The Baltimore "Literary Scene"...

Working hard to garnish Charm City with favorable coverage in the national media, so that City Hall doesn't have to.

UTNE praises Baltimore's "thriving independent literary scene"

Baltimore's "thriving independent literary scene should serve as an inspiration to anyone, in any city, who feels the creative slump of the economic recession and fears there’s little room for imagination or innovation..." - Danielle Maestretti, UTNE READER (January/February 2010)

UTNE Profiles SMILE, HON, Baltimore Literary Scene

Utne Reader profiles Smile, Hon, You're in Baltimore!, and Mobtown's literary scene in general, in its January/February 2010 issue. In her article "Baltimore: The City That Reads", author Danielle Maestretti notes:

Though Smile, Hon very much inhabits its native city, the publication will appeal to anyone who is compelled by the darkly funny, serendipitous, sometimes undignified realities of urban existence...

Read the complete article here.

"Just Another Gritty Night in Baltimore"

A few nice words on Smile, Hon, You're in Baltimore! from the good people at Utne Reader...

SMILE, HON Wants You to Submit!

BALTIMORE – Eight-Stone Press (ESP) – publisher of the award-winning Smile, Hon, You're in Baltimore! series – is accepting submissions of Mobtown-related stories, essays, poetry, photography and other artwork for the forthcoming Smile, Hon No. 12 through Saturday, October 31, 2009.

Creative non-fiction is preferred, though all submissions will be considered. Articles (100 – 2,000 words) are preferably received via e-mail (wpt@eightstonepress.com) as attached Word documents. Image files should be approximately 5” x 7”, 300+ dpi (.JPG or .TIF format). All contributors will receive a byline/artist credit for their work as well as two (2) complimentary copies of the issue in which their work appears.

From the harbor to the hills, Smile, Hon, You're in Baltimore! collects the tales of those on whom Mobtown has left her indelible mark. Polished, professional essays; barroom sermons delivered from the sanctity of a favorite stool; the poet’s fleeting sentiment, captured in both word and snapshot – Smile, Hon offers a slice of Baltimore as told by Baltimore, presented with the time-honored DIY accessibility of a limited-run, handcrafted zine.

In March 2009, ESP published the transit-themed Intersections, the latest in a series of Smile, Hon special issues that have addressed topics such as rats, tattoos, crime and scars. Utne Reader called Intersections “a really fun read." Smile, Hon has also been named the city’s “Best Zine” by both Baltimore City Paper (2004) and Baltimore Magazine (2008).

An Eight-Stone Press production, Smile, Hon, You're in Baltimore! is available locally for purchase at Atomic Books (Hampden); Cyclops Books & Music (Station North); and Red Emma’s Bookstore Coffeehouse (Mt. Vernon). For more information, contact:


William P. Tandy, Editor
Eight-Stone Press
P.O. Box 11064
Baltimore, Maryland 21212
E-mail: Wpt@eightstonepress.com
Website: http://www.eightstonepress.com
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/eightstonepress
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/wptandy
Twitter: EightStonePress


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