Robert James Russell

I was invited to moderate a panel at this year’s State of the Book festival entitled “The Haunted Past, The Strange Future” on Saturday, September 28 at 4:30pm—I’ll be talking about historical and speculative writing with novelist Ariel Djanikian, playwright, poet, and novelist Bill Harris, and poet Gerry LaFemina.

This will be State of the Book’s second year—last year was a blast—and it should be an action-packed day with some really great publications and presses on display (including Midwestern Gothic), and a host of very cool panels and events to check out (all of which are FREE).

So if you’re in the area, stop on by.

I was recently interviewed for a piece at AnnArbor.com—where I talked about Midwestern Gothic, regionalist writing and more:

“Admittedly, the crowded lit mag marketplace already features numerous journals located in the Midwest (The Mid-American Review, Passages North, The MacGuffin, etc.); but Midwestern Gothic founders Robert James Russell and Jeff Pfaller felt that what was missing was a journal specifically focused on painting a portrait of the region, warts and all.”

Thanks to Jenn McKee for taking the time to talk to me.

After the success of last year’s theme issue (Issue 7, which was on Nostalgia), we decided it might be fun for each Fall issue to be a theme—it’s a fun way for us to do something different, still culling Midwestern literature and poetry, but around a specific idea that helps draw in different writers and readers.

This year, we decided to embark on a genre, more than a theme: Creative Nonfiction. CNF is something we’ve thought about exploring since the inception of Midwestern Gothic, but for fear of over-crowding issues (with it alongside fiction and poetry), we’ve never fully explored it. For Issue 11, however, we thought long and hard and realized it was time to showcase the essayists out there and their stories—again, another way to help paint a well-rounded portrait of the Midwest, of the folks here and the stories they have to tell.

Which is why I’m doubly excited to show off the cover for Issue 11—we thought our first foray into Creative Nonfiction deserved an especially cool cover, and boy howdy am I in love with the final product.

Issue 11 is slated to release October 1, 2013.

Ian Chung reviewed Sea of Trees at the very cool Sabotage Reviews:

“What holds this delicate structural balancing act together is Russell’s assured command of language. The writing in Sea of Trees displays both clarity and economy.”

In addition, Ian also interviewed me—we talked about the inspiration for the book, the research that went into it, Midwestern Gothic and more—which you can check out here.

The term “Up North” may sound ambiguous, but to Michiganders its anything but: Up North is a boundary-less, dream-place—you just know when you’ve arrived. It’s a vacation-land of relaxing sights and sounds, endless beaches and forests, lakes for fishing, rivers for rafting, huge blue skies whipped with perfectly white clouds. Rainy days and wineries. Scenic drives. It’s a lifestyle—a place we all go to unwind, to get away from it all. A state of mind that makes us who we are.

Head Lopper is a new comic series in the vein of Hellboy, but with a story uncluttered from years of mythology that really does nothing but weigh itself down (I’m looking at your current run, Mignola). It’s a punch-in-the-face sword and sorcery epic—gorgeously rendered from start to finish—that follows the hulking warrior Norgal as he travels the world slaying great beasts. Yes, that is all you need to know.

The best part? Creator/Artist/Writer Andrew MacLean has published the book himself. Done everything himself, in fact, except colors. Pretty awesome to see something so great done for nothing more than a love of the story. And if this series continues to be this awesome, it will easily be one of my favorites out there.

You can pick up a copy of issue #1 (print or PDF) on his site, where Mister MacLean also posts regular updates about the series (pencils, inks, etc.). (And check out a couple sample pages below.)

Sometimes you have to get away from the grind. Luckily, the Mitten’s blessed with a lot of greenspace (Read: You’re never far away from a killer campground). So grab your tent, bug spray and snacks, find your favorite spot, and have yourself an unbeatably tranquil time.

I’m continuously proud of the quality of the issues we put out, directly related to the quality of the submissions we receive. Issue 10, which is now live, is a testament to that—a gorgeous gut-punch of fiction and poetry not to be missed. Work from Frank Bill, Jared Yates Sexton, Nick Mainieri, Leesa Cross-Smith, Jeff Kass, and many more.

Pick up a copy: $12 (Print), $2.99 (eBook)

Also, check out the our new header images below:

Windows down. Warm air hitting your face. Surrounded by unceasing green, innumerable lakes. Not a care in the world as you travel dusty two-lane roads toward your final destination. Or, perhaps, to nowhere at all. Regardless of where you’re headed—or why—summer road trips are a rite of passage in the Mitten.

When Midwestern Gothic was founded, the idea was—and still very much is—to catalog the region, the people and places, the idiosyncrasies that make the Midwest so great, through stories and poetry. As simple as that. Not soon after we launched we were asked about Creative Nonfiction submissions, and our answer was always “Maybe someday!” And that questions never stopped coming.

Well, that day is here: Issue 11 (Fall 2013) of Midwestern Gothic will be devoted completely to Creative Nonfiction. It’s our hope that this will further expand the reach of our mission, including nonfiction stories to compliment all of the fiction and poetry we’ve collected within ten issues. We absolutely can’t wait to see the unique turn this issue takes.

For more information about what we’re looking for in regards to Creative Nonfiction, or to submit a piece, click here.