Taddle Creek’s summer issue is on the way, and it's a good one, if Taddle Creek does say so itself. Less than five dollars gets you 48 big pages of all-new fiction and poetry by the likes of Gil Adamson, Gary Barwin, Chris Chambers, Evie Christie, Sara Heinonen, Lee Henderson, Heather Hogan, Alexandra Leggat, Chris Michalski, Patrick Rawley, Stuart Ross, and Adrienne Weiss.

Plus, illustrated fiction by Claudia Dávila, a profile of the dashing R. M. Vaughan, a look back at The Varsity Chapbook, People Around Here, and more, all topped off with a cover by the soon-to-be-award-winning Michael Cho.

And now, your preview:

“Ultra,” a short story by Sara Heinonen; and

“Reading Ma Jian on the Farm,” a poem by Alexandra Leggat.

If all goes according to plan, the summer issue will also talk. More on that later.

The lords of the National Magazine Awards Foundation have finally seen the light and bestowed a whopping three nominations on Taddle Creek this year, besting the magazine’s previous record of one. What a lovely anniversary gift.

Congratulations to Cary Fagan, whose short story “Shit Box,” from Taddle Creek’s summer, 2007, issue, has been nominated in the Fiction category.

Further congratulations to the magazine’s Out-of-Towner poet Katia Grubisic, whose poem “A List Before Departure,” from that very same summer issue, has been nominated in the Poetry category.

And finally, congratulations to Taddle Creek’s special guy, Michael Cho, whose colourful piece of illustrated fiction, “Stars,” from the tenth-anniversary, Christmas, 2007, issue, has been recognized in the Words & Pictures category. (Mike’s second Taddle Creek nomination!)

Congratulations once again to all of the above, and to the many other Taddle Creek contributors nominated for their work in “other magazines.” (For shame!) Winners will be announced on June 6th.