Blog #22

Brittany Piano
Dr. Chandler
Creative Non-Fiction
December 6, 2009

Crazyhorse

Founded by poet Tom McGrath in 1960, Crazyhorse publishes an array of writing from fiction, essays, and poems. Crazyhorse accepts and publishes writing from both discovered writers, as well as those who are not yet established. Honorably, poems from Crazyhorse have recently appeared in The Best American Poetry 2007 and 2008.

Analysis of writings being accepted by editor:

- Accepts submissions year-round
- Winners receive Crazyhorse Fiction Prize, $2,000 and publication in Crazyhorse
- Welcomes submissions of fiction, poetry, and non-fiction
- Interested in original writing that engages the work of honest communication
- Editors read all submissions in their respective genres
- Submitted essay/fictional writing may be up to 25 pages
- 3-5 poems may be submitted

Description of several representative essays published:

Philip Schultz Attention

“More often than not, my wife needs some irregularly, a balancing act of knowing when to be visible, to remind her of her importance to our complexity. My sons need more than I can give them. One always needs more than the other.” – He starts off with the most important aspect of his life that needs his attention. As the essay continues, the reader will notice how it transfers from his family, to his pet, to his friends, to politics, etc.

“Because I never really had one before, my career never used to ask for much. Now, disguised as letters, e-mails, phone calls, it never lets me forget it’s there, a new best friend whose only purpose is to prove its inevitability.” – His job now isn’t just a ‘job’ it’s a career. The write is explaining how much attention it needs because of how important it is for him and his family.

“There’s our town, its politics, scandals and obligations, and all the fine, inescapable privileges of citizenship in an idea that no one understands anymore.” – All these values deserve attention because he’s admitting that they shape individuals lives, yet he’s describing how due to politics and current society, [he] isn’t even aware of his own freedom anymore.

Suzanne Buffam Enough

“I am wearing dark glasses inside the house to match my dark mood.” – She’s either angry, or depressed.

“I have left all the sugar out of the pie. My rage is a kind of domestic rage.” – She feels rebellious for leaving the sugar out of the pie. Now the reader can realize that her mood is of anger. By ‘domestic’ I believe she’s referring to the idea that domesticated women are usally known as bakers.

“The train whistles through the far hills. One day I plan to be riding it.” – Possibly, she’s had ‘enough’ of the place she’s living, and/or the lifestyle she’s living.

Characterization of the “niche” your publication fits in terms of audience and purpose:
Audience: Adults and/or young adults. From both essays I got the idea that the writer was older than me, but not by too much. I think it’s appropriate for readers my age.
Purpose: The essays were easy reader. I like readings I can relate to, and although I could relate more to “Attention” than to “Enough” I did enjoy both readings and feel that other readers my age would feel the same way.