Klingons and a Writing Prompt

Another International Comic Convention has descended upon San Diego, marking one of my favorite times of the year. I have fond memories of attending the convention as a child escaping the sweltering New England summer in exchange for its permanently sublime San Diego counterpart. Add to these memories a childhood of comic book collecting (I still have a pretty respectable collection), and a rather well maintained Star Trek habit which continues to this day and, well, you get the point.

My summer just isn't the same if I don't get to see some Klingons.

This year—as Harry Potter, Star Wars, and various blood-thirsty video games hold the central territory of the collective Comic-Con psyche—I am sad to report I spotted not a single one. Klingon, that is.

Nevertheless, the convention is always worth the ticket price. If only to gawk at the costumes and unmitigated enthusiasm for everything fantastical.

All of which—if you've made it this far—merits some kind of creative response. These people are, most often, the ones who in other settings sit shyly in the corner. These are the ones most often misunderstood, most often ridiculed, most often alienated. Seems like they might make interesting characters?

Whether you include them as characters or not, how about a story involving a Superman costume, a 1982 Volvo, and a road trip. For conflict, how about a body part—unattached to its former body. Send us your grittiest fiction of 500 to 3,500 words. (Throw in a Klingon if you're feeling really ambitious!)

(R Woerheide)

Steve Kowit, 2006 Tampa Review Poetry Prize

All of us here at Perigee extend our warm congratulations to Steve Kowit, who was recently named the winner of the 2006 Tampa Review Prize for Poetry. Steve is a friend of the editors here at Perigee, was featured in an interview during our 7th issue, and graciously served as Perigee's finalist judge during the 2005 Poetry Contest.

Kowit's poetry deserves the award, and much more. His spirit, intelligence, and humanity never cease to amaze us. Not to mention his particular talent for poetry which is both profound and accessible.

Congratulations, Steve!

(Read the announcement in PDF form here, if you like)

Editor's Fiction in Miranda Literary Magazine

The Managing Editor's fiction is currently available in Miranda Literary Magazine. Robert's story is entitled "Addressing Amy."

Robert explains, "After a dry spell, this was the story that got my feet wet again. It ended up opening the flood-gates, in fact. Some of my best work followed fast on the heels of this modest little piece—which is therefore close to my heart. Part of the inspiration for this story came from a movie I admire, "About Schmidt." After his wife's death, Schmidt is going through sympathy cards. This quiet and introspective sequence triggered a sentiment, and then a thought. The resulting story can trace its route to that moment of inspiration. The story is about grief, yes, but much more: It is about the basic human experience and our inability to prepare ourselves for or cushion each other from the hardships therein. That is not to say the story is hopeless. There is hope in moving through, in surviving, in realization. This too is a basic human experience."

The story is available along with the entire issue, free of charge.

The Sweet Revisions of Memory, Lies, Shadings, and the Muse

Last January, at a MFA Residency in Seaside, Oregon, Jack Driscoll gave a craft talk on memory. He began his presentation with a quote from the poet William Stafford: "Put something down everyday in my hand from writing ... to bring the ship a little nearer to its longing."

With this quote in mind, Jack wanted us to be aware of a physical essential in our writing: our gut. This idea relates to our recent memory, and how each day we see thousands of images. Our mind categorizes these stimuli, and chooses the images we remember and discards the rest. But Jack suggested that we push our daily memories a bit further. If we listen to our gut, we will tune into images and prioritize them. This is an opportunity to search daily images or events for crucial details that make them unique. Once we begin to observe the details of the event, our memory of it evolves into a larger picture. The larger picture contains the details that stimulate us either by an emotional content or an intellectual one. If we keep a daily journal of these images and events, the journal becomes a good source for a poem or a story.

With our older memories, let us turn to humor. Humor is the relaxant that gives us the ability to face things that are beautifully sad. In Theodore Roethke's "My Papa's Waltz," the narrative uses humor to freeze a sad moment in time that becomes palatable and beautiful through humor. The poem is the memory of an actual event as well as the speaker's perception of it. And in this way, the event is transformed. The immediate images of the boy waltzing on the feet of his father are enhanced by the music of the rhyme.

It's essential for a narrative to evolve from actual facts. In this evolution, we use our imagination to build the narrative that ultimately reaches an epiphany or what we like to call a change of mind or change in thinking. Thus, our memories are transformed into imagined transgressions.

(J Storie)

2006 Fiction Contest Winners

I want to take this opportunity to personally thank all who participated in Perigee’s 2006 Fiction Contest.

Fiction is close to my heart. It is my passion and my craft. On my better days, I feel like I've got a handle on its secrets. This year we received many submissions which could trace themselves to those secrets. In the end of course, only three can be chosen.

That is not an easy proposal. Many of the stories we received stayed with us: some haunted us, others made us grin long after reading them--over supper or while stuck at a traffic light. Still others banged around in our heads like restless children, demanding we decide ... one way or another.

With that in mind, we are pleased to announce the three winners of the 2006 Fiction Contest, along with three Honorable Mentions:

First Place, and $200: Wendy Neudorf for "Charlie Dreams"
Second Place, and $100: Andrew McNabb for "Shed Drinker"
Third Place, and $50: A.T. Cross, for "Lambchop"

Honorable Mentions: Pierre Norman Hauser, for “Girlyman." Lawrence Lawson, for “How I Met Jesus Christ and Watched Him Walk out of My Life.” Raymond Morrison, for “Lenny and Earl Go Shooting off their Mouths.”

The winning stories will be published in our autumn (October 15th) issue. We know all of you join us in congratulating the winning writers. The quality of work submitted made this process deliciously difficult; we thank everyone who participated in the contest. Understanding, as we do, that a lot more is involved than simply sending us your submission. Keep it up. Keep writing.

Warm Regards,



Robert J Woerheide
Managing Editor

Issue 13 Contributors

Our thirteenth issue will include the following contributors:

Rachelle Marie Acker, for "The Things I Forget. The Things I Remember" and "The Silence of Roses"
Uma Asopa, for "Talking to my Son"
Andrea Blythe, for "The Lost One" and "All She Wants is a Pair of Scissors"
T. Phillip Cantrell, for "The Dark Arteries" and "Tall Grass"
Gwendolyn Cash, for "Choosing Berries and Onions" and "Underworld"
Michael L Conley, for "Boy Interrupted"
Durenda, for "You Promised Letters" and "Neptune Can't Save You Either" and "Summer Appetite"
Kitty Evers, for "Soft Stone" and "Gifts"
J.S. Fourmy, for "Sweetness" and "A Green Sestina"
Lisa Galloway, for "Fireflies" and "She Was a Chagall"
B.J. Hollars, for "Cocktail Napkins Weren't Necessary Any Longer"
Susan Landon, for "Grinding Corn" and "Egyptian Hospitality"
Lawrence Lawson, for "A Convergence of Angles"
Christopher Middleman, for "Blue Trains"
Emily Parkhurst, for "The Va Va Voom"
Susan Reese, for "First Post-Mastectomy Appointment"
Casey Walsh, for "Orange Line"

The issue is due out this Saturday, the 15th. The contributors have been invited to comment here, introduce themselves, or perhaps discuss the work which we've chosen to publish (check COMMENTS, below).

Farewell, Syd

(Pink Floyd, 1967: Roger Waters, Nick Mason, Syd Barrett, and Richard Wright.)

Syd Barrett, the "crazy diamond" who founded Pink Floyd and forever shaped their music, has passed away. For me, this is a great loss, as Pink Floyd has long been my favorite band and the source of profound inspiration, motivation, and enjoyment. Their imprint on music is inarguable.

For my part, I have distinct memories of singing Syd's lyrics during my childhood walks to school. He will forever be with me in spirit, and his influence on contemporary music—though overshadowed and likely underappreciated—will be with us for a long time to come.

Rest in peace, Syd.

(R Woerheide)

Editors' Meeting

The 13th official editors' meeting occurred on Sunday. It was our most efficient meeting to date, and we are excited about the streamlining which Perigee is undergoing. Along with our application for 501(c)(3) status from the Feds, we are shifting roles internally in order to bring you the best publication possible. Primarily, this involves new individual focuses for each of the editors.

Robert is now the Managing Editor. A small change from Editor in Chief, but an important one: it is hard to deal with the numerous submissions and also handle the inner and outer workings of the publication. Now Robert can focus on the managerial aspects and leave much of the literary decisions in the very capable hands of the editors. Robert is still responsible for the web design, and he thanks everyone for their continued enthusiasm regarding Perigee's web site layout (although, as an artist, he is eager to change it . . . and resisting the urge). He has also been named President of the board of directors.

Sue remains Advisory and Contributing editor. Her input and advice have shaped Perigee from the very first issue and she is integral to our continued success. She has also been named Vice President of the board of directors.

Jensea officially takes the poetry reigns, as Poetry Editor. This is a very important role, since the majority of submissions to Perigee come as verse. Our confidence in her aptitude for the craft is reflected in our decision to give her first say on what is included in this coveted section of Perigee.

John, sadly, had to bid farewell to Perigee last month. Other duties demanded his attention, and we are sad to lose him. Consequently, Perigee is hitting the pavement for a new fiction editor (know a good one?). In the meantime Robert—whose fiction is beginning to appear regularly in a growing number of literary magazines—will fill that role with the help of the Advisory Editor. We wish John, our Honorary Editor, all the best.

It may not look like a nutshell, but it's the closest we've got. Check back soon for a list of the contributors to our upcoming issue.

And of course, don't forget to read the new issue (free of charge) on the 15th.

In Orbit

Thom Yorke is right: why watch dullards on the boob-tube (Stephen King calls it the "brain sucking machine"), when you can watch this!

Wow. Now that's entertainment!

(An orbit is really just a free fall toward the surface of Earth. Thanks to the curvature of the earth, the surface moves away from the free-falling object faster than the object approaches it at that distance. Thus, an orbit. This is interesting to think about while watching NASA's feed.)


(R Woerheide)

The Big Two-Three-Zero

Happy Independence Day, America.

"This war will not be over by the next commercial break" (U.S. spokeperson talking to reporters during the Gulf War.)

"Liberty means responsibility. That is why most men dread it." (George Bernard Shaw.)

"America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves." (Abraham Lincoln.)

"He that would make his own liberty secure, must guard even his enemy from opposition; for if he violates this duty he establishes a precedent that will reach himself." (Thomas Paine.)

"The American Revolution was a beginning, not a consummation." (Woodrow Wilson.)

Issue 13 Update

Lucky number thirteen approaches. No, we aren't going to skip it and go straight to fourteen. We're just that crazy.

For those awaiting our decision on your submission(s), we appreciate your patience. As we apply for 501(c)(3) status from the state and federal government, we have reorganized the internal structure of Perigee to better suit our changing needs. Part of this means shuffling editorial responsibilities. Naturally we want to take our time and make sure we treat the work submitted to us with the same care we've always afforded it.

Fear not, we're reading and re-reading your work. We're thinking about it. We're talking about it. We're meeting to make final decisions on July 9th. All the writers and artists who have submitted work for our 13th issue can expect a response from us shortly thereafter.

This time around we are going to be much more strict about the work we publish. The end result will be that much better.

(We are currently accepting submissions to our 14th issue, released in October.)