#NationalPoetryMonth’16 Round-up (Day 9)

Tags

#NaPoWriMo, #NationalPoetryMonth, Adele Kenny, Alice Major, Apparatus Magazine, Caryl Pagel, Dear Poet: Write Me, Deep South Magazine, Flower Conroy, Found Poetry Review, Imaginary Garden with Real Toads, Kate Foley, Linda Parsons Marion, Mariah Wilson, mslexia, Naomi Shihab Nye, native american poetry, Nikky Finney, NPM16, Numero Cinq, Patrick Phillips, Poem a Day, Poetic Asides, poetry prompts, Poetry School, QuillsEdge Press, Rangi McNeil, Ruth Lepson, Scholastic, Sophya Giudici-Juarez, Tanaya Wilder, Ted Kooser, Visual poetry, Winter Tangerine, women poets

DAY NINE of the best prompts, poems and news from your  #NaPoWriMo/#NPM16/#NaPoMo /#NationalPoetryMonth/#poemaday hashtags.

Best of the Prompts

NaPoWriMo’s “Lines You’re Afraid to Write prompt”
NotaLiteraryJournal’s “Magazine Images prompt”
Imaginary Garden’s “Nature’s Wonders prompt”
Poetic Asides P-A-D “Hide-out poems prompt”
Adele Kenny’s “Happiness prompt”
Poetry School’s “Universe prompt”
Mariah Wilson’s “Last Time/TV Character Acrostics prompt”
QuillsEdge Press’ “When I Step Into the ___ prompt”
Found Poetry’s “Erasure poems prompt”
Dear Poet: Write Me’s “Geometric Shape of Goodness prompt”
Mary Carroll-Hacket’s “Where the World Ends, Or Begins prompt”
Mslexia’s “Sestina Challenge”
Winter Tangerine’s “Bad News in a Cheap Motel prompt”
Kate Foley’s “Childhood Memories prompt”
Apparatus Mag’s “Echo prompt”

Poems I Have Loved (Tweeters’ Shares)

Alice Major “Euclid’s Iron Hand”
Linda Parsons Marion “Home Fire”
Rangi McNeil “The Heart is a Foreign Country”
Ted Kooser “Mother”
Flower Conroy “Flushed Brush Strokes Where I Left Imaginary Caresses”
Tanaya Wilder “Back to the Beginning” (video)
Naomi Shihab Nye “300 Goats”
Sophya Giudici-Juarez”Rinforzando”
Caryl Pagel “Red Sky”
Patrick Phillips “Barbershop”
Ruth Lepson “Fielding Dawson Portrait of Cy Twombly”

Miscellaneous

The Beauty & Difficulty of Nikky Finney (NPR)
Scholastic’s Poetry Picks for Beginning Readers
John Bennet Defines Visual Poetry in the Avant Garde (Ohio Poets Assoc)
Native American Poetry Chapbook list

**Poets, if you would like to be featured in 2sDay Poems, have your collection reviewed, guest post in the Poetry Lab or blog on any of the Thoughts on Poetry topics, including Foremother Friday or Small Press Interviews, drop me a line at  bonesparkblog@yahoo.com.

Odd Bits from a Creative Life (MAY ’15 ed.)

Tags

#FairyTaleFriday, Amy Stewart, call for guest posts, Deep South Magazine, El Zarape Press, Flower Patch mystery, Grand Avenue, Greg Sarris, Louise Gluck, LSU Press, Meadowlands, Mouthfeel Press, Odd Bits of a Creative Life, paintings, paper-cuts, southern lit, The Washington Project, Watermelon Nights, Wicked Plants, works in progress

So, friends, it’s been awhile since I’ve done one these.  Let me just dive right on in:

READING

 

 

 

 

 

 

I happened across Wicked Plants: The Weed that Killed Lincoln’s Mother & Other Botanical Atrocities while flipping channels between educational shows one weekend.  Even though I am not an avid gardener or especially interested in plants, I rushed to the library for a copy.  And I have to say that it has been a really exciting read. Caught my mother making notes from it for the next Flower Patch mystery.

Also came across Louise Gluck’s Meadowlands at a used bookstore. Reading the books back-to-back before writing has produced some interesting poems, including one about Peter Peter Pumpkin-Eater and another about cesium poisoning in the Arctic via contaminated lichen.

Won several of the Big Poetry Book giveways from last month as well as one from Deep South Magazine. Haven’t got to all of those titles just yet. By the way, Deep South has great Literary Friday round-ups  for those who are into Southern Lit.

WRITING

Besides the giveaway books, with review copies I am literally swimming in poetry. But since my philosophy is that you can never have too much poetry, I am all smiles.

If you are a fan of my Sabotage round-ups, you’ll see reviews soon for titles from El Zarape Press, Mouthfeel Press and LSU Press.  I won’t spoil the fun by revealing the specifics just yet.

On the submission front, tidy batches of poems have gone out to several journals, and I’m hoping to have some publication news on the chapbook(s) soon.  Since it is now Short Story Month, I have been busily revising some of my short stories, including a dark fairy tale set in Cajun country that required some extra care in keeping the patois authentic.

Before the end of the month, I plan to get to Greg Sarris’ Grand Avenue: A Novel in Stories  which I hope is as good as Watermelon Nights.  I’ll try to post something on the blog when I’ve had time to digest.

On my other blog, I finally released the (Christian, character-focused) high school American history curriculum that I authored.  And despite my fiction writing group falling apart, I have managed to add some new scenes to my novel-in-progress. More on this later.

Have just discovered the #FairyTaleFriday challenge on Twitter.  This looks like it would be fun.  Too late to start on the ‘tremor’ theme for today, but I hope to contribute something next week if time allows.

ART

Despite all this writing, I have not given up on art. Below are a few of my newest paintings. Pardon the terrible lighting! I usually wrangle my little brother into taking the photos.  This is what you get when I do it myself.  The colors are much more vibrant in person, trust me.

I have also nearly completed my paper-cuts series. The latest bunch incorporates fairytale themes and uses a pastel palette.  Since most of the earlier works are out at journals and zines (and I hope to submit the latest round), you’ll have to wait for a sample.

 

 

 

 

Well, that pretty much does it for now.

If you’d like to contribute a GUEST POST on your creative life, please drop me a line at bonesparkblog@yahoo.com.

#NationalPoetryMonth Round-up (Day 24)

Tags

#NaPoWriMo, #NationalPoetryMonth, #NPM15, 30dpc, Anne Sexton, Claudia Emerson, Daniel Greene Smith, Deep South Magazine, Denishe Duhamel, Elizabeth Seydel Morgan, Flashbang Writing Studio, Harriet blog, HeartSoup, Imaginary Garden with Real Toads, Karenne Wood, Kathryn Stripling Byer, Kenyon Review, Kristen Berkey-Abbott, Latino Art and Ekphrasis, LSU Press, lunch poems, Marly Youmans, Mary Karr, Miss Rumphius Effect, Naomi Shihab Nye, pink ink press, Poem a Day, Poetic Asides, poetry book giveaway, poetry prompts, Stay Thirsty Magazine, Stories& Slams, Wild Violet, women poets

The best prompts, poems and news from DAY TWENTY-FOUR of #NaPoWriMo/#NPM15 /#NationalPoetryMonth.

Best of the Prompts

Apparatus Magazine’s “Celestial Bodies/Skies Above prompt”
Imaginary Garden with Real Toads’ “Go Grimm prompt”
Flashbang Writing Studio’s “Remix Poems”
Poetic Asides P-A-D “Moment Poems”
Stories& Slams’ “Imitations prompt”
Miss Rumphius Effect’s “Jumping Into Form: Poems of Apology”
Wild Violet’s “U is for Utterance prompt”
NaPoWriMo’s “Parody/Satire prompt”
Pink Ink Press’ “Alter Ego/Evil Twin prompt”
HeartSoup’s “Ruin Micropoem prompt”
30dpc “Poems in Dialogue prompt”

Poems I Have Loved (Tweeters’ Shares)

Marly Youmans| “I Heard Their Wings Like the Sound of Many Waters”
Naomi Shihab Nye| “Red Brocade”
Kristin Berkey-Abbott| “Demands of Dough”
Claudia Emerson| “Daybook”
Kathryn Stripling Byer| “Ripe” (from Black Shawl)
Daniel Greene Smith| “Framing Hammer”
Karenne Wood| “The Naming”

Miscellaneous

A Conversation with Poet Denise Duhamel at Stay Thirsty Magazine
Elizabeth Seydel Morgan Reflects on a Poetic Career at Deep South Magazine (w/ GIVEAWAY!!)
Poetry is Going Extinct, Gov’t Data Show at Washington Post
Latino Art and Ekphrasis at Harriet the Blog
Anne Sexton painting: Self-Portrait
Lunch Poems: Mary Karr (video)

#NationalPoetryMonth Round-up (Day 22)

Tags

#NaPoWriMo, #NationalPoetryMonth, #NPM15, 30dpc, Apparatus Magazine, artspeak, C.D. Wright, craft talks, Dead Poets Society, Deep South Magazine, Dorianne Laux, Emily Bedard, Flashbang Writing Studio, Guerilla Poetry, Imaginary Garden with Real Toads, Lisa Ann Sandell, Luci Brock-Broido, Mary Oliver, Miss Rumphius Effect, mslexia, Natalie Diaz, Poem a Day, Poetic Asides, Poetically Speaking, Poetry Foundation, Poetry magazine, Poetry Northwest, poetry prompts, Sarah Heller, Shane Rhodes, Stories& Slams, Susan Stewart, West Trestle Review, Wild Violet, women poets

The best prompts, poems and news from DAY TWENTY-TWO of #NaPoWriMo/#NPM15 /#NationalPoetryMonth.

Best of the Prompts

Stories& Slams’ “Cancer Sonnets”
Flashbang Writing Studio’s “Praise Poems after Christopher Smart”
West Trestle Review’s “First Person POV Historical Figure prompt”
Poetic Asides P-A-D “Nature Poems”
ARTSPEAK #22: “Peto’s Straw Hat, Bag and Umbrella”
Apparatus Magazine’s “Elements of Nature prompt”
Miss Rumphius Effect’s “Jumping Into Form: Apostrophe/Poems of Address”
Wild Violet’s “S is for Sevenling prompt”
NaPoWriMo’s “Pastoral poems”
Pink Ink Press’ “Poems about Home”
Imaginary Garden with Real Toads’ “Perfect Love Poem w/ Julia Bird’s Formula”
Mslexia’s “First Time prompt”
30dpc’s “Let’s Get Physical prompt”

Poems I Have Loved (Tweeters’ Shares)

Mary Oliver| “Sleeping in the Forest”
Susan Stewart| “Four Questions Regarding the Dreams of Animals”
Natalie Diaz| “Top Ten Reasons Why Indians Are Good at Basketball”
Shane Rhodes| “Still Life with Apple” (w/ commentary)
Sarah Sloat| “Grassland” (video)
Dorianne Laux| “How to Sleep”

Miscellaneous

Emily Bedard on Reading Luci Brock-Broido in Mexico at Poetry Northwest
Understanding Poetry clip from Dead Poets Society
Talking Guerilla Poetry with C.D. Wright at Deep South Magazine
Poetically Speaking with Lisa Ann Sandell at Miss Print

Louisiana Literary Fais Do-Do

Tags

Aqueous Books, Bayou Magazine, Belle Journal, Deep South Magazine, Gris-Gris, Kindred, Lavender Ink/Dialogos, Louisiana literary magazines, Louisiana Literature, Louisiana Small Presses, McNeese Review, New Delta Review, New Orleans Review, Octavia Books, Portals Press, Red Ochre Lit, Rougarou, Swamp Lily Review, The Reading Life WWNO, The Southern Review, THEMA, Trembling Pillow, Tulane Review, Xavier Review

Bienvenue en Louisiane!

 

Welcome to the great state of crawfish, jazz and Mardi Gras.  Besides our world-famous food and rockin’ music scene, Louisiana is home to a whole smattering of literary magazines, small presses and independent bookstores.

Here’s what you need to know:

LIT MAGS

Bayou Magazine

–biannual print mag published out of the University of New Orleans
–reads Sept 1 through June 1

Guidelines

 

Belle Journal

–print/online journal based out of Baton Rouge, showcasing the work of women with ties to the South
–reading period varies

Guidelines

 

 

 

Deep South Magazine

–online magazine out of Lafayette, covering the food, travel, culture, arts and literature of the South
–reads year round

Guidelines

 

Gris-Gris

–biannual, online mag coming out of Nicholls State University
–reads year round          Guidelines

 

Kindred

–quarterly from Anchor & Plume Press of Baton Rouge
—Reads in two open periods

1)December 30, 2013-February 7, 2014
2) June 2, 2014-July 7, 2014           Guidelines

 

Louisiana Literature

–biannual, print from Southeastern Louisiana University
–reads year round

Guidelines

 

 

 

New Delta Review

–print/web out of Louisiana State University
–reads year round

Guidelines

 

 

New Orleans Review

–print/web from Loyola University
–reads year round

Guidelines

 

 

 

Red Ochre Lit

–online mag out of Baton Rouge
–reads year round

Guidelines

 

 

 

Rougarou

—Online Journal from the Univ. of Louisiana, Lafayette
–reads Aug 15 through April 15

Guidelines

 

Swamp Lily Review

—Online Journal out of Lake Charles, publishing those with ties to LA, TX, MS, AL & FL
–reads year round

Guidelines

 

 

The McNeese Review

—print/web journal from McNeese State University
–reads year round

Guidelines

 

 

 

 

The Southern Review

—print journal out of Louisiana State University
–reads Sept 1 through Dec 1

Guidelines

 

 

THEMA

—print journal with themed issues, produced in Metairie by THEMA literary society
–deadlines vary with theme

Guidelines

 

 

 

Tulane Review

—print journal out of Tulane University
–reads Aug 20 to Feb 19

 Guidelines

 

 

 

 

Xavier Review

—print journal out of Xavier University with a focus on African American, Caribbean and Southern literature, as well as works that touch on issues of religion and spirituality
–reads year round

 Guidelines

 

SMALL PRESSES

Aqueous Books

 

 

Lavender Ink/Dialogos

 

Portals Press

 

Trembling Pillow

 

 

MOST HAPPENING N.O. BOOKSTORE

Octavia Books

 

AND A LITTLE LAGNIAPPE

 

The Reading Life on WWNO Radio

 

 

 

Hope y’all enjoy!