The Like Water Burning Press Page

from NewPages.com
by Donna Everhart

Like Water Burning encourages and attracts writers who listen to their own voices instead of listening to those who attempt to limit creative expression. With pages of fiction and non-fiction, the journal reaches out to readers who want writing unafraid to walk in new directions. Take, for instance, “The Sinking Ship Man,” one of the shorter stories, featuring a narrator who can’t say “the T-word,” the name of the ship, the “sinking ship that keeps on sinking” and never stops because the fans of the unmentionable historical ship won’t allow it. The narrator is taking care of the last living survivor who, in her opinion, is sinking slowly along with the ship, although he’s having difficulty. From flash fiction to essays, the writing is humorous, bold, fun, unapologetic; the journal’s upbeat style is unique. One story is even told in second person, a view point writers are usually encouraged to shy away from—but Sarah Bartlett’s “Domesticity” is a true success. What you’ll find in this journal is one hundred and seventy-four pages of true reading material. Like Water Burning Press is not only about good writing, “It is about promoting the creative process and ensuring the unsure that the boundaries, guidelines, and regulations, which may be weighing down the term ‘creative’ for some, do not actually exist...” And the perfect bound journal’s last few pages provide a place to collect author autographs.

from JohnnyAmerica.net
by Jonathan Holley

Like Water Burning is a new independent literary journal published by a crew who affectionately refer to themselves as “The Hot Water Squad.” The editorial team seems to reside in Long Beach, California. Issue one is 184-page perfect-bound affair that sparks with flair and promise. It contains seventeen works fiction and non-, though mainly the former.

As with any collection by varied authors, some stories are bound to appeal to a particular reader’s taste more than others. David Cristofano writes a story titled about two men searching through the bureaucratic technicalities of the afterlife that starts with tremendous promise but loses its way toward the end. I enjoyed Peter Selgin’s ‘The Sinking Ship Man,’ about the last survivor of a famous wrecked ocean liner, as well as Miki Howald’s ‘Mono No Aware,’ about love lost. Gregory Spatz’s ‘Reason Given’ is a very, very good tale about an awkward man pained by his own lack of genius, and the highlight of the collection. Sarah Bartlett pulls off second-person narration in her story ‘Domesticity’ without seeming showy, which is a notable accomplishment.

At ten bucks from likewaterburning.com, Issue One is a good deal. It’s available in two page color options—‘virgin white’ and ‘cream pudding’—a fact unknown to me as I read my white review copy. The virgin nature of its pages failed to eroticize the reading experience in any discernable way.