A Matter of Choice
I haven’t seen Manuel in a few months now. I’m glad. I thought he’d gone the first time he left, but no more than a month later he was back. This time I think he’s gone for good. I… Continue Reading
Nonfiction
4 Ways a Writer Avoids Writing and the Benefits
1. Make yourself something to eat. Not a sandwich or platter of assorted chips, nuts and various sweets hiding in the pantry, but an honest to goodness meal—a crockpot meal, some Procrastination Stew. Head to the grocery store, peruse the… Continue Reading
Writer’s Guide to Self-Care
For the last few months, I have been dealing with depression. It feels like someone is randomly shooting arrows at me. I dodge as many of them as I can, but some have lodged themselves in my flesh. It hurts… Continue Reading
Official List of Our 2016 Summer Contest Winners!
We are proud to announce the winners of our 2016 Summer Contest! Poetry, judged by Ocean Vuong 1st Place: “McDonalds” by Anders Carlson-Wee 2nd Place: “Threnody” by Elisabeth Murawski 3rd Place: “Epilogue: Lend Me Your Teeth” by Alabama Stone Non-Fiction,… Continue Reading
5 Things to Consider Before You Hit Submit: Thinking about your literary magazine submission from the perspective of a slush pile reader
If you are actively refining your work for submission into the literary world, praying each time you log-in to Submittable that this will be the time, then think about these things from the perspective of a lit mag submission reader… Continue Reading
Best American Essays of 2015: In Defense of Cheryl Strayed’s Essay, “My Uniform”
I sometimes get sucked into reading Amazon reviews. For many products, they are helpful and warranted (see: Haribo Sugar-Free Gummy Bear 5LB Bag), but I usually stay away from any type of book review on Amazon because they can be… Continue Reading
NATIONAL HUMANITIES AWARD RECIPIENT RUDOLFO ANAYA, AND THE ANAYA LECTURE SERIES
Founder of Blue Mesa Review, Rudolfo Anaya, is among a select few who will receive a 2015 National Humanities Medal tomorrow, awarded by none other than President Obama. The BMR staff congratulates Rudolfo on this well-deserved acknowledgment of his hard… Continue Reading
Struggling Through Karl Ove Knausgaard
Let’s be clear. There is no way I’m reading all 3500-plus pages of Karl Ove Knausgaard’s six-part novelistic memoir—there are, simply, too few reading hours in the day to devote such a share to a single writer. I did make… Continue Reading
On Proxies
At the AWP conference in Los Angeles earlier this year, I was on a quest for writers with a different style and approach to craft than I’d been exposed to. I browsed the various presses in attendance and asked them… Continue Reading
Dropping the Velvet Rope
I’ve heard more times than I’d like about how the call for diversification of submissions for literary magazines is making it harder for white, male, heterosexual (WMH) writers to find homes for their work. As the Nonfiction Editor of Blue… Continue Reading