Mark Wisniewski’s recently published novel Show Up, Look Good, was likened to The Catcher in the Rye by three reviewers.
His first novel, Confessions of a Polish Used Car Salesman, was praised by the Los Angeles Times and C. Michael Curtis of The Atlantic Monthly. Mark’s work has won a Pushcart Prize and appeared in Best American Short Stories 2008. More than 300 poems of his have appeared in print magazines including Poetry International, New York Quarterly, Ecotone, and Poetry.
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6 Minutes
a stranger’s email said she adored
a book of mine so there was something like joy
around here for 6 minutes when the book’s
publisher emailed to say he’d declared it
out of print & decided not to pursue
a second printing
his email groaned on about distributors
accounts receivable
remainder houses
perceived readerships
printing & storage costs & the horrid sales of his
translations of Irish poets & he expressed
no appreciation for the characters
in my book or for the various kind
reviews & blurbs & readers over the years
he offered no humor
or warmth
or request to maintain friendship
no reason to smile
even wanly there was just
at best the sight
of the last of his thoughts
& a period & his name there was just my
finger clicking where needed
to make all those words
go away
Long Live the Poets
dear contributor
we realize it’s been several
years since we’ve accepted your work
but this is to let you know that from now on each
issue of our magazine
will be roughly 120-130 pages instead
of 240-260
this could possibly affect the publication
date of your work by pushing it
back a year or in some cases 2
we would still love to run your work but if you’d like
to withdraw it we certainly
understand & please just let us know
we are sorry for any inconvenience this might
cause & wish you continued success with your
writing p.s. we also feel compelled
to inform you that due
to financial pressure we’ve considered
a cessation
of publication altogether
at the same time please
don’t think this
a demand that you subscribe
or a threat regarding
what might
happen if you simply
continue writing poems
thus allowing our fate
& yours to play out