Poem on Salamander Cove

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First published in The Shine Journal, my Pushcart-nominated poem Tell Me Lies in a Dead Language is now up on the poetry blog Salamander Cove. This is poem touches on the subject of domestic violence and is loosely based on my interactions with a female friend in the past who dealt with this issue.

This is my second engagement on Salamander Cove, and I am happy and honored to have a chance to appear on there again. Take a sec and read Tell Me Lies…, along with all the other fine works on the blog – I guarantee that you can spend several hours reading these poems without feeling like you wasted a single minute.



April = National Poetry Month

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So read a poem.  Or a book of poems.  Or write a poem.  Or go to a reading. Celebrate poetry however you desire.

Established in the U.S. by the Academy of American Poets 14 years ago, National Poetry Month is now celebrated each April. Check out the lnk below for details on this year's programs, events, and resources.

http://www.poets.org/page.php/prmID/41

 

 

The Shine Journal Anthology, Volume One

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The Shine Journal publishes some of the very best in creative work in the world. This print anthology contains a variety of earlier works representative of the spirit of The Shine Journal.Without the ongoing wonderful words and visually beautiful contributions TSJ would not what it is today. This is the first of many annual anthologies.

Who you will find in this book (in no particular order): Adrian S. Potter, Avis Hickman-Gibb, Boris Glikman, Mary Kennedy Eastham, Tory Brannigan, Amy George, R.S. Pyne, Moana Rawlins, Thomas Healy, Edward D. Nudelman, Elizabeth Stassinos, Arnold Emmanuel, Fionnuala Kearney, Carole Brier, Jim Harrington, Carol Bevan-Bogart, Shelly Wiseberg, Terry McKee, Cheryl Williams, P. Marcille Sibley, Moana Rawlins, Gary Beck, Hugh Aaron, Wayne Scheer, Alison Watt Jackson, Pat St. Pierre, Richard O. Walker, Jr., M.D., Jimetta Carpenter, Jan Green, Ray Succre, Oonah V. Joslin, Ravi Bedi, Rhonda Parrish, Justus Humphrey, John Young, Millicent Jackson, Sandra Anfang, Catherine DiCairano, Suzanne Wargo, Maureen Radoncic, R W Daddario and Peter Schwartz.

http://stores.lulu.com/store.php?fStoreID=2886249&fMode=edit

http://www.lulu.com/content/paperback-book/the-shine-journal-anthology-volume-one/8344159

My poem Tell Me Lies in a Dead Language appears in The Shine Journal Anthology. 

Props to editor Pamela Tyree Griffin for the work she puts in over at The Shine Journal.

The Poetics Noire, Volume I

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The Poetics Noire is the result of an intimate relationship between art and words. It is the direct descendant of passion, struggle, and triumph. Coming at a time when people are hurting more than ever and asking, "how far have we actually come?" This book is about the reclamation of life at its purest form. To some it may just be a culmination of pages but to us, this project is the joining of experiences documented for the masses. The opportunity to transcend race, creed, sex, or any other division placed on us by society is readily available within every line. Welcome to Volume I. 

http://www.poeticsnoire.com/

http://www.amazon.com/Poetics-Noire-I-ebook/dp/B002Z13UFO

http://www.amazon.com/Poetics-Noire-Britany-Elise-Rickett/dp/0615308937

Proud to say I am a member of "The Poetics Noire Family." My poem Survival Tactics appears in this anthology.

Props to sister Britany Elise Rickett for having the drive and vision to see this project through from inspiration to publication. Impressive.

Finalist.

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Just found out that my poetry manuscript The Blues Almanac was a finalist in the first-ever Smalls Book Poetry Book Contest.  Although it didn't win and it won't get published (yet), it feels good to know my manuscript was able to hang around until the end of the competition - it is an honor.  Thanks to judge Gerry LaFemina and to senior editor George Guida for the opportunity to compete.

I need to sit down and write.

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I just realized this fact.  But it is a good thing.

It’s not that I’ve been lazy. The day job has been hella busy, and thank God I am still employed, so I‘ve been putting in the time needed to keep ahead of the workload. Writing has to take a backseat to my career at this point, unless somehow writing can miraculously become my career. And since we are in a recession, I doubt that’s happening anytime soon.

I’ve been blessed in the past six months - a lot of my fresh work and newly revised pieces have been accepted. Right now, I only have a few short stories and a handful of poems to circulate around, and I don’t want to over-submit those pieces. Believe me, I’m far from being a shotgun submitter.  I try to learn all I can about most places I’m considering submitting to, read past issues, study their website, etc. So I don’t want to overextend the pieces I have and flood the same poems and flash fiction pieces to every place on earth.

Being an active writer and also an active submitter has put me in an envious position amongst most emerging creative-types:  if I’m going to continue submitting to magazines, online journals, and contests, I need to generate new material.  I also need to get back to reading more.  For me, reading begets writing.

So I’m focused on this weekend coming up. Going to get some good music ready and spend a few hours on both Saturday and Sunday trying to read and/or write myself out of a creative funk. Hopefully this goal will evolve from theory to reality.

Acceptance.

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Quick note:  my poem titled Instructions (for Reading this Poem) will appear in an upcoming edition of The Broken Plate.

The Broken Plate is a literary magazine produced at Ball State University featuring poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. The magazine accepts submissions from writers around the world while continuing to devote pages to the work of Ball State students. The Broken Plate is beginning an exciting new phase in its growth toward a more diverse representation of the creative community. Looking at excerpts from the 2009 plate, I'm excited to see what this issue will look like.

Personally this acceptance makes me really happy, since Instructions (for Reading this Poem) is one of my favorite poems (Wait...is it vain to have favorites of your own work? Oh well...) from my unpublished manuscript The Blues Almanac.

Thanks to the editors for the opportunity to contribute – I’ll have more news as publication nears.

Winner.

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My poem If Love is a Big City, Lately I've Considered Relocating recently won the Third Annual Burning the Midnight Oil poetry contest over at The Write Helper!  Big thanks to the Amy Harke-Moore for creating and judging this contest opportunity.

You can check out If Love is a Big City, Lately I've Considered Relocating on The Write Helper’s website by clicking the link below:

http://www.thewritehelper.com/id65.html

I was also given the opportunity to write a short profile about my writing on The Write Helper's site - you can read it here:

http://www.thewritehelper.com/id66.html

I better run and take this rare opportunity of Sunday afternoon free time to get some writing done.  Be good…

Three Poems Accepted by Front Range.

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I’ll have three poems in the next edition of Front Range: A Review of Literature and Art. 

Front Range (formerly MO:  Writings from the River) is an annual nationally-circulated literary journal which features work from writers and artists from all around the world, many of them award winners.

I’m especially proud of this acceptance because two of the poems are prose poems – so they symbolize the growing diversity in my published works.  In other words, I’m like growing as a writer ad stuff.

Thanks to editor Fredrick Bridger for the chance to contribute.  I’ll post more info once the newest Front Range comes out in 2010.

Putting Anger to Good Use.

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Good news.  My poem titled a condensed history of anger, with footnotes will appear in the upcoming edition of Interrobang?! Magazine, a web and print ‘zine for the arts based in Providence, RI.  Interrobang’s goal is to provide a formal venue for voices of all kinds, whether it be fiction, nonfiction, creative essays, fine art, or experimental music and video.  Big thanks to Poetry Editor Astrid Drew for the chance to contribute to this magazine.

About two hours.

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That’s how long it took me to go from inspiration to submission when I saw this call for hint fiction earlier today.

Disregard the fact that hint fiction is the very definition of brief – it’s a story of 25 words or less that suggests a larger, more complex story. Considering the way I agonize over every word while editing, it’s remarkable that I cranked out two of these hint fiction pieces in less than 120 minutes.

This was a great writing exercise – even if neither piece I submitted is chosen for the hint fiction anthology, it felt good to challenge myself to do something a little outside of my comfort zone. If you are a writer (or even if you aren’t), consider taking on this challenge. Submissions are open until August 31, 2009.

Hello, old friend.

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You know how it is when you get to spend time with a friend who knows you really well, how you can just fall back into conversation when you see them, like nothing’s ever changed? That’s what it was like when I found time to do some writing this evening. Like I never even had a hiatus from it at all.