Happy holidays from Kaleidotrope!

A reminder that the semi-official deadline for the April 2007 issue is one week from now, December 31. And individual issues and subscriptions are still available...if you're looking for a last-minute Christmas present or something.

Best wishes for 2007!

I've updated the Kaleidotrope subscriptions page, to help eliminate some of the confusion that maybe nobody but me was having with it.

Now you can purchase individual copies of the premiere first issue, as well as advance copies of the April 2007 issue and 2-year subscriptions. If, that is, you are so inclined.

One of the major impetuses (impeti?) for starting up Kaleidotrope was seeing some of the really great zines that were already out there. For me in particular, these included publications like Flytrap and Talebones and Electric Velocipede. But the biggest influence and inspriation of all, I think, was the consistently weird and wonderful Lady Churchill's Rosebud Wristlet

It's been brought to my attention that LCRW is celebrating its ten-year anniversary. That's a little mind-boggling, but the success they've enjoyed couldn't have happened to a better publication. Check out this new issue, if you haven't already, or send them a little love.

I can only hope that Kaleidotrope survives a quarter of that long.

Even though it's pretty sparse right now (and not likely to change soon), and even though I've never been a big fan of their design, I've set up a MySpace page for Kaleidotrope. It's mostly just to let more people know the zine exists. Feel free to add me as a friend if you'd like.

A reminder, in case you needed one, that I am actively seeking submissions for the April 2007 issue. And copies of the the first issue are still available for purchase, if you'd like one. (I'm not above doing a small reprint, if demand warrants it.)

Sam Tomaino of SFRevu calls the first issue of Kaleidotrope "a very good inaugural issue." His focus is exclusively on the fiction in the issue, and he has kind words for many of the stories.

John Kuhn, whose poem "Near Sillustani" appears in the first issue of Kaleidotrope, had some really nice things to say about the final product:

Now, I'm not just saying this because my wimpy little poem is in there, and if you read two posts back, you know I'd be honest if I didn't like the 'zine. But--this magazine was VERY WELL-DONE. Wonderfully so! First of all, Fred Coppersmith has a wicked sense of humor. If you get the 'zine, be sure and read the little things you usually skim past, like the little box on the cover page with all the publication info in it. He slips little one-liners in there that are really funny. Make sure you check out the horoscope on page 42, too. I actually laughed audibly once. I'm very, very impressed...after the prior unfortunate experience with the unnamed "magazine", my faith in the small press is soundly restored. I'm proud that my work appears in this little 'zine. Card stock cover, lots of artwork, crisp black and white photos all over the place, the humor sprinkled in odd places, great use of space, great mix of fiction and poetry and an essay or two, fastidious editing and attention to detail. The fonts look fantastic. I haven't found a typo yet. And there's Bruce Boston, Kristine Ong Muslim, and Aurelio Rico Lopez--people I've read before. Kaleidotrope is a very professional-looking magazine, and it's just the first issue...I see a fine future for Fred Coppersmith...I hope he continues to publish this magazine for a long time to come!

My thanks to John for the kind words, and again to all my contributors, without whom this issue wouldn't have been possible.

Here's a copy of the first issue's cover, with artwork by Jim Cleaveland.



If all goes according to plan, the first issue goes out this weekend to everybody -- contributors, reviewers, and subscribers. Copies are still available for purchase, either by check/money order, or via PayPal. Just $4!

Update: My sincere apologies to contributor Aurelio Rico Lopez III, whose first name was inadvertently dropped from the front cover.

To hopefully whet your appetite for October, here's the tentative table of contents for the first issue of Kaleidotrope:

Fiction
David McGillveray -- The Sirens of Tinwa
Richard Harland -- The Tale of Tales
Roy Wilson -- The Water Queen
Kurt Kirchmeier -- A Peppermint Purge
David Siegel Bernstein -- Deliberation
Ramona Gardea -- Afternoon Delight
Mike Lansley -- Mild Mannered
Sharon Cichelli -- Space Dinosaurs
Nigel Willis -- Probed

Poetry
Kristine Ong Muslim -- A Migrating Fairy
John Kuhn -- Near Sillustani
Trevor Price -- Bad Weather
Bruce Boston and Marge Simon -- Where Have All the Comedians Gone?
Aurelio Rico Lopez III -- Two Poems
Rimone -- Fission Bomb
Thomas Zimmerman -- Two Poems

Nonfiction
Jim Cleaveland -- The Transformers Revisited
Short book reviews

Featuring artwork from
Bruce Boston
Jim Cleaveland
Marge Simon
Rod Walker

Not all contents guaranteed; yet more not altogether unlikely. Contents © the authors. All rights reserved.

Individual issues (or even subscriptions) can be purchased via the website through PayPal, or by check or money order made out to:

Fred Coppersmith
P.O. Box 25
Carle Place, NY 11514

Why not pick up a copy of Kaleidotrope today?!

Kaleidotrope