Read A Good Book: Narcopolis by Jeet Thayil

Jeet Thayil is a poet and his first novel,Narcopolis, has been published by Penguin Press in 2012. The story takes place in Bombay’s drug-centered underworld during the 1970s when opium is being left behind for a new and far more dangerous drug: heroin. The characters are an intriguing mix and encompass those who take drugs, those who sell drugs or sex, and those who do both as well as those who enter rehab or who die before considering rehab. Drugs, sex, violence, and perversion are all eloquently displayed in the pages and you will find yourself rooting for those who try to untangle themselves from this underworld. My favorite character is Dimple, a “hijra” (eunuch) who tries to improve herself by reading books in English and escape the life of selling her body while also working in the opium dens. Dimple finds a way to escape the brothel she is in by tying herself to just one man who has other wives: Rashid. However, Rashid is prone to violence and is also lamenting the change in the times as he does not wish to deal in heroin despite losing customers at his opium den. There are many characters that you will be fascinated by: Mr. Lee from China who turns pipe smoking into an art form; Rashid’s son, Jamal, who saves Dimple out on the streets with just one word to the would-be attackers, and many more that get tangled up and then lost in Bombay. The book is a page turner and I highly recommend it for anyone curious about such a crime-ridden world.

You can check out a copy at your local library or local bookstore, or to purchase a copy on Amazon, go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Narcopolis-A-Novel-Jeet-Thayil/dp/159420330X

Thanks for dropping in, please stop by again after next week as I am taking next week off to get some extra work done...

American Literary Review Poetry Contest

The number one thing to tell you is that there is a $15.00 Entry Fee by check addressed to “American Literary Review” so submit your absolute best work, you may send up three poems by October 1st. Three $1,000 prizes will be awarded!
You will need a cover page with your contact information, they ask that you Do Not Include your information on the accompanying pages of poems, and don’t forget that all-important Self Addressed Stamped Envelope!

Snail Mail to:
American Literary Review Poetry Contest
P.O. Box 311307
University of North Texas
Denton, TX 76203-1307

Definitely check out further details at:
http://english.unt.edu/alr/contest.html

Good luck to all who submit, please stop by tomorrow for another Good Book Review…

Poems Found by Poet Hound

https://sites.google.com/site/whiteknucklechaps/josh-bernstein/2
“Jade is Jaded” by Josh Bernstein

https://sites.google.com/site/whiteknucklechaps/josh-bernstein/10
“Sagittarius” by Josh Bernstein

Thanks for clicking in, please drop in again Friday…

Lilliput Review Issue #184

Don Wentworth’s latest issue encompasses nature and the inevitability of death. Below I am happy to share a few poems:

Late Afternoon Landscape

A dead juniper stripped of its scales;
two thirds of the moon
rolling through daylight; dry grass
between yellow and white; an oak
forest rippling beneath the ridgeline;
darkness moving upstream
climbing stone by stone.

By: David Chorlton, Phoenix AZ

This poem allows me to reminisce about my short time in Phoenix so I cannot help myself. It is a beautiful landscape and this poem captures it well.


thank the weeds
for pulling you
closer to the flowers

by: Rich Heller, Pittsburgh PA

This one’s for all you gardeners who grumble as you’re pulling weeds (I do when I’m at my parents’ house). Count your blessings!



While you were onstage reading another poem

A man carrying a garbage bag in the rain
performed the stations of the cross
and moved his lips in silent prayer.

By: Kyle Vaughn, Dallas TX

This poem proves that poetic moments happen beyond the poem itself, wonderful poem.


If you enjoyed this short sample please purchase a copy on-line for a mere $1.00 at:
http://lilliputreview.blogspot.com/

Thank you for reading, please click in tomorrow…

Ameriquebeckian Blog

Very cool blog about all things poetry, art, and inspiration by an adventurous lady, check it out at:
http://ameriquebeckian.blogspot.com/

Thanks for clicking in, please drop by again tomorrow…

Poems Found by Poet Hound

https://sites.google.com/site/52rhpissue/jeanie-tomasko
“Georgia O’Keefe’s Skull” by Jeanie Tomasko

https://sites.google.com/site/52rhpissue/marilyn-westfall
“Synesthesia” by Marilyn Westfall

Thanks for clicking in, please stop by next week for back-to-regular-schedule posts…

This Week...

This past weekend was my sister’s graduation from high school and my husband and I’s wedding anniversary. What does this mean? It means I have a post for Wednesday and that I spent the rest of my weekend with family so please drop in on Wednesday and check back again for posts next week…

Apt Open Submissions

For the print journal you may submit 3-5 poems in a single document attachment to the on-line submishmash link on the website. The editors respond within four weeks which is excellent turn- around time!

For further details go to:
http://apt.aforementionedproductions.com/submission-guidelines/

Good luck to all who submit, please click in again next week…

Poems Found by Poet Hound

http://www.alicebluereview.org/main.html
Cat Jones’ “Tuesday”

http://www.blossombones.com/winter_spring2012/darling_ws2012.html
Kristina Marie Darling’s “Noctuary”

Thanks for clicking in, please come back again tomorrow…

Night Boat Books

This site has some great titles and news on poets as well as posts about upcoming events, check them out at:
http://www.nightboat.org/

Thanks for clicking in, please drop by again Wednesday…

Read a Good Book: Pat Conroy's Beach Music

A friend of mine recommended this book which she offered as a book-on-tape and I absolutely loved every minute of it. Beach Music centers around the suicide of Shiloh McCall and the effects it has on her family and friends. Shiloh has committed suicide as a result of the voices in her head finally overwhelming her and is instantly forgiven by her loved ones, though it does create turmoil that creates ripple effects throughout the book. Her husband, Jack McCall, is the main character who takes their daughter, Leah, to Rome until he is called back by his mother’s illness.

What ensues is a love story to the South that encompasses the beautiful descriptions of the landscapes and wildlife accompanied by the varied characters of Jack McCall’s family and friends who all grew up in the small town located in South Carolina. Jack’s brothers provide comic relief, especially John Hardin whose schizophrenic episodes turn all of life’s daily events on their ear, and the other brothers’ reactions to John Hardin.

Jack’s friends begin to reconcile the events that caused them to split apart in their college years once they are reunited in South Carolina. Mike Hess, now a movie producer, sets the stage for reconciliation between a friend who went missing and the father who believes and hopes is still dead and also kindles a new love interest for Jack as he begins working on a writing project with their beautiful and kind childhood friend.
There is something for everyone in this novel; it is witty, humorous, dark, poignant, and breathtaking. It is the kind of summer reading that endures long after it is finished and perfect for anyone who has felt love and loss.

You may be able to find this novel in your local library and you may also purchase a copy for yourself through Pat Conroy’s website by going here:
http://www.patconroy.com/beach-music.php

Pat Conroy has written many novels including: The Prince of Tides, The Water is Wide, and My Losing Season and more. To go to his main page, go to:
http://www.patconroy.com/about.php

Thanks always for reading, please drop by again next week…

Konundrum Engine Literary Review Open Submissions

Copy-and-pasted details below:
Poetry
Manners are important: before submitting, please have a gander at the site and the poetry in the archives. If you’d like to submit your work, please send your name, contact and biographical information, and two to three poems, pasted into the body of an email, for consideration. Do not send attachments. our Poetry Editors get too attached to things as it is. We will respond to submissions within two months. Courier is not a pretty font. That’s for the record.
poetry[-at-]konundrum.com

Features
Read our Features sections. Get the idea. Got something good to share with all the world? Send it in.
prose[-at-]konundrum.com

We'd like to get back to you as soon as possible, but you know how it is, what with the casino debt, the narcotics anonymous meetings, the nice, welcoming embrace of our mattresses. So wait, OK, Mr. or Ms. Ants-in-your-Pants? Simultaneous submissions are ok, as long as you let us know ASAP that the piece is being published somewhere else.

We get "First Serial and Electronic Rights." Publication rights revert back to the author, of course. We also hold the right to keep the work in our archives for the duration of the site. If the piece is first published here on the Konundrum Engine Literary Review, acknowledge us if it is subsequently re-published. Giving props is good. And yes, all work is subject to editing.

Note: We do not accept submissions between Memorial Day and Labor Day. It's summer. Go outside.

Be sure to submit before May 28th! For more details, go to:
http://lit.konundrum.com/pages/litsubmissions.php

Good luck to all who submit, please drop by tomorrow for a Read a Good Book Review…

Poems Found by Poet Hound

http://www.redfez.net/poetry/1478
“Quarantine” by Jay Passer

http://bombsite.com/issues/116/articles/5125
“The Weaver” (scroll down) by Sarah V. Schweig

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

Posts to Follow

I have posts the rest of the week, including a Read a Good Book review for this Friday so please click in again…

Flying Guillotine Press

This press produces handmade chapbooks, beautiful, and I can’t wait to get my hands on them someday. Check out the craftsmanship of both the poet and the press at:
http://flyingguillotinepress.blogspot.com/
Thanks for dropping in, please click in tomorrow…