Have the Carus People Ever Actually Seen a Cicada?...

I remember the days when the Carus Publishing Company only published a few mags, like Cricket, Ladybug and Spider. I always liked that their publications were named after bugs. Then ten years ago, they started a literary magazine for teens and called it Cicada.

I loved the idea of the magazine, and the word "cicada" has a nice ring. But--oh--those bugs.

I Do Not Like Them.

I bring this up because the Nati, where I live, is currently abuzz--loudly abuzz--with five billion Brood X cicadas (and I do not exaggerate--it's Biblical). They are noisy and big and have red eyes. They fly at car windows and splatt unpleasantly. They try to mate with weed whackers and lawn mowers. And piles and piles of their shells and their dead bodies in the 90-degree-plus heat does not smell particularly nice. (And I suppose the Carus crew has seen real cicadas--my googling shows that cicadas do occasionally rear their buggy heads near the Carus HQ.)

I swiped some pictures of my unwanted insect companions to share with you.

First here are cicadas popping out of their shells.

Look at those eyes--very horror movie.

Can you tell how big it is compared to this person's hand? I think they're bigger than hummingbirds.
This is what all the trees in my yard look like only my trees have piles of dead bugs and shells around the bottom.

If you're interested in learning more about the bugs that are currently bugging me, click here. Be sure to check out the Cicada links, especially the Cicada chorus--that's truly what my world sounds like.

And here's the listing for Cicada magazine that will appear in the 2009 CWIM (which is being printed as I type.)

CICADA
Carus Publishing Company, P.O. Box 300, 315 Fifth St., Peru IL 61354. (815)224-5803. Fax: (815)224-6615. Submissions address: 70 East Lake Street, Suite 300, Chicago IL 60601. E-mail: cicada@caruspub.com. Web site: www.cricketmag.com. Editor-in-Chief: Marianne Carus. Executive Editor: Deborah Vetter. Art Director: John Sandford. Bimonthly magazine. Estab. 1998. Cicada publishes fiction and poetry with a genuine teen sensibility, aimed at the high school and college-age market.The editors are looking for stories and poems that are thought-provoking but entertaining.

Fiction Young adults: adventure, animal, contemporary, fantasy, history, humorous, multicultural, nature/environment, romance, science fiction, sports, suspense/mystery, stories that will adapt themselves to a sophisticated cartoon, or graphic novel format. Buys up to 60 mss/year. Average word length: about 5,000 words for short stories; up to 15,000 for novellas (one novella per issue).

Nonfiction Young adults: first-person, coming-of-age experiences that are relevant to teens and young adults (example: life in the Peace Corps). Buys 6 mss/year. Average word length: about 5,000 words. Byline given.

Poetry Reviews serious, humorous, free verse, rhyming (if done well) poetry. Maximum length: up to 25 lines. Limit submissions to 5 poems.

How to Contact/Writers Fiction/nonfiction: send complete ms. Responds to mss in 3 months. Publishes ms 1-2 years after acceptance. Will consider simultaneous submissions if author lets us know.

Illustration Buys 20 illustrations/issue; 120 illustrations/year. Uses color artwork for cover; b&w for interior. Works on assignment only. Reviews ms/illustration packages from artists. Send ms with 1-2 sketches and samples of other finished art. Illustrations only: Query with samples. Responds in 6 weeks. Samples returned with SASE; samples filed. Credit line given.

Photography Wants documentary photos (clear shots that illustrate specific artifacts, persons, locations, phenomena, etc., cited in the text) and "art" shots of teens in photo montage/lighting effects etc. Uses b&w 4×5 glossy prints. Submit portfolio for review. Responds in 6 weeks.

Terms Pays on publication. Rights purchased vary. Pays up to 25¢/word for mss; up to $3/line for poetry. Pays illustrators $750 for color cover; $50-150 for b&w inside. Pays photographers per photo (range: $50-150). Sample copies for $8.50. Writer's/illustrator's/photo guidelines for SASE.

Tips "Cicada is currently closed to unsolicited submissions. Please see our current issues for submission guidelines for writing and artwork by readers ages 14-23. The Slam, our online microfiction and poetry forum, is also open to young people ages 14-23. Check www.cricket.mag.com for updates on our submissions policy."