Jen Scott

The Design of Firewords – Case Study #3

The Design of Firewords – Case Study #3

Guillermo Ortego & his artwork in Issue 6

In this feature, we look at the design of Firewords more closely. This series of blogs will allow us to meet some of the creative talent we’ve worked with and find out why they made the design decisions that they did.

Meet Guillermo Ortego, an illustrator originally from Madrid, who took on the challenge of illustrating the short story 'Fuel' by Shirley Golden in Issue 6. The thought that went into his artwork and how well it represented the story made him the ideal candidate to answer some of our questions about his process.

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Submissions now open

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While still spreading the word about Issue 6, we are also looking to the future – Submissions for Issue 7 are open now! Here are the facts you need if you want to get involved:

WHEN: Sunday 29th May until Saturday 11th June

WHAT: Short stories (under 2000 words) and flash fiction

WHERE: firewords.co.uk/submit

The loose theme for this issue is ‘Dark/Light’. There will also be our usual flash fiction challenge, with a maximum 400 words based on this visual prompt by illustrator Rondie Li:

We are only open for two weeks this time so don’t hang around. Submissions will open until 11th June and we are only accepting short stories and flash fiction; we received so much great poetry for Issue 6, we felt that some had to be carried forward to this issue.

If you haven’t already done so, check out the newly published ‘Secrets’ edition. Not only a great read, it will also show you the kind of writing that captures our interest for the next submission round.

We can’t wait to see what Issue 7 will hold.

The Design of Firewords – Case Study #2

The Design of Firewords – Case Study #2

Christina Chung & the cover artwork for Issue 5

In this feature, we look at the design of Firewords more closely. This series of blogs will allow us to meet some of the creative talent we’ve worked with and find out why they made the design decisions that they did.

All the visuals and illustrations in the magazine are important to us, but one element has the most prominence and comes with extra responsibility: the cover artwork. This is the first thing people see on the shelves. Despite the famous saying, many people do judge a book by its cover! We aim for our covers to be eye-catching, hint at the theme of the issue and provide an enticing promise of what is to be found within the pages. 

Meet the Team: Jen, Editor

Meet the Team: Jen, Editor

In this series of blogs we meet the team who bring you Firewords. Next up is our second in command, Jen. (Interview by Dan Burgess, Editor.)

Tell us a bit about yourself.

Well, I’m an editor and English teacher, but I find my life outside of work is far more important. This involves many distinct areas of Firewords, as well as travelling regularly and writing; all the things that truly make me who I am. On that note, I am an aunt now and am absolutely loving it! Family, friendship and creativity mean the most to me, that’s for sure.

You’ve had a pretty life-changing year (which people can read about in your previous blog post). How are you feeling now?

Announcing our Pushcart Prize nominations

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Last year, we just missed the nomination window for the Pushcart Prize and we were kicking ourselves for weeks! This year, we managed to submit our nominations just before the deadline.

In case you haven’t heard of the Pushcart Prize before, it celebrates the work published by small presses and independent magazines in the current year (so for us that means Issue 4 & 5) and prints the winners in a yearly anthology. We wanted to take part because it gives a few of our authors the chance for the acclaim and recognition we think they deserve.

Each publisher is permitted six nominations and we found it extremely challenging to narrow ours down, especially because we have the honour of publishing work of such a high standard. We tried to select a mixture of styles and favourites from different team members. So, without further ado, our nominations for the next Pushcart Prize are:

  • Marie Peach-Geraghty – ‘The Pigeon Problem’ (Issue 4)
  • Christopher Swiedler – ‘Orion, the Hunter’ (Issue 4)
  • Damon King – ‘Eight Across’ (Issue 4)
  • Robert Ford – ‘Heart-shaped’ (Issue 5)
  • Die Booth – ‘Things the sea brings us’ (Issue 5)
  • Sue Wilsea – ‘View from the Top’ (Issue 5)

Psst… If you want the chance to be published in our next issue and perhaps be nominated next year, our submissions open on Dec 17th!

Firewords 2015 Survey

Have an opinion? Of course you do! We would love to hear your thoughts about our magazine. If you own a copy or have ever submitted writing (or both!), have your say and shape the future of Firewords in our survey. Every participant will receive a complimentary digital copy of the magazine as a thanks and a chance to win a free print copy.

 Update: the survey is now closed. Thank you for all the responses!

  

 

 

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Firewords is nominated for a Stack Award!

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If you’re a fan of magazines yet haven’t heard of Stack, you should really check it out. Stack selects the best independent magazines and delivers a surprise mag to its subscribers every month. Earlier this year, the news that Stack was starting an awards scheme aimed purely at independent magazines was very exciting… and even more exciting was finding out that Firewords had been shortlisted in the ‘Best Original Fiction’ category. Yay!

Here are the awards explained by Stack founder, Steve Watson…

Independent publishers make some of the world’s most exciting and inspiring magazines, but come awards time they’re virtually invisible. The Stack Awards 2015 is our attempt to put that right; an awards scheme made specifically for independent magazines, recognising the best work done by independent publishers and their contributors between October 2014 and September 2015.

The big awards ceremony is on Monday 30th November in London, so wish us luck! To be honest, we aren’t expecting a win because the competition is so strong but just being shortlisted is a huge honour. The other five shortlisted magazines in the ‘Best Original Fiction’ (as well as those in all the other categories) are fantastic, so whichever mag picks up the award will be a worthy winner.

Long live indie mags!

Meet the Team: Mike Wolfson, Assistant Editor

Meet the Team: Mike Wolfson, Assistant Editor

In this series of blogs we meet the team who bring you Firewords. Next up is our Assistant Editor, Mike. (Interview by Dan Burgess, Editor.)

Tell us a bit about yourself.

Eek, did I say I wanted to do this interview? Ha ha - I’m one of those private individuals that hates talking about themselves. That’s partly why I hide behind the pen name M. J. Wolfson. Very few people know that the real me leads a double life and I write fiction.

M. J. Wolfson came into being circa 2008. Before 2008 I was an occasional scribbler. I’d write down ideas for stories, and sometimes I’d start writing them but I’d never finish them. Confidence was always the killer. I used to go through months where I’d supress the urge to write. Why was I thinking about writing? Me, a writer, who was I kidding? Each time I gave up I’d start to get a little bit down, a little bit grumpy, and a little bit moody. I realised that the only way to shift those blues was to write. So M. J. Wolfson was born along with a conviction to not give up and to take writing seriously.

The Design of Firewords – Case Study #1

The Design of Firewords – Case Study #1

Sarah Dayan & The Old Garden of the Alcazar

At the heart of Firewords is our commitment to design. Once the frenzy of a submission period is over, in come our illustrators and artists to do their magic and ensure the whole publication is instantaneously attention-grabbing.

In a new feature, we are going to start looking at design more closely. This series of blogs will allow us to meet some of the creative talent we’ve worked with and find out why they made the design decisions that they (thankfully) did, and how they felt they enhanced the piece of writing they were given.

First up is Sarah Dayan, a hand-letterer from France who has so far contributed to Issue 1 and Issue 3 with her amazing lettering skills. In her own words, Sarah takes us through her decision making process as she worked on a lettering piece for the short story ‘The Old Garden of the Alcazar’, by Rachael de Moravia, which can be seen in Issue 3 (you can grab a digital copy from our store.)

The 2014 Literary Christmas Challenge

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What would Christmas be without a quiz? To add a bit of fun to the festive period we have launched our Literary Christmas Challenge. The first 3 questions are above, with the rest at www.literarychristmas.com. Solve them all and you’ll win a free digital copy of Firewords Quarterly literary magazine (the issue of your choice), or 10% off any editorial or design service at Little Book Factory!

Need the perfect Christmas gift quick?

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Season’s greetings everyone. If you are new to Firewords, now is your chance to catch up with our story so far. We have Christmas bundles for sale in our online store, which include all 3 editions to date (plus a hand-stamped bookmark and blank gift tag!).

Of course, we believe that Issues 1, 2 & 3 are full of such amazing writing and stunning art that everyone should own a bundle! Firewords is independently published and this involves the hard work and dedication of many talented people, all of whom give up their time to make this project a reality; so, to all you ‘Little Helpers’, we are sending you a big bundle of Christmas cheer!  

A bundle make an excellent present for someone in your life who enjoys being creative, loves being immersed in a story and appreciates a project that is not created for profit but for the sheer joy of making, collaborating and sharing. Of course, it don’t have to be bought as a gift, so don’t feel bad for treating yourself!

Thank you to everyone who has ordered a bundle so far. Our little elves are wrapping them up in festive ribbon as we speak!

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Issue 3 – Out now

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We are thrilled (and slightly giddy) to announce that Issue 3 is now available to order! This publication is the result of many late nights and lot of hard work, so we would like to thank all the talented artists and writers who made it happen.

Also available in our brand new shop: the much requested subscriptions are back and we have special Christmas bundles for sale. Stocking filler anyone?