Announcement

Lineup co-editors Sarah Cortez and Richie Narvaez have decided to step down as their own projects and day jobs have gotten busier. The departure of two editors changes The Lineup's signature editorial process such that I don't know if or when it will continue. Richie was also responsible for the journal's interior layout. If The Lineup were to continue in print, we would need someone with similar expertise.

If this is the end of The Lineup, our editors, contributors, booksellers, and readers can be proud of four years and four volumes of crime poetry (soon to be released as ebooks). For now, as before the first Lineup, I'm testing the waters, seeing if there's enough steam to make something happen.

Here's what I have in mind.

Clips from an Evening of Criminally Good Verse

We were able to shoot video of almost all the poems read at Tuesday night's Cornelia Street Cafe reading with Lineup #4 contributors Jeanne Dickey and Caitlin Elizabeth Thomson and editors Reed Farrel Coleman, Sarah Cortez, and Richie Narvaez.

Below are the videos in chronological order. Click on the arrow icons or the links to play.

Jeanne Dickey - "Desires"
Jeanne Dickey - "The Fat Lady Sings"
Jeanne Dickey - "Red"
Jeanne Dickey - "An Elegy for Susan Atkins" (from The Lineup #4)
Jeanne Dickey - "The Shadow Man Visits a Babysitter" (from The Lineup #4)
Jeanne Dickey - "Dogs of Prayer"
Caitlin Elizabeth Thomson
Richie Narvaez - "Papi Was a Numbers Runner" (from The Lineup #1)
Richie Narvaez - "Metro" (from The Lineup #1)
Richie Narvaez - "Judgment Day" (from The Lineup #1)
Richie Narvaez - "Christ at 13"
Richie Narvaez - "Catching Cupid"
Sarah Cortez - "He's The One" (from The Lineup #1)
Sarah Cortez - "Two Cases..."
Sarah Cortez - "Serial Killer" (from The Lineup #3)
Sarah Cortez - "Poem for a Dying Officer"
Reed Farrel Coleman - "Daddy's Other Shoe"
Reed Farrel Coleman - "The Dying Man" (from The Lineup #2)

Thanks to everyone who participated and attended, and to the cafe management. Visit our Books section to find or purchase copies of The Lineup.

May 31: Lineup Reading at Cornelia Street Cafe

Join us next Tuesday, 6:00 P.M. at the Cornelia Street Cafe (29 Cornelia Street, NYC). Reed Farrel Coleman and Richie Narvaez will be hosting and reading with Jeanne Dickey, Caitlin Elizabeth Thomson, and, in from Texas, Sarah Cortez. Please call (212) 989-9319 for reservations. $7 cover includes a free drink.

Press Release: An Evening of Criminally Good Verse

Presenting an Evening of Criminally Good Verse

Tuesday, May 31st, 6:00 P.M.

@

The Cornelia Street Cafe
29 Cornelia Street
New York, NY 10014
www.corneliastreetcafe.com

Please call (212) 989-9319 for reservations. Cover: $7.


Contributors Jeanne Dickey and Caitlin Elizabeth Thomson join editors Reed Farrel Coleman and Richie Narvaez reading from the recently published fourth annual edition of The Lineup: Poems on Crime.

Published by Poetic Justice Press since 2008, The Lineup invites poets' honest reactions to what they see as crime in fifty lines or fewer.

A limited number of The Lineup #4 will be sold at the reading. Copies may also be purchased locally at The Mysterious Bookshop (58 Warren Street, NYC). Visit Poetic Justice Press on the Web at http://poemsoncrime.blogspot.com.


Reed Farrel Coleman is a three-time winner of the Private Eye Writers of America's Shamus Award for Best Novel. He has also received the Macavity, Barry, and Anthony Awards, and has been twice nominated for the Edgar® Award. He teaches writing classes in mystery fiction and the novel at Hofstra University.

Jeanne Dickey's work has appeared in literary journals such as Passages North, RE:AL, Karamu, and The Good Foot. She is working on a novel, A Fanciful Glamour, which she hopes to complete by the end of the year, if not sooner. An except of that novel is forthcoming in the anthology The Unbearables Big Book of Sex.

Richie Narvaez has had work published by Mississippi Review, Murdaland, and Thrilling Detective, and in the anthologies Hit List: The Best of Latino Mystery, Indian Country Noir, and You Don't Have a Clue. He is the editor of the online humor journal Asinine Poetry.

Caitlin Elizabeth Thomson is a Canadian currently residing in Brooklyn, New York. Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in the Hart House Review, Imago, Softblow, The Toronto Quarterly, Neon, Right Hand Pointing, and the anthology Killer Verse. Her first collection of poems The Victims Of Ted Bundy: Washington State is forthcoming this winter from Jeanne Duval Editions.

Kirkus Kudos for You Don't Have a Clue

My Lineup cohorts Sarah Cortez and Richie Narvaez are also excellent editors and writers in their own right. A review of the teen-oriented mystery anthology You Don't Have a Clue, edited by Sarah and featuring a story by Richie, will run in Kirkus Reviews on March 15th, but already appears on the Kirkus Web site.

Congratulations, Sarah and Richie.

Houston's Lineup Reading a SRO Success!

(L to R: Joe Barnes, Sarah Cortez, Larry D. Thomas)

Thanks to David Thompson, host-extraordinaire at Murder By The Book Bookstore in Houston, TEXAS for hosting the first ever poetry reading last night, July 14, 2010 at his booksstore. Houston poets, Joe Barnes, Larry D. Thomas, and Sarah Cortez read from Lineup: Poems on Crime, issue 3 (2010), and from recent work. Each shared thoughts on poetics, crime, and the writing life.

June 24: Noir Night 2010

Lineup co-editor Sarah Cortez is one of five authors reading and signing their latest works this Thursday, June 24, at Murder By The Book (Houston, TX).

And remember, Sarah will be back at Murder By The Book on Wednesday, July 14, to read with Houston-based Lineup contributors Joe Barnes and Larry D. Thomas.

July 14: Houston Lineup Reading at Murder By the Book

Murder By the Book in Houston, the first independent bookstore to carry The Lineup will host a reading by Houston-based Lineup co-editor Sarah Cortez and contributors Joe Barnes and Larry D. Thomas, July 14 at 6:30 PM Central.

April 13: Sarah Cortez on Nuestra Palabra Radio

Last night, Lineup 3 co-editor Sarah Cortez appeared on KPFT 90.1 FM Houston public radio's Nuestra Palabra: Latino Writers Having Their Say - On The Air.

She discussed You Don't Have a Clue—an upcoming anthology of teen-oriented mystery stories she is editing, The Lineup and our Houston seller Murder By the Book, and spontaneously read her Lineup 3 poem "Serial Killer".


Thanks again to Sarah and everyone at Nuestra Palabra.

Comings and Goings

Early this month, founding co-editor Anthony Rainone informed me of his decision to step down effective the opening of submissions for Issue 4 (May 1, 2010). I thank Anthony for helping shape The Lineup, and wish him the best with his writing and future projects.

Having considered co-editor candidates since Anthony's decision, Sarah Cortez, Richie Narvaez, and I are pleased to welcome Reed Farrel Coleman to the staff for Issue 4.

REQUEST FOR SUBMISSIONS - YOU DON’T HAVE A CLUE: MYSTERY FOR TEENS

Editor Sarah Cortez and Arte Público Press, the world’s largest publisher of U.S. Hispanic voices, will bring together today’s most exciting Latino/a fiction writers in an anthology of original mystery fiction for the YA reader. This volume, tentatively entitled "You Don't Have A Clue," will feature all types of mystery short stories. There will be stories guaranteed to pull in the reluctant reader and stories to delight the high school student gearing up for admissions tests. A Teacher’s Guide will facilitate classroom use by teachers and library media specialists.

Join us in creating the first anthology of edgy, fast-paced mystery fiction written by Latino/a authors for high school students.

Nuts and Bolts

Word Count: Up to 6,000
Format: Standard (double-spaced, one-inch margins, numbered pages)
Unpublished work only - this includes both print and online
No electronic submissions
No simultaneous submissions
Compensation: yes
Deadline: March 31, 2010
Bio: one paragraph which includes your publishing history and your ethnic heritage

Mail a hard copy of your submission to:

Sarah Cortez
P.O. Box 980579
Houston, TX 77098-0579

Please include the following info with your submission:

mailing address, email address, two contact phone numbers.

Note: Your submission will not be returned unless an SASE with sufficient postage is provided. Unreturned copies will be shredded and recycled. You will be notified by email if your submission is accepted or rejected.

If you have any questions, please send an email to cortez dot sarah at gmail dot com

Sarah hopes you’ll join her in creating a unique volume of excellent fiction for our young people.

Sarah Cortez at Houston Public Library, 10/28, 11/4

Wednesday, Oct. 28, 9:30 a.m.

Sarah Cortez reads excerpts from How to Undress a Cop at Houston Public Library's Inversion Coffee shop (500 McKinney) as part of its "Café Reads" series.

From Rhyme to Crime: An Evening With...
Two Latina Writers
Wednesday, Nov. 4, 7:00 p.m.

Lucha Corpi and Sarah Cortez present their literary work together as part of the Houston Public Library's "An Evening With..." series at the Central Branch (500 McKinney).

For more information, call 832-393-1652.

Sarah Cortez and Liz Martinez on blogtalkradio

On Friday, June 12, from 9:00-10:00 PM Pacific, Sarah Cortez and Liz Martinez appeared on blogtalkradio's American Heroes, discussing Hit List: The Best of Latino Mystery, Sarah's poetry book How to Undress a Cop, crime poetry, and crime fiction in general with host Lt. Raymond E. Foster, LAPD (ret.).

Listen to Sarah Cortez and Liz Martinez on American Heroes.

Mysterious Company

I was in Manhattan today for lunch with incoming Lineup editor Sarah Cortez and Liz Martinez at Tír na nÓg. Then I headed to The Mysterious Bookshop to follow up on their interest in carrying The Lineup. The outlook is hopeful.

I stuck around for the Hit List reading and signing, chatting with fellow editors Anthony Rainone and Richie Narvaez and making some neat contacts like Linda Addison, Henry Chang, and Adam Berlin and Jeffrey Heiman of J Journal.

Photographic evidence to come from The Mysterious staff.

CrimeWAV 36: The Lineup - Poems on Crime

Go to the episode entry on CrimeWAV.

Richie Narvaez reads his poem "Metro" and Patrick Shawn Bagley's "110 M.P.H. in a Stolen Pickup".

I read my poem "Four Minutes", "Prayer of an Arson Investigator" by Sarah Cortez, "Don Henley Will Be Mine" by Misti Rainwater-Lites, and "Visiting Hours, State Pen" by Amy MacLennan.

Stephen D. Rogers reads his poem "A Whisper of Smoke".

And Christopher Watkins reads his poem "A Wild Flaw Amongst Us".

Thanks once again to CrimeWAV host Seth Harwood and producer Mystery Dawg Aldo Calcagno.

Hit List Signing at Murder By the Book

From Murder By the Book's Web site:

Friday, May 8, 6:30 p.m.
Anthology group signing!
Hit List (Arté Publico Press)

A group of authors will sign & discuss their contributions to a new groundbreaking anthology of short fiction by Latino writers, Hit List: The Best of Latino Mystery (edited by Sarah Cortez & Liz Martinez; Arte Publico; $19.95). The anthology features an intriguing and unpredictable cast of sleuths, murderers and crime victims. The stories run the gamut of the mystery genre, from traditional to noir, from the private investigator to the police procedural, and even a “chick lit” mystery.

“The Right Profile” follows a Miami private investigator who goes undercover to prove a deadbeat father can pay child support. In “The Skull of Pancho Villa,” someone has stolen the family heirloom and it’s up to Gus Corral to get it back. And in “A New York Chicano,” a successful bachelor from El Paso now working in Manhattan gets his revenge against a xenophobic newscaster.

The authors of stories featured in Hit List lead us through their barrios where executions, vengeance and mayhem are carried out with a bang. Contributors include award-winning writers such as Carolina García-Aguilera, Alicia Gaspar de Alba, Rolando Hinojosa, John Lantigua, Manuel Ramos, Lucha Corpi, and Sergio Troncoso, as well as emerging writers who deserve more recognition.

The anthology contains a foreword by Ralph E. Rodriguez, Ph.D., author of Brown Gumshoes: Detective Fiction and the Search for Chicana/o Identity (University of Texas Press, 2005).

Editor Sarah Cortez, a poet, educator, and law enforcement officer, is the author of a poetry collection, How to Undress a Cop (Arte Público Press, 2000), which won the PEN Texas Literary Award in Poetry. She edited Windows into My World: Latino Youth Write Their Lives (Piñata Books, 2007), which won a 2008 Skipping Stones Honor Award. She lives and works in Houston, Texas.

Editor Liz Martinez, a New York State investigator, has published short stories in numerous anthologies and magazines, including Manhattan Noir (Akashic Books, 2006) and Police Officer’s Quarterly. She lives and works in New York City.

Arte Público Press is the nation’s largest and most established publisher of contemporary and recovered literature by U.S. Hispanic authors. Its imprint for children and young adults, Piñata Books, is dedicated to the realistic and authentic portrayal of the themes, languages, characters, and customs of Hispanic culture in the United States. Based at the University of Houston, Arte Público Press, Piñata Books and the Recovering the U.S. Hispanic Literary Heritage project provide the most widely recognized and extensive showcase for Hispanic literary arts and creativity. For more information, please visit www.artepublicopress.com.

Authors confirmed for the signing: Sarah Cortez, Lucha Corpi, Rolando Hinojosa. More to come!

And of course, Murder By the Book also carries The Lineup #1 featuring works by Hit List authors Sarah Cortez and R. Narvaez.

Howdy

Thank you, Richie, for inviting me to this blog. I'm a cop and a poet. I look forward to participating and hearing from the others on this site. Am I the only participant with law enforcement in my background?
Best,
Sarah Cortez

About Sarah Cortez

The poetry of Lineup contributor (and co-editor as of Issue 3) Sarah Cortez (How to Undress A Cop, Arte Público, 2000) brings the world of street policing to the reader in a way that poet-reviewer Edward Hirsch describes as “nervy, quick-hitting, street-smart, sexual.” Winner of the 1999 PEN Texas Literary award in poetry and other juried designations, Cortez is much in demand as a creative writing teacher. One of her poems was chosen for the nationwide Poetry in Motion program and many others have been anthologized. One of her poems was designated as an Honorable Mention in the 2007 Texas Poetry Calendar (Dos Gatos Press, Austin) by noted poet Kathleen Peirce. Cortez edited Urban-Speak: Poetry of the City (University of Houston, CMAS, 2001) and Windows into My World: Latino Youth Write Their Lives (Arte Público, 2007), an anthology of short memoir written by young men and women reflecting the diversity of growing up Latino in the U.S. Cortez has been a police officer since 1993. She has co-edited two fiction anthologies with Liz Martinez: for Arte Público Press, Hit List: The Best of Latino Mystery, and for Akashic Books (Brooklyn), Indian Country Noir, coming in June 2010.