Loose Criteria

Did we lose something or did we get something new?In this episode Adam, Dylan, and Abigail discuss fragments as a literary form, touching on; Anne Carson's Sappho, Maggie Nelson, Roland Barthes, Kubla Khan, Michael Crighton/James Patterson, CS Lewis, Richard Brautigan, Annie Ernaux, Joseph Cornell, Sei Shonagon, Mary Oliver, Lydia Davis, and Sheila Heti.Become a patron on patreon for bonus content and be sure to visit us at samfiftyfour.com, follow us on bluesky, instagram, and twitter, and support us on patreon.Issue XI out soon, submissions open for Issue XIIClosing music courtesy of SculptyWorks

I actually take things way too seriouslyIn this episode Adam and Dylan discuss Deleuze, Whitman, Doty, Nezhukumatathil, Duras, and Eliot. Plus get a sneak peak of our most elusive editor who you may be hearing more from soon.Be sure to visit us at samfiftyfour.com, follow us on bluesky, instagram, and twitter, and support us on patreon.Closing music courtesy of SculptyWorks

We could get into the craft of it or we can just let the story take us away.In this episode Adam and Dylan discuss the short stories of Emily Dixon from Issue I, Issue V, and our 2020 scary story contest as well as one published in East of the Web.Read Lockdown Baby and the Death of Liza Minelli, The Jelly and the Stars, and Witch Jesus.Emily Dixon lives in London where she works in education, alongside writing and comedy. During her degree in medieval studies, she came to writing through epics and dream visions, and wondering where lost or dormant genres have gone in the twenty first century. Her writing has been published in samfiftyfour and East of the Web, and featured on BBC radio and several podcasts.  Follow Emily Dixon on Instagram.Be sure to visit us at samfiftyfour.com, follow us on instagram and twitter, and support us on patreon.Closing music courtesy of SculptyWorks

This is a poetry podcast, its not therapy.In this episode Adam and Dylan discuss their early introductions into poetry including Sonnet 18, Richard Brautigan, and Claude McKay; plus divorce, spiritual blockages, the revelation of writing, and the American public school systemBe sure to visit us at samfiftyfour.com, follow us on bluesky, instagram, and twitter, and support us on patreon.Closing music courtesy of SculptyWorks

In submitting, one edits.In this episode Adam and Dylan discuss all of Tim Wilson's work that has appeared in samfiftyfour; plus Old Man Curtis and Philip K Dick. Become a patron on patreon for more discussion and a line by line reading of Lumium.Tim Wilson Lives in the Suburbs with his wife and 3.5 sons; Tim Wilson has lived many lives, but he prefers this one; Everyone agrees that Tim Wilson married up; Tim Wilson has a cold. Follow Tim Wilson on Instagram.Read all the poems here.Be sure to visit us at samfiftyfour.com, follow us on instagram and twitter, and support us on patreon.Closing music courtesy of SculptyWorks

Writing and submitting are two different things.In this episode Adam and Dylan answer some frequently asked questions relating to cover letters, turnaround time, form rejections, best practices, and what we ask for in our contracts. Also a brief interlude about Wilkins Cider as referenced by Tim (Old Man) Curtis in Issue III. Please get in touch and let us know any other publishing questions you might have.Be sure to visit us at samfiftyfour.com, follow us on bluesky, instagram, and twitter, and support us on patreon.Deadline for Issue XI submissions is February 25th, 2025Closing music courtesy of SculptyWorks

Why might a lit mag charge submission fees?In this episode Adam and Dylan discuss the various thought processes behind submission/reading fees, why editors have to love what they do, as well as a few tips for submitting your work. The rest of this conversation with more FAQs will be out next week.Be sure to visit us at samfiftyfour.com, follow us on bluesky, instagram, and twitter, and support us on patreon.Deadline for Issue XI submissions is February 25th, 2025Closing music courtesy of SculptyWorks

Palestine +100: Stories From a Century After the NakbaIn this episode Adam and Dylan discuss The Curse of the Mud Ball Kid by Mazen Maarouf, the nature and definitions of sci-fi, C.S. Lewis, P.K. Dick, and what makes a story beautiful. Find the collection from Deep Vellum. Watch Al Jazeera's Poets of Protest.Check out Walden Pond BooksBe sure to visit us at samfiftyfour.com, follow us on bluesky, instagram, and twitter, and support us on patreon.Deadline for Issue XI submissions is February 25th, 2025Closing music courtesy of SculptyWorks

Weird things happen weird places and then those places continue to exist.In this episode Adam and Dylan discuss the concept of literary pilgrimages including City Lights bookstore, hitchhiking, Hemingway in Spain, and the graves of Oscar Wilde and F. Scott Fitzgerald; plus Lincoln in the Bardo, John Keats's Ode on a Grecian Urn, and Annie Dillard's Holy the Firm. Become a patron on patreon for a bonus discussion of Dylan's Thomas Merton pilgrimage.Be sure to visit us at samfiftyfour.com, follow us on bluesky, instagram, and twitter, and support us on patreon.Deadline for Issue XI submissions is February 25th, 2025Closing music courtesy of SculptyWorks

The political moment and all of that.In this episode Adam and Dylan discuss the nature of being a creative in turbulent times, the effects of public discussion on personal life, Jericho Brown's Hustle, Hannah Grace Nemetz Todd's Eli Dreams Nos 1-9, the ghazal as a self-incriminating form, as well as what we're looking for in our now-running essay contest.Be sure to visit us at samfiftyfour.com, follow us on instagram, bluesky, and twitter, and support us on patreon.Deadline for Issue XI submissions is February 25th, 2025Closing music courtesy of SculptyWorks

This is a piece that Reeaallyy explains itself.In this episode Adam and Dylan discuss the experimental form and function of Greg Sendi's poem "Prayer for a Lost Child (with notes)"; plus advice for new poets, the Rime of the Ancient Mariner, and Maggie Nelson. Become a patron on patreon to get bonus episodes and help support samfiftyfour.Greg Sendi lives in and writes from the Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago. Recently his poetry, fiction and essays have appeared in variety of literary magazines. His 2020 short story “Two Not Touch” was shortlisted for the 2021 Driftwood Press Adrift short story competition. His 2022 poems “A Compass for Ariadne” and “Bottom” were finalists for the 2023 Tennessee Williams & New Orleans Literary Festival Poetry Contest. Read the full text here.Be sure to visit us at samfiftyfour.com, follow us on instagram and twitter, and support us on patreon.Deadline for Issue XI submissions is February 25th, 2025Closing music courtesy of SculptyWorks

You don't have to do much, you just have to write the poem.In this episode Adam and Dylan discuss all of Steve Denehan's work that has appeared in samfiftyfour; plus the Issue II cover, Pablo Neruda's Ode to my Socks, and asmr with frida the cat. Become a patron on patreon for a bonus line by line reading of Leaving Winter Behind.Steve Denehan lives in Kildare, Ireland with his wife Eimear and daughter Robin. He is the author of two chapbooks and four poetry collections; winner of the Anthony Cronin Poetry Award and twice winner of Irish Times' New Irish Writing, his numerous publication credits include Poetry Ireland Review and Westerly. Follow Steve Denehan on Instagram and Twitter.Read all the poems here.Be sure to visit us at samfiftyfour.com, follow us on instagram and twitter, and support us on patreon.Deadline for Issue XI submissions is February 25th, 2025Closing music courtesy of SculptyWorks

Adam and Dylan discuss The Twelfth Station, a poem that first appeared in Issue I of samfiftyfour in September 2020. Written by Maria Harkin of Belfast, this poem deals with some heavy themes including religion and suicide. Read the full poem here. Get a copy of the issue this poem appears in here.