pretend genius

a new formulative non-descriptive

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About Us

pretend genius is now a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. all profits are reinvested into the creation of new works and support of writers. our titles are distributed worldwide.

A Brief History

pretend genius has published 15 books in its short existence. several of those books have gone on to be read by many. and we thank those of you who have found time to read one or two of them. however, pretend genius as you now know it will no longer exist.

dead henry, the enigmatic founder of pretend genius, who has introduced many new writers to the reading public made a decision to close down pretend genius and get on with his/her life. this decision was met with disappointment by many. a few of those many were the writers that pretend genius has published and supported over the years. they made a plea to dead henry to keep pretend genius going but to no avail. he had grown weary.

after a few weeks of going back and forth, these writers convinced dead henry to, in effect, "sell" pretend genius to them. a few days later dead henry decided that maybe selling pretend genius wasn't such a bad idea. so, with his/her blessing, pretend genius will continue on under new ownership and management.

there will be changes that will be officially announced in the following weeks. some of the changes include the pretend genius submission policy, integration with the literary e-zine write this, a new write this website, payment for stories/poems/essays accepted at write this and some new features including cafe hopeless.

the biggest change will be the incorporation of pretend genius as a non-profit. this will allow pretend genius to accept tax-deductible donations and pursue arts/literary grants in order to bring readers even bigger and better books, events, and features.

things that will not change, however, include our association with the New Short Stories series and sponsorship of the Willesden Herald International Short Story Prize that pretend genius has sponsored in the past. and of course, the new team will continue to publish books of the highest literary merit or die trying.

Mission Statement

pretend genius believes in the essential value of contemporary literature to our local culture. Founded in 2004 and incorporated in 2009, the organization’s mission is to foster the professional development of poets and writers; promote communication throughout the broader literary community; help create an environment in which poets and writers connect with a larger audience; and promote the literary arts so that they can be appreciated by the widest possible public.

pretend genius accomplishes these goals by publishing books of the highest literary merit, introducing writers from around the world to the burgeoning literary communities around them, paying fees to writers who are published in our on-line literary e-zine Write This, and by supporting local events and projects at disparate locations and even contintents throughout the world. we encourage writers to enter the larger literary community in an effort to connect them to a larger audience so that contemporary writing is more visible and accessible to small towns and big cities alike.

Activities

Sean Brijbasi, Director

Stephen Alexander, Director

Bryan Edenfield, Asst. Director/Editor, Write This

Dean Strom, Asst. Director/Editor, Write This

Stephen Moran, Asst. Director/Editor, New Short Stories/WH Prize

Stratos Fountoulis, Art Director

Board of Directors 2009

Stephen Alexander

Sean Brijbasi

James Browning Kepple

Josh Davis

Bryan Edenfield

Stratos Fountoulis

Kim Goransson

Stephen Moran

Julie Payne

Dean Strom

Blem Vide

partner with pretend genius

pretend genius appreciates the generous support from our partners. We hope you'd like to become a partner too. A complete list of partners is available here.

pretend genius books may be found in independent bookstores throughout the universe. Some include:

City Lights, San Francisco Ca

Books Upstairs, Dublin Ireland

Atomic Books, Baltimore Md

Vertigo Books, Baltimore Md

Haversack Books, Marietta Ga

Davis Kidd Booksellers, Nashville Tn

Apple Valley Books, Winthrop Me

Allegory Books, Gleneden Or

Chapters, Washington DC

Olssons, Washington DC

Mainstreet Bookends of Warner, Warner NH

Northwind Books, Spooner Wi

Burke's Bookstore, MemphisTn

Changing Hands Bookstore, Tempe Az

Bonifant Books, Wheaton Md

Gotham Bookmart, New York NY

Martha's Bookstore, Balboa Island Ca

Candida's World of Books, Washington DC

Brookline Booksmith, Wellesley Ma

The Bookbin, Northbrook IL

Powell's, Portland Or

Willesden Bookshop, London UK

Queens Park Books, London UK

Kilburn Books, London UK

Titles Of Penge, London UK

Bookpeople, Austin Tx

Kensington Row Bookshop, Kensington Md

The Writer's Center Bookshop, Bethesda Md

sell our books.

press (at) pretendgenius.com

pretendgenius.com, pretend genius [press]