Tag / Stanza Cannon

by Ink

Hiatus

First and most of all, I want to thank all of the poets from around the globe who saw Stanza Cannon and took a gamble on trusting us with their voice. I still believe, 100%, in the mission of this humble zine but have lost faith in my own ability to properly support the poets who contribute. Putting a magazine together – gathering submissions, editing audio, and assembling the issue – is one thing, but the constant promotion necessary to provide exposure for our contributors and the rag has proven to be far beyond /contrary to my capabilities / sensibilities. In short, I feel I am failing the poets who have contributed, and I cannot bring myself to continue to let anyone else down in that regard.

But this I vow: Stanza Cannon will not, so long as I have the monthly fee, become a dead link. The magazine will live on until my own end of days. I personally owe the poets who dared to contribute that much. And, who knows, if my own headspace changes and I’m able to be the hype man poets deserve, there will be new issues in the future.

For now, however, I’d urge you to check out past issues, follow links to the poets’ works, and support them in any way you feel able. Poetry is community. For many, poetry is life. And I am so grateful to have been a part of something larger these past three years. Thank you for listening. Thank you for contributing. Thank you for feeling in an an increasingly callous world.

—Ink—

by Ink

Proud Sponsor

At least for the time being, because I(nk) believe(s) poetic expression should not have financial barriers, Stanza Cannon will remain a free-to-listen, free-to-submit literary quarterly. Unfortunately, that also means SC’s coffer depends on the founder’s funds. That means there’s almost no spare money behind this project, which in turn limits what we can do to compensate our contributors. (And we want to remedy this as soon as possible.)

So as a means to increase the visibility of Stanza Cannon and thereby give its contributors more ears and more than a publication credit, the EIC cut a deal to sponsor CIUT 89.5FM’s Howl — an online radio program that is dedicated to poetry and features an open mic which mirrors what Stanza Cannon loves: voices from around the world.

You’re thinking, “But couldn’t you just pay contributors with the sponsorship money”? And, yes, we could, but only for a brief period. But if we grow our audience, maybe we can then offer subscriptions to access old issues (unrestricted access) and keep the current issue free. This would enable us to reach our goal of paying both new and previous contributors while providing free-to-submit, free-to-listen content.

If you’d like to find out more about the sponsorship and how it came about, listen to this episode of HOWL featuring an interview with Ink.

by Ink

Issue No. 6 is live!

As our very first issue with a (faux) guest editor, our second summer issue features ten poems by five poets. We’ve got a playful cautionary tail, we’ve got poetry writing pointers, we’ve got mental conditions (but you already knew that), and we’ve got social strife – all related to the human condition. Is that not what poetry is for? We’ve also got a picture of a fantastic pupper (Pebbles) and cannon sent in by Kody Taylor! Head on over and give the issue a listen here!

by Ink

Number Five with a Cannon Ball!

Number five is alive! Short and sweet with punch and pucker, our first issue of 2023 features eight brilliant poems by five poets who bring their pages to life. We have the return of a music-backed meditation by Gregory Schwartz, three poems as diverse in their expressiveness as their focus by Kevin Hodgson, two modern and whimsical takes on myth from Laura Cooney, as well as a poem a piece from Jack Ferguson and Gerard Sarnat on, respectively, apprehension towards aging and the appreciation of being able to continue doing so. Head on over and give a listen here!

by Ink

Something Different

So, we have an idea. (A few, actually.) There’s a Discord we set up during this rag’s inception, but we rarely broadcast it and have yet to actually make use of it. That’s because, honestly, we weren’t sure if there would be any interest. However, like we said, we have an idea. (Several, actually.) And that includes bringing poets together for a live reading, a la an open mic, to be recorded as a special issue. If there’s enough interest, we’re thinking of planning it for publication between our Spring 2023 and Summer 2023 issues. Just one of the ways we’re thinking of expanding our potential and serving the poetry community. Guidelines would be two poems or five minutes per poet, with the same content guidelines as Stanza Cannon proper.

We want to know what you think. Would this be something you’d like to listen to/participate in? If so…

Would you rather readings on a theme as opposed to a free-for-all, vice-versa, or alternating issues that feature one or the other?

Since slots will be limited but open to all on a first-come-first-read sign-up sheet, how long, rounded to the nearest 15 minutes, would your ideal listen be?

Should we do a Grab Bag, where poets read a couple of their own poems and then one from each other chosen at random by the EIC?

Would you prefer an audience (as a reader, as a listener) for clapping/snapping/wooting during or at the ends of poems?

Leave a comment below to let us know, or hit us up on the socials!

Mastodon — Twitter — Facebook — Instagram

by Ink

Issue No. 3 and 4 are live!

The third and fourth issues of Stanza Cannon are live, and we are swooning! Listen to all collective contributions as a playlist or select tracks to play one at a time as is your pleasure. We cannot possibly thank enough those talented artists who trusted us with their work. It means the world to us to be able to broadcast your voices.

A reminder: Submissions are open 24/7/365, but we are currently accepting for our Spring 2023 Issue due out in March, and that includes the Grab Bag.

So go. Listen. Be inspired. Submit, and break the sound barrier.

by Ink

Be Our Billboard

Be a walking billboard for us while touting your love of oral (poetry). Stanza Cannon now has merch available in the form of a couple tees and bag that tout (and in one instance totes) your love for, well, this very site! The tees are priced basically for $0 profit to be as inexpensive as possible as to help get our address in front of more faces, and any profit made will be funneled right back into keeping the site up and running. Don’t forget to tag us in your SM avenue of choice (twitter, facebook, instagram) when you receive/wear them so we can shout it from the digital mountaintop.

And if you’d rather the full Stanza Cannon logo on other things (hats, mugs, bath/beach towels, notebooks, etc.), head on over to our Redbubble store. Same deal as above, any profit made is funneled right back into helping the site recoup operational costs.

by Ink

Issue No. 2 is live!

The second issue of Stanza Cannon is live, and we can’t believe it either! Click here to listen to all collective contributions as a playlist or select tracks to play one at a time as is your pleasure. We cannot possibly thank enough those talented artists who trusted us with their work. It means the world to us to be able to broadcast your voices.

Also, a huge thank you to Black Market Eagle for our new SM icon and logo! (Goodbye, MS Paint-ed masterworks from our EIC.) It’s gorgeous, and we cannot recommend them enough.

A reminder: Submissions are open for our autumnal Issue No. 3 due out in September, and that includes the Grab Bag, which one courageous soul has already submitted to and is awaiting a poem to record and read in kind.

So go. Listen. Be inspired. Submit, and break the sound barrier.