We’re delighted to be here in our fifth year, with a new and stunningly beautiful volume of Read These Lips. As with previous volumes, we will travel through all kinds of stories from lesbians with a point of view. We will discover and rediscover ways in which women connect—through identity, through pleasure or through shared experience—as we continue to relay lesbian experiences through our own literature.
We feel lucky to be able to receive and present more lesbian stories each year and with such variety. In Take 5, we welcome the entertaining and thought-provoking writings of Adrienne Fleming, Angel Propps, Deborah La Garbanza, Doreen Perrine, Elaine Burnes, Gill McKnight, Ina Bak, Joan Annsfire, J.E. Knowles, Lee Lynch, Natasha Carthew, Rachel Green, R.G. Emanuelle and Vanessa Stewart.
The gorgeous paintings in this volume invite you to take a moment to enjoy women and literature, together. The team at RTL wish you good reading.
Read These Lips is a free e-book project dedicated to lesbian literature. In our sixth year, we are inviting submissions to our anthology series.
We seek multi-dimensional literary writings that speak the possibilities of lesbian lives. We feature popular genre as well as cross-genre works.
Submissions are being accepted through to 29 February 2012. Please read our Submissions Guidelines carefully, and our previous anthologies for guidance.
Each submission: Not more than 4000 words per entry. Not less than 500 words, or 1 page, except for poetry or graphics. However, if making two (2) submissions per author per anthology, the word limit is 4000 in total. Maximum of two (2) submissions per author per anthology, except for poetry.
You may submit stories, poetry, verse, graphics…any genre that can be reproduced on paper.
Submissions should have a lesbian flavour but may include anything LBTIQ inspired. New work preferred.
Submissions should be in MSWord or RTF format or any text file to preserve format, but not in the body of an email.
Enclose a short biography, picture and email contact with your submissions. Submissions without biographies will not be considered.
Third party sources must be credited.
You agree to provide your submissions free of charge to the anthology.
You agree to our editing process. For more information see Behind The Curtain at our blog.
Accepted entries will not be removed from the anthology once published.
We are not responsible for any copyright infringement that may be caused by the use of your submission in our anthologies.
How the anthology works.
Our anthologies are published only in electronic format.
The anthology is distributed via the internet.
It is free to download and to share. It is not for sale.
Authors retain their moral rights, but once a submission is included in the anthology and is published, it cannot be removed.
IMPORTANT: Those who wish to submit to us or host or distribute our anthologies should be aware of our Terms of Use.
Google has been slowly pushing its ebook marketplace for a couple of years now, but it’s finally decided to have an Aust site. Um, why bother? I already get my books from other countries. However, these are E-books, a concept most Australians readers still aren’t enamoured with. Seems we likes ‘em physical and we have the bookstores to prove it. We’re also big online buyers. So despite the large price hike to get books here, there’s a middle virtual market for “higher than overseas but lower than bookstore priced books”. Depending on what you’re looking for, one can still head overseas or buy local, albeit a local online store.
When I wrote about the highly enjoyable film, Caramel, I wished at least half the world could watch it. Years later, I still fondly recall the film. Nadine Labaki, the producer and actor in Caramel, has released another film called Where Do We Go Now? that recently won the people’s choice award at the Toronto International Film Festival 2011. I can’t wait to watch it.
Brilliant and brave. OUTService a magazine by and for gay millitary servicers (of the US). While I’m quite anti-arms anything, I hope this magazine arrives wherever it needs to be.
It’s winter here, sweeties, just in case you were wondering. As I write this, very cold winds and frosty fingers are nipping the south east of Australia and tonight, metro Sydney is getting a taste of it.
So what does a politically conscious lesbian do in winter? Well, get set for a month of celebrations coz July in Sydney has a Lesbian herstory programme that we haven’t seen the likes of in a long time.
The RTL is busy working on another great bunch of quality stories and poetry coming up for you in the next volume of Read These Lips. Some of our favourite contributors return, accompanied by writers we’re pleased to feature for the first time. We love that RTL has enabled us to open the world to lesbian writings and we feel really lucky when writers approach us to share their stories.
Sorry for the long silence but life has been busy and I’ve been too lazy. Anyways, here’s a book to look forward to.
Dormitory Heat: Hot Lesbian Tales of Campus Lust Edited by Therese Szymanski
Submission deadline: July 1, 2011 (to be published in 2012)
Ah, to be young, hot, and hopelessly in lust while surrounded by nubile babes at one of the many great institutions of higher learning that help to mold the future leaders of this country.
Therese Szymanski is seeking hot stories about women on campus—horny sorority sisters, feisty women’s studies students, queer drama dykes, we want them all:
• From the sexy new sorority sister being initiated into the ways of her newfound sisterhood…
• To the wide-eyed freshman theatre major learning all about trust exercises in her freshman acting lab…
• The sexy geek learning all about extra credit in her latest women’s studies class…
• The feisty track star getting hot and sweaty in the locker room with her teammates…
• The beautiful Japanese student exploring women’s culture in the states…
• And more—your imagination’s the limit! I want them all, so long as they’re hot stories my readers will want to read one-handed in the bathtub, bring ‘em on!
Use your imagination and your very best words to craft hot stories with great ideas, real characters and interesting situations while leaving your reader hot, wet and wanting more. Put your all into it, but as you’re bringing onyou’re your best sleaze, remember that story reigns supreme—humor and twist endings are fun, but the stories must also be hot and sexy. Bring on your very best and realize that typos, punctuation, grammar, odd/incorrect POVs, and other things DO count against you.
Guidelines:
1) Stories should be between 2,000 and 7,000 words in length.
2) Please submit a typed, double-spaced hard copy in at least 12-point type with one-inch margins. Preferably in a nice, readable serif font like Times New Roman. Documents should be formatted with US standards of 8½”x11” paper, etc.
3) Characterization, plot, and story are key. (Really. I want a good, hot story, with a believable plot and real characters!) but punctuation, grammar and POV are important.
4) Stories must be erotic, lesbian and on topic.
5) Name, address, phone number, word count, and email address should all appear on the first page. (If accepted, final manuscript must be submitted electronically.)
6) Include a 50-word bio with your submission.
7) Only previously unpublished stories—or stories that have appeared on the Internet (and can be pulled)—will be considered. (Please include information on where and when the story was posted in your cover letter.)
8) Please include a brief cover letter with your submission.
9) Only three submissions per person please.
10) Include an SASE with sufficient postage to return the manuscript if you would like it returned, or, if manuscript is disposable, please state so in your cover letter.
11) Handy hint: If you don’t necessarily need/want the manuscript back, but would like to know if you’ve been rejected, please include a #10 SASE (that is, Self-Addressed Stamped Envelope) so we can let you know if we’re unable to use your story with a simple form letter (no feedback can be given).
12) Email Reese at dormitoryheat at bigbadbutch.com with any questions.
Contributors will be paid upon publication and will receive two copies of the anthology. No final decisions about stories to be included in this anthology will be made before 1/1/2012.
Send all manuscripts to:
Therese Szymanski
3571 Far West Blvd. #122
Austin, TX 78731
Please do not send manuscripts in any way that requires a signature upon delivery. If you enclose a self-addressed stamped postcard with your story, Szymanski will be happy to drop it in the mail upon receipt.
Therese (Reese) Szymanski, the bestselling, award-winning author and playwright of nine mystery/thrillers, four novellas, six controversial plays and several dozen short stories, essays, articles, columns, reviews and feature stories, is a marketing guru whose every fiction-editing turn has been shortlisted for or won an award. She’s edited Back to Basics: A Butch/Femme Anthology, Call of the Dark: Erotic Lesbian Tales of the Supernatural, A Perfect Valentine: Erotic Valentine’s Day Lesbian Love, Wild Nights: Mostly True Stories of Women Loving Women and Fantasy: Untrue Stories of Lesbian Passion. You can find out more about Reese and her work at www.BigBadButch.com.
As many of you will have seen, Queensland state is being devastated by floods. The scale of it is almost incomprehensible. There are updates and stories coming out from there every minute. Everyone is trying to cope. I don’t know where they find the strength. Please donate or help if you can. The worse is yet to come.
Premier’s Disaster Relief Appeal
The account details for donations by internet banking are:
Account Name: Premier’s Disaster Relief Appeal
BSB: 064 013
Account number: 1000 6800
SWIFT code for international donations: CTBAAU2S
Call 1800 219 028 to donate using your credit card.
You can also donate in person at most banks and Coles Supermarkets.
Cheques should be made payable to:
The Premier’s Disaster Relief Appeal
ABN: 69 689 161 916
and posted to:
Premier’s Disaster Relief Appeal
C/O Department of the Premier and Cabinet
PO Box 15185
City East QLD 4002
As we speak NSW, Victoria, Tasmania are facing flood risks as well, and Western Australia is battling bushfires. Australia is a continent constantly dealing with and against the strength of nature. We are so often worrking to manage its effects that actually living in temperate zones of comfort is never taken for granted. Each summer, we brace for bushfires. Each autumn, we wait for rain. The whole country has been drought called more often and longer than we remember spraying our cars in the driveway. Hail is a common enough weather pattern and the northern half of the country, being almost tropical, is affected by dangerous winds and rain every year. It is a testament to the will and hardiness of Australians that we continue to do our best together with the land.
Update: Caterina Giuliano and Jo Angri are the lucky new owners of the Bookshop!
The gorgeous women behind the Feminist Bookshop in Sydney are retiring and their bedrock of liberal resources for women is looking for new owners.
I am just one of many whom Gail and Libby have helped. For example, they were instrumental in letting Read These Lips find an audience in Australia. These women are amazingly generous and kind, and I cannot thank them enough for nurturing the flame.
The Feminist Bookshop Is For Sale
Libby and Gail have decided it is time to retire. We would like The Feminist Bookshop to continue with its important work, as there is still potential for growth, especially if new owners can take the bookshop on-line and further into new technologies.
As a small independent bookshop our survival for 36 years has been a great achievement, and this has happened through hard work, dedication, and the support of many loyal customers. Our major customers are in the social work/community services sector, where we are highly respected, and where there are still many contacts to be made Australia wide. Our other important support has come from a diverse lesbian community, and from feminists in all walks of life.
If you are looking for a new career with top quality job-satisfaction, and you are interested in buying an iconic bookshop, please contact us as soon as possible for further information.
Please forward this email to your friends, colleagues and networks/newsletters etc. help us spread the word
Also please remember that it is business as usual…your continued support is very much appreciated
Gail and Libby
The Feminist Bookshop
Shop 9 Orange Grove Plaza
Balmain Road Lilyfield NSW 2040
Ph: 02 9810 2666 Fax: 02 9818 5745
International Fax: 61 2 9818 5745
ABN: 81 412 242 668
News, updates and links from the lesbian and publishing ‘verse that interest me, my current projects, keeping up with authors and sharing musings on middle-class life, gourmet adventures and comparisons between East/West perspectives. My opinions will likely be linearly logical and gayly bent, as they tend to be.
We’re delighted to be here in our fifth year, with a new and stunningly beautiful volume of Read These Lips. As with previous volumes, we will travel through all kinds of stories from lesbians with a point of view. We will discover and rediscover ways in which women connect—through identity, through pleasure or through shared experience—as we continue to relay lesbian experiences through our own literature.
