Friday, June 27, 2008

Juked Open Submissions: Hurry!

I copy and pasted directly from the link below, you submissions are due July 1st so HURRY!

"We are now reading for Juked #6. Here are the guidelines:
We are looking for works of fiction and creative non-fiction running at least 2,000 words long. (Poetry for the print issue will be selected from our regular submissions.) If you have something that is 1,999 words long, or close to that, or if you have a series of connecting short-shorts, or something else that is unconventional or otherwise special in its own way, write us and we'll see what we can do.
To submit, send an attachment (we prefer .RTF, but .DOC is okay too) to print@juked.com.
Indicate in the subject field: Print Submission: (genre) by (your name). This is very important; if it goes to the regular address, and without the right subject heading, it will not be read as a submission for the print issue.
Simultaneous submissions are encouraged, but please e-mail us and let us know if your submission has been picked up elsewhere.
The deadline for issue #6 submissions is July 1st.
Any questions, just write us."


http://juked.com/print/

Thursday, June 26, 2008

Gloom Cupboard Chabook Contest

Hot off the Press From Richard, the Editor:

"Great Poetry SwindleTo celebrate our first birthday on August 31st we have decided to bypass the carrot cake and absinthe shots in favour of a Chapbook contest, giving you the perfect birthday present. Working with our good friends at erbacce press the winner of the contest shall get their manuscript published in the standard A5 forty page chapbook format, the winner will receive 20 copies of the chapbook and we at Gloom Cupboard will help to promote it. To enter the contest all you need to do is send us an initial manuscript of 20 poems via email either attached as a word document or pasted in the body of the email. The deadline for submissions is August 1st 2008. Title the email ‘GC Chapbook Contest’."

http://gloomcupboard.com


Thanks for dropping in, please stop by tomorrow for another Open Sumbissions!
That’s correct, a double dose this week. I found a place to submit but you better hurry, check in tomorrow!

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Poems Found by Poet Hound

http://www.versedaily.org/2008/therescue.shtml
Wayne Miller’s “The Rescue”

http://juked.com/2008/06/beefjerky.asp
Stephen Priest’s “Ode to Beef Jerky” (the title alone should pique your interest)

Thanks for clicking in and please stop by tomorrow for more Open Submissions…

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Lilliput Review #161

Don Wentworth sent me a couple of his Lilliput Review issues for participating in listing a book I viewed as one of the almost-perfect books of poems and I was delighted to find issue #161 of collective poems, and #162 of poems all by David Chorlton titled A Venetion Sequence. Both were enjoyable reads.

The entire issue of #161 is filled with little gems and for those who are unfamiliar, Lilliput Review publishes poems that are ten lines or less.
Today I would like to review #161 with permission granted to feature some of the poems thanks to Don and the poets:

This issue has many references to Spring, and this particular one line poem made me laugh in spite of its note of despair:

“O Spring! stick a pitchfork in my heart!” by W. T. Ranney of Ithaca, New York.


Then there is this poem by Peggy Heinrich of Santa Cruz, CA:

As a child
I wondered
what kept the moon in the sky
now that I know
I am no happier.

--Isn’t that a beautiful and sad poem? It reminds me of childhood when you believed the moon was full of magic (and who is to say it isn’t?) but then as you grow up it loses its mysteriousness. The moon is held by gravity, a giant rock that merely reflects the sun rather than producing its own light. That may not be what she meant by the poem but of course that’s what sprang to my mind when I read it. How about you? Any other things come to mind?


And finally, the third poem I’d like to feature by Charlie Mehrhoff of Oakland, ME:

Nothing Less

There is no point of origin,
just consider how limiting that would be.

When and where
the pen
comes down upon the page
should not be metaphorical of some point,
it should represent the brush stroke
of all creation.

Strung across twilight.

Intoxicated with belief in its own existence.

Heartbeat within a cradle of bones.

The edge falling off of itself.

Peaks bursting through the floorboards of heaven.

An excuse to be!


--I almost have to read it twice to absorb it because it takes an extra moment to sink in. Really a marvelous poem about something difficult to describe: the purpose of existence without a known beginning. My favorite lines are “Heartbeat within a cradle of bones.” And “The edge falling off of itself.” The lines are hard to picture yet they are understandable. Poets who can craft lines like that I’ll admit I am jealous of.

Issue #161 is a collection that flows smoothly and many of the poems are insightful which is hard to achieve in such small doses sometimes. The poets featured are excellent in that capacity. “Simply Read a Book” is a good example, by Edward Coletti which essentially tells you to take time for yourself, everything will still be there when you return.

If you get a chance to see this issue, please do. Otherwise Mr. Wentworth also features poems from back issues on his blog:
http://lilliputreview.blogspot.com/
and if you are so inclined to request a subscription to the journal, then you should click here:
http://lilliputreview.googlepages.com/home

Thanks for reading, please stop by tomorrow for more found poems…

Monday, June 23, 2008

Falling Off the Mountain Blog

This blog is produced by a gentleman in Massachusetts and specializes in one-line poems! For any of you who haven’t tried it yet and need some inspiration, or for anyone who has tried it, take a look by clicking the link below, and here is what Grant Hackett had to say about his blog and one-lined poems:

“About one line poems: There’s not a simple answer or story about how I came to one line poems. I have written 3 line poems almost exclusively for many years. The move to one line poems happened more or less spontaneously about eight months ago. What nailed it into place for me was the discovery of the double colon. De novo. Finding this device propelled me into period of complete focus on the one line form. There wasn’t a particular outside influence. It just happened. After writing these poems for several months, I decided to start a blog (Falling Off the Mountain) to both put these poems “out there”, and to gather and list whatever information I could about other one line poets and their poems. That’s the story, in very brief form.

The blog began on May 1 of this year. Response to it has been limited but positive. I’ve had one one-line poem posted at Poetry Friends. Other than that, I haven’t sought publication for these pieces either online or in print. I’ll continue to pursue the blog experiment and see where that leads. Don Wentworth at the Lilliput Review has read the blog and liked it enough to link to it. This is good.”


http://fallingoffthemountain.blogspot.com/


Also: Don Wentworth of Lilliput Review discovered this fabulous article and sent the link to me in case I wanted to use it for this blog and I do! Thanks Don, and for all of you out there, check out some sound advice on the Do’s and Don’ts of Poetry by clicking the link below:

http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/poetry/article4104714.ece

Thanks as always for dropping in, please stop by tomorrow for another featured poet…