Summer 2023 News from Under the Madness Magazine

 

July 2023 

Dear Readers, Writers & Supporters of Teen Writing,

We hope you are enjoying summer alongside Issue #4 with its Ukrainian teen special section, writing from our very successful 2023 National Poetry Month Competition, and all the stellar stories, poems, and creative nonfiction from our authors.

The magazine has been in the news again! We appeared in June (on the same day) in The Boston Globe and the Littleton Courier, with a spotlight cast on our managing editors and a Ukrainian teen published in Issue #4.

In other news: We're currently running two contests. Both offer prize money and publication with no entry fee. The Charles Simic Tribute Contest deadline is coming up very soon (July 30); it's a poetry contest open to all teen from around the globe. We're running the contest in partnership with the Poetry Society of New Hampshire. Our Flash Creative Nonfiction Contest, open to writers ages 13-15 from around the globe, has a deadline of August 25. Check out our website (contest tab) for submission details along with our flash nonfiction prompts, designed by editor Rieth Breed.

We're open for submissions for Issue #5: Writers Ages 13-15 from Around the Globe, plus a special section on writers ages 13-15 from India. If you're 13-15 years old, send us poems/fiction/creative nonfiction by August 25.

Because we love to read teen work, we're also accepting submissions right now for Issue #6. For this issue, we're opening the magazine back to any teen ages 13-19 from around the globe.

Stay tuned for another super cool & different writing contest to be announced in the Fall.

To hear the very latest, including about contests and opportunities, follow us on Instagram @underthemadnessmagazine, on Facebook, or on Twitters @NHPoetLaureate.

Under the Madness Magazine is made possible with the generous support of the Neil and Louise Tillotson Fund, the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, Arts Alive!, the Academy of American Poets, and Salem State University.

On behalf of the editorial team,

Alexandria Peary

Editor-in-Chief

NH Poet Laureate

Announcing Issue 4 of Under the Madness Magazine

 

Announcing Issue 4 of Under the Madness Magazine, a magazine edited by teens, publishing teens from around the world!

Issue 4 features work by Ukrainian teen writers, winning poems from the 2023 National Poetry Month Competition, and many fine poems, stories, and pieces of creative nonfiction.

Check out the interview with Diana Bilobrova, Ukrainian teen author, on our magazine blog and her magnificent poem sequence, "Resurrection Series."

We're closed for submissions right now, but follow us on Instagram #underthemadnessmagazine for updates including calls for upcoming special issues.

Send the teen writers a note about their work! See the "Letters to the Editor" info on the Contests/Events tab at the magazine: Issue 4.

Charles Simic Tribute Poetry Contest (For Teens and Adults)

 

POETRY CONTEST FOR TEENS AND ADULTS

The Poetry Society of New Hampshire is accepting tribute poems in honor of Charles Simic.

Tribute poetry is broadly defined as work speaking to the incredible poetic legacy of Charles Simic. Contest poems should connect in some way to Charles Simic, whether through content or form. Possibilities include poems which borrow a line, title, or image from Simic or poems which describe Simic as a poet, teacher, friend, or colleague. Include a brief statement of no more than 150 words explaining the contest poem's connection to Charles Simic.

The judge is Alexandria Peary, Poet Laureate of New Hampshire. This contest is open to everyone with a separate category for teens (13-19). You do not have to be a resident of New Hampshire or the USA: everyone is welcome.

Winners, as well other submissions, of the contest will be published in the fall/winter issue of The Poets' Touchstone.

The first-place teen poem will win a 250 dollar prize from the state laureate and be published in Under the Madness Magazine as well as the fall/winter issue of The Poets Touchstone.

All contest submissions will be read anonymously and identifying information should not appear in the submission. Submissions are open now until July 30th.

More Info Here: https://psnh.org/charles-simic-poetry-contest/

Under the Madness Hosts Publication Reunion!

JOIN US FOR THIS INSPIRING EVENT

Under the Madness Magazine is hosting an utterly unique publication reunion!

In 2021, Jenzo DuQue’s short story, “The Rest of Us,” was selected for the prestigious Best American Short Stories anthology. Ten years prior, Jenzo was published in Teen Ink. Now on April 10, 2022, Jenzo will meet up with editors from Teen Ink, that nationally known magazine where a decade ago he saw some of his earliest creative writing in print.

After a reading from Jenzo, the author and the editors at Teen Ink will field your questions from the audience.

• So do you have what it takes to push that SUBMIT button? Many people (teens and adults) would like to see their writing published but never take that important step.
• Hear what pressing SUBMIT did for Jenzo Duque. As a teenager, Jenzo sent his work to magazines including Teen Ink. A decade later, his fiction was included in the premier anthology for short stories in the United States!
• What gave him the courage and initiative? How did he handle any doubts and rejection? What were the steps along his path of success as a creative writer? What continues to motivate and inspire him as a writer?

Teen Ink has published over 55,000 teens since 1989 (including editors at Under the Madness). This is a magazine that is 100% about supporting teen writers. Who better to ask for publishing advice than these pros!

Sunday, April 10, 7-8 PM, EST

On Zoom

Register in advance for this meeting:

https://salemstate.zoom.us/.../tZErfuqhrz8oHNQNoSuzxrjYmc...

After registering, you’ll receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

More info on featured guests:

Jenzo DuQue is a Colombian-American writer and abolitionist. His writing has been published in Best American Short Stories, Narrative, BOMB, and elsewhere. Born into a Colombian community in Chicago, he lives in Brooklyn. Follow his antics on Twitter @papiwhathappen or read more at jenzoduque.com

Teen Ink is a national teen magazine devoted entirely to teenage writing, art, photos, and forums. For over 33 years, Teen Ink has offered teens the opportunity to publish their creative work and opinions on issues that affect their lives – everything from love and family to school, current events, and self-esteem. Hundreds of thousands of students, aged 13-19, have submitted their work to us and we have published more than 55,000 teens since 1989. While

Teen Ink's ownership has changed hands a few times, its mission remains the same. It is devoted to helping teens share their own voices, while developing reading, writing, creative and critical-thinking skills. Teenink.com has over 480,000 registered users and continues to grow every day.

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Virtual Workshop in Creative Nonfiction for Teens

 

What’s Creative Nonfiction and Why Teen Writers Should Definitely Try It!

Creative nonfiction is a whole different species than the five-paragraph school essay or argument paper. It’s nonfiction—so it always stays on the side of truth—but it uses the devices of fiction (dialog, setting, sensory detail, backstory, imagery, foreshadowing) to tell a story. In this workshop, we read inspiring examples. Participants begin a piece of flash nonfiction. All teen participants are encouraged to submit their creative nonfiction to Under the Madness.

About Workshop Presenter: Alexandria Peary's creative nonfiction has appeared in The Gettysburg Review, Southern Humanities Review, New England Review, Brick, Green Mountains Review, and the Cimarron Review. Her creative nonfiction has received Pushcart Prize and several Best of the Net nominations, as well as appearing as Notable Essay in Best American Essay 2021. Alex teaches creative nonfiction at Salem State University.

WHEN: Feb 21, 2022 6:00 PM, EST, on Zoom

Register in advance.

2022 North Country Writers' Day: Register Now

 

 

2022 North Country Writers’ Day 

May 6, 2022

White Mountains Community College

All events are free and open to the public, ages 13 and older. Registration required. Space is limited for Master Class. These events are made possible due to the generous support of the Neil and Louise Tillotson Fund and the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation.

 

EVENT #1:
Master Class on Mindful Writing: How to Reduce Writing Problems through the Present Moment

2-4 PM

May 6, 2022

White Mountains Community College

In-Person and Virtual

Room Location T.B.A.

Writing can become much more fulfilling and joyful if we think of it as happening right Now. Whenever we overlook the present moment, we give up rewarding writing experiences in exchange for stress, procrastination, boredom, and shortchanged creativity. It’s a poor bargain. This interactive session focuses on how to use mindful writing techniques to write with more peace and productivity. We cover the basics of mindful writing, including impermanence, audience ghosts, monkey mind, and preconceptions about our writing ability. Participants gain hands-on practice with several mindful writing techniques. Geared for participants ages 13 and older, this master class is designed for people who occasionally or often struggle with writing, who teach writing, as well as for participants who don’t struggle with a writing block but are interested in picking up skills. The strategies apply to creative, academic, professional, and personal kinds of writing.

About the Presenter:

Alexandria Peary (MFA, MFA, PhD) specializes in mindful writing. She is the author of Prolific Moment: Theory and Practice of Mindfulness for Writing as well as the architect and host of the mindful writing webinar for the National Council of Teachers of English. Alex is a frequent presenter on mindful writing for New Hampshire Humanities and has also presented on mindful writing for the National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), NH Children’s Trust, and as the 2021 keynote address for the Secondary School Writing Centers Association Conference. Her 2019 TEDx talk “How Mindfulness Can Transform the Way You Write”  can be found on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yxnFac7CNA  Alex is a professor in the English Department at Salem State University where she teaches undergraduate and graduate courses on creative writing and mindful writing.

To register by Apri 10:  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/master-class-on-mindful-writing-tickets-262683081167

 

EVENT #2:
Book Signing and Reading with NH State Poet Laureate

4-5 PM

May 6, 2022

White Mountains Community College

In-Person and Virtual

Room Location T.B.A.

Alexandria Peary will read from her new book of poems, Battle of Silicon Valley at Daybreak (Spuyten Duyvil 2022). Reading, Book signing, and Q & A. Appetizers will be served.

 RVP by April 10

Nina McLaughlin says Battle of Silicon Valley at Daybreak “captures the chaotic energy of online life, the relentless stream of appeals for your money, attention, desire, raising questions of what it means to ‘open this.’ Her approaches to plague times borrow from The Decameron, in an imaginative the-more-things-change mode. The pure sound of her lines is a pleasure, too.” –Boston Globe

 Alexandria Peary is “one of those writers who know how to stay, as de Kooning put it, ‘on the edge of something.’”—Laura Mullen, Poetry Foundation

 

EVENT #3:

Release Party for Under the Madness Magazine

5-6 PM

May 6, 2022

White Mountains Community College

In-Person and Virtual

Room Location T.B.A.

Meet the staff and contributing writers of Under the Madness Magazine, the new literary magazine publishing teens across the globe, run by teen editors from New Hampshire and the North Country under the auspices of the New Hampshire Poet Laureate. The editors discuss their experience publishing two issues of the magazine, followed by a reading from poets, fiction writers, and nonfiction writers in the first two issues. Reading and Q & A. Appetizers will be served. Event will be hybrid: in-person and also Zoom.

RSVP by April 10.

* "Wood Typewriter Photo" by Dustin Lee is licensed under CC0 1.0

 

 

"Write of Passage": Article about Under the Madness Magazine

Article about Under the Madness Magazine appeared in this week's Hippo newspaper, published January 5, 2022. Scroll down to roughly page 4 and enlarge:  Write of Passage

Under the Madness is accepting submissions for its first issue until January 20.

For info on how to submit: submission guidelines