"State of the Union"

We have reached the halfway point of the submission period. Just a little more than a month left to submit poems and stories. I've gotten some great submissions so far, but there is still room for more.

For those of you still working on stories, let me mention a few things:

1) I haven't received many stories that involve the performance side of magic. This could be a path for the writer who can explore this subject well.

2) Magic, in many of its forms, deals with themes such as transformation, secret knowledge, and initiation. Many of the submissions that have missed the mark also missed these themes.

3) When in doubt, it never hurts to re-read the submission guidelines.

Thanks to everyone who have submitted to me so far. I have some tough choices to make, but it wouldn't disappoint me at all if some other writers make it tougher. But the clock is ticking, folks, so let's see what you've got.