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March, 2010 "Liz Lisle and Tavia Stewart-Streit at Watchword Press have been setting an alternate example: rather than approach the literary canon as if it were the ashes of great thoughts filed away in a mausoleum, they are firing the can(n)on, as it were: lighting a spark under the belletristic powder keg, or in other words, making a ruckus."- SF Examiner January 2010 "Austin seems to have created a kind of quantum literary physics, where story cannot be contained, expanding until it overflows."- SF Examiner June, 2008 Zyzzyva blogs about Whole Story June, 2007 "Local literary magazine Watchword further explores the multidimensional potential of the literary arts with a series of 'living literary dioramas' aimed at demonstrating the ways in which a single short story can provide creative fuel for artists working across a variety of forms." - SF Weekly June, 2007 "As a performance form, short story readings leave quite a bit to be desired. The most common venues -- bookstores and coffeeshops -- typically lace adequate seating, good sound systems, enticing visuals or good booze...But Watchword, a local literary magazine whose mission is to give space to emerging artists, has found a way to get creative with its readings." - SF Gate June, 2007 "...the next best thing to crawling inside a writer's imagination..." - Flavorpill January, 2006 "Issue 8's 96 pages showcase prose, poetry, and the occasional genre-bender, from writers across the map, U.S. to Israel to the Czech Republic. Comic cut-outs from the year 1915 adorn a handful of pages, giving the perfect bound journal a sometimes hand-fashioned look. Watchword 8 is a journal incognito as a journal, a meta-journal of sorts, complimenting the issue's tenet like orange in Rothko's famous blue and yellow piece." New Pages (you've gotta scroll!) August, 2005 "Watchword also throws some of the best literary-schmooze-fests in town; to date, some 40 events for local writers and readers. (Lisle is also Managing Director of Berkeley's Shotgun Players and Poulshock is a multi-talented artist whose prints were recently exhibited at Oakland's Lobot Gallery). Their journal has drawn national attention as well. Last month's Harper's reprinted a Jay Orff story. Other Watchword-smiths have seen their work win Honorable Mention in Dave Eggers' collection, Best American Nonrequired Reading 2003 (Calla Devlin's "Borderlines") and receive nominations for The Pushcart Prize (Melvin Sterne's "Warriors")." --Common Ground, Dock of the Bay July 7, 2005 "Independent publishing has been getting more attention in the Bay Area lately. That's great for the little guy -- but then there's the even-littler guy, the one who isn't backed by Dave Eggers and doesn't have a fat grant (yet). Independent (and vanity) presses have made publishing more possible for more writers, but the sheer quantity of new books means it's harder than ever for authors to prove themselves. Yet success stories do emerge. This month, Harper's reprinted a story by Jay Orff that first appeared in Watchword (and credited the original publisher). And other lit-mag contributors have gone on to earn critical success: Bee Season author Myla Goldberg from Fail Better; Chasing the Sea author Tom Bissell from Bullfight, Happy Baby author Stephen Elliott -- also from Watchword." --East Bay Express, On a Mag Jag July, 2005 Watchword gets a reprint in Harper's Magazine - Check the July issue for Jay Orff's story, originally published in Watchword ISSUE SIX June 26, 2005 Congratulations to Watchword author Erika Figel, who was recently a featured author on Marin County's 90.5 KWMR radio. Erika will be featured in our upcoming issue of Watchword ISSUE SEVEN. June, 2005 Watchword artist Sonny Smith awarded a residency at the Marin Headlands Institute. His CD of original work. ONE ACT PLAYS, was originally published with Watchword ISSUE SIX. We sure are proud...Click here to see more info (pdf). February 27, 2005 "...one of the more finely produced local journals, sparing little expense on its thick, watercolor texture stock cover and heavy text paper. Each issue draws about 800 submissions, but features no more than 20...It's certainly an eclectic mix." --Contra Costa Times, East Bay a Hotbed of Literary Journals January 2005 "...one could do alot worse than to toast the debut of a new Bay Area-based literary "nearly quarterly" that recalls the old City Lights magazine in ambition and accomplishment." --David Kippen, Book Critic, San Francisco Chronicle 09/02/2004 The Eureka Reporter notes the involvement of Felix MacNee and Julie McNiel as Watchword cover artists. Images Half-Seen, Often Human Memory 09/01/2004 The Contra Costa Times notes Watchword's Issue Six and CD release. New's the Word at Watchword June 2004 Watchword authors featured on New York's WBAR 89.7 radio show, The Sculpted Word. A downloadable transmission of this show will be available here shortly. May 2004 Thank you to the East Bay Express for voting Watchword Best Literary Journal of the East Bay! February 2004 Congratulations to Watchword contributor Melvin Sterne, whose story "Warriors" published in issue 5, has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize! January/February, 2004 Interview with the publisher of Watchword Press about issue 5 of Watchword in the January/February issue of indie favorite Punk Planet. December 2003 "One of the best poems I have read in a long time (Mirela Ramona Ciupag's "Plastic Angels") I found in this magazine, and I enjoyed the find tremendously." Midnight Mind #5/The Magazine Rack 09/01/2003 Congratulations to Watchword contributor Calla Devlin, whose story "Borderlines" won an Honorable Mention in Dave Eggers' "Best American Nonrequired Reading 2003." The story was originally published in issue Three of Watchword. 08/15/2003 In their print magazine review section Portal Del Sol gives Watchword Five points out of five and writes: A gorgeous journal combining the grace of a gazelle with the power of a piledriver. Phenomenal fiction, tiptop poetry, and all-around astounding art fill its pages like treasures in a trove. Words well worth watching. 03/28/2003 Jewish Bulletin/Eastern European edge Avant-garde literary journal gives voice to emerging writers 09/18/2002 Philadelphia Weekly/Four Magazines For Us 05/27/2002 San Francisco Examiner/Tilling new literary turf 02/01/2002 SFStation.com/Do It Yourself Literature 11/30/2001 Poets and Writers Magazine/ Small Press Soiree on the Bay: Postcard From Oakland 09/30/2001 San Francisco Chronicle/Watch for Watchword