Dave Seter's Chapbook Coming Early 2010

Perigee author Dave Seter's first collection of poetry—a chapbook entitled Night Duty—will be released by Main Street Rag Publishing Company in early 2010. Seter's poem "Billboard," which is part of the chapbook, appeared in Perigee's 22nd issue (October 2008).

The title poem, Night Duty, was inspired by the author's first job out of college. As a field engineer with Public Service Electric and Gas Company, he was assigned to cover gas fires and explosions after hours, in the urban centers of Newark, Patterson, and Jersey City.

Sonoma County poet Maya Khosla says, "Night Duty is full of precise dissections of nights and days rendered with rhythm, punctuated by bolts, grit, rattling and, more often than not, humble questions left floating in the air."

Night Duty will be released in March, but is currently available for pre-order at a substantial discount through the publisher's web site by clicking here. Additional information can also be found at Seter's web site, www.daveseter.com.

Donors with access to Perigee's archives can find his poem, "Billboard" in our October 2008 archived issue.

Will You Nominate Perigee?

Writer's Digest is putting together their annual list of the best web sites for writers. We need your support to make the list! If you enjoy Perigee and want to support the work we're doing—bringing literature to a world-wide audience at no charge, and providing a quality venue to both new and established voices—please take a moment to vote for Perigee.

Nominations are due by January 1, 2010. Simply click on the link we've provided here, or e-mail writersdigest@fwmedia.com and put "101 Websites" in the subject line. Let Writer's Digest know that you appreciate Perigee's non-profit literary mission, our annual contests, and our support of independent publishers. Copy us on your nomination if you like—we'll certainly appreciate reading it.

With Thanks,

In the Company of Angels, Thomas E. Kennedy

"A luminous love story and an internationally acclaimed masterpiece"

Thomas E. Kennedy's latest novel, In the Company of Angels will be published by Bloomsbury USA & UK in April 2010. Angels has already had a starred review in Publisher's Weekly. Kirkus says Kennedy "offers two exquisitely crafted characters a chance to explore the legacy of inhumanity and to enact a drama of resilience—redemption, even." Library Journal VERDICT: [Kennedy's] " ... work may be new to U.S. readers, but it merits greater attention ... a great choice for readers of literary fiction." South Carolina Review says Kennedy's Angels is "a masterpiece." The novel can be preordered on Amazon.com.

Chauncey Mabe Joins Perigee

Perigee is pleased to announce that long time reporter, interviewer and book review editor Chauncey Mabe will be contributing to each new Perigee issue.

For 23 years Chauncey was the books editor and senior cultural columnist for the Sun Sentinel in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He's interviewed everyone from John Ciardi to Eric Carle; Dave Barry to Margaret Atwood; Charles Willeford to Marilyn French; Tom McGuane to Edmund White; A. Manette Ansay to Joyce Carol Oates. Before joining the Sun Sentinel, he worked as a reporter and magazine editor. He continues to review books of all genres for a variety of publications. Take a look at Chauncey's popular blog at flcenterlitarts.wordpress.com.

THE END OF THE CIRCLE by Contributing Editor Walter Cummins

Walter Cummins' fourth short story collection,The End of the Circle, has been published by Egress Books and is available on Amazon.com. [http:// www.waltercummins.com/circle] Cummins has published more than one hundred stories, two novels and numerous essays. He is editor emeritus of The Literary Review and co-publisher, with Thomas E. Kennedy, of Serving House Books. Cummins is a core faculty member of the Fairleigh Dickinson University MFA program.

2010 Fiction Contest Guest Judge: Susan Straight!

We're proud to announce Susan Straight as our 2010 Fiction Contest guest judge. Straight is a novelist and National Book Award finalist whose numerous essays and articles have appeared in The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, The Nation, and Harper's Magazine. She is a frequent contributor to NPR and Salon.com. Straight's story "Mines," first published in Zoetrope: All Story, was included in Best American Short Stories 2003, and she's been awarded a Lannan Literary Award (2007) and an Edgar Allan Poe Award (2008). She is a professor at the University of California, Riverside.

Perigee's 2010 Fiction Contest begins January 15th, with the release of our 27th issue. $800 in cash prizes is up for grabs, with publication in our popular summer issue (July 15, 2010). The winning entry will receive $400, with $250 being awarded to the 1st runner-up and $150 to the 2nd runner-up.

To read our contest guidelines, visit www.perigee-art.com/contest/. Beginning January 15th, you can submit your stories directly through our redesigned web site. Don't miss the chance to have your work appear alongside Pushcart- and award-winning writers, in a literary publication recently named one of the world's top 50. All contest entries will also be considered for regular publication.

The contest deadline is May 15, 2010, and winners will be announced on June 15th. Want something to whet your appetite and stir the muse? Read the winners of the 2009 Fiction Contest, as judged by novelist James Brown, by accessing our archived 23rd issue. Or simply read our current issue—chock full of poetry, fiction, and non-fiction, all at no charge whatsoever.