Loquacious Placemat

Sorry for the Delay!

2010-03-16T05:44:00.000-07:00

We had targeted a 3/15 publication date for Issue 3. Computer access issues are putting that closer to a late this evening 3/16 release. All the same, some exciting offerings coming at you this evening. Excellent work from Hugh Fox, J.A. Tyler, Indira Chandrasekhar and Matt Dennison should be hitting eyeballs before midnight!

Spreading the Word. Fall Frontal Assault.

2010-01-26T11:44:00.000-08:00

We're amping up our shameless shill quotient this week, in an attempt to get our authors read by as many people as possible.

With this in mind, we're asking any and all readers to mention us wherever possible. Facebook, Twitter, Below Top Secret, MySpace, /b/, Friendster, LiveJournal, private and public blogs, it matters not to us. Cafe, coffeeshops, diners, student union buildings. If you have read Loquacious Placemat, and think that even one sentence is worth people reading, let the people know.

This link:
http://tinyurl.com/loqmatiss2
will take people straight to our issues and downloads page where they can read issues one and two of Loquacious Placemat. Spread the word and change the world! (or at the very least give some unsuspecting readers the opportunity to discover some talented new writers.)

Issue 2 Available for Download!

2010-01-12T07:00:00.000-08:00

Loquacious Placemat Issue 2 is now available online and brings us another international line-up of talent. We kick things off with a peek under Leah Ebdon's keyboard. Vanessa Gebbie introduces us to Ed's Wife and Other Creatures with three surreal bits of microfiction. T.R. Healy gives us new insights into the inner lives of opera extras and Niall Boyce provides a tale of time travel run amok.

Our regional hard copies will be hitting the streets over the next 2 weeks. With this issue, we also introduce new formatting which allows anyone with access to a printer and "legal" sized paper (8.5" x 14") can become part of the Loquacious Placemat family by printing and distributing the 'mat.

If you have the means and the interest to become a part of this new initiative, drop us a note at TwistedThistleProductions[at]gmail[dot]com. Give us your info and the locations you'll be leaving the 'mat and we'll put the info on our website to help spread the word.

This offer is open to businesses who think their customers would dig us as well as rogue readers looking to put interesting words in strangers' hands.

Exciting things coming . . .

2009-12-11T07:22:00.000-08:00

Issue 2 is packed to the gills with some amazing work and will be ready to roll in all it's surreal glory by mid-January.

Issue 3 is also taking shape with a level of submissions that continue to delight and amaze us.

In exciting business news, we have recently abandoned the search for sponsors/advertisers. It seems that while the Loquacious Placemat manifesto and mission is serving as a clarion call for an international array of creative minds, it does not yet loosen pursestrings in this trying economy.

Fortunately, here at Loquacious Placemat, we look at the positives. Since we have no need to reserve ad space, we have more room for interesting words and thoughts to hurl into the public arena. We are now free to be just a little bit weirder than we were before. What's more, we will be stepping further outside the box when it comes to getting the 'Mat into the streets.

We're still outlining the new plan, but we will say this: Break out the bananas and camouflage we're going guerrilla .

A Re-Affirmation. The Posting of the LP Manifesto.

2009-11-09T12:29:00.000-08:00

Loquacious Placemat is here to resuscitate
the lost traditions of the broadsheet, the
pamphlet, the scribble and the screed. The
central idea is to get writing off of the shelves,
out of the drawers and into the streets.

We want to give literary fiction the power
to ambush the public. We want our stories to
be read by as broad a range of people as
possible. If this means that it is read through a
haze of cigarette smoke, gets splashed with
coffee or stained with whiskey, then so much
the better!

Our words can live long, healthy and quiet
lives nestled away in the literary corners of the
internet; they deserve to be lovingly bound in
traditional journals and stored on the shelves
of connoisseurs and academics. But, they need
to get out every once in a while. We want to
give the works published in Loquacious
Placemat the opportunity to get tattered
around the edges, folded in fourths and stuffed
in someone's back pocket.

Loquacious Placemat is here to put strange
words in front of those who would not
otherwise seek them out. Online, we will be a
concise and tidy journal. Out in the world, we
will be something not so easily defined;
something a little strange put out there with
the hopes that our strangeness will rub off on
the world

Re-evaluating and Gearing Up.

2009-10-28T10:45:00.000-07:00

So the first issue of Loquacious Placemat was definitely an artistic success. With excellent submissions from around the world, we exceeded our own expectations for the premiere issue. That is, when it comes to form and content of the thing.

Our business model is, however, taking a little more kick-starting than originally anticipated. As such, we are taking a slower approach as we prepare Issue 2. At this point, we are looking at a January/February 2010 release.

Between now and then we will be rolling out a new and improved web site as well as new advertising options for interested sponsors. This new model will allow us to maintain our current one ad per copy mantra, while opening up to a broader range of sponsors. If you are interested in advertising with Loquacious Placemat feel free to contact us at TwistedThistleProductions[at]gmail{dot}com. Opportunities start as low as $50.

We are also accepting submissions for Issue 2.

--Loquacious Placemat Staff

CORRECTION/UPDATE

2009-07-18T05:52:00.000-07:00

For those of you who have already downloaded a .PDF copy of Loqacious Placemat Issue 1, there was a typo in one of our URLs for Mathew Klickstein. The correct link is: www.youtube.com/profklickberg. This error has been corrected in the currently available online version as well as the upcoming print edition.

Be sure to check out the link for a look at some amazing people an outstanding program.. From the site:

Following in the footsteps of Outsider Artists Florence Foster Jenkins, Langley Schools Project, and Wesley Willis, the Kids of Widney High are a group of young adults with developmental disabilities who make their own music. The Kids have four albums out, and have been covered by bands such as: the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, the Aquabats, and Osaka Popstar (made up of members of the Misfits, Black Flag, and the Ramones). They have also worked closely with such musical luminaries as Mike Patton and Jackson Browne.

For your reading pleasure . . .

2009-07-02T08:31:00.000-07:00

Loquacious Placemat has hit the internet. You can check out your very own .PDF copy here. The issue features an O Henry style tale from Ilan Herman, an evocative prose poem from Irish writer Nuala Ni Chonchuir, frenetic ruminations on the writing life from Mathew Klickstein and a look behind the scenes of the cosmos courtesy of Jason Stout.

Submissions are also always open for future issues, and we look forward to hearing from you.

Enjoy.

Loquacious Placemat Staff.

Many letters sent!

2009-06-01T08:41:00.000-07:00

Wheels are in motion here at Loquacious Placemat. A number of responses have been sent out. We have our first three pieces for the debut issue selected and typeset. Just a little more butting of heads to be done among the editorial staff, and we should have the rest of our letters sent out by the week's end.

We are very excited about the pieces that we are going to be bringing to you in the month of July, as our authors seem to have set out to blur the line between fiction and poetry. The results are compelling and evocative and give us high hopes for the future.

Author Bios will be appearing on the site once we fill our last couple of slots for the issue. We are perpetually open for submissions, since Issues 2, 3, 4 and beyond are not going to write themselves; so submit to your heart's content and spread the word.

Heads Up/Disclaimer

2009-05-05T09:41:00.000-07:00

You may notice that the Loquacious Placemat website here does feature Google generated ads. As we seek to fund this venture to the point where we can pay writers and expand print runs, we believe that Goodle Ads are a reasonably unobtrusive revenue stream. As such, we encourage you to click the links and check out the various goods and services offered. We also encourage you to use caution and common sense.

Google Ads are generated by Google based on the content of the site on which they appear. Since this is a literary publication you will see plenty of ads targeted towards aspiring writers. At least one of the sites advertised in the Google Ads is well known in the literary community as a sort of scam. Be sure to research companies and agencies outside of their own sites especially if they promise you the world in exchange for money up front.

We've gone ahead and installed a Google Search bar at the bottom of the site to help you protect yourself AND take advantage of he many legitimate offers advertised through Google Ads.

Loquacious Placemat Merchandise

2009-04-29T08:33:00.001-07:00

In our never ending crusade to deliver the maximum multi-channel literary experience to the public at large, Loquacious Placemat has dived into the world of merchandising. The fact that merchandise sales may help fund the payment of authors and the expansion of print runs is just icing on the proverbial cake.

So check out our shop at http://www.cafepress.com/LoqPlacemat.

Think of it this way, if Loquacious Placemat becomes a cultural touchstone, you will have a priceless cultural artifact of a literary institution at its most nascent. If we burn out and/or fade away you will have an ironic piece of pop culture kitsch sure to make generations of hipsters smile.

It really is a win/win. So check out the shop and keep those submissions coming!

Manifesto Preview . . .

2009-04-24T09:31:00.000-07:00

Issue 1 of Loquacious Placemat will feature our publication's manifesto. Fear not, we will not be too ostentatious about it and it will be the only editor produced content. It will run in the space where we hope to feature the manifestos and ravings of outside contributors on a monthly basis.

In response to some feedback received, we have decided to publish an excerpt from the LP Manifesto. It is our hope that this will address the concerns of some potential contributors out there while inspiring some of you to pen (and submit) manifestos of your own:

. . . We want to give literary fiction the power to ambush the public. We want our stories to be read by as broad a range of people as possible. If this means that it is read through a haze of cigarette smoke, gets splashed with coffee or stained with whiskey, then so much the better!

Our words can live long, healthy and quiet lives nestled away in the literary corners of the internet; they deserve to be lovingly bound in traditional journals and stored on the shelves of connoisseurs and academics. But, they need to get out every once in a while. We want to give the works published in Loquacious Placemat the opportunity to get tattered around the edges, folded in fourths and stuffed in someone's back pocket.

Loquacious Placemat is here to put strange words in front of those who would not otherwise seek them out. Online, we will be a concise and tidy journal. Out in the world, we will be something not so easily defined; something a little strange put out there with the hopes that our strangeness will rub off on the world. . . .

So there it is: a little taste of where our minds are at. Thoughts? Observations? Objections? Fears? Quandaries? Counter-Manifestos? Tell us all about it TwistedThistleProductions{at}gmail\dot/com.

Expanding our turf?

2009-04-22T15:16:00.000-07:00

The buzz is growing! In addition to some great submissions (both local and international), we've been receiving inquiries about carrying Loquacious Placemat outside of our local region. As we seek to finance an expanded print run, we are looking to possibly distribute in NYC, Boston and Connecticut.

We'll you keep you posted.

In the meantime, feel free to submit or contact us.

Thanks!
Loquacious Placemat

Submission Guidelines

2009-04-14T06:22:00.000-07:00

Loquacious Placemat is seeking material a little bit left of center. We are looking for the odd little stories that fall between the preciousness of traditional literary magazines and the raging avant garde tendencies of old school 'zines. Some of our favorite authors include Tom Robbins, Mark Leyner, Joyce Carol Oates, Franz Kafka, Kurt Vonnegut, Hunter S. Thompson, Joseph Heller and David Foster Wallace.

Because the 'Mat is utilizing the broadsheet format, space is limited. We are looking for material in the following categories and word limits:

Flash Fiction (approx. 1000 words)
Manifestos (spprox. 1000 words)

The one that may require som explanation is the call for Manifestos. The Art Manifesto has a storied history dating back to the beginning of the 20th century. It is an opportunity to put forth a set of ideals for your vision of the world (or at the very least art's place in the world). There can be manifestos for movements or for individuals, and Loquacious Placemat is open to either. So if you've got something to say (in approximately a thousand words or less), type it up and send it in. We are hoping to have one manifesto in each issue.

We also plan to serialize some longer works once the magazine has a few issues under its belt and has established a distinctive voice. If you have something in the 3000 word range that you think will fit the bill, that's great! Let us get to know you through a flash piece first and then we can discuss future possibilities.

Since we are a freely and publicly distributed publication, we will have to decline pieces with excessive profanity, graphic violence or sexual content. This may change in the future as we explore interest in a possible black-bordered edition for more exclusively adult venues; but, for now, we're going to be erring on the side of caution.

RIGHTS:
Loquacious Placemat requests First Non-Exclusive Worldwide Print and Electronic Rights to work appearing in the magazine.

PAYMENT:
Loquacious Placemat is currently a non-paying market. The plan is to change this in the very near future, but no one is going to get rich off of this particular endeavor.

SUBMITTING:
Submissions to Loquacious Placemat should be copy and pasted into the body of an email and sent to: TwistedThistleProductions{at}gmail\dot/com.

Feel free to include a brief biography in the email. While we will only be able to include a byline and (optional) URL in the actual .pdf/print edition, we will have a contributor's information section on the site with links and bios.

We look forward to reading your work and seek to honor a 2 week response time on all submissions.

Want to Advertise?

2009-03-27T13:22:00.001-07:00

Loquacious Placemat features only one sponsor each month. The advantages to this approach are two-fold. By packing our publication with actual content, we dramatically increase the amount of views that each copy receives. With only one ad per copy, your message comes across loud and clear without being drowned out by the visual noise of more crowded publications.

Ads are 9 inches square as either 3"x3" or 4.5"X2" formats, printed on each side of the magazine to allow for clipable coupons without effecting the readability of the magazine. That's the equivalent of an exclusive 5-10 page spread in traditional literary magazines, an outstanding value!

More details? Feel free to contact us at TwistedThistleProductions{at}gmail\dot/com.

Interested in carrying Loquacious Placemat?

2009-03-27T09:11:00.000-07:00

Loquacious Placemat is a great addition to any coffeehouse, bistro, diner or bar looking to draw an educated and ecclectic client base. It is also an excellent generator of repeat business, offering a different selection of readings on monthly basis and serialized fiction that will have people literally coming back for more.

Currently, Loquacious Placemat is freely distributed and can be either placed on counters for self-service or distributed by staff as actual placemats. For our initial run, packages of 100 issues will be provided to participating venues. If you would like to see what Loquacious Placemat does for you, feel free to contact us to be placed on our distribution list.

Many Thanks,
Loquacious Placemat Editorial Staff

Inaugural Post

2009-03-26T07:30:00.000-07:00

Welcome Early Adopters,

Loquacious Placemat is gearing up to come in to the world! Our inaugural issue will be available exclusively online as a .pdf file. Future issues will be available in print as free two-sided placemat at various eateries in Eastern PA. We are going to have a fairly broad regional footprint; showing up in coffeehouses, diners and bistros from Stroudsburg to New Hope with loads of support in our native Allentown/Bethlehem/Easton area.

So what is Loquacious Placemat? It's a free double-sided black and white broadsheet style literary magazine featuring flash fiction and poetry ideally suited for a quick read over lunch, coffee or cocktails.

We are open for Submissions in the following catergories:

Flash Fiction (up to 1000 words)
Manifestos (up to 1000 words)

Since we are a freely and publicly distributed publication, we will have to decline pieces with excessive profanity, graphic violence or sexual content. This may change in the future as we explore interest in a possible black-bordered edition for more exclusively adult venues; but, for now, keep it clean!

Looking forward to hearing from you.

-Loquacious Placemat Editorial Staff