Announcing the Biff Bam Pop! Podcast Network

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Toronto, Ontario/Marlton, New Jersey - Pop culture website Biff Bam Pop! today announces the launch of the Biff Bam Pop! Podcast Network, an umbrella to house and promote a host of podcasts featuring various members of the BBP staff. Please meet us after the jump for the details.

“For the past two years here at Biff Bam Pop!, we've featured The GAR! Podcast, the work of myself, and my partner Ray Cornwall,” says Biff Bam Pop! Senior Editor and Writer Glenn Walker. “Recently it occurred to us here onsite that I was not the only one who had a hand in the world of podcasting. We should organize the podcasts of our writers under one umbrella, adding to each show's promotional power for the betterment of everyone. Each time a new episode goes live, it would be featured here onsite. Thus was born the Biff Bam Pop! Podcast Network.”

The currently running podcasts that will now fall under the Biff Bam Pop! Podcast Network umbrella include:

The Audacious Eleven Podcast featuring Wendy Sheridan, Mary McGinley, Donna Juzva, and Biff Bam Pop's own, SJWG member Robin Renee. The show is described as a reality podcast that ventures from Pagan spirituality and life empowerment to technology, entrepreneurship, love, sex, and fandom.

The Biff Bam Popcast is our own video roundtable recorded from Google Hangouts that features BBP staffers and occasional guests talking about the pop culture topics of the day in film, television, comics, gaming, books, and music.

The GAR! Podcast is the Glenn Walker and Ray Cornwall weekly podcast where they talk unrehearsed about whatever happens to come to mind. It’s an audio-zine for your mind, a nerd exploration of a nerd world, coming to you from across the vastness of suburban New Jersey via Skype.

Gobbledygeek features hosts Paul Smith and AJ Wiley and focuses on a variety of entertainment subjects, with our hosts and special guests frequently discussing films, comics, and television. BBP staffers K. Dale Koontz and Ensley F. Guffey are frequent guests.

The Make Mine Magic Podcast features Jenn Walker and her husband SJWG member Glenn Walker talking about Disney, parks, movies, travel advice, characters, Marvel, Star Wars, Studio Ghibli, etc., if it’s Disney, it’s fair game.

The Official Popshifter Podcast, features Popshifter managing editor Less Lee Moore and featured contributor Jeffery X Martin shifting the tone of pop culture criticism and tackling the fields of film, music, and rest of the genre world.

Along with these shows, beginning on October 15th, we will launch the monthly Biff Bam Podcast. The inaugural edition will feature interviews with Kane Hodder and Brandi Cyrus, the stars of the new horror film Old 37, along with a roundtable discussion on the best movies to watch for Halloween, and contributions from various BBP staff writers.

“We’re very excited to be bringing Biff Bam Pop! to the podcasting world,” says Editor-In-Chief Andy Burns. “After seven years of writing on the web, we’re now going to entice your ears with our brand of pop culture talk.”

For more details on the Biff Bam Pop! Podcast Network, and the Biff Bam Podcast, contact Andy Burns or Glenn Walker.

Established in 2008 in Toronto, Canada, Biff Bam Pop is a pop culture website that features writers from across North America. Find us online at www.biffbampop.com, facebook.com/bbpcanada and via Twitter @biffbampop.

The Biff Bam Pop! website features the work of SJWG members Marie Gilbert, James Knipp, Loretta Sisco, Robin Renee, Sarah Hawkins-Miduski, Glenn Walker, and soon, Mieke Zamora-Mackay.

Biff Bam Pop! at the SJWG

By Glenn Walker

The internet is a funny thing. The internet is bringing our world closer together, making communication easier. You can get to know people, build friendships and relationships, having never met the people involved. I have known Andy Burns for six years, talk to him nearly every day, consider him one of my best friends - all thanks to the internet - but never met him face to face until just this past week.

Even though Andy lives and works in Toronto, he's well known to the members of the South Jersey Writers Group, not just through me, but seeing as a half-dozen of our members write for his pop culture website Biff Bam Pop!, Andy has achieved something of rock star status among our little group.

As I said, we had never met until last week. When I picked him up at the airport, he got in the car and we shook hands, then kinda laughed and rolled our eyes. This was not a first meeting or an introduction. It wasn't even a blind date. Andy and I have known each other for years. We were soon talking as if we had last talked hours before, which though electronically, we had. He settled into our home for a week as if he was family, more than a friend or colleague.

When he attended the May general meeting of the SJWG as my guest, he felt like family with our little group as well, and what was even cooler, the friendships were bound even closer when we went out to a bar later that night. As the days went by, Marie Gilbert took Andy on a ghost hunt, as well as a tour of historic Philadelphia. With Loretta Sisco and her husband we attended a viewing of the new Poltergeist remake. French fry fanatic me took him to all the cool places to eat like the British Chip Shop for the best fries, got him a real cheesesteak, and all of us got together for a breakfast at Collingswood's Pop Shop.

By the time we parted after that last breakfast, we were all family, despite having never met before last week. So the internet is not such a bad thing, it builds friendships and connections not just here in South Jersey, but also as far away as the mean streets of Toronto.

Andy Burns is a verified expert of the television series "Twin Peaks" as evidenced in his book Wrapped in Plastic. Twin Peaks. His pop culture website Biff Bam Pop! can be found here, you can Follow him on Twitter here, and Like the site on Facebook here.

Among the South Jersey Writers who are also members of Biff Bam Pop! East are senior writer Marie Gilbert, whose work includes reviews of "The Walking Dead," "Penny Dreadful," "American Horror Story," and "Orphan Black" among others; Loretta Sisco, who dazzles us with tales of horrors and serial killers; Robin Renee, our mistress of music; Jim Knipp, our official "Game of Thrones" reviewer; and Sarah Hawkins Miduski, who will be taking on the upcoming "Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell" TV series. And then there's that Glenn Walker guy, associate editor and contributing writer at Biff Bam Pop!. He reviews "The Flash," "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.," and "Avengers Assemble."

We loved hosting Andy, and we're hoping to get together again in person real soon, perhaps a trip to Canada next. Until then, thank you, internet, and thank you, Andy!

Top Five Reasons to Go to the Philadelphia Writers' Conference 2015

C'mon, Jim, just one conference, it'll make you feel good...

By Jim Knipp 

It’s all Krista Magrowski’s fault.  This whole infatuation with the Philadelphia Writers’ Conference started with her innocent little statement of “the Philly conference is happening soon, you should check it out.”

I checked it out.  And within two years of that first conversation, I was on the Executive Board, building registration sites, and generally doing nothing but breathing, eating, and sleeping Philadelphia Writers’ Conference for six months out of the year (the other six months are spent dreaming about the next conference.)  That first conference was five years ago, and I think I love it more every year.  And this year I’m especially excited.  I’ll give you five reasons why.

Our speakers. Both our opening and our keynote speaker are nationally recognized talents and I really can’t wait to hear what they have to say.

uh...dude, that was a cheetah...

Opening speaker Sara Shepard caught a tiger by the tail a decade ago when her debut novel Pretty Little Liars hit the shelves.  And she’s ridden that tiger like Harold and Kumar through thirty novels, two television series, and enough awards to need a second or third mantle.

Speaking of awards, every year The American Society of Magazine Editors gives out the National Magazine Award.  It’s basically the magazine version of the Pulitzer Prize.   Our Keynote speaker, Stephen Fried, has two of them.  TWO!  It’s like he won the first and decided he needed a matching piece to balance out his book shelf.  Stephen as won these by writing about subjects as varied as supermodels to restaurateurs; from the joys and trials of being a husband and father to the trials and lies surrounding the pharmaceutical industry.

Dan Stabb

Our Workshops. In addition to our regular standbys The Novel, Short Story, and Poetry, we also will be offering Playwriting, three separate genre workshops (Mystery/Thriller, Young Adult, and Romance), plus a great assortment of features, including an hour with Sara Shepard to talk about her experiences selling pieces to Hollywood and an exciting course about developing your improvisational skills to help your writing.

Melinda Emerson

Most exciting for me is a three-day workshop on Social Media with “Small-Biz” lady Melinda Emerson.  While we’ve offered social media workshops before, they’ve always been shorter affairs, and I’m looking forward to seeing how much more in depth we can get by giving Melinda three hours to walk through these most necessary of tools.

Could it be you?

Agents and Editors.  As writers who want to market our work, and who know how hard it is to get the attention of an agent or a marketplace, the chance to sit down with an agent or an editor is damn near priceless.  And at the PWC, you’re offered that chance!  On Friday afternoon, we have five minute “speed dates” were you can pitch your work or even just discuss some of the challenges you face or the ideas you have.  The market last year seemed to finally open a little, and it was great to sit at the registration table and hear some of the chatter from the agents (or even better, help track down a conferee who an agent wanted to speak to again!).  Markets seem to be trending as open again, so I can’t wait to see who I’ll be helping towards success this year.

Critiques not following guidelines get reviewed by Carl;  you don’t want your piece reviewed by Carl.

Critiques.  Most of us belong to critique groups where our peers offer feedback on our work.  How would you like nationally recognized, Asimov and Tor published Fran Wilde to critique your short story?  Or maybe have your blank verse checked out by Ken Pobo, the Linback Award-winning PhD who teaches at Widener University.  Or how about international bestseller Suzanne Palmieri (The Witch of Bourbon Street) or the award-winning Solomon Jones (Pipe Dream) giving your novel excerpt a read through?  All of our three-day workshop leaders have agreed to critique work.  You won’t get that opportunity anywhere else.

Networking.   During my first conference, I met Don Lafferty who essentially is the midwife of my blog, KnippKnopp.  I met Kelly Simmons who said four words to me (“that was fu**ing awesome”) that keep me going to this day.  During the second conference, I met Jonathan Maberry, who let me interrupt his breakfast to give me additional imput on the piece I submitted for critique.  And the networking isn’t limited to board members and workshop leaders.  I’d need four extra hands to count the friends I’ve made, the advice and input I’ve been granted, and the energy I’ve gained by just meeting other writers, sharing in their stories, and seeing how similar they were to my own.

Wait, isn’t that this many?

Cost.  The price of admission (minimum $270) seems high.  If you compare to other conferences, you’ll find the PWC is right in-line (and in many cases lower), then comparable conferences.  But I understand when there are bills to pay, it may not matter and scraping together that cash can be tough. 

To that end, the PWC board has done a few things.  One, we extended the student discount to all students.  So if you’re attending a local college, you can attend for 50% of the price.  Two, we’re keeping the writer’s group scholarships.  The SJWG scholarship has already been awarded, but if you’re part of  another writers group that hasn’t been issued code, talk with the group, register them, and claim their code.  Finally, we’ve initiated a group discount policy.  If you register with seven others as a group, you get 20% (that’s up to $60) knocked right off the top.

And if you can get nine dressed like this, I’ll make sure you get the best seats at dinner

I truly believe that all of the things I mention above: the critiques, the camaraderie, the exposure are invaluable.  For the years before I joined the board, I always considered the conference an investment.  I really hope you see it that way too, and I hope to see you at the Philadelphia Writers' Conference!

About today's guest-blogger: 

Jim Knipp is a writer only in the sense that he very occasionally gets to actually write things.  He has been not-writing like this for over thirty years and most recently can be found posting ridiculous things on his blog, KnippKnopp, or guest writing for the very patient folks at BiffBamPop!.  In addition to not-writing, Jim is an HR Project Manager at Comcast, the Registrar for the Philadelphia Writers’ Conference, and a member of exceedingly seedy standing at the South Jersey Writers’ Group.

Big News for The South Jersey Writers Group

                                                             

Yes indeed, its big news alright. Two of our members have a special connection with the Philadelphia Writers Conference.
                                                                 

                                                                       
James Knipp is the new Registrar and has designed a easy online method for registration for PWC's workshops, manuscript submissions and contest submissions. Believe me, he did a great job and even this tech challenged granny had no problem signing on.

                                                                       

Shelley Szajner won the partial scholarship to attend this year's Philadelphia Writer's Conference. You can find the interview on our blog and on the site below.



 I submitted the story to the Courier Post. The story was accepted and you can read it on the link below. One other thing that people don't know about Shelley is that she designed the cover for Tall Tales and Short Stories from South Jersey. The cover is what draws the people to our table when we are doing a book signing.

Check out the story on the Courier Post's site below


Gilbert's Interview of James Knipp and Shelley Szajner.

Meet the Talented and Creative James. Knipp

                                                                  

Author James Knipp is a member of the South Jersey Writers Group and also one of the authors for the Tall Tales and Short Stories Anthology. So please join me in my interview of the talented and creative James Knipp.

Story: No Fun Joe 

Tell us a little about yourself?

“I’m just this guy, y’know?” Not a whole lot. Forty three years old…Married almost 20 years and somehow we still like each other. Three wonderful daughters. I started writing in earnest again after turning forty, and am still in full mid-life crisis mode, complete with long bouts of self-reflection about where I am and where I was supposed to be. I like to joke that it’s kind of a pathetic midlife crisis, because I’m too fat to get the 20 year old girlfriend and too brook to get the Porsche (or perhaps it’s the other way around)…my wife doesn’t really like that joke though.

 

What got you interested in writing and when did you start?

I wrote my first story that received praise when I was in 5^th grade (the epic classic “James Knipp’s Pencil”) and I was hooked. I don’t know if I even like writing considering all the things I do to keep myself from getting started, but I love being in the zone, that feeling when you’re transported into this new world you’ve created and that feeling that you’ve created something unique and special when you’re done. And frankly, I like the reactions when people read my work…I’m a bit of an attention whore, really the same kid who used to sit in Mrs. Greenberg’s lap and read to the other kindergartners, and I love that feeling that I opened the doorway to this other world, and now can share it with someone else.

 

What type of stories do you enjoy writing?

This is the part where I say I prefer to write Horror, but the truth is, I love writing almost anything, as long as the idea grips me and transports me. I’ve probably written as many ‘real life’ stories like (“No Fun Joe”) as Horror type stories. Really anything with at least one strong interesting character in an interesting place or situation. My brain tends to dwell in dark places, so those situations often seen to involve demons or zombies or old secrets.

 

Where do you get your inspiration for your stories?

Really, everything around me, I have this “What if” machine that runs constantly in my head. I’ll see something that strikes me (an interesting guy on the bus, angry people in a diner) and an idea pops full blown out of this machine and runs around my head and drives me crazy until it dies or I write it out…that and this monocle wearing purple emu that occasionally shows up in my dreams to tell me to get off my butt and get writing.

 

Why did you pick this particular story for our anthology?

Just seemed like a good fit…It was based in South Jersey. I wanted to submit something short and frankly had just finished it when Am and Marie came looking. I thought it was serendipity calling, so I went with it.

 

What advice can you give to our readers who are interested in writing and getting their book published?

Learn how to take rejection. Writing ain’t for sissies. I know that’ easier said than done, but with few exceptions, every established writer has been rejected multiple times.

 

Is it important for new writers to join a writer’s group and why?

At a minimum, writers groups provide a level of therapy. It’s always good to know that you’re not alone with those feelings of inadequacy. A good writers group will also provide a sounding board for your work, and hopefully will add a level of polish before you move to get it published.
 

It has been a pleasure having you join us today and dear readers, you can find James on the sites below.

 

You can find James Knipp on:

 

jknipp5133@yahoo.com

http://knippknopp.wordpress.com/