NFL PLAYOFF / SUPERBOWL PICKS - TAKE II

Ok, so I went 2/4. No surprise though with the Jets vs. Colts, as I said last week, the Jets had the best shot of upsetting my bracket. But like I said, it isn't gonna matter anyway because they can't beat New England at home.

But the Saints losing to the Seahawks means I have to restructure a bit, as I picked the Saints to win the NFC. No biggie, because my Super Bowl winner comes out of the AFC anyway, and ultimately who wins the NFC is irrelavant. So here goes Round 2 predictions.

NFC

ROUND 2

1. Seattle Seahawks vs. Chicago Bears

The Seahawks had a great upset win at home last week. But that's over. The Bears are playing at home and their defense should be able to get it done.

WINNER: CHICAGO BEARS

2. Green Bay Packers vs. Atlanta Falcons

I already picked this matchup last week and I'll say it again, Green Bay goes down to Atlanta and takes care of business.

WINNER: GREEN BAY PACKERS

ROUND 3

1. Green Bay Packers vs. Chicago Bears

Both teams have the same things going for them. Well balanced offense combined with a rock solid defense. Green Bay won their last meeting to finish the regular season, but the Bears already had the number two seed locked and had nothing on the line. This time they are at home against a division rival for all the marbles. It's gonna be a brawl and to tell you the truth either team could pull this off, Unfortunately who ever it is will have to play the winner of the Steelers - Patriots. But with that said, someone still has to win this one.

WINNER: GREEN BAY PACKERS

AFC

I'm not redoing my AFC bracket because with the exception of the Jets beating the Colts, nothing has changed. I still like my picks and I still like Pittsburgh making it to the Super Bowl over the Patriots. Although, I want to see Tom Brady solidify his legacy, I'm sticking with the age old wisdom that defense wins championships, combined with the fact that these aren't the same old Steelers who put up 19 points and rely on their D to pull it off. These Steelers can put up 30 points a game.

nfl

Teams with the best shot to upset these picks:

nfl

1. Bears could beat the Packers since Chicago is playing at home, but ultimately they will lose in the Super Bowl.

nfl

2. Patriots could beat the Steelers in the AFC championship game and win it all.

SOME READINGS / EVENTS AT AWP. I'LL ADD MORE AS I SEE THEM

NFL PLAYOFF / SUPERBOWL PICKS

ROUND 1

1. New Orlean Saints vs. Seattle Seahawks

The fact that Seattle even made the playoffs is embarrassing. Last year's Super Bowl champions begin their run for back to back titles and should have no problem handling the Seahawks. Will it be a blowout? Maybe, maybe not. Seattle is a very good home team and the Saints have to come out west to play, where historically, teams that travel cross country don't always fair so well. So maybe not a blowout, but a solid beat down.

WINNER: NEW ORLEANS SAINTS

2. New York Jets vs. Indianapolis Colts

This should be a good game no matter what happens. I like the Colts for a few reasons. The Jets haven't been the hottest team coming down the stretch and the Colts have stepped their game up. Most of the Colts players that were injured this season are back and ready to go. Also, the Colts are at home, they are the defending AFC champions, and Peyton Manning knows how to win.

WINNER: INDIANAPOLIS COLTS

3. Baltimore Ravens vs. Kansas City Chiefs

Mad respect for what the Chiefs have been able to do this year, but the Ravens are gonna dominate this game start to finish. The Ravens offense hasn't been as amazing and productive this year as most people thought, considering the talented editions to their offense, but that's not why the Ravens win in the playoff. Ed Reed and Ray Lewis are aging, but they are solid veterans who play lights out football come playoff time. Plus, the Chiefs aren't coming in hot, if they were I might give them a little better chance, but naa.

WINNER: BALTIMORE RAVENS

4. Green Bay Packers vs. Philadelphia Eagles

This game is gonna come down to which Eagles team shows up and which Packers team shows up. Both teams have been pretty good, but sometimes inconsistent. I really like Mike Vick and the young, high octane offense they have in Philly, and I'm not sold on Aaron Rodgers' greatness. But, I think teams around the league have got the formula to shut the Eagles down. Neither team is coming in hot right now, but I think the Green Bay defense will find a way to get it done. Although they are playing in Philly and if the dominant, high energy Eagles offense shows up I'm gonna be wrong on this one, but I just don't think it's gonna happen.

WINNER: GREEN BAY PACKERS

NFL
ROUND 2

1. New Orleans Saints vs. Chicago Bears

I'm not a huge Chicago fan, never have been. They play in a week conference and they can't beat anybody with a winning record. Are they the same Bears team this year that has a good regular season then lets their fans down in the playoffs? Maybe not, if they got the winner of the Packers - Eagles game, but like I said before, the Saints are the champs, and they are gonna handle the Bears.

WINNER: NEW ORLEANS SAINTS

2. Baltimore Ravens vs. New England Patriots

Sure, the Ravens know how to get it done with defense in the playoffs, but I gotta keep it real here. Tom Brady is the greatest quarterback in the history of the NFL and they are playing lights out football right now. Score for score the Ravens can't keep up with the Patriots. Plus, New England is at home. 'Nuff said.

WINNER: NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

3. Indianapolis Colts vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

I gotta give a lot of credit to the Colts for even making it this far. At one point half their team was injured and they were sitting at 6-6. But, Jacksonville collapsed down the strecth and let the Colts sneak in one more time. But this is where their run ends. Pittsburgh just put up a ridiculous amount of points on the road against a division rival to finish out the season. Their defense in the playoffs is second to none. Pittsburgh should have no problems handling their business at home.

WINNER: PITTSBURGH STEELERS

4. Green Bay Packers vs. Atlanta Falcons

This is the game that may be hardest for me to pick. I know Atlanta has home field and they are sitting at the top of the NFC right now, but I just haven't seen them play this year. Too busy watching other divisions to pay attention to the NFC South. Only because I don't think Green Bay is playing their best football and because the Falcons are playing at home I'm gonna go with the Falcons here, but ultimately, I'm not sure it's gonna matter much. But, if the Eagles somehow beat Green Bay and they pick up some momentum and get that offense going, I think the Eagles have a shot, but as it stands, I like them Dirty Birds.

WINNER: ATLANTA FALCONS

nfl

ROUND 3

1. Atlanta Falcons vs. New Orleans Saints

Although personally, I'm not a fan, I think my pick here is obvious. The Saints are the defending champs, and even though they don't get to play at home, they still get this game inside a dome where Brees can throw it around and run up the scoreboard. The Saints know how to turn it up in the playoffs and get it done.

WINNER: NEW ORLEANS SAINTS

2. Pittsburgh Steelers vs. New England Patriots

This game is another hard one for me. It seems ridiculous to bet against Tom Brady and the Patriots. I hope they can get it done, just like I hope the Eagles can get it done, but I just don't know if it will happen this time. The Steelers are used to cold weather so that won't be as big a factor as it would be with some other teams, plus if the old saying is true, that defense does indeed win chamionships, then considering the new, explosiveness of the Steelers offense, combined with their lights out defense...

WINNER: PITTSBURGH STEELERS

SUPER BOWL

New Orleans Saints vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

This is it. This is why we watch. Some may say that the scoring capability of the Saints, combined with last years Super Bowl victory, combined with the fact that they are playing in warm weather, means the Saints will find a way to neautralize the punishing Pittsburgh defense and get it done. But that's just not gonna happen. Consider two years ago when Pittsburgh played a red hot Arizona Cardionals team in the Super Bowl, who were putting up 30 - 50 points a game during the playoffs. And what happened. The Steelers shut them down. Just like they will the Saints.

SUPER BOWL CHAMPIONS: PITTSBURGH STEELERS

Teams with the best shot of upsetting these picks:

1. The Jets may beat the Colts, but I don't think it will matter because they will lose in the next round.

2. The Eagles may beat the Packers since they are playing at home, and maybe with that momentum they can get passed the Falcons in the next round. But I think the fun would eventually stop when they have to play the Saints, but maybe, just maybe the Eagles will find a way to explode again. But even if that happens. They have no shot against the Steelers or the Patriots in the Super Bowl

3. Of Course, the Patriots can beat the Steelers and win it all.

NISSA LEE. POEMS. REQUITED

Check out some poems in the new REQUITED from one of my partners in crime at Rutgers, superstar NISSA LEE.

FIGURE STUDIES: THREE POEMS AFTER SALVADORE DALI

SPECTER OF SEX APPEAL

CITY OF DRAWERS

GIRL AT THE WINDOW

KILL AUTHOR. INTERVIEW AT FIX IT BROKEN. AND A COUPLE OF TOP 10 LISTS

Here's an interview featuring two of my favorite new online literary magazines. GREG DYBEC from FIX IT BROKEN interviews the still anonymous folks over at KILL AUTHOR. Here's a small piece from the interview then CLICK HERE to read it in its entirety:

FIB: You have recently been listed as one of the “Top Ten Lit Mags You Should be Reading” by flavorwire. Congratulations on the success and recognition. Any words of advice for other online publications that may be just starting off? (Is this a selfish question? Yes. Yes it is.)

KA: We don't want to repeat ourselves, but it's what we've been talking about in the previous answers. Have some firm ideas about the personality you want your whole publication to put across. Don't just rely on your own personality as editors to do it for you. This next statement might seem a bit too strong and too dismissive of some fine publications, but if you just want to put together a lit mag because you like publishing people's writing and want to have a go at editing a journal, is that really enough to sustain your venture? In a very crowded field, how will that come across to readers in a way other than, "Oh here's another one…send us your best shot and we'll maybe publish some of them”? Does that excite you and make you want to get involved? Because it doesn't excite us.

Also included in the TOP TEN LIT MAGS YOU SHOULD BE READING are:

1. MOON MILK REVIEW

2. BLIP

3. PANK

4. KILL AUTHOR

5. BARTLEBY SNOPES

6. MCSWEENEYS

7. THE EXQUISITE CORPSE

8. DECOMP

9. TWELVE STORIES

10. ANDERBO

If I may, I'd like to do a little top ten of my own here. These are the places I turn to online again and again if I wanna read the good shit:

1. STORYGLOSSIA

2. WIGLEAF

3. EVERYDAY GENIUS

4. PANK

5. FRIGG

6. SMOKELONG QUARTERLY

7. ELIMAE

8. KILL AUTHOR

9. MUD LUSCIOUS

10. HOBART

JEN MICHALSKI. 10 STORIES FROM 2010 WORTH A 2ND LOOK

Thanks for the shout out Jen. Here's THE LIST.

A few stories that, if you didn't read them the first time, in 2010, you should definitely read in 2011:

“All the People in These Pictures Are Dead Now,” by Frank Hinton
“The Monstrous Sadness of Mythical Figures,” by Amber Sparks
“What Passes for Normal,” by Michelle Reale
“The Hamburger Story,” by Lauren Becker
“Boys in Drag,” by Roxane Gay
“The Woman,” by Donna Vitucci
“Wherever You’re Going,” by Susan Gibb
“Witness,” by Curtis Smith
“Whatever a Man Soweth (Bloody Mary),” by Barry Graham
“The Hamster,” by Tara Laskowski

XTX. NORMALLY SPECIAL. TINY HARDCORE PRESS

NORMALLY SPECIAL is our first title, a collection of 23 big, fierce stories by XTX.

Table of Contents:

For the Girl Who Doesn’t Know She Has Everything
The Duty Mouths Bring
Water is Thrown on the Witch
The Importance of Folding Towels
Standoff
Father’s Day
Marci is Going to Shoot Up Meth With Her Friend
She Who Subjected the Sun
For Her
The Honking Was Deafening
Their Daughter Played With the Boxes
The Mill Pond
Good Boy, Fritos
A Brief History of Masturbation
Fireflies
Exactly Raisins
I Love My Dad, My Dad Loves Me
There was no mother in that house. There were a lot of boys and men and there was me. That is all. That is how it was.
An Unsteady Place
Because Seven Ate Nine
I Wish They Knew
Things I Could Tell You
Because I Am Not a Monster

Samples:

Standoff, Word Riot, September 2010

She Who Subjected The Sun, Emprise Review, November 2010

Because Seven Ate Nine, Wigleaf, November 2010

NORMALLY SPECIAL will be released on March 1, 2011. You can pre-order the book now.

BEN TANZER. YOU CAN MAKE HIM LIKE YOU. ARTISTICALLY DECLINED PRESS

You Can Make Him Like You, ADP's next book and Ben Tanzer's third novel is due in April and preorders (including a special, limited deluxe edition) will be available in the coming weeks. We couldn't be more excited to get this book out in the world. For now, bask in the glory of its cover. There's more to come soon.

THE BROKEN BLURB CHALLENGE. FIX IT BROKEN

FIX IT BROKEN has realized something. Something big. While riding the subway, waiting in line for food, and staggering down the street, we have realized the world is one big puzzle. A puzzle of stories, all scattered and dispersed, and who knows if the pieces even fit together?

What we’re trying to say is, we all encounter stories. Sometimes we read them, sometimes we write them, and sometimes we watch or listen to them. What we want to bring to your attention is the millions of fragments of stories that we come across each day. We’ll call them Broken Blurbs. Little snippets of a conversation, a quick bit of plot, dialogue from a character we’ll never know. We hear these broken sentences uttered by strangers each day in passing, and they act as insight into stories we’ll never hear the end of, or introductions to characters we will never put a face to. Sometimes, these Broken Blurbs, whether comedic or wise, stick with us. They stand out. They leave their mark.

FIX IT BROKEN has devised a plan in order to safeguard these Broken Blurb gems, the ones that don’t deserve to be taken by the wind and whirled into oblivion. We’re asking you to pay close attention next time you hold the door for an old couple, or sit next to the crazy guy on the bus. Keep your ears alert while you take the daily commute or return that ugly Christmas sweater at the mall.

We hope to put a little “issue” together, at some point in 2011, of the best submitted stumbled-upon-phrases.

After choosing a select few “Best Broken Blurbs” they will act as writing prompts, and the best short-short fiction pieces to incorporate the Blurb will be featured in the issue, along with several notable Broken Blurbs themselves.

It all starts with your ears and other peoples lives, so get going.

Submission Guidelines

-Submit up to three Broken Blurbs to: FIXITBROKEN@YAHOO.COM
-Include your name and the location in which you heard the Broken Blurb.
-Please write “Broken Blurb Submission” in the subject line of the email.

Some examples that we’ve heard within the past few weeks:

“I thought Spike Lee was Asian.”

“Is it Memento, or is it Bukowski and Beckett?”

“I was walking home the other night and I literally saw Courtney Love peeing on a stoop.”

“Like his sweater grew wings.”

You get the idea, right?

PRICK OF THE SPINDLE. 4.4

Another great issue of PRICK OF THE SPINDLE. here's just a quick mention of some of what you're getting. Read the rest HERE.

Andrew Bowen
Robert, the Architect

Andrew Wallace Chamings
The Piano Lesson

Leah Erickson
The Night Brides

Regina Faunes
Study Abroad

Marko Fong
The Amnesia Academy

Jennifer Juneau
Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun

Peter D. Kramer
The Name of the Helper

Reprint in Memoriam:
Cami Park
When You Heard

Brian Mihok
Sharp Shooter
Little Lubyanka

D. Quentin Miller
3 x 2

Justin Nicholes
Summer Ice

Jeanne Thornton
Temple of Zuul

Scott Tucker
Ousmane Would Like to Go Nightclubbing with Cadiatu

Donna D. Vitucci
Bliss

Valerie Vogrin
Apologies

SMALL PRESS HOLIDAY RECOMMENDATIONS. THANKS FOR THE SHOUT OUT BEN

Here are holiday book recommendations from BEN TANZER, JASON JORDAN, aand a few others over at KAREN THE SAMLL PRESS LIBRARIAN blog.

Monday, December 20, 2010
Small Press Holiday Recommendations: On the Eve of Winter Solstice

Today’s small press picks come from New York, Louisville, and Chicago. Long before making her acquaintance, I remember poet Maggie Balistreri’s brilliant chapbook The Evasion-English Dictionary (since picked up by Melville House) from the consignment shelf at St. Mark’s Bookshop. Later I was thrilled when I heard she was going to library school, and again when she got a job as a librarian at the Poets House, now located in Battery Park City. Fiction writer Jason Jordan was the Beard Guy I used to see at all the New Yinzer literary events, but I finally met him officially when Amy Guth came into Pittsburgh for a reading. I remember seeing Amy talking to Jason at ModernFormations: Realizing how well she knew Beard Guy from cyberspace was one of the first moments I understood the extent of the online small press community. Jason has since left Pittsburgh and I miss seeing him around. I met the always-hilarious Ben Tanzer when Scott McClanahan suggested I arrange a reading for him in December 2009: Ben (a fiction writer based in Chicago) was coming through Pittsburgh en route to a reading in West Virginia. I got Savannah Schroll Guz involved, and the resulting reading launched the Seasonal Shorts reading series, now held four times a year in Pittsburgh (and run by Savannah). Thanks to Maggie, Jason, and Ben for sharing their Small Press Picks today:

READ THE PICKS HERE

PAULA BOMER. BABY & OTHER STORIES. O! MAGAZINE

HELL YEAH

O! Magazine, January 2011.

Paula Bomer's BABY is #1 on the 10 Titles to Pick Up Now

PRICK OF THE SPINDLE. 4.3

Another excellent issue. I'd start with the fiction and work my way from there. PRICK OF THE SPINDLE 4.3

fiction

April E. Bacon
When the Sun is Glorious

Laura Bogart
Skin

Edmond Caldwell
An Affair

Kimberly Long Cockroft
Trip to Kamalganj
Mother Alice Laughing
Disappearances

Heather Fowler
A Companion to Minnow Lake: A Novelette

Sharon Goldner
The Landscape and Mrs. Patel

Sam Gridley
What Bubba Saw

Kevin P. Keating
Antiquing

Cami Park
When You Heard

K.R. Sands
What is Written, Sweet Sister?

James Schlatter
Every Creeping Thing

Kathryn Megan Starks
When You Hear This Sound

FIX IT BROKEN. ISSUE 1

“The Comfort of Dead Whales” – Harper Hull (Fashionable Fiction Winner)

Harper's majestic, yet eerie story about a man, his wife, a secluded island, and the mesmerizing remnants of a whale carcass, has been crowned Issue #1's Fashionable Fiction Winner. Kristian Woodmansee, of Elusive Designs, did a wonderful job creating the shirt to accompany the fiction piece. Kristian's design captures a sense of simplicity and subtle darkness that we feel pairs nicely with Harper's work, and of course is just plain cool to look at and wear. Shirts are limited, but they are for sale ($12) at Elusive Designs. All profit derived from shirt sales will act as a donation to FIX IT BROKEN, so that we can maintain our goal of bringing you quality fiction and fashionable t-shirts.

“Beware the Carousel” – Matthew Dexter

“There Ain’t No Sin and There Ain’t No Virtue” – Zoe Alexandra

“Meat” – Neil Richter

“The Comet Train” – Robert Vaughan

“Salamonster, During D.C.’s Destruction” – Sean Lyman Frasier

“The Lunatic and the Tiger Shark” – Crystal Beran

“I Became an Old Couple” – Greg Gerke

“Her Heart is a Screen Door, Too.”- Ryder Collins

Two Collaborative Pieces by Barry Graham and Peter Schwartz


Special Thanks to John Dermot Woods for the wonderful cover art, and Elusive Designs for helping create a great first t-shirt. Thanks to everyone who has supported FIX IT BROKEN. We hope you enjoy the first Issue.

READ ISSUE 1 HERE

WITNESS. CURTIS SMITH

WITNESS
nonfiction by Curtis Smith

150 pages. ISBN 978-1-934513-28-6
5" x 8", trade paperback

First edition - $18

Release date: December 16, 2010

Read a review from the SMALL PRESS REVIEWS

NOTHING OR NEXT TO NOTHING - barry graham

I know I haven't posted to the DOGZPLOT news blog in a long time, but I'm gonna get it up and running again as soon as I get back home to Michigan next week. But for now, here's one small piece of news:

If anyone is interested in reviewing the book, I would greatly appreciate it. It's a quick 120-ish page read. I'll send you a PDF now and then a hardcopy when it's released. Please and thanks. If so, please email: dogzplot.press@yahoo.com

Nothing or Next to Nothing
a novella by
Barry Graham

ISBN: 978-1-59948-290-3
Cover price: $9.95

Projected release date: May 31, 2011. The Advance Discount price of $5.50 will be available until May 17, 2011.

About the Author

Barry Graham received his MFA from Rutgers University, where he currently teaches writing. He is the author of The National Virginity Pledge, which was a finalist for the NGI Book Award for Short Story Fiction. One of the stories therein was awarded the 2009 Jumpmettle Award for Excellence in Fiction, and two other stories were nominated for the Pushcart Prize. Graham is the flash fiction editor for DOGZPLOT.

Synopsis

After finding their mother dead at the breakfast table and subsequently being abandoned by their father, half-brother and sister, Derek and Daisy Kehoe are left to fend for themselves. Their relationship quickly suffers from patterned violence, abuse, and neglect, until Daisy herself disappears under curious circumstances. Derek slowly gets his life in order, finding stability through college, a steady relationship, and money he inherits through a series of botched armed robberies. But of course, nothing stays stable for long. Everything and everyone in Derek’s life has an ulterior motive, reasons for embracing him and reasons for throwing him away.

Comments

In a world in which nothing or next to nothing matters anymore, Barry Graham's hero Derek is doomed because he hasn't erased his last shred of decency yet. He suffers abuse, heartbreak, beatings, and ultimately the loss of the only person he ever cared for, because he can't believe in a world where a McDonald's restaurant might be the last church, and an okay BigMac our last prayer. Graham's book is an elegy to something we've lost without noticing or caring. It's a mean punch to the chin; it floors you, and still you'll be glad you took it.
--Stefan Kiesbye


Read the prologue in its entirety HERE

ORDER HERE

Any orders would be very very much appreciated. Please and thanks.

DOGZPLOT UPDATE

Not sure if anyone still reads this but I just wanted to give people an update in case you are.

1. DOGZPLOT FLASH FICTION has been recently redesigned and we will be posting new flashes any day now.

2. DOGZPLOT LITERARY JOURNAL is currently down until further notice. After the MAGIC ISSUE (which is coming soon), we will be flash fiction only and will post new flashes as soon as we accept them.

3. THIRD FACE is a new lit blog featuring some pretty great contributors. www.thirdface.com

4. FOX FORCE 5 will be shipping soon.

5. If you send anything to a dogzplot.com email address it will bounce back. Use dogzplot.press@yahoo.com for any and all things.

6. ACHILLES CHAPBOOKS are still going strong. PETER SCHWARTZ and NICOLLE ELIZABETH have recently released chapbooks. Check them out here: www.achilleschapbook.blogspot.com

7. Chapbooks from BEN TANZER and KENDRA GRANT MALONE coming soon.

Thanks for your continued patience and friendship. Word.

HAPPY 30TH - P MAN

SHORT STORY / MASTURBATION MONTH

XTX

THE TEMERITY OF IMPERFECTION

MONKEYBICYCLE

XTX

Here's a taste:

"We go to the farmers market and he makes shadow puppets for six little kids from a beam of nine am sunlight."

Read the rest here:
http://monkeybicycle.net/archive/xTx/temerity.html

THE UNDERSTANDING CAMPAIGN. JUSTIN SIROIS

www.understandingcampaign.org

WIGLEAF TOP 50

Amazing WIGLEAF TOP 50 this year guys. Thanks to SCOTT GARSON, RAVI MANGLA, and final judge BRIAN EVENSON for doing the do. Also thanks to the many talented writers and editors who make a list like this possible.

Congrats to a few DOGZPLOT contributors for their inclusion in the TOP 50 and the LONG SHORT LIST.

CHRISTOPHER KENNEDY
IN THE WHITE HOUR
http://dogzplot.blogspot.com/2009/07/in-white-hour-christopher-kennedy.html

ALICIA GIFFORD
TANGO
http://dogzplot.blogspot.com/2009/03/tango-alicia-gifford.html

ASHLEY KAUFMAN
SLEEP AID
http://dogzplot.blogspot.com/2009/08/sleep-aid-ashley-kaufman.html

ANDREA KNEELAND
ANGRY
http://dogzplot.blogspot.com/2009/10/angry-andrea-kneeland.html

KATE WYER
SINGLE MALT AND SHE'S BUYING
http://dogzplot.blogspot.com/2009/05/single-malt-and-shes-buying-kate-wyer.html


Thanks again and congrats to everyne involved. Go check this shit out for yourself.
www.wigeaf.com

NY STATE OF MIND

A couple DOGZPLOT events in NYC. Hope to see everyone there.

bgraham@dogzplot.com for more details.