Shadow Archer Press

Shadow Archer Press had a busy year in 2009 publishing three issues of Fissure and nine chapbooks, some of them bestsellers!  And it was a our first year to nominate writers fot eh Pushcart Prtize.  There may be changes in store for 2010 - some of which we hope will include themed anthologies.   We sold books through outdoor art festivals, gallery shows, book stores and online all over the world. 

We worked with new authors and artists, saw contributors of ours launch their own successful small indie presses, A.J. Kaufmann with New Polish Beat in Poland, Felino Soriano with Differentia Press and Michael Aaron Casares with Virgogray Press in Texas.  Shadow Archer Press authors also wear the hats of editors and publishers of chapbooks, anthologies and indie magazines.

The indie mags include Eviscerator Heaven which AJ began before we met him at Shadow Archer Press, serving as one of our examples to follow, along with Bill Shute of Kendra/Steiner Editions.   Felino stared the online mag Counterexample Poetics and will begin an anthology series in July 2010.  Michael launched a series of anthologies including Valium and So It Goes, an anthology on death, and Zachary Jernigan is still receivng submissions for The Land Bridge. 

All of our authors branched out and were published in many venues both in print and online. They performed in poetry readings, on news shows, at art openings, on blog radio and on the sidewalks of cities the world over. Our cover artists went on to produce murals, paintings, comics, book, DVD and CD covers and gallery art.

We're very proud of our connection with these highly talented people and hope to see more action forthcoming in 2010 - novels published, plays performed, art exhibitions drawing huge crowds in cities large and small.  Our contributors are setting the standards, breaking the boundaries and representing not only the past decade but the coming decades.  You will come to know their names and recognize their work as they advance on the world stage.

Our first chapbook to be released in 2010 will be our first change - a chapbook of a stirring epic prose poem, The Winter King by Michael Aaron Casares of Texas with amazing cover art by Steve Viner of the U.K.  We've been wanting to branch out into prose and other forms of writing and this will be our first venture, one we're very excited about.

So stay tuned for further announcements regarding anthology deadlines and rules:  so far these following concepts are on the drawing board.

Trimegestus poetry:  with explanations of this exciting form of poetry forthcoming from Brian K. Ladd and B. Miller 

The Absinthe Anthology

Thanks to the entire Shadow Archer Press family of poets, writers and artists for an amazing 2009! And I lift a glass of absinthe to toast the planning for an even more ambitious 2010!

Gail 

Fissure magazine and Shadow Archer Press is thrilled to announce our nominees for the 2009 Pushcart Prize!

At 2:02 a.m.

By Joseph Goosey

Fissure, Issue #5, January 2009

On the Edge of the Surreal

J. J. Steinfeld

Fissure, Issue #5, January 2009

The Epiphany – Atavist Puzzle Piece

Brian K. Ladd

Fissure, Issue #6, May 2009

Desemantization

Duane Locke

Fissure , Issue #6, May 2009

Van Gogh’s Peach Tree

Kyle Hemmings

Fissure, Issue #7, October 2009

Stories Don’t Write Themselves

Zachary Jernigan

Fissure, Issue #7, October 2009

all preorders for "the devil's doin the same damn thing he always does" by j michael niotta/cover photography by Adria, have been shipped.  All purchases of this signed and numbered limited edition chapbook are now available for immediate shipment.

This book is already selling fast, so don't miss out. Hard noir bar : pomes, prose and novel excerpts  from an editor already known for editing 86 mag, a high quality full color glossy mag full of music interviews, fetish pin up girls, cars and fiction written on the bartops when the lights come up but its not time to go hom; and hard fic, a limited editiong numbered chapbook featuring poems and prose from writers such as Dan Fante, author of  Short Dog, Cab Driver Stories of the LA Streets and numerous other booksand poetic frontman, johnny bonnel (swingin' utters, filthy thieving bastards, druglords of the avenues)...co-editor of The Outlaw Bible of American Poetry.

check out j michaels previous pubs here: http://www.myspace.com/jmichaelniotta

In addition to writing, highway j michael also travels extensively all over the West Coast as bass player for The Embalmers.  Do yourself a treat and check out their music here:    http://www.myspace.com/embalmers

Wow!  Thanks to everyone who headed out to the Vitti for this month's First Friday!  Great crowds, cool folks came to check out guest artist's, Neil Medlin's paintings and wire scultpures, Suzanne Vitti's tile and pottery, Kay Larch's painted mosaics, Fissure mag and Shadow Archer Press books. I had fun weaving and talking about fiber arts and cordial making. Neil's rumcake was out of this world!   

Nick Tosches - Fissure 2 contributor's book to be filmed by Depp

Incredible News: Johnny Depp has bought the rights to "In the Hand of Dante" a novel by his friend Nick Tosches. One of Nick's rare poems, "Nine" was featured in issue #2 of Fissure magazine. Depp and his company, Infinitum Nihil, hope to release the film in 2011, with Depp playing Nick.

"In the Hand of Dante" involves two story lines in two different centuries. One in recent current times as Tosches is called upon to authenticate an original manuscript of Dante's "The Divine Comedy," and the other story line relating how the manuscript came to be in 14th-century Italy.

When asked by Frédéric Ferney of 'Le Musée Imaginaire "Why Nick?"

.

Johnny Depp answered: "For me, Nick Tosches -- I mean, aside from the fact that he is a kindred spirit, somebody that I understand, and I think we have a mutual something that just works, you know? -- For me, Nick Tosches - that guy - is one of a handful of writers from the States who has the ability to keep literature alive; to save literature. In this digital age, he really can save writing."

For more of the interview go to the link http://www.johnnydeppzone2.0catch.com/galleries/index239.htm:

Come out and check issue #7 of Fissure magazine with cover art by Kay Larch and all the publications from Shadow Archer Press at the Vitti Tile and Pottery Gallery, Pendleton Street Arts District, Greenville, SC. See amazing pottery and tiles by Suzanne Vitti, great art by Kay Larch and Neil Medlin. And check out Fissure mag and all 15 of our signed and autographed limited edition chapbooks from local and international authors, artsists and photographers.

Been a while since I've been here but it's two years since we started this particular aspect of Shadow Archer Press and we're now 7 issues of Fissure along and, let's see, I think it's 19 chapbooks.  Three more due out:  "the devil's doin' the same damn thing he's always done," by j michael niotta of San Diego, US, coiver photo by Adrai; "The Winter King" by Michael Aaron Casares of Texas, US, Cover art by Steve Viner of the UK and Soul Insomniac by Baron O'Rederick, desceased, Greenwood, South Carolinam cover art by Justin Brown of Greenville, South Carolina. 

So we're chugging along, looking around, speculating on the benefits of e-books and the like.  I'm old school, like to hold a book in my hand but the world's changing, changing fast and we might have to change to keep up with the times. 

Everyone can still come join us at various festivals and poetry readings around this town, Greenville, SC, especially in the Pendleton Street Arts District where we have a display of all our books at the Vitti Gallery.  We've done some art festivals, some poetry readings some opening nights and hope to do more.  Kay Larch, Fissure 7cover artist has an incredible array of paintings at the Vitti Gallery and we're open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.   I'm happy to own the amazing mosaic painting she did of Jim Morrison, one of my mentors.  One day, I'll display it on here.

More to come when I'm not so bleary eyed from working 12 hour days.

Gail

Greenville, SC

Fissure #3 is almost ready and will be rleeased in June.  Apocalypse issue. So far in this Issue: : 

 Short stories, ?Avenue of Dust,? by B. Matthews, ?The Wasteland? by Guido, and ?When the Rains Come? by Mercy Manic.

Poetry by:  Justin Blackburn, w.alt burns, Blaire Johnson, A. J. Kaufman, Rob Plath

Art by Jason Scott, Danny Bagwell, Shaggy Randal