Southern Netherlands
Greetings Esteemed Writers and Readers!
from Melanie Lamaga, publisher/ed. in chief
Since mid-January the ringmasters and performers here at MCP have been hard at work raising the tents and preparing the stage for our first issue of See the Elephant Magazine. In other words, we’ve been reading submissions and contest entries — lots of them.
I’m pleased to announce that we are in the final round of selections now, and are on track to notify everyone of our decisions by May 1 ( May Day, appropriately enough, that ancient celebration of fertility and spring where those so inclined dance naked around a pole. Ahem. But I digress.)
Some might say that finding good stories in a deluge of unsolicited submissions and a contest for new writers is as difficult as finding a unicorn, but that hasn’t happened here at the circus. In fact, I am happily wading in a pool of stories so fine that it humbles and amazes me. The only shadow on the horizon is the prospect of having to turn away stories that I truly admire, for lack of funds to buy them all.
The level of quality that we’ve received, even as a brand new magazine, confirms the conviction that lead me to found this press: we are in a renaissance of literature in the fantastic modes. Of course, I’m sure the quality of submissions is helped by the fact that we are paying writers pro rates, but that, too, is as it should be. Writing well is very hard work, and all of us need to eat.
In closing, I would like to thank everyone who submitted their work to us. You’ll be hearing from us soon, if you haven’t already. We truly appreciate your participation and hope that you will continue writing (and reading) these kinds of stories. There is a need for literature that explores the unreality of reality, and the reality of unreality. We invite you to continue traveling with the circus on its metaphysical journey and engage with us via social media. We want to hear from you!