Congratulations to Bruce Boston and Lee Ballentine, whose story “Wasp Light” (Farrago’s Wainscot, Issue 10), was honorably mentioned in Ellen Datlow’s Best Horror of the Year. Additional congratulations to Bruce, whose poem, “Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Vulture” (Farrago’s Wainscot, Issue 11), was also honorably mentioned.
Congratulations to Forrest Aguirre, whose short story, “The Non-Epistemological Universe of Emmaeus Holt,” (first published in Farrago’s Wainscot, Issue 11) is listed as one of The storySouth Million Writers Award
Notable Stories of 2009.
Friday March 12
Denton, Texas’s NX35, originally a panel for Denton bands at SXSW, celebrated and produced a formidable first in what one could only hope becomes more in-town annuals March 11-14. I had attended the first Denton-anchored event and was experiencing this bloated annual with every bit of awe and elation as, I expect, those who had put it together must have also felt.
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Charles Tan gave the final issue of Farrago’s Wainscot (Issue 12) an honorable mention (category, Best Single-Issue Magazine) for his 2009 Bibliophile Stalker Awards.
Much obliged, Charles—thanks for reading.
Rich Horton positively reviews the ‘09 year at Farrago’s Wainscot.
As ever, we appreciate his thoughts.
So, it has a name now—well, that’s something.
More interesting to me, however, is the newest tide of unease washing over economists: “6 double dip warning signs”*
I am not surprised. Look, there really wasn’t any reason for everyone to start hollering that the recession was over. Yes, things were turning upward, ever so slightly. New unemployment claims per month were dropping, new layoffs per month were dropping, and home values were supposedly “bottoming out.”** Everyone—citizens, administrations, economists—was so eager and so primed for any sign of recovery that what gains we were making were being blown out of proportion. It’s the equivalent of cheering after floating in an ark for 40 days, only to find out on day 41 that the water was now five feet shallower than it had been. You’re still screwed, but, Oh, great day in the mornin’!
“Wasp Light,” by Bruce Boston and Lee Ballentine (FW 10), will appear in the forthcoming The Anthology of Dark Wisdom. Why not preorder a copy of the book?
The recession is over! Break out the champagne and the credit cards—it’s time to get back to normal!
2009 total: 120 (to date)
2008 total: 25
2007 total: 2
2006 total: 0
Farrago’s Wainscot will cease operations following the release of its twelfth issue (the final issue of our third year) on October 1. We will close to submissions on September 1.
Those of us behind Farrago’s Wainscot wish to thank our many contributors for sharing their work with us. Further, we wish to thank our readers, who have come from a variety of reading backgrounds and who have spent so much time exploring the questions of narrative, plot, characterization, and format that have so captivated the Farrago’s Wainscot staff since the journal’s inception. Without the support of those who donated money during our three years of operation, Farrago’s Wainscot would not have existed for as long as it has. We encourage you to seek out new projects in need of your support.
There are many reasons behind this closure. Among them, of course, is cost. While our operating budget is comparatively small, the realities of offering free online literature while yet compensating our contributors have made the project unsustainable. We also feel that Farrago’s Wainscot has accomplished what we set out to accomplish–namely, providing an internet audience with fiction, poetry, and experimental wordforms that challenge general conceptions about form and offer readers new perspectives through which to view other literatures. We never envisioned a particular “run” for Farrago’s Wainscot—instead, we approached each year’s exhibition as a fresh project. We are pleased to have successfully offered three such years, which will remain available online through (at least) 2010.
We will, instead, direct our energies to new Farrago projects. Most primary among them is Farrago’s F.M.I., where we will offer our internet audience an entirely new perspective on “weird literature.” F.M.I. will ask new questions about fiction vs. nonfiction, real vs. unreal, and author vs. audience. In the tradition of Farrago’s Wainscot, Farrago’s F.M.I. will continue to create opportunities for both established and aspiring writers. In the interim, we invite you to follow Farrago’s F.M.I. as it exists now, presenting blog-like items of weird-interest.
In addition, Farrago Press will soon begin full operation, bringing readers the fiction and nonfiction they’ve come to expect from the Farrago Enterprise, only in print format.
We look forward to our new directions, and we will share further details about Farrago’s future in the coming months.
Appreciatively,
The Farrago’s Wainscot staff
