First and foremost, I’d like to introduce myself. My name is Ann Grimm, and I am the new intern for CALYX. As a budding feminist with a background in journalism, CALYX will allow me to pursue my passion in feminist press.

I am finishing up my Journalism major and Women and Gender Studies minor at the University of Oregon (sorry Beaver fans). I believe that home is where the heart is, and for this gal it’s in the northwest. Despite spending my adolescent and awkward teenage years in Denville, New Jersey, my roots have always been grounded in Seattle where my family now resides.

In the last three and a half years at the University of Oregon, I have acquired a close-knit social circle thanks to my Delta Gamma sorority and intramural basketball memberships. I have found that my passion for women’s studies leads to many fervent discussions within these circles, which often leave my friends questioning the societal norms. Sometimes they are thankful I spark these conversations, and other times they find it outright annoying. Either way, I’ll never stop.

Much of this passion (along with my bookworm tendencies) is a large reason why I am so ecstatic to be interning with CALYX. Their mission embodies my core values by continuously publishing diverse literature from an array of women writers and artists. In doing this, CALYX provides readers and society a chance to recognize different abilities and viewpoints that would otherwise go unpublished and unnoticed.

And now, I get to be a part of it!

Ann Grimm

CALYX intern.

Over 75 people gathered in Oddfellows Hall in Downtown Corvallis to help support CALYX, gather with friends, and see some great entertainment while doing some early Christmas shopping by bidding on 37 different packages in our silent auction. Having only seen “Burlesque” the movie and never seeing a show in person, I was unsure what to expect from the acts and how this tied into the celebration of women. Our Senior Editor, Becky Olson, introduced the acts by saying, “Burlesque shows celebrate women in a live form rather than on text,” and the five performances did just that. The night opened up the discussion of sexuality and liberation of women through movement and song rather than just in poetry and narrative. With the wine and beer flowing, cupcakes being passed around and live acts preforming on state, the hall was filled with cheers, laughter, and smiles as everyone enjoyed their time supporting such a great event.

Check out of Facebook fan page to view images from the night and see what else is new at CALYX Press.

We would like to send out a big thank you to everyone who attended, purchased packages, and donated their time to make our event such a success. See you all next year!

Angela Saraceno

Fall Intern

As summer fell away and the impending beginning of my last year at OSU neared, I wondered where I was going after graduation. That’s the beauty and the hardship of being an English major; we are here because we love literature not because we want a technical degree like engineering and we rely on faith that we will find our niche when we graduate. I’ve always had a passion for advertising and have had quite a bit of experience in it, but I also have an interest in just about everything else so I was scared as to what might become of me come next Spring. I realized that an internship might be of use to me with the current job market and competition between applicants and frantically began searching.

The CALYX, Inc internship just sort of fell into my lap one day and I knew it was the right avenue for me. Here I can learn about all sides of my literary interests, which will not only help me compete for a job later on, but it also helps me decide which passion I will chose to pursue.

In addition to learning about my interests in a job setting, I have also gained a different sense of self through this internship experience. For one, I have always depicted myself as a strong, independent woman and have never liked the idea of relying on others for help. I pride myself on being able to make it on my own, overcome challenges, and face the world as the woman my father taught me to be. I carry myself as my father’s daughter–living the way he did and experiencing all that I can as he taught me to do. This internship has helped to motivate that feeling of independence and adventure. Walking around downtown in my fancy winter clothing I feel professional and I always stop to realize that I am on a path that is taking me towards the life I want. I am finally feeling a sense of that business woman feeling I have always desired. Secondly, getting this internship has motivated to me take on more opportunities. I have begun writing frequently for the The Daily Barometer, applying to other press internships, and polishing my fiction pieces for publication.

I am thankful for the opportunity to work with other fantastic women who carry themselves in the same manner as myself. These women are strong and independent and help motivate other women of the same type to get their voices heard. I am pleased to be apart of that and to learn about the lives of other women, their challenges, and their success stories. I am excited to see where this internship takes me and what other opportunities arise because of it.

Here’s to new adventures,

Cristina Himka, fall promotions intern 2011

The end of my internship at CALYX has come, and it feels both strange and exciting to know that a new chapter of my life in the United States has begun. I would like to thank the amazing CALYX staff for the many opportunities they gave me. These women were the first people to introduce me to working in this country, and what a sweet introduction that was! I absolutely loved my time there. I was a bit scared on my first day, but I had no idea what a great experience it was going to be. I’m glad I decided to leave my fears behind and fulfill my dreams.

I’m really happy to have been allowed to stay with CALYX longer than planned, as it enabled me to stay in this country and learn more. During those seven months, I saw some great interns come and go, I saw Margarita and Beverly retire, and I saw Becky and Kelsey take on their new positions as senior editor and director.

I’m glad to realize how much more confident I feel now that I’ve had this experience with CALYX. I also know for sure that I would love to work with a publishing company. Thanks to this internship, I progressively approached different things and defined myself and my passions. It only makes me want to work as much as I will have to in order to reach my goals.

So, yes, CALYX was definitely a stepping stone for me. This internship taught me skills that I will be able to use in many different jobs. I learned about copy editing, proofreading, decision-making, handling manuscripts, and many other things. I now know how small independent presses work, and I have really enjoyed working with both the editors and the writers.

I’m now in Portland, where I started an internship with Hawthorne Books and Literary Arts, which is very exciting. I’m also an associate editor at The Portland Alliance, among other things. I’m still in the process of trying out new things and having fun doing it. Portland is definitely full of possibilities! But that doesn’t mean I’m leaving CALYX behind: I’m very thrilled to be a first reader now! This is great news since one of my favorite things to do is to read submissions. So, come on, amazing women writers, send us your poetry, prose, and art!

Thanks everyone,

Sophie,

CALYX intern: March-September 2011.

3. a. That in which anything has its rise, or in which its origin is embodied; origin, source, fount.

Hello, CALYX readers!

I’m Erica Emerson and I’m very happy to be the new Fall Editorial Intern for CALYX. I am eager to begin my experience with CALYX, to become involved at a small feminist press and combine my two great passions: social justice and literature.

I have hometowns all over the United States — my birthplace in Burlington, Vermont, my early childhood years in cities like Rochester and Buffalo, New York, and my adolescence in small-town Roseburg, Oregon — all the way to my current home right here in Corvallis. I am living here while I study English Literature at Oregon State University. Outside of academia, I am a devoted member of many activist groups, including College Democrats @ OSU and our campus’s chapter of the Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance.

I am incredibly passionate about the study of literature through a lens of intersectionality, oppression, and liberation. The ways that literature, literary criticism, and small publishing can amplify the voices of those who have historically been silenced (by our society and by those who decide what and who is part of the literary “canon”), and grant those voices the true authority of experience which they deserve, have been a particular interest of mine throughout my studies.

I am positively thrilled to have found an organization through which I can express these passions in an active and eminently useful way. I am hopeful that my experiences with CALYX will prove to be a true beginning for me, the origin or fount of a lifetime of working with literature and feminist values.

Paper, paper, paper...

Last week, the CALYX editors gathered around my kitchen table eating almonds while we discussed an important question: Should CALYX Journal switch to accepting electronic submissions through an online submission manager, or should we stick with the good ol’ fashioned SASE system?

Here are some of the questions that were on our mind as our discussion blossomed:

How will the change affect our accessibility to writers from diverse groups?

Despite the ever-growing influence of technology in our lives, many women today continue to lack regular access to the internet or may face circumstances which do not allow them to get online frequently. There are also many women who cannot afford the costs of postage, printing, and paper which our regular submission process requires. In order to be sensitive to both of these limitations (and therefore be accessible as a journal to more women), we have decided to remain open for both paper submissions and electronic submissions for the coming year.

How will electronic submissions influence the amount of submissions that we receive?

We anticipate that opening to electronic submissions will greatly increase the amount of work that we receive. In 2009, we received around 1200 submissions. Last year, it was down to 950. We’re hoping that accepting online submissions will turn this trend around and we’ll see work from many new writers–and many writers who have never submitted to us in the past.

How will electronic submissions affect us around the office?

Last year, our paper submissions process produced approximately 125 lbs of paper that are in boxes around our office (see photo). We’re hoping that moving to electronic subs will help us reduce clutter and paper waste. We’re also hoping that it will save us some time and speed up our response time back to our writers.

How will electronic submissions affect our reading process?

While the change will affect the way that our volunteer readers and editors literally read manuscripts (Retired Senior Editor Beverly McFarland loves to read out on her back porch in the sunshine), it will not affect the integrity of our decision-making process and the care with which our editors read each piece of writing. We will continue to practice collective decision-making and every submission will still be read by at least 2 different readers before it’s presented to the editorial collective.

Are we excited?

Yes, yes, yes. What a great change. We’re all on board, and we look forward to seeing your work in our system when we open for submissions on October 1.

Read our editorial guidelines and find our online submission manager here: http://www.calyxpress.org/submission.html

Do these look like happy women writers, or what?

We at CALYX are very excited about the way our reading in Corvallis turned out. Many people came, and we listened to some beautiful poetry and prose. CALYX gave me my first opportunity to organize readings and I’m glad that one of these took place here in Corvallis because I was able to attend. It was a real pleasure for me to see the actual event that I had organized. I ended up introducing the readers to the audience, and although I’m not the best at public speaking, I was excited to push myself out of my comfort zone and participate. After all, I am here to try new things, and I love it.

It was really neat to meet the authors themselves and to exchange a few words with them. Actually, part of what I like about small publishers is that they work closely with authors. The atmosphere was friendly, and the editors and the writers were all there to support each other during this event. I learned that it was Dionisia’s first time reading to an audience and I could feel how happy she and the CALYX staff were about it. It was also very nice to hear her read the piece of creative non-fiction that I had been familiar with for a while since I had participated in the copy editing process.

I also enjoyed listening to the authors read because it always gives the writing a new dimension. This is especially true for poetry, I think, as you can feel the power of the words when you actually hear them (since poetry revolves a lot around voice, intonation, and sounds). This is why, although I don’t read much poetry myself, I do enjoy listening to authors share theirs. Last Saturday, our readers were really good at communicating the emotions of their poems. They read with both talent and humor, which made it an interesting and fun experience for everyone.

I’m grateful that everyone was helpful in helping me organize this reading, from the CALYX staff to the authors and the people at Grass Roots. I want to thank them, as well as all the members of the audience for coming and supporting women writers and independent publishers!

Until next time,

Sophie,

CALYX intern.

It’s fitting, I think, that CALYX’s newest publication, Who In This Room by Katherine Malmo, arrived in Corvallis just yesterday. Having the opportunity to be there during the unwrapping of the first box of books — to have the chance to be one of the first to glance through the pristine pages and take in that new book smell — was one of my favorite moments during my time here at CALYX. Although I was only present for the final tasks involved in the editorial process, it was nonetheless amazing to see what was once a chunk of text transformed into a book. As I held a copy in my hands, scanning over its cover and contents, I couldn’t help but conjure up an image of the book suddenly standing straight up to shout, “Look, Geppetto, I’m a real book!” It was a moment of awe for all involved, I think, and gave me a real taste for the beauty and sense of accomplishment involved in publishing.

The upcoming season brings with it new challenges and opportunities, both for myself and for CALYX.  I know that I leave this summer behind having spent many wonderful hours with a group of smart, sassy, sweet, strong, and supportive women whom I only wish the very best for in the future. I feel honored to have been invited into the CALYX circle, to have worked towards greater self-efficacy among women, and to have hopefully helped the CALYX staff further their worthy and beautiful mission.

Women of CALYX – past and present staff, poets, prose writers, and artists – may your work towards seeking equal representation for the creative endeavors of underrepresented women stay as strong and as poignant as ever, for as Ani Difranco once wrote:

“down beneath the impossible pain of our history
beneath unknown bones
beneath the bedrock of the mystery
beneath the sewage systems and the path drain
beneath the cobblestones and the water mains
beneath the traffic of friendships and street deals
beneath the screeching of kamikaze cab wheels
beneath everything I can think of to think about
beneath it all, beneath all get out
beneath the good and the kind and the stupid and the cruel
there’s a fire just waiting for fuel.”

All the best,

Paige O’Rourke | CALYX Intern, Summer 2011

September will be a busy time for CALYX! We have been working with our authors to organize readings and activities in which you, lovers of literature by women, can get involved.

First, let me give you more information about our next CALYX reading, which will take place here in Corvallis. For this reading, we will have three poetry writers and one prose writer.

Marianne Klekacz’s poetry, fiction and non-fiction are published in The Oregonian and numerous literary journals and anthologies, including Oregon Literary Review, Windfall, and Manzanita Quarterly. Marianne’s first chapbook, Life Science, won the 2003 Edna Meudt Memorial Award. A full-length collection, When Words Fail, was published in 2009 by Dancing Moon Press. Marianne earned a BA in English/creative writing from Marylhurst University and an MFA in writing from Pacific University. She has served on the boards of the Mountain Writers’ Series in Portland and of Writers on the Edge in Newport. She is a past president of the Oregon State Poetry Association.

Dionisia Morales earned her MFA in creative writing from Oregon State University. Her creative nonfiction essays are published in Blue Earth Review and Blue Mesa Review, and are forthcoming in Brevity, upstreet, and South Dakota Review. Originally from New York City, she now lives, writes, and rock climbs in the Pacific Northwest.

Lois Rosen’s first poetry book, Pigeons, was published by Traprock Books. Her writing is also published in many magazines, including Willow Springs, Raven Chronicles, and Northwest Review. A 2010 MFA in fiction graduate from the Rainier Writing Program, she teaches creative writing at Willamette University in Salem (OR).

Penelope Scambly Schott’s verse biography A is for Anne: Mistress Hutchinson Disturbs the Commonwealth, received the 2008 Oregon Book Award for Poetry. Her newest book, Crow Mercies (2010), was awarded the Sarah Lantz Memorial Award from Calyx Press. She is the author of a novel, eight full-length books of poetry, and five chapbooks. She has received fellowships from the Fine Arts Work Center and the Wurlitzer Foundation, and her work is published in many journals. Penelope teaches an annual poetry workshop in Dufur (OR).

The reading will take place on September 17 at Grass Roots Books and Music at 2pm. Mark your calendar!

CALYX is also organizing a writing workshop with Oregon poet laureate Paulann Petersen on September 28 at the Corvallis Arts Center from 10am to 4pm.

Cost is $85 and all proceeds benefit CALYX. Registration is limited to 15, so sign up here now: http://www.calyxpress.org/writingworkshop.htm

The workshop will be followed by a free reading with Paulann Petersen on the same day at 7pm at the Corvallis Public Library.

Hope you enjoy these exciting events!

Until next time,

Sophie,

CALYX intern.

The composition I delved into began as many other fabulous works do, portraying the shift in social, sexual, ideological, economic, and gendered thinking of a young woman on the cusp of adulthood as she matures into a strong, thoughtful, intelligent, independent individual ready to take on the world and kick some ass. The overarching premise and plot of the novel was excellent as well, with the surrounding characters and descriptions realistic and engaging to read.

‘Yes!’ I excitedly thought as I read through the first segment of the novel. ‘This is a wonderful topic to focus on, and I can’t wait to see what confrontations this character battles as she begins to shake up her self-identity and the world around her.’

But then, out of nowhere, tragedy struck in the form of a male character.

Now, before I go on, I should clarify: I have nothing male characters. Some of my favorite books, shows, and movies focus on male protagonists who I just can’t get enough of. But, what I absolutely dread reading or seeing is the introduction of a focal male character who completely overshadows or degrades the focus or general badassery of a female leading character. And, to the pain of my heart, that’s exactly what I witnessed taking place when I delved into the next segment of such a promising story.

The tragedy,  I’m sure, is familiar to many readers:

First, girl meets boy. (Okay, I’m with you so far, no problems yet. The more the merrier, I say!) Soon after, they fall in love. (A bit predictable perhaps, but I’m a fan of love, so no complaints here!) Then, focus on girl’s accomplishments and goals slowly dwindle as the focus on their romantic life takes over. (Okay, I’m grumbling slightly, but I’m willing to hang on in the hopes that this is more of an interlude to the main plot line focusing on feminism and the growth of female self-identity.) Suddenly, girl stops critically thinking, participating, or otherwise asserting her strength as a female and instead does little but worry over the thoughts and feelings of her male counterpart, who may or may not take over (i.e., dominate) or otherwise overshadow the female character. (“What..? But…? Where…?” Much confusion and anguish for the loss of female character ensues.)

Thank goodness this doesn’t happen in every story with a strong female character, but unfortunately it happens in far too many of them. This is troublesome in twofold, I believe. On the one hand, it painfully undermines the prestige of the female characters and subverts them to a position unequal to their male co-stars/characters. It sends the message to female and male readers alike that while, yes, women can be strong, they are only so when alone and thus with no other option; once a man comes along, he can take care of it (and her).

Needless to say, this type of thinking drives me and I’m sure most other female readers (and I bet plenty of male readers as well) crazy. As if a woman can’t remain strong beside a strong (or weak) male character. Puh-lease.

And that brings me to the second problem: in addition to creating inequality among genders and subjugating women to a position of less power than men, it degrades female/male relationships, insinuating that the only possible outcome for a romance between the two is one where the male plays the hero and the female plays the sidekick.

It still boggles my mind that an author/writer can face this problem in her or his composition, and then simply do nothing about it, or fail to recognize it all together. But time and time again, it happens. Worst of all, perhaps, such portrayals are often found in young adult fiction, giving young adult women a skewed image of 1) what women are capable of, and 2) what equality in a female/male relationship should look like.

There are, or course, so many other problems that stem off of this one (like why it can’t be a woman who saves another woman, or two men who fall in love), as well as many other negative stereotypes and associations that come from this too common story arch for female characters (like why the woman can’t be the stronger of the two halves, or how one combines activism with a love life [whether you're female or male]). However, the two aforementioned problems were ones that really struck me; I feel that these are two of the biggest hurtles still to be overcome and, if successfully dealt with, will undoubtedly aid in properly addressing many of the other associated issues. Or so is my hope.

All the best,

Paige O’Rourke | CALYX Intern