SMILE, HON receives shout-out from DAILY NEWS!

Thank you, Michael Kaminer and The New York Daily News, for this spotlight on Baltimore in general, and a certain local zine in particular:

"Before you leave Hampden, stop by Atomic Books (3620 Falls Rd., atomicbooks.com), where the phenomenal breadth of printed matter includes ’zines like Smile Hon, You’re In Baltimore ($4), a local leaflet that chronicles life in the city through rosy and jaundiced eyes. It makes a great souvenir."

SMILE, HON Shows Book Fest a Good Time!

Photo: William P. Tandy

BALTIMORE, Md. - Join long-running, critically acclaimed lit zine Smile, Hon,You’re in Baltimore! in kicking off the 2014 Baltimore Book Festival with an evening of voluble hijinks, beginning at 6:00 p.m. Friday, September 26, 2014, on the CityLit Stage at Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. Smile, Hon contributors Mary Elizabeth Mays, Mike Murphy, Lisa Wiseman, Michael Koenig, Susan Beverly, and E. Doyle-Gillespie will regale the crowd with their respective brands of wisdom, wit, and woe. The event, just like the beer provided by Union Craft Brewing, is free. For more information, email wpt@eightstonepress.com.

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And speaking of CityLit - it is with no small degree of irony here that we note City Paper's recent (and well-deserved) dubbing of the annual CityLit Festival as "Best Book Festival". We here at Smile, Hon still look forward to CityLit Fest each spring, and offer special thanks to CityLit Founder and Executive Director Gregg Wilhelm for his support over the years.

And on one final CityLit-related note - Smile, Hon editor William P. Tandy joins the ranks of 14 contributing writers to "literary geo-caching adventure" Geo-Poe, which launches October 1. A special October 29 reading at Westminster Hall in downtown Baltimore will feature all 14 participating authors, including Smile, Hon writers:

• Rahne Alexander
• Rafael Alvarez
• Davida Gypsy Breier
• Caryn Coyle
• Timmy Reed
• Dean Bartoli Smith
• William P. Tandy

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In other news, Smile, Hon invites your Mobtown-related/inspired stories, essays, poetry, photography and other artwork for its next issue (No. 18). Creative non-fiction is preferred, though all submissions will be considered. Email articles (100 – 1,000 words) as attached Word documents. Image files should be high-resolution, 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 when published. 

The deadline for submissions is Saturday, November 1, 2014.

* * *

For more information, contact:

William P. Tandy, Editor

Eight-Stone Press

P.O. Box 11064

Baltimore, Maryland 21212

E-mail: wpt@eightstonepress.com

Web: http://www.eightstonepress.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/wptandy

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/eightstonepress

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SMILE, HON Seeks Submissions for Next Issue

BALTIMORE, Md. – Submit your Mobtown-related/inspired stories, essays, poetry, photography and other artwork for the next issue of Long-running lit zine Smile, Hon, You’re in Baltimore! seeks your Mobtown-related/inspired stories, essays, poetry, photography, and other artwork for its next issue (No. 18). Creative non-fiction is preferred, though all submissions will be considered.

Submit articles (100 – 2,000 words) via e-mail (wpt@eightstonepress.com) as attached Word documents.  Image files should be high-resolution, 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 when published.  The deadline for submissions is Saturday, November 1, 2014.

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.  A two-time Utne Reader Independent Press Award Nominee, Smile, Hon has also been dubbed “Best Zine” by Baltimore Magazine (2013, 2008) and Baltimore City Paper (2004).  Special theme issues have tackled such subjects as work, alleyways, sex, rats, and tattoos.

An Eight-Stone Press production, Smile, Hon, You’re in Baltimore! is available for purchase at Atomic Books (Baltimore, MD); City Lights Books (San Francisco, CA); Cyclops Books & Music (Baltimore, MD); Microcosm Distribution; Quimby’s (Chicago, IL); Red Emma’s Bookstore Coffeehouse (Baltimore, MD); and Ukazoo Books (Towson, MD).  For more information, contact:

William P. Tandy, Editor

Eight-Stone Press

P.O. Box 11064

Baltimore, Maryland 21212

E-mail: wpt@eightstonepress.com

Web: http://www.eightstonepress.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/wptandy

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/eightstonepress

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ESP Publishes SMILE, HON No. 17

BALTIMORE, MD – From Casablanca to Central Booking, nothing ever really ends in the brand-new Smile,Hon, You’re in Baltimore! No. 17, published by Eight-Stone Press.

In this issue, EARL CROWN learns the price of beating the rap; BILL HUGHES chases the ’58 Colts into history; and MARGO CHRISTIE strips down to the Block of yore, plus a whole lot more. Contributors include:

• -          D.R. BELZ
• -          SUSAN BEVERLY
• -          A. AUBREY BODINE
• -          DAVIDA GYPSY BREIER
• -          MARGO CHRISTIE
• -          RUFUS CLETUS-CLACKTUS
• -          EARL CROWN
• -          E. DOYLE-GILLESPIE
• -          G
• -          S.J. FERRANDI
• -          MARTHA GATEWOOD
• -          ANTHONY C. HAYES
• -          IAN HOCHBERG
• -          BILL HUGHES
• -          MIKE KOENIG
• -          KAT MALONE
• -          MIKE MURPHY
• -          OTHERDRAWLINGS
• -          SARAH SMITH
• -          CECILIA M. STRAKNA
• -          WILLIAM P. TANDY
• -          TIM WARD
• -          LISA WISEMAN

Pick up Smile, Hon No. 17 or browse our back catalogue at the Eight-Stone Press table in the Literary Marketplace at the 11^th Annual CityLit Festival, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. this Saturday, April 12, 2014, at the Enoch Pratt Free Library’s Central Branch in downtown Baltimore. Smile, Hon editor, publisher, and contributing writer William P. Tandy will be on hand to provide more questions than answers.

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. A slice of Baltimore as told by Baltimore, all presented with the time-honored, DIY accessibility of a limited-run, handcrafted zine.

Smile, Hon, You’re in Baltimore! is an Eight-Stone Press production and is available for purchase locally at Atomic Books. For more information, contact:

William P. Tandy, Editor

Eight-Stone Press

P.O. Box 11064

Baltimore, MD 21212

wpt@eightstonepress.com

www.eightstonepress.com

eightstonepress.blogspot.com

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THE LOST PATROL - "Driven" (2013; self-produced)

While each album from the canon of New York’s prolific LostPatrol has featured singular high points, the band’s 2013 outing Driven is perhaps the trio’s most atmospherically cohesive record to date. Indeed, permeated by a consistently chaotic undercurrent, almost every song here feels inspired, starting with the sleepy bounce of the opening track, “Spinning”.

The haunting, melodic pop of “All Tomorrow’s Promises” conjures visions of sunrise and western skies, the while reaffirming the Lost Patrol’s status as hit-makers of an alternate plane. Vocalist Mollie Israel skulks through “A Chance of Rain” like Enya’s wicked stepsister. And shades of Sam the Sham creep about the haunted-house swing of “Little Black Kitten”.

Amidst the snarling groove of “See You in Hell”, Israel channels a more worldly version of the psycho-bitch persona that first surfaced on “In Your Blood” (from the band’s 2010 effort, Dark Matter). “You wanna play / You might get beat / If you wanna win / You’d better learn to cheat,” she taunts.

Longtime Lost Patrol fans will take comfort in the signature twilit landscape summoned by the dark trinity of Israel’s vocals, Michael Williams’s infallible 12-string rhythm, and Stephen Massucci’s soaring, Sailor-and-Lula-meet-the-Shadows guitar work. However, each album has also reflected the band’s determination to reach beyond its comfort zone, and Driven is no exception – from the spacey, mock-Theremin on “A Chance of Rain” to the piano-lounge jazz of “Just Go” (the latter also providing a rare, unfiltered glimpse of Israel’s vocal chops). This combination of new and familiar terrain makes Driven a ride worth taking for old and new fans alike.

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SMILE, HON seeks submissions!

BALTIMORE, Md. – Winter weather forced you to draw lots?  Well, with your belly full and your roommate gone, now is the perfect time to while away those winter blues by submitting your Mobtown-related/inspired stories, essays, poetry, photography and other artwork to long-running lit zine Smile, Hon, You’re in Baltimore!.

Robert Carlyle in RAVENOUS (1999). Directed by Antonia Bird.

Creative non-fiction is preferred, though all submissions will be considered.  Articles (100 – 2,000 words) should be submitted via e-mail (wpt@eightstonepress.com) as attached Word documents.  Image files should be high-resolution, approximately 5” x 7”, 300+ dpi (.JPG or .TIF format).  All contributors will received a byline/artist credit for their work as well as two (2) complimentary copies of the issue when published.  The deadline for submissions is Friday, February 14, 2014.

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.  A two-time Utne Independent Press Award Nominee, Smile, Hon has also been dubbed “Best Zine” by Baltimore Magazine (2008) and Baltimore City Paper (2004).  Special theme issues have tackled such subjects as work, alleyways, sex, rats, and tattoos.

An Eight-Stone Press production, Smile, Hon, You’re in Baltimore! is available for purchase at Atomic Books (Baltimore, MD); City Lights Books (San Francisco, CA); Cyclops Books & Music (Baltimore, MD); Microcosm Distribution; Quimby’s (Chicago, IL); Red Emma’s Bookstore Coffeehouse (Baltimore, MD); and Ukazoo Books (Towson, MD).  For more information, contact:

William P. Tandy, Editor

Eight-Stone Press

P.O. Box 11064

Baltimore, Maryland 21212

E-mail: wpt@eightstonepress.com

Web: http://www.eightstonepress.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/wptandy

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/eightstonepress

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Poe House seeks volunteers!

Attention, Smile, Hon contributors and fans of Edgar Allan Poe!

The following is a message from Benn Ray, co-owner of AtomicBooks, on behalf of Baltimore’s Poe House:

This weekend, as part of Poe's Birthday Celebration, the Poe House is going to be open to visitors and we're looking to have volunteers read some of Poe's poems in shifts.  I was hoping to put the call out to the Smile, Hon folks to see if anyone would be interested.

Here are the dates/time slots when we are looking to have readings:

SATURDAY, JANUARY 18

10:00 am - 11:00 am

11:00 am - 12:00 pm

12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

1:00 pm - 2:00 pm

2:00 pm - 3:00 pm

3:00 pm - 4:00 pm

SUNDAY, JANUARY 19

10:00 am - 11:00 am

11:00 am - 12:00 pm

12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

1:00 pm - 2:00 pm

2:00 pm - 3:00 pm

3:00 pm - 4:00 pm

I've broken them into hour time slots - but if you can do more than an hour, please feel free to sign up for several slots. And if you know of anyone else interested, please feel free to forward this to them as well.

To sign up, or for more information, email benn@atomicbooks.com.

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