The Fall/Winter 2013 issue of Siren has appeared online. It contains my prose poems Damage Control and Signs of the Impending Apocalypse.
Siren is a new online zine for artists of all genres who create edgy and experimental work. They seek work that pushes boundaries, that surprises in terms of structure and content, that provokes a visceral response.
I truly appreciate the opportunity to reach Siren’s audience. Thanks again to the staff who found my work worthy.
Ayris Magazine, a magazine edited by the students at the New Hampshire Institute of Art, will be publishing my prose poem Migraine soon.
Siren Magazine will be publishing two prose poems of mine, Damage Control and Signs of the Impending Apocalypse.
I appreciate the opportunity to contribute to both of these publications.
Not much more to report. Still writing and submitting and trying to get my creative vision out there. Oh, and trying to survive the holiday season, just like everyone else.
(1) I will have two prose poems in “World’s End”, which will be the inaugural edition of The End Times. The End Times is a student run publication from the University of Illinois Springfield. Per their mission statement, it’s a literary magazine with a focus on distributing literature in a post-apocalyptic Midwest; a collection of poetry and prose signifying the challenges of maintaining humanity in the end of the world. I’m excited to contribute– thanks to the editors for choosing my work.
(2) The results of the 2013 Annual Whispering Prairie Press Writers’ Contest came out in early August 2013, and I was ecstatic to find out my poem Bad Luck Sings the Blues took third place. No publication, but cash and encouragement are positive things. Big thanks to the judges for deeming my work worthy of commendation.
(3) I’ve got a lot of love for Whispering Prairie Press this year. In addition to the aforementioned 3rd place contest finish, their periodical Kansas City Voices published my poem How to Sing Under the Influence. Kansas City Voices’ mission is to discover, encourage, and promote creativity and communication through literature, art, and other forms of cultural expression. I am happy to be a part of Issue 11 of Kansas City Voices. If you get a chance to check out this periodical, I’d suggest it – the poetry, pictures, and fiction are all very engaging.
(4) Since I am behind in mentioning publications, I will play catch up on my year in print by mentioning that I had poetry and fiction included in Talking Stick Volume 22, two poems in the Vermillion Literary Project, and a prose poem featured in the Bare Root Review.
That’s all for now. Be good.
I no longer believe in extremes, in boozing until vomiting or betting it all on a long-shot.
I no longer believe in loitering on the sidelines while the world buzzes about. After all, what good has ever happened to an innocent bystander?
I no longer believe that I need to reinvent my cool to meet your preconceived notions. Even if my jeans and/or shirt are tragically out of style, I am a bad enough motherfucker to wear them with swagger. Believe that.
I no longer believe the night in the pool hall really happened, when I was sucker punched for the first time in this life. Therefore, I no longer believe in turning the other cheek, despite scripture or common sense. Always swing first, lest you end up on the ground with a swollen lip and blood taunting your taste buds.
I no longer believe in the corny parables people blindly apply to life. A penny saved may be a penny earned, but not after taxes. Is a false positive a true negative? Depends on what you believe, I guess.
I no longer believe that history only winks and nudges at the truth; even when it’s hidden, reality ultimately tells its shitty story with the brashness of a raised middle finger. Or a swift kick to the groin. You get the point.
I no longer believe in a politician’s phony version of peace, since it always involves infinitely more warfare and death than any peace I would envision. I no longer believe in weapons of mass destruction – oh wait, I never did believe in them, or their existence. Does that mean I no longer believe in America, or that America has digressed beyond belief? Do you believe I’m unpatriotic for asking? Do I care?
I no longer believe that life forces you to grow up eventually; there are too many immature deadbeats for that to be true.
I no longer believe there’s an athlete who doesn’t cheat. And who can blame them? Look at their salaries.
I no longer believe that all people are evil, yet I don’t open my front door for just anybody. In fact, I double check the locks every night. That’s because I pretty much no longer believe humans don’t know how to be human, or humane.
I no longer believe that on the day I was born my father smiled, because he was a poker-faced individual who never showed joy, even when his son brought home straight A’s or sank a mid-range jump shot. I no longer believe that I won’t eventually become him, if I haven’t already, jaded toward a world that expects us all to believe in the make-believe it passes off as gospel.
burntdistrict is a literary journal dedicated to elevating public awareness of contemporary poetry and to the promotion of writers. Volume 2 Issue 1 of burntdistrict will be out soon. It contains contributions from some amazing writers, including Dan Nowak, Francesca Bell, CM Burroughs, and others. This issue also includes my prose poem A Blues Primer. But I’m not just being biased when I say this issue is a great read from cover to cover. I’m keeping it real.
Thanks to the staff at burntdistrict who found my work worthy of publication. I appreciate the chance to contribute.
…is the sound of me working. Seriously. The lack of posts on this blog is not an indication of a lack of writing activity, for sure.
I will have upcoming work in publications that I failed to previously mention on here, in print in burntdistrict and online in the Bare Root Review.
In addition, I earned third place finishes in both the Art Affair Poetry Contest and the Burning the Midnight Oil Poetry Contest – no publication, but a little cash always soothes the soul.
I wrestled my inner procrastination demons in a cage match. I won and am now back on pace with a decent writing work rate in the past month. This has been partially sponsored by a new manuscript idea that I hope will lead to the promised land of publication and not another dead end.
I also have big plans to revamp this blog.
All I need to do is execute. Which means not more hiatuses, no more wandering focus.
That’s all for now. Be good.
Great news, another poem has found a loving home.
I will have a prose poem published in an upcoming edition of The Broken Plate, a national literary magazine produced by Ball State University undergraduates each spring. The magazine features poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, art, book reviews and interviews. The poem is called The Algorithm of Desire. This will be my second engagement with The Broken Plate; they were kind enough to publish my poem Instructions in 2010.
Huge thanks to Jeremy Flick & the other staff at The Broken Plate for giving me a chance to contribute.
I recently had the wonderful opportunity to play question and answer via email…the results of which appear on today’s entry on Spark Wheel Press’ blog.
Spark Wheel Press publishes burntdistrict, a journal dedicated to elevating public awareness of contemporary poetry and to the promotion of writers. I had the honor of having my prose poem Epiphany appear in the inaugural issue of burntdistrict earlier this year.
In the interview I talked a little about epiphanies in writing, my writing process, labels in the literary world, influences and other subjects. Huge thanks to the folks at Spark Wheel Press for the chance to do this interview with them, and to Deanna McElhatten for asking some very thought provoking questions (and for being patient as I crafted my responses). You can check out the interview by clicking here.
Ira Glass shares some helpful thoughts on being creative in the video below.
The Summer/Fall 2012 issue of the I-70 Review just arrived in my mailbox. It contains contributions from Louie Crew, Kenneth Pobo, Shoshauna Sky, George Held, and Alex Stolis, among many others.
This issue of I-70 Review also includes my prose poem Anarchy. It is my second time being published in the I-70 Review and I truly appreciate the opportunity to again reach its audience. Thanks again to the staff who found my work worthy.
I will have a prose poem published in an upcoming edition of Ayris Magazine, a magazine of literature and art accepting work from everywhere and edited by the students at the New Hampshire Institute of Art.
The poem is called Migraine, and it is part of my manuscript, The Blues Almanac, which still needs a publisher, by the way (hint hint hint).
Huge thanks to Jenn Monroe & the staff of Ayris for thinking my work good enough.
Despite the seemingly eternal blog silence, yeah, I am still breathing. Which means I am still writing.
My prose poem Why Sarah Left Her Husband appears in the latest edition of The Poet’s Touchstone (Volume 55, Number 3, Summer 2012), a publication of the Poetry Society of New Hampshire. In addition, Why Sarah Left Her Husband also earned fourth place honors in the Poetry Society of New Hampshire’s National Poetry Contest for Summer 2012.
Judge Barbara Benoit said of the poem, “…an understated quality hovers in the darkness of this poem. We never see the room of images yet the reader is told everything.”
I am flattered; big thanks to the judge and the contest organizers.
The inaugural issue of burntdistrict is now out. It contains contributions from 40 writers, including Vikas Menon, Steve Langan, Francesca Bell, William Trowbridge, Jim Peterson, Sheila Black, Teri Grimm, Alex Lemon, Amy Hassinger, and John Stanizzi. This issue of burntdistrict also includes my prose poem Epiphany. Thanks again to the staff at burntdistrict who found my work worthy.
I have been blessed with my first acceptance of this young year. My prose poem Anarchy will appear in the next issue of the I-70 Review, slated for September 2012. Thanks to the editors who deemed my work worthy.
Hopefully this is one of many publication announcements I’ll have on here during 2012. A man can dream, at least.
Tight track. Brother Ali describes it perfectly in this song:
Sometimes I don’t write a lot
I know some folks call that writer’s block
I just call it my process
It comes out when it’s ready to, I guess
I don’t wanna let nobody down, so
Here’s some new shit, you tell me how it sounds
I ain’t tryin’ to be difficult or no shit
It just hurts too bad to try and force it...
(1) I’m trying to post more on this site in 2012. Two posts in three days is a relative uptick in blog activity, or blogtivity (if I have permission to create another brainless web-based word like everyone else seems to do). I’m writing more in order to work my way out of a funk. Even though it’s not exactly creative writing, blog posts are a form of textual healing that might get me to the doorstep of where I need to be in terms of inspiration. At least that’s my theory.
(2) My prose poem The Inherent Discontent of Objects made a fashionable appearance in Clare Literary Journal Volume 12, Fall 2011. Clareis publication that is a joint effort between students and faculty in the Visual Art and English Departments at Cardinal Stritch University. I am happy to have the chance to contribute to this issue, alongside a host of talented writers and poets.
(3) My poem Bad Luck Sings the Blues took second place in the 2011 Burning the Midnight Oil Poetry Contest.No publication, but cash and encouragement are positive things. A big thanks to Amy Harke-Moore over at The Write Helper for deeming my work worthy of commendation.
(4) My prose-poem chapbook manuscript A Condensed History of Anger, with Footnotes was a finalist for the Gold Line Press poetry chapbook contest, but did not win the big prize and will not be published. Nonetheless, I am encouraged that it made it to the final round, and I’m determined to find a home for this manuscript in the New Year.
That’s all for now. Be good.
Apropos Literary Journal’s second edition is now live and can be viewed at www.aproposthearts.com.
Apropos Literary Journal aims to dispel the commonly held notion that an online journal is less “literary” than a printed one. Through the use of an online environment, Apropos serves to elevate and facilitate the relationship between art and our digital culture by displaying artistic genres traditionally incompatible with the standard print journal.
My prose poem Memoir is in this issue and can be found at http://volume2issue1.aproposthearts.com/memoir/. Thanks again to the staff at Apropos who found my work worthy of publication.
Switched-on Gutenberg has announced the release of Issue 17, on the theme Accidental, which is online at http://www.switched-ongutenberg.org.
Poets in this issue include: Christianne Balk, Paul Barclay, Jessica Barksdale, Kate Bernardette Benedict, Larry Blazek, Laura Eklund, Kim Goldberg, Christine Hamm, Louisa Howerow, Elizabeth Kerlikowske, Naomi krupitsky, Mercedes Lawry, Sara Lier, Robin Lindley, Katharyn Machan, Kevin Miller, Julie L. Moore, Kathy Nelson, Geoff Pope, Adrian S. Potter, Charles Rammelkamp, Lorraine S Schein, Dave Seter, Emily Severance, Lynne Shapiro, Judith Skillman, Matina Stamatakis, Jeanne Wagner, Florence Weinberger, Mike White, Scott Wiggerman, Deborah Woodard, Melissa Scholes Young, Mary Zeppa, Desmond Kon Zhicheng-Mingdé
My prose poem Accident Prone is in this issue and can be found at http://www.switched-ongutenberg.org/current/Potter.htm.