue, which is set to be released early 2011, features a moving poem by Ann Malaspina that calls attention to the overlooked individuals amongst us. If you have a work of fiction, non-fiction or poetry that has something to say on the subject, send it on over. Submissions are still open for our first issue. Your words can have a powerful impact, but not if they are sitting unread somewhere in a drawer!

This Post Needs No Title

2010-09-29T13:37:00.000-04:00

Do I dare
Disturb the universe?
In a minute there is time
For decisions and revisions which a minute will reverse.
~T. S. Eliot, from The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock

When I was in eleventh grade, my best friend and I started a school club. I don't need to tell you what sort of club it was, other than that it represented a group of students that had not been represented in that school before. For all you know, we could have been representing students who kicked puppies and punched kittens and ate baby bunnies for breakfast. It doesn't matter. What matters is that nothing like this club existed before and we believed that this club's mission was important and worth standing up for.

My friend was the inspirational leader of the club and just in time for exam week, she came up with a brilliant concept to raise awareness about our club. We would put up signs with inspirational sayings or quotes and and then say it was sponsored by our club. Simple, yes. But brilliant. The quotes would inspire people and help them feel a little bit better during exam time, which wasn't exactly the most feel-good time of the school year. We put signs all over the school and then waited to see what people would say.

The signs in the stairwells were the first to come down. The administration said that it was because having paper in the stairwells was a fire hazard, but every other club in the school posted signs there. Our club was the only one that had it's signs torn down.

Then the 5th and 6th grade teachers asked us to refrain from publicizing our club where their young and impressionable students might see, so the cafeteria became off-limits, as did any other common areas or facilities that we shared with the middle school. As for the high school floors, it didn't take long for signs to get torn down there either. In fact, we timed it once and it took a grand total of five minutes between when a sign went up and when it was torn down.

My friend and I didn't give up, though. The more signs people pulled down, the more signs we'd put up in their place. We continued replacing the ripped up signs until the administration said we weren't allowed to use the school copy machine anymore, even if we paid a nickle per copy as per the rule. But by then, the school year was almost over and we had had our small victory. Our club, which had incited more controversy than any other club at school, got a page in the yearbook.

You may be wondering what this story has to do with teen literature and with this magazine. Sometimes people don't want to hear what writers have to say, and it seems like writers of teen lit often bear the brunt of this prejudice. Here's the ALA's list of Top 100 Most Challenged Books 2000-2009. Notice how many of those titles fall under the category of teen literature. Rather than letting our words get torn down, we need to speak up, speak louder and be heard.

This week is Banned Book Week and I encourage you all to do two things. First, go out and read a book that has been banned. Read it and speak up! Second, do something--even if it's a small something--to disturb the universe. It could be an unexpected act of kindness. It could be speaking up for people who can't speak for themselves. It could be something as simple sharing your writing or thoughts with the world. Doesn't matter what it is, just go out and shake things up a little. Because this universe is too darn quiet right about now.

What will YOU do to disturb the universe this week?

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 (Trailer)

2010-09-22T22:56:00.007-04:00

The full trailer for the new Harry Potter movie debuted today.

Frankly, these movies are never as good as their literary counterparts, and I almost never want to watch them again once I've seen them in theaters. Yet despite all that, I always look forward to each theatrical release as if it's the movie event of the year. I have been known, in fact, to see them at midnight because I can't contain my excitement. It's like a Harry Potter-themed Christmas or something.

FYI, the movie adaptation of the seventh and final book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, has been split into two parts. Fans of the books are no doubt aware that this decision was financial-based and nothing more, considering the first seven thousand pages of the book dealt with Harry, Hermione, and Ron as they wandered around the forest, grumpy as hell. If there was one book that shouldn't have been split into two movies, it was Deathly Hallows.

Rest assured, I'll be seeing Part 1 at midnight because that's just how awesome I am.

Love Struck

2010-09-15T15:55:00.004-04:00

I've had romance on the brain recently.

Maybe it's because I've got lots of friends either getting engaged or about to get married. Maybe it's thanks to my awesome boyfriend. Maybe it's the burgeoning relationship between my book's protagonist and the guy she's crushing on. Or maybe I'm just a hopeless romantic, getting more and more hopeless as I get older.

Whatever the reason, I've been thinking about couples in YA lit—what works and what doesn't, what feels real and what, to me, feels like two people are together for no reason other than that the plot requires them to spout clichés and other romantic nonsense at each other. (Ahem, Bella and Edward...) So I thought perhaps I'd gather a short list of some of my favorite YA couples. Take a look, and then share your favorites in the comments!

Katniss and Peeta in "The Hunger Games" trilogy

Before you panic—there are no "Mockingjay" spoilers ahead. But I will say that after reading "Mockingjay," I did a lot of thinking about Katniss and Peeta's relationship throughout the trilogy. I was on Team Peeta from the start. I liked that his character brought out the best in Katniss—when she let it. I liked his stubborn selflessness. I liked the way their attributes complemented each other, how when they worked as a team they made it farther than either of them would have alone. At the same time, Katniss's uncertainty and ambivalence about Peeta felt very real. It may have been occasionally frustrating as a reader ("Come on, Katniss, you idiot! The boy loves you!"), but that emotional realism was part of what grounded the series, kept it relatable. And who wouldn't want a Peeta—someone who's always on your side, even if you haven't realized it yet—to have their back?

Ron and Hermione in the later "Harry Potter" books

Harry and Ginny I could take or leave. But Ron and Hermione—that one just felt right. The overlooked, average (for a wizard) boy and the know-it-all, socially awkward Muggle-born girl have been friends who got on each other's nerves for years by the time they realize that perhaps there's something else there. The plotlines that involved them dating other people to try and make each other jealous felt real to me in a way that Harry's own foray into whiny teen angst did not.

Mia and Adam in If I Stay

Venturing outside the fantasy realm, I thought of the romance at the heart of this short, beautiful novel by Gayle Forman. After a horrific car accident, Mia finds herself in the hospital, looking down on her own body and on her family and friends mourning her. The story is a mix of present-day hospital action and flashbacks to Mia's life, and in those flashbacks you discover the sweet, passionate relationship between Mia and her boyfriend, Adam. It is this love that drives Mia to decide whether to let go of her tenuous grip on life or to stay, to hold on, to return to Adam and the difficult recovery ahead. This book had me in tears.

Liesel and Rudy in The Book Thief

Okay, so these two aren't a couple, per se, during the course of the main story. However, the only thing that keeps their friendship, which is first tentative and then grows into something fierce and protective, from becoming young love is Liesel herself. She's beaten down. She's seen too much tragedy for someone so young. She doesn't really trust anyone except perhaps her Mama and Papa. And she doesn't know how to be loved; she's too occupied with surviving. The culmination of this story...well, let's just say I cried. Again. Yes, I'm a sap.

So there you go—a launching point. What YA couples have captured your heart?

Until next time,

Kathryn

September

2010-09-07T21:25:00.004-04:00

Ah, September! Time to embrace the new. Time to make resolutions and commit to that system which will finally get you organized. Time to buy pens with perfect points and clean notebooks full of promise. Time to create. And time to send us your creations!

For all you poets out there wondering what sort of work I like I thought I would post some of these fun videos made by the Poetry Foundation for you to watch- when your homework is done, of course!

How is This Book Relevant to my Life?

2010-09-02T14:33:00.000-04:00

Glendalough, (or Gleann Dá Loch, meaning "Glen of Two Lakes") is a valley in County Wicklow, Ireland. This region was the center of learning in Ireland for many centuries. It was founded back in the 6th century and continued through the 14th century when it was destroyed by English troops.

What is so amazing about this valley isn't just the spectacular views and beautiful scenery, but the clusters of monastic ruins. They're everywhere! From sky-scraping towers to ancient churches, the whole area is filled with medieval ruins to explore. I was lucky enough to visit this place while traveling in Ireland this past August and I thought I'd share some photos.

The tower in the above photo is near the main cluster of ruins in Glendalough. You can see small windows near the top and also a big window about three meters from the bottom (it's partially hidden by a tree). Well, that big window was actually the door. They used to use ladders and then pulled the ladders up if uninvited guests came knocking.

This small church was St. Kevin's Church (also called St. Kevin's Kitchen... which made me wonder, what on earth could he be cooking in there?) It's a beautiful ancient church with a round tower at the top and you can see above, nestled among the trees.

And here's a closer view of St. Kevin's Church. There were at least a half dozen other churches there as well, including the ruins of a cathedral with a surrounding cemetery. Here's a picture of the cathedral, below.

One of the things that was interesting about the cemetery and gravestones is that everything in Glendalough looks old. The problem is, it's hard to tell which things are old-old (like medieval-old) and which things are medium-old (like 17th or 18th century... still old but not medieval). Sure you can look for dates on some gravestones but even then, most of them are so weather-beaten that it's barely possible to read them anymore. Anyway, because you can't tell when some things are medieval or newer than that, it gives the whole place a feeling of continual history. Even though it was destroyed in the 1300's, people were still coming here, putting up memorial plaques or gravestones.

Which brings me to the point of my post. Sometimes we read something, we see it in the context of the time period it's from and we forget that literature is organic and lives on well beyond whence it originated. All of us have some book we read as teens that made us wonder "Why am I reading this... it has nothing to do with me or my life?" For me, this book was Chaucer's Canterbury Tales which I read excerpts of in high school. Back then I remember thinking: "This isn't even written in normal English! How's it supposed to be relevant to my life?"

A woodcut from William Caxton's second edition of the Canterbury Tales printed in 1483.

The truth is, like Glendalough, the Canterbury Tales are not just old-old or medium-old, they evolve through time. This idea of people going on a pilgrimage together isn't a whole lot different from a road trip story. Anyone who's ever taken a family trip or school field trip can relate. After all, road trip stories are just stories about a bunch of weird people thrown together and they have to interact and entertain each other to keep from getting bored. OK, fine, the Canterbury Tales are written in Middle English, which makes them a little harder to decipher than, say, watching the movie Road Trip but at their core, the two stories are very similar. They're crazy-weird, vulgar at times, gross at others and they even have their sweet moments.

The irony of Glendalough is that even though it was destroyed and stopped serving its intended purpose back in the 14th century, people are still going there. They're still putting up grave stones even though this site is literally out in the middle of nowhere (not a convenient place to come visit your loved one's place of rest). And now there's a whole other group of people making their pilgrimage to Glendalough as well: tourists. Just because something appears to be ancient doesn't make it irrelevant; in fact, in some ways, it becomes more relevant than ever. And so, it was in visiting Glendalough that confirmed a hunch I've had for a long time: Canterbury tales, and other old-old books like it, are indeed relevant to my life. It's just up to me to figure out how.

Top Five Favorite Books?

2010-08-25T16:13:00.011-04:00

Because I've been insanely busy with freelance writing, being so awesome it sometimes hurts, looking for and securing an apartment, and packing for said apartment (well, not so much the packing, as of yet), I have to admit, I put this blog-post on the back burner. I realize this makes me a terrible person and I'm prepared to accept all the accolades that come with that.

Long story short, I didn't have the time to really delve into a Teen Lit topic like, for example, "Mature Content in Teen Literature: Yay or Nay?" (which is a topic I will, at some point, be delving into, rest assured). So instead, I'm going to post my "Top Five Favorite Books Ever of All Time Ever Ever Ever," because those sorts of lists are always fun:

#1. Watership Down by Richard Adams:

My girlfriend's actually in the process of reading this right now (because she, too, is so awesome it sometimes hurts). Basically, it's a war movie, in book form, about rabbits. I don't think anything else needs to be said about it!

#2. Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger:

J.D. Salinger wrote a hilarious, game-changing book that everybody writing teen fiction today emulates in some form or another, even when they don't intend to. For those who think that Holden Caulfield is annoying--yeah, well--you--you're annoying!

#3. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain:

In the way that everything today emulates Catcher in the Rye, Catcher in the Rye emulated The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Hell, even the great American author, Ernest Hemingway, said of Huck Finn: "All modern American literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called Huckleberry Finn." Also, it's a hilarious, relevant book, despite being nearly two-hundred-years old. Can you say the same for your book? Huh? Can you??

#4. Scott Pilgrim Volumes 1-6 by Bryan Lee O'Malley:

Despite the fact that the movie has yet to set the box office on fire, as it were (hey, it was great nonetheless), the Scott Pilgrim series of books is still classic and excellent to the extreme. Hilarious, endearing, smart, well-written, beautifully-drawn, and just freaking incredible all around, the books are a must read for anyone born after 1980.

#5. All-Star Superman by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely:

This is the quintessential Superman. Perhaps the best tale of Superman that has ever been told. It's strange, heartwarming, and funny. The writing is top-notch. Succinct but no less incredible. The art is vibrant, kinetic, and mind-blowing. You'll never look at Superman the same way again, and you'll sure as hell never call him "lame."

-----------------------------------------------------

Speaking of lame, this is the lame part where I say: So what are your top five favorite books, boys and girls? Frankly, you don't have to limit yourself to top five. Go top two-hundred, if it makes you feel better.

(Some books that I left off my list with great difficulty include: Pale Fire, Harry Potter 6, The Hobbit, The Sound and the Fury, Macbeth, The Old Man and the Sea, Ultimate Spider-Man, Nine Stories, Nextwave, The Complete Works of Sherlock Holmes, The Complete Works of Edgar Allan Poe, The Dark Knight Returns, Grant Morrison's Batman and Robin, and on, and on, and on.)

Thanks for reading, and I promise you I'll write something more substantial next time round.

Yours truly,
Benjamin Andrew Moore

Thinking Villainous Thoughts

2010-08-18T11:32:00.004-04:00

Hey, Verbal Pyrotechnicians!

So I’ve spent the summer revising my work-in-progress, a young adult urban fantasy/sci-fi novel. I was making amazing strides—until I hit a snag. Namely, my villain and his evil scheme didn’t really make sense. Nor did the way in which my heroine manages to “save the day.” It took a brutal meeting with my wonderful former MFA thesis group for me to realize that, in fact, the entire backbone of my novel would crumble if you poked too hard at any one vertebra.

The funny thing is, this is exactly what happened to me last summer. Same book; almost identical problem. A year ago, I was writing frantically, trying to finish my first draft, only to get to the end and realize I had no villain. I actually made it all the way to the scene where my protagonist sneaks out of her apartment and runs off toward a climactic…um…something…to stop…someone…from doing…well……

You see the problem.

This time around, I got right to business trying to fix things. (After, of course, spending a week or so hating my book, cursing the plot I’d created for being so dang hard to flesh out.) I opened the full book document and took stock of things. I made “to do” lists. I talked about the book ad nauseam with my very patient boyfriend. (Thanks, Justin!) I made more “to do” lists.

All along, I’d only been thinking of the villain and his scheme from the point of view of my protagonist. Only a few weeks ago (in a two-year-long writing process, mind you) did I realize that I, the author, have to know far more about this bad guy than my heroine does. I’d actually written a preliminary bio of my villain that ended: “But what are his motives, really?” Good question, Kathryn. (Sigh.)

I started to free-write. I filled in the background information on my villain’s youth, training and professional life. I came up with the event that makes him snap. I matched up what he’d be doing to further his evil plot with the timeline of my book. And I tried to write it all from his point of view, so that later, when he finally does get to speak for himself in the book proper, I know where he’s coming from.

Now, I’m back to revising—and hopefully, this time everything will work out more smoothly. If I get stuck again…well, I’ve had a lot of time lately to think about evil deeds and what type of stress might cause someone to do them. :)

Do any of you have a “blind spot” in your writing? Is there part of the process you can’t seem to get past, or a certain story component that you always forget to devote attention to (like me and my lack of effective villainy)? Have you found that you’re able to improve with time and practice, or is it always a sticking point? Inquiring minds want to know. And commiserate.

Oh, and if you have a fiction story with a really good villain, I want to read it! (Okay, I want to read the nice, happy stories, too.) Submissions are still open for VP’s first issue, and I know that you’ve got something amazing that will distract me from my own writing drama.

Until next time…

This eraser is for dancing.

2010-08-12T03:09:00.011-04:00

Words are funny.
Like today, I said, "Hey Mom, is it Tuesday?"
And she said, "Yes."
And I said, "Oh."
And with those few words we changed time.
My perception of time that is.

Yesterday (which we all know was in fact Tuesday, since today is Wednesday, or at least it feels like Wednesday since I have not yet gone to bed, but the reality is that, here in California, it is actually very early Thursday morning) I listened to the book Frindle by Andrew Clements on CD. It is a lovely middle grade novel that I highly recommend. It seems to be about a power struggle between kids and adults, the influence of news media, and how much teachers are willing to sacrifice in order to make a difference. And, yes, it is about all those things, but it is also a very thought provoking meditation on language.

I used to joke with a friend of mine that if we had a child we would name it Rugbarf Jackson and teach it the wrong words for thing. Like, "Hey, Rugbarf, bring me that eraser so I can dance." When what we meant was, "Hey, Rugbarf, bring me that book so I can read." Hilarious we were. Hilarious.

But the notion that words are ultimately arbitrary is one that has always fascinated me. The idea that a word means what it means because we all agree it does is a bizarre one. And it also means that a certain level of trust is necessary for even the most basic of communication; I have to trust the words to convey my ideas, trust that the recipient of my communication will know the words, and then, in turn, I must trust that the words connote the same thing to them that they do for me. And most of the time this works. But what about when it doesn't? My nephew says po-po and means the police; my niece says po-po and means her behind. Just imagine that conversation for a moment. No, do it. Sock puppets might help.

I wish I had some sort of grand point to make here, but I really don't. These are just some of the things I think about. Particularly late at night, or early in the morning if you want to be precise.

I will say, however, that this fascination of mine with language and the distance between denotation and connotation and all the interesting ways in which we can misunderstand one another, might have something to do with why I love poetry so much. Inside a poem there is room for me to play around with how I understand language and how language succeeds and fails. A powerful image or particularly astute simile can not only temporarily change my mood, but can permanently alter the way I view my world. And if, according to Ludwig Wittgenstein, "the limts of my langugae mean the limits of my world" then reading a poem truly has the potential to affect great change. I love the idea of change. Transformation. That's another subject that keeps me up at night. Perhaps I'll tell you about it one day.

In the meantime, here is a video. A ridiculously silly video that might be just a ridiculously silly video or, in my case, cause to ruminate on the distance between thought and sound and language and understanding.

Spelling Bee FAIL - watch more funny videos

The MFA that Brought VP Together

2010-08-04T19:23:00.004-04:00

My dear reading friends,

It's my turn to post again and today I have a topic with a lot to say about it! As many of you may already know (or may have figured out by reading our bios) Elizabeth, Kathryn, Ben and I all met while getting our MFAs at The New School. That was where we became friends, and that was also where we teamed up and hatched a plan to take the teen literature world by storm with Verbal Pyrotechnics.

Lately I've been getting all introspective and thinking about my experience in the MFA. Was it worth it or was it not? Would I do it again if I could go back? And, most importantly, what did I learn? After much internal debate, I have come to the conclusion that yes it was worth it, yes I would do it again, and that's because I learned a lot of things.

Part of what made my MFA experience so positive was that I was in a group dedicated exclusively to writing for children. There were only twelve of us in the group so we took all our workshops together and most other classes too. We got to know each other and each others' writing really well and we became a tight-knit group and stuck up for each other. There was very little competition within the group, something that is not the case in most MFA programs (or so I'm told). And also, because our cohort was so small, we tended to fly under the radar of the department as a whole, allowing us a lot of freedom and opportunities other MFA students may not have had.

Though I was fortunate enough to go to an MFA program and have such a great MFA experience, I realize that not all writers have that luxury. Some writers' MFA experiences aren't nearly as positive. Some writers have day jobs that swallow up all their free time and prevent them from getting MFAs altogether.

This is why I've decided to start a little side project called Do-It-Yourself MFA (or DIY MFA). The idea is to help writers who want to deepen their study of writing but can't go back to school because of logistics or family or finances or whatever. The goal is for writers to design their own independent course of study so they can get many of the benefits of the MFA without actually going back to school. (This project also works for MFA grads who are missing the structure of school...)

To learn more about this project, visit iggi U: DIY MFA.

Before I sign off, a question: whether you've chosen the MFA route for yourself or not, what would be the one most important piece of advice you would give another writer?

Happy Writing!
~Gabriela

FringeHIGH Theatre

2010-08-03T20:08:00.004-04:00

Just wanted to pass on this information about FringeHIGH!

FringeNYC is the largest multi-arts festival in North America, with more than 200 companies from all over the world performing for 16 days in 18 venues. This year’s festival runs from August 13-29.

FringeHIGH is a group of shows chosen from the regular FringeNYC roster that we think will resonate with young adults, a collection of boundary-stretching plays guaranteed to captivate and entertain NYC teens. The shows are listed on the on the FringeHIGH page of the Fringe NYC website.

In addition to the shows themselves, FringeHIGH is offering a series of post-performance talk-backs with the artists. The website lists the date and time of each show’s talk-back performance. Tickets for the shows are $15 in advance, and can be purchased on-line through the website, by phone, or in person at Fringe Central.

Not Really a Book Review, But Whatever

2010-07-28T16:40:00.015-04:00

Introducing: Myself.

(Me)

Now onto the main thrust of this here post:

As recent as May, I wrote a blog-post for fellow New School alumni Marirosa Mia Garcia and Julie Sternberg's awesome blog called "Please Don't Read This Book." The post was basically a review of the Scott Pilgrim series of books (1-5) which, at the time, was yet unfinished. Two months and change later, Book Six, the final volume, is out and waiting to be read by anyone who enjoys...uhh, reading. It's a graphic novel, so those of you who are allergic to such things probably won't love the hell out of it as I do (leastwise not quite as much). Nevertheless, I encourage anyone who has ever been in love, who has ever played a video game, ever read a comic book, ever watched a movie, ever been young, ever enjoyed things that are good, ever been entertained in the slightest by anything ever ever ever, et cetera and so on, to pick it up at their nearest comic book store or Barnes and Noble. And if you haven't read the previous five books, you should probably do that as well. You know, for continuity's sake.

(Scott Pilgrim 6, Me)

Truth be told, I was ever-so-slightly disappointed by the book, mostly because it read so damn quickly. Like, done-in-half-an-hour quickly. Obviously, for someone who wanted to savor every last moment of Volume Six's beautiful, kinetic pages on into eternity, thirty or so minutes is a bit of a letdown. Secondly, I wasn't really surprised by anything that happened within said pages. It was all of it incredibly well-written and what have you--hilarious at times, too--it just wasn't particularly mind-blowing. Hey, look, Scott does this. Scott does that. Scott does some more of this and that. The End.

I'd be more specific, but I don't want to spoil anything for those who actually plan on reading it.

Still, it was great. The entire series is, to this day, one of my favorite book series ever produced. And on top of that, the movie'll be out in about two weeks' time. My point being, do yourself a favor and read the entire six-volume series before August 13th. Thirty minutes times six is only three hours, and there are 336 half-hours left (give or take)...

So, yeah, I'm looking forward to reading people's submissions. Have a good one?

BAM

(Photography by Suzanna Schumacher of Miss Young and Restless fame.)

Why We're Here (Or At Least Why I Am...)

2010-07-21T14:11:00.005-04:00

Hi everyone -- welcome to my first-ever blog post! Yup, I'm a blog novice. Be nice.

For my first post, I decided to get a little introspective.

Until a few years ago, I didn’t really know much about teen literature. I read all the time growing up, and devoured most of the classic children’s books, but by my teen years I was well into the adult literary canon. (Full disclosure: I was also an avid mystery/thriller series reader in my teens -- I started with Agatha Christie and moved on from there, to Patricia Cornwell and Rita Mae Brown and Tony Hillerman and James Patterson and Sue Grafton…the list goes on.)

Only when taking David Levithan’s Teen Literature course at The New School in Fall 2008 did I realize what a wealth of literature I’d been missing out on. Some of the most well-written and gripping books I’ve read over the past two years have been Young Adult, among them “The Book Thief,” “Blankets,” “The Hunger Games,” “What I Saw and How I Lied,” and “Feed.” Not only did I find my writing niche on the Young Adult shelves, I also discovered a host of new-to-me authors creating great work -- work that just happened to be marketed primarily at teens.

When Gabriela brought up the idea of launching an online magazine aimed at showcasing teen literature, I jumped at the chance to be a part of the team. I’m eager to share selections from a genre of writing I’ve come to love with others who, like two-years-ago me, may not know it exists, or how good the work filed on the “Young Adult” shelves can be.

But to be honest, I’m also here for selfish reasons. Simply put, I want to read work that interests, amazes and inspires me. I want to see a new take on an old trope. I want to read lyrical, poetic prose, or hear a unique character’s voice. I want to be sucked in from the first sentence to the last word. I want to be sorry it ended so soon.

If you’ve got such a story, essay or poem in your creative vaults, submit it to us! I can’t wait to read it.

Kathryn

The Gettin' Was Good

2010-07-15T12:46:00.010-04:00

Last night we had our second GET YOUR READ ON: VP STYLE at the Bowery Poetry Club. And let me tell you, it was a doozy! Eight readers read to an appreciative crowd- even the bartender quieted his noisy ice scooping to listen becuase they were so good. The line up was:

MC:

Elizabeth Dunn-Ruiz

Readers:

Benjamin Andrew Moore

Maria Gabriela Pereira

Marirosa Mia Garcia

John Paul Infante

Kathryn Holmes

Rebecca Merritt

Rich Moy

I love how all those names look there, like a heart or a dreidel. Apparently we here at Verbal Pyrotechnics like people with three names! A one-named-wonder would really have closed out the bill though. So, if any of you out there are the next Sapphire or something, let me know!

Anyway, this fabulous line up read about haunted houses, a grandparent's funeral, a suicidal child who worried his penis wasn't large enough, a possible pedophile lurking in the woods, subway trains that are actually living creatures, magical toasters, and a college theatre troupe. The readings showed just how diverse the field of teen literature really is.

The raffle was hilarious, with people getting really excited about winning school supplies and books. I believe I was even offered a bribe to stack the deck next time!

All in all it was a great night and many people asked me when the next one was. So stay tuned for more details about the next GET YOUR READ ON: VP STYLE!

Get Your Read On: VP Style

2010-07-07T12:37:00.000-04:00

A Reading Series featuring Emerging Authors of Teen Literature

Date: Wednesday, July 14, 2010
8:00pm - 9:30pm

Location: Bowery Poetry Club
308 Bowery- between Houston and Bleeker
New York, NY

Your $5.00 entrance fee will also get you one raffle ticket

for a chance to win some awesome prizes.

Introducing the VP Editors

2010-07-06T17:24:00.001-04:00

Verbal Pyrotechnics has a number of editors on the staff and each week (starting tomorrow!) one of us will be posting here on this blog.

Now for the introductions...

Elizabeth Dunn-Ruiz is our fabulous poetry editor. She is proud to represent Oakland, California (even though she has lived and worked in NYC for the past 15 years). She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from The New School and an MS in Urban and Multicultural Education from the College of Mount St. Vincent. She likes to start dance parties in the cereal aisle and is looking for poetry that pulls the reader in and doesn't let go. Elizabeth will be posting on this blog on the 2nd Wednesday of each month.

Kathryn Holmes is our wonderful fiction editor. She is originally from Maryville, Tennessee, went to Goucher College in Baltimore, Maryland, and has lived in New York City since 2004. She spent almost four years as a magazine editor before going back to school to get her MFA in Creative Writing at The New School. When she's not writing or editing, you'll find Kathryn in the dance studio—she's a professional contemporary dancer, performing with various New York City-based choreographers. Kathryn be posting here on the 3rd Wednesday of each month.

Benjamin Andrew Moore is our talented non-fiction and comics editor and hails from Ottumwa, Iowa, obviously. He received his MFA in Creative Writing from The New School just like everybody else here, but before that he was a freelance writer for Centerstage Chicago and the Chicago Sun-Times and the mastermind behind numerous groundbreaking webcomics at the R-rated (for ridiculously awesome) Worthless-Online. While attending The New School, he interned at Marvel Comics Entertainment and currently freelances for them as a Synopsis Writer. Ben will be posting on the 4th Wednesday of each month.

Gabriela Pereira (aka gabi) is the editor-in-chief and instigator of this project. A former toy designer and product manager, she got her Bachelor's from Williams College as well as a Master's in developmental psychology from Cornell University. She recently received her MFA in Creative Writing from The New School, with a concentration in Writing for Children. Now she spends her time teaching writing in NYC, working on her various writing projects and coming up with master plans to change the world, one reader at a time. Gabriela will be posting on the 1st Wednesday of each month.

Welcome to Verbal Pyrotechnics

2010-05-20T03:28:00.003-04:00

Hello readers, writers, and curious by-standers.

Welcome to the Verbal Pyrotechnics blog. Our website will be up-and-running soon but for now we'll be using this blog to keep you posted on important VP news.

Verbal Pyrotechnics is a web-based literary magazine dedicated to teen literature. We're looking for short stories, essays, poems, even comics. Our tastes are diverse. We embrace all styles and genres and we don't shy away from the edgy, steamy or dark. The pieces we print will have two things in common: they astonish us in some way and they appeal to a teen audience. Think you've got something that would be a good fit? Check out our submission guidelines. We will be open for submissions in July.

Write on!