Is(sue) 18 Deadline Reminder

Dear Kinfolk,

This email is to remind you that the deadline for Is(sue) 18 is upon us. That is October 31, 2025. Please send us your most experimental, weird, avant-garde, fun poetry, art, and short stories.

  

 

  

Some of you may have heard by now: the Appalachian poetry community lost one of its great mentors and friends this month. Gurney Norman, former Kentucky Poet Laureate, passed away on October 12, 2025. As a tribute to this most generous soul, AvantAppal(achia) intends to dedicate Is(sue) 18 to him.

  

 

  

Please read the guidelines carefully and follow them when submitting. Emails which do not follow the guidelines will be automatically rejected. Thank you all for everything you do to make this ezine the bright jewel of 21^st century writing and art that it is. It exists for you.

  

 

  

www.avantappalachia.com

  

 

  

Sincerely,

Sabne Raznik

Poetry/Art Ed(itor)

 

Is(sue) 17 of AvantAppal(achia) is Live!

Dear Kinfolk, 

 Is(sue) 17 is live to read now! Just click the link below. 

A few things to note as this opens the submission period for Is(sue) 18: PLEASE, READ AND FOLLOW THE GUIDELINES WHEN SUBMITTING. We DO NOT accept simultaneous submissions. Please, include your state or country of current residence in a bio with your submission. And send us your weirdest, most experimental, avant-garde art, poetry, and prose. Think James Joyce and Beckett but in the 22nd century.

Thank you so much for sending in work from around the world and keeping this ezine as the foremost for the experimental in Appalachia for 9 years! This ezine reflects you and we couldn’t do it without you! 

  www.avantappalachia.com 

 Sincerely,

Sabne Raznik 

Dave Sykes

Is(sue) 17 Deadline Reminder

Dear Kinfolk.

Here we are at the Deadline for Is(sue) 17, which is April 30, 2025. So: get your weird, wonderful, experimental poetry, art, and short stories in our inbox by then. This is your final reminder.

Thank you for making us the premier ezine in Appalachia for all things avant-garde! See you in June!

Sincerely,

Sabne Raznik 

Poetry/Art Ed(itor)

www.avantappalachia.com

Is(sue) 15 and New Schedule - AvantAppal(achia)

Dear Kinfolk,

Is(sue) 15 is live! There are 7 countries total and 10 states within the US represented. This includes our first contributions from Egypt and Peru.

The work chosen to be arch(ived) from Is(sue) 14 is JWM Morgan's story, Volodymyr Bilyk's art, and Joshua Martin's poem. Read it on the Arch(ive) page.

Check the Sub(missions) page. We have made our longstanding policy regarding how we arch(ive) past is(sues) even clearer so that there can be no confusion that you as the author of your work bear responsibility for keeping records of publication and not us. Also, the date of deadline for each is(sue) has changed.

Deadline for Is(sue) 16 is October 31, 2024. So send us your avant-garde and experimental poetry, art, and short stories! You make this ezine the foremost home of the Avant in Appalachia. We are special and weird because of you. Thank you!

www.avantappalachia.com

Sincerely,

Sabne Raznik
Poetry/Art Ed(itor)

 

Is(sue) 12 of AvantAppal(achia) is Live

 Kinfolk,

Edi(tors) Sabne Raznik and David Sykes are pleased to unveil the latest is(sue) of AvantAppal(achia).
We are spotlighting submissions from The U.S., Greece, India, Ireland, Australia, France, Siberia, and Belarus; seven countries in all.
We sincerely hope you enjoy this collection of the weird and wonderful in the fields of art and writing and we hope to publish another collection, Is(sue) 13 on June 15, 2023.

www.avantappalachia.com

Enjoy,

Ed(itors) Sabne Raznik and David Sykes

Is(sue) 12 Deadline for AvantAppal(achia) Ezine

Dear Kinfolk,

It’s nearly time for a new is(sue) to go live again. That means this is your final reminder that the deadline for submissions to Is(sue) 12 is November 30, 2022. Send us your experimental poetry, art, and short stories.

You will notice that the date for Is(sue) 12 to go live has been pushed forward a week to December 22, 2022. This is due to Sabne Raznik having scheduling conflicts that could not be resolved otherwise. This way, your submissions will get the attention they deserve.

She and Dave Sykes are thrilled to read what you send us. Please, read and follow the full guidelines at www.avantappalachia.com before sending your emails. We may not have time to inquire and may be forced to reject brilliant work which does not meet guidelines. Thank you so much. 

This is your ezine. You make it the fun, funky, fabulous frolic that it is. 

Sincerely,

Sabne Raznik

Poetry/Art Ed(itor)

 

Is(sue) 11 of AvantAppal(achia) is live!

 Dear Kinfolk,

 

Is(sue) 11 went live around 10 pm EDT on June 15, 2022. With this Is(sue), AvantAppal(achia) entered year 6. Thank you all very much!

 

This is(sue) features 3 countries and 12 states. Almost all of Appalachia is represented and a number of other places as well, along with Ireland and Bosnia and Herzegovina. You will also find chapter 4 of Jim Meirose’s mind-bending Beckettian novel that flips the concepts of death and resurrection on their head.

 

The submission period for Is(sue) 12 is now open. The deadline for that is November 30, 2022. We need your weird, fun, experimental poetry, art, and short stories. Please read Guidelines and follow them because the reading period is only 2 weeks, so we will now have to automatically reject any submission which does not follow the instructions.

 

Also, stay tuned for an announcement from our sister endeavor North/South Appalachia, which should be dropping into your email or on social media channels in a couple of days. Exciting, I know!

 

Until we meet again!

https://www.avantappalachia.com

 

Sincerely,

 

Sabne Raznik

Poetry/Art Ed(itor)

The Modern Plague Years Special Is(sue) is live!

 

Dear Kinfolk,

 

The Modern Plague Years Special Is(sue) is live under the Special Is(sues) menu tab on www.avantappalachia.com! Thank you so much for sharing your work with us.

 

If you did not receive a yay or nay email from us about your submission during this reading cycle, know that David Sykes and I have read it and decided it would better suit a regular is(sue) and kept it for Is(sue) 11 in June. You will receive notification concerning it during that reading cycle.

 

Please remember to check out the Guidelines on the website when you submit and follow these. As a writer myself I know submission anxiety is real and I do not wish to be strict, but the volume of submissions we now receive and time constraints force me to it. If you fail to include the state or country of your current residence or fail to follow any of the other guidelines, we will be forced to reject your work regardless of its quality. So please – please – read those guidelines thoroughly and follow them closely. Thank you!

 

The deadline for Is(sue) 11 is May 31, 2022, for a publication date on June 15, 2022. We need your avantgarde, experimental, and weird poetry, art, and short stories.

 

Thank you for making this ezine the stellar publication it is!

 

Sincerely,

 

Sabne Raznik

Poetry/Art Ed(itor)

Is(sue) 10 is live, Youtube Channel, and Special Pandemic Is(sue)

 

Dear Kinfolk,

 

Lots to talk about at AvantAppal(achia):

 

First off we wish to express our sorrow on hearing of the death of bell hooks. That is a blow, not only to Appalachia, but to the world.

 

Secondly, Is(sue) 10 went live yesterday! We have some potent work from 3 countries and 14 states. The word is getting out and the quality of the work and the volume of submissions continues to grow. We are thrilled about that! Go check it out at www.avantappalachia.com.

 

We now have a Youtube channel which will be used to host videos from our submissions where the artists do not have channels of their own from which to host videos. The videos will remain hosted there until the Is(sue) in which they appear is taken down. At that point, it is up to you as the copyright holder whether we continue to host them in perpetuity on Youtube or not. Just let us know. So if you don’t have Youtube yourself, send us the vid anyway and we’ll handle the rest.

 

Announcing “The Modern Plague Years” Special Is(sue): this is(sue)’s deadline is March 31, 2022 and it will go live under Special Is(sues) in the menu on April 10, 2022 where it will remain as long as the website does. Please refrain from arguing the politics of the pandemic or of vaccines. We are interested in your individual pandemic experiences. See the home page and Sub(missions) for more information. And please remember to put “Plague Years” in your email subject line to differentiate it from regular is(sue) subs.

 

Is(sue) 11 – the next regular is(sue) – has a deadline of May 31, 2022 and should go live on June 15, 2022.

 

Don’t forget that you can donate towards keeping AvantAppal(achia) online by going to Donat(ions) in the menu. Thank you so much, Kinfolk, for everything you do! You make this unique, fun space everything that it is!

 

Sincerely,

 

Sabne Raznik

Poetry/Art Ed(itor)

Deadline for Is(sue) 10 of AvantAppal(achia)

 

Dear Kinfolk,

 

Is(sue) 10 of AvantAppal(achia) will go live on December 15, 2021 and we need your experimental poetry, art, and short stories! Go to avantappalachia.com to check out guidelines and submit to avantappalachia@gmail by November 30, 2021. That’s the deadline. Dave Sykes and I accept submissions from around the world with only a slight emphasis on Appalachian poets, artists, and writers. We do ask for you to avoid holiday themes, erotica, and gratuitous language. Other than that, have fun. This ezine is all about the avant-garde and experimentalism. If you tend to write more conventional poetry, we also have an Appal(Trad) section. Thank you all for your loyalty – this ezine is what it is because of you!

 

Sincerely,

 

Sabne Raznik

Poetry/Art Ed(itor)

Is(sue) 8 of AvantAppal(achia) and (Yes)Abled Is(Sue)

Dear Kinfolk,

The editors are happy to announce that is(sue) 8 of AvantAppal(achia) is live! We seemed to have dodged, for now at least, those nasty digital bugs which have slowed us in the past. We present a nice shiny new is(sue).


Is(sue) 8 contains work from 6 different countries -Canada, Ireland, Greece, Switzerland, Ukraine, the United States - and five different states - Georgia, Kentucky, Virginia, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. We are proud to publish some excellent work and you should be proud of producing it.


We are also announcing AvantAppal(achia)'s 2nd Special Is(sue) titled (Yes)ABLED! The is(sue) is to be dedicated to the work of disabled poets, artists, and short story writers. Details for submission can be found on the site and the deadline is March 31, 2020.

Sabne Raznik wants me to remind everyone of a recent site upgrade which made it more compatible with mobile devices, but as a result in order to see bylines for the Avant(Art) section, you must click on the image.

Another reminder is that we, the editorial team, are volunteers and any help you can give to defray expenses is greatly appreciated. Find the Donat(ions) link and give us some PayPal love.

Do not fail to check the Arch(ive) tab to see which pieces have been chosen to represent the past is(sue). As we head into 2020, the submission period for is(sue) 9 is open and the deadline for submission is May 30, 2020 with the is(sue) going live on June 15.

Thanks to everyone for your continued support and as a personal note I would like to thank Sabne Raznik for letting me come along for the ride!

AvantAppal(achia)

Is(sue) 7 of AvantAppal(achia) is live!

Dear Kinfolk,

First and foremost, thank you all for being as patient as Job while we tackled those annoying technical difficulties that delayed this is(sue). Y’all are fantastic!

I’m sure you’ll find the wait to be worth it! Is(sue) 7 features work from 7 different countries – Greece, Spain, India, Ireland, Norway, Luxembourg, the United States – and 7 different states – Minnesota, West Virginia, Virginia, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and New Jersey. It also contains 3 languages. Yeah, we’re pretty proud of it – and you! – for accomplishing that!

You will notice two things different about this is(sue). One, the Appal(Trad) section is empty. That is because we are getting high-quality experimental work (just what we want!) and we felt none of the submissions reflected the Traditional Appalachian Poetry genre, which is a really nice problem to have as far as we are concerned. Second, this is the debut of the Avant(Serial) section! Just how the serial section works is explained both in this is(sue) and in the updated guidelines. Yes, you read that correctly. The guidelines have been tweaked, so be sure to check those out.

A reminder: the site was recently redesigned to ensure it was readable across all devices (and little tweaks will continue). For now, that mostly means that to see bylines for the Avant(Art) section you must click on the individual images.

Another reminder: the editorial team at AvantAppal(achia) are volunteers, but there are still expenses to keep the whole wonderfully weird show running, so please go to Donat(ions) and choose between the options of $1, $5, and $10 via the Paypal link. Thank every one of you for keeping the ezine online! This is your creative space, as ed(itors) we merely polish it. It is our privilege to share your work with the world!

Don’t forget to check the Arch(ive) to see which pieces were chosen to represent Is(sue) 6. Also, the submission period for Is(sue) 8 is now officially open and the deadline is November 30, 2019. We can’t wait to see you then! But of course, we will be touching base occasionally in the meantime.

https://www.avantappalachia.com/




Sincerely,


Sabne Raznik

Poetry/Art Ed(itor)

Jim Webb Special Is(sue) Release!

Dear Kinfolk,

I am ecstatic to announce to you that our first Special Is(sue), the Jim Webb Is(sue), is live! The pieces that everyone sent were beautifully evocative of Wiley Quixote and the whole is a fitting tribute that would have tickled him pink. This is, of course, a completely Appalachian is(sue). References to WMMT.FM, Webb’s most famous collection “Get In, Jesus”, and the devastating effects of mountain top removal abound. There are even beautiful photos awash in white daylight of paw paws. Almost all the contributors were close friends and acquaintances with the poet and that personal true feeling in the is(sue) is powerful and profound. Thank you all so much! This is(sue) will be shared with his wife Katie. Hopefully, it will give her comfort and joy. To access the is(sue), click on the menu bars in the upper left corner and click “Special Is(sues)”. This is(sue) will reside there for as long as there is an AvantAppal(achia) ezine. Here is the direct link.

If you submitted between January and now and did not receive an email on or before February 14th, it is because we feel that your work is more suited to one of the regular issues and we are holding it for the June Is(sue). Speaking of which, the submission period for the June 2019 is(sue) is now officially open. So back to weird, avant-garde, experimental, Appalachian and worldwide. The deadline for the next is(sue) is May 31, 2019. Please read and follow the guidelines posted when submitting.

As usual, you all went above and beyond and made a truly Special is(sue). You are what make AvantAppal(achia) the ground-breaking leading ezine that it is. Thank you for your beautiful magic!

Sincerely,

Sabne Raznik
Poetry/Art Ed(itor)

Final Notice of Deadline for Jim Webb Is(sue)

Dear Kinfolk,

This is your FINAL NOTICE that the deadline for the Jim Webb Special Is(sue) is JANUARY 31, 2019. We need poetry, art, and stories about Jim Webb, aka Wiley Quixote. Send us your best, zaniest, most colorful Jim Webb memories. Again, we would like to thank his wife Katie for allowing us to make this special is(sue). You will be able to access it via the menu on the AvantAppal(achia) website by clicking on “Special Is(sues)” where it will remain indefinitely. It will go live some time on February 15, 2019. Don’t miss out! Help us make this the most beautiful tribute to the Godfather of Appalachian Poetry on the world wide web!

www.avantappalachia.com

email: avantappalachia@gmail.com

The usual guidelines do apply.

Sincerely,

Sabne Raznik

Poetry/Art Ed(itor)

Jim Webb Is(sue)

Dear Kinfolk,
The time has come and here it is: the official call for submissions for our 1st Special Is(sue)! With his wife’s permission, we seek to celebrate the life of Jim Webb aka Wiley Quixote (September 24, 1945 – October 22, 2018), the Godfather of Appalachian Poetry, with an is(sue) containing poetry, art, and anecdotes about him and things he cared about. The usual guidelines apply. Submissions deadline is January 31, 2019 and the is(sue) will go live under the Special Is(sues) tab on the AvantAppal(achia) website on February 15, 2019. Tell (or show) us your stories about this colorful soul! www.avantappalachia.com Photo credit: Malcolm J. Wilson.

We are honoured to be allowed to host this special is(sue) and we eagerly look forward to reading every submission. Please take note of the deadline and going-live dates as this is outside of our usual schedule. Share, share, share, please, and spread the word. Thank you, Kinfolk, for making our ezine a vital and living part of Appalachia and the world. You are our lifeblood!

Sincerely,

Sabne Raznik
Poetry/Art Ed(itor)

AvantAppal(achia) on Weird Appalachia Podcast

Thanks to the shout out to AvantAppal(achia) ezine on Weird Appalachia podcast! Erin Alise Conley, Jessica Salyer, and Brooklynn Dyer, you girls rock!

AvantAppal(achia): Introducing New Short Story Ed(itor) And Final Deadline Reminder

Dear Kinfolk,

I am pleased to welcome into the Kin and to introduce you to AvantAppal(achia)'s new Short Story Ed(itor). Below is his bio and you may see his photo on the website. www.avantappalachia.com

David Sykes was born and raised in Elkhorn City, Kentucky just before the boom times of the 1970’s. He got a degree from Harvard University before returning to join the family business. Now living in nearby Pikeville, he works at an IT services firm there. He is involved with the Artists Collaborative Theatre in Elkhorn City and has appeared in productions there as an actor and musician. He serves as the Short Story Ed(itor) of AvantAppal(achia) e-zine.

This is Dave's first adventure with editing and so I am sure he will bring a fresh eye to your submissions. Freshness is possibly the greatest asset that can be brought to an ezine of the avant garde and experimental. So we are very excited to have him aboard.

Because I have been preoccupied with the search for an editing partner, I have not been as communicative as usual. Therefore, I ask the help of all the Kinfolk to get the word out about the upcoming deadline to submit to Is(sue) 5. We can make Is(sue) 5 our best yet! Please, get the word out to anyone and everyone! We need poetry, short stories, and visual art! Audio, video, and HTML code also accepted if guidelines are carefully followed. Send in your weirdest, coolest, most boundary breaking. We need submissions from throughout the states making up Appalachia and from all around the world (keeping in mind that AvantAppal(achia) is in English, please - translations are welcome as is work that displays both the original language and English as long as guidelines are followed).

I really don't like to impose rules at all, but the guidelines help us as editors and webmaster on the practical side of things, so we kindly ask that they be reasonably followed.

Deadline is May 31, 2018; this is your FINAL reminder, so please get those submissions in ASAP. You are the lifeblood of our truly special ezine! Email to avantapplalchia@gmail.com

Sincerely,

Sabne Raznik

Poetry/Art Ed(itor)

The Paradox of "Other"

The Hero of Blind Pig Island by Jimmy Olsen starts with a party and ends with a drowning, but don't let that sober fact discourage you.

Jimmy Olsen spent some months in the Dominican Republic and this collection of short stories has a strong autobiographical feel. Almost all of the wifely characters in the various stories are named Patricia, which greatly contributes to this feeling. The recurring theme of scuba diving does as well.

Some of the diving passages get rather technical in language and this slows down the narrative. I was reminded of Moby Dick in this regard, although the effect in Olsen's stories is nowhere near that extreme.

The beguiling aspect of this collection is its attempt to present third world life through the eyes of first world - but fully immersed - sojourners. This book tastes of salt and sweat. One literally feels the heat of the tropical city streets and feels the thirst caused by sea water. We visit teachers' parties, restaurants, rural villages, islands. We find ourselves caught up in the paradoxes of city squalor and yachts. We experience a hurricane that blows away McDonalds' golden arches and having to swim for miles in the open ocean hoping to survive to walk on land again. We also experience violence surrounding opportunities for promotion at a school and have an interesting encounter with two elderly Lutheran missionaries. When we close the book we feel sunburnt and bleached, thirsty, and ashamed of our abundance.

Olsen tries to give us all viewpoints. The underlying current of  these stories seems to be how humanity views "others". Sometimes we look at the privileged vacationers through the eyes of the natives; sometimes we are the foreigners contemplating the exotic. This book is opening a dialogue between the two, sometimes with greater success and sometimes with less. The dialog is always engaging and doesn't shy from a few hard questions. Olsen is at his best when he asks these questions and requires a response, but does so subtly.

The Hero of Blind Pig Island is entertaining, but wise enough not leave it at just that.

Learn more about Jimmy Olsen on LinkedIn

Buy The Hero of Blind Pig Island on Amazon

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