December News and 2022 Roundup

2022 Roundup

Well, friends, another year draws to a close. It hasn’t been my most productive year, but 44 pieces published in 26 venues sure ain’t nothing to sneeze at. In this mix were 6 pieces of fiction and 1 article. I am always thrilled to place work internationally, and this year, my work appeared in publications from England, Ireland, Canada, Mauritius, and Australia.

It was also my honor to blurb the following poetry collections:

In Ghostly Onehead, by JD Nelson
skinless in the cereal aisle, by Scott Ferry
The Eternals by Ryan Quinn Flanagan
Sojourns, by John Drudge

Please consider giving these excellent poets a read.

I co-authored a poetry collection with Scott Ferry and Lillian Necakov called Midnight Glossolalia. It will be published by Meat for Tea Press, with a target release date of March 2023.

I also placed a solo collection, Moonlight and Monsters, with a publisher—details forthcoming on that. Target release date for that is June 2023.

2022 honors included:

Shortlist, 2022 Bag of Bones Short Story Competition – “Merchandise”
Longlist, 2022 Laureate Prize, Harbor Editions – Moonlight and Monsters
Finalist, 2022 Stephen A. DiBiase Poetry Prize - “Priestess”
SFPA 2022 Speculative Poetry Contest, Honorable Mention, September 2022 - “Haunted Algorithm”

I also just got word this month that I received a Pushcart Prize nomination from the Dope Fiend Daily for my poem, “Confection.” Many thanks to editor Scott Simmons, and congrats to my fellow nominees.


Publications for December

My prose-poem, “Electronic Voice Phenomenon,” appeared in Marrow Magazine. Many thanks to editors Caitlin Woolley and Kori Hensell. 

Kori also gave me the opportunity to talk about the poem in an interview.

 Art by John Donald Carlucci

My Gothic Christmas tale, “The Devil’s Trap,” is up at Shoggoth.net as part of their horror Advent Calendar. It was paired with art by John Donald Carlucci.

“The Devil’s Trap” is the story of a young woman named Mila Grunwald who awakens with no memory, in the care of her well-to-do family. Strange occurrences plague Mila as she struggles to piece together who she is, including seeing a mysterious man skulking around the Grunwald home. Hope you get a chance to read and enjoy it.

Thank you to everyone for reading and supporting my work. Happy New Year to all. I hope 2023 brings you peace, joy, and inspiration. 

November News

Forthcoming Publications
I am thrilled to share I have two books coming out in 2023. The first, Midnight Glossolalia, is a collection of poems I co-authored last summer with two of my favorite poets, the brilliant Scott Ferry and Lillian Necakov. It will be released by Meat for Tea Press. Scott, Lillian, and I wrote the book as call and response – one of us would write a poem, and the other two would respond. All of the poems are concerned with the strange and surreal, including but not limited to: ghosts, UFOs, alternate dimensions, ancestors, science, technology, math, music, nature, and Fruit Loops.

The other book is a solo collection I wrote called Moonlight and Monsters. The publisher hasn’t made an official announcement yet, so I can’t share too many publication details. The book is divided into three sections: Moonlight, Monsters, and General Weirdness. They are poems that find a home in the fantastical, in the celestial, in magic and mysticism, in indigenous beliefs, in mythology, and in folklore. In examining things that are considered strange, other, or even monstrous, they strive for something relatable and universal. They look for the human stories beneath the sideshow, a way into and back out of the labyrinth.

More to come!

Appearance

This month, I was a featured reader at Uncloistered Poetry Online. Unfortunately, they don’t record the show, so I don’t have a video to share, but if you enjoy reading/listening to poetry, I recommend this event out of Toledo, OH. They do readings/open mics at least once a month. Jonie McIntire, poet laureate of Lucas County, OH, is a great host. Many thanks to her for inviting me.

Other News

Poet Lynn Long read my piece, “White Noise,” on an episode of the podcast Hummingbird Blink: Nectar Poetry. Lynn is one of my favorite poets – her work is sensitive, romantic, and beautiful. I am so honored that she thought my work is worth reading, and if you’ve never heard Lynn read, you’re in for a treat.


Happy Holidays

For all who celebrate, I hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving. As we go into the gift-giving season, don’t forget I have many books available on Amazon. Any one of them would make a great present to the book lovers in your life!

The complete Order of the Four Sons series (Books 1-6) is available in paperback and on Kindle Unlimited.

My horror novella, Our Miss Engel, is available on Kindle Unlimited.

My first poetry collection, West Side Girl & Other Poems, is available in paperback and on Kindle Unlimited.

My poetry collections, Languages, First and Last (Cyberwit Press) and Requiem for a Robot Dog (Cajun Mutt Press), are available in paperback. 

I have hard copies of Languages and Requiem, so if you would like a signed copy, please contact me, laurenscharhag@gmail.com.

Guest Post: Stephen Cole Reviews The Long Blade of Days Ahead

I am a big admirer of Scott Ferry's poetry. I've read many of his books and even blurbed a couple. Scott and I, along with Lillian Necakov, have recently finished a poetry collaboration together, so I am pleased to share this review of Scott's latest book, The Long Blade of Days Ahead, by poet Stephen Cole. 

The Long Blade of Days Ahead is available to purchase on Amazon.

Scott Ferry and the Connectivity of Poetry by Stephen Cole

In so many ways poetry is the unintended consequence of someone’s compulsion—of human consciousness making its way into a connection. It is always through consciousness realizing it is in the presence of other consciousnesses that we become aware of ourselves and poetry is the linguistic mechanism for this awesome human achievement.

So poetry is primarily the language act of connectivity. This is how it exerts its pressure on us and confronts the things that may be dangerously separated from us and too easily overlooked in that separation. Poetry at its best overcomes this too often unnoticed isolation and is the antidote that indeed presents us the unity and autonomy that is so deeply required for the healing of this too human experience.

This is what I want to praise the poetry of Scott Ferry and his book of poems, “The Long Blade of Days Ahead” (Impspired Press, 2022). When you come in to contact with poetry and it propels itself deeply into an awareness itself, it becomes a way that could at first be very disturbing but it leaves you connected to something you have always suspected but could not otherwise make the connection.

Poetry is the medicine which, at its best, may completely take you within its embrace and, like the hug of a lover, heal you. Afterwards, you do not forget the experience and of course it never leaves you completely or goes away. It can be picked up and read again. Reading poetry to yourself and others is how we reinforce and connect with the gift of poetry.

We owe the poet thanks and of course some monetary support. Nickel for the poet and you give thanks because you will come to understand why you can breathe again — and in thankfulness, you may not even hear your own self give up a sigh at each poem but you know it has been accomplished.

Here is an example:

ants

have streamed into our
kitchen in silent queues

finding sticky midjool dates
a box of honey nut cheerios

a tiny fist of rice surrounded
by morning in jaws and bodies

until i place a canoe of
liquid poison behind the fridge

where my sons fingers can’t
reach and the next morning

no itching script on floors
or counters so i knew

where they were i knew
I would find a clumped

paragraph a slowly
dying hunger congealing

in the dark

••••••

(Not in the book)

my hands are huge

and i can’t button my mouth on
my fabric is smeared with
faith

(mostly i lie in these poems—
mirrored miraged
mismanaged)

i have made a poison cake
with all of this
blight

still some people love me
i still love god
somehow

as the light wrapped in fire
touches my fingers they
blister

yes the sky is the same as
the mouth the wind
treacherous

i will try to open into it
less pain than
flaying

i will wear the extra
serotonin like a
badge

look i can laugh again
look i can
laugh

About Stephen

I was born in Los Angeles California near the end of the Second World War. I honestly believe that only rocks and redwood trees are older.

I was raised in the Hill Country of Northeast Mississippi and the San Fernando Valley in Southern California, which allows me to conflate opposites at a great distance. I went to many different schools in my country and overseas. I was raised with four older sisters and no brothers so this led me to believe that if there was a God, it was certainly female.

My education was in philosophy. I was raised in the political tradition that believes that all people are created equal and that it is the point of every Nation to form a more perfect union within itself to realize these goals of equality. Privilege is the ultimate evil in any society.

October News

Publications

 
The Halloween issue of Yellow Mama is out! It has my short horror story, “The Wasp and the Fig.” Can you believe it– as with the Queer Weird West Tales anthology, my story is first in the lineup! It is paired with art by Sean O’Keefe (above). Many thanks to editor Cindy Rosmus.
 
Excerpt
 
The patient, Mia, was already in her pajamas when Karim went to her room with sensors, tape and adhesive. Snapping on a pair of rubber gloves, he explained, “I have to attach all these sensors to you. During the sleep study, we record your brain waves, the oxygen level in your blood, breathing, heart rate, and eye and leg movements. Okay?”

My poem, “Emotional Labor,” is up at the Rye Whiskey Review. Thank you to John and Scott!
 
 
Appearance

 
I did a fun interview on Dr. Andy’s Poetry & Technology Hour on KDVS 90.3. If you were unable to tune in to the live show, the interview is now available as a podcast. Many thanks to host Andy Jones and producer Katerina Hanks!
 
 

September News

Honors

 
I’m delighted to share that my cadralor poem, “Haunted Algorithm,” received an honorable mention in the SFPA’s 2022 Speculative Poetry Contest, Long Form category. Many thanks to the judges and congrats to the winners! I’m afraid the poem isn’t available on the SFPA’s website, so it stays unpublished and I can still submit it to magazines. Hopefully, you will be able to read it soon!

New Release

The Queer Weird West Tales anthology has launched! The book is available from Amazon, Smashwords, and other retailer. Many thanks to Julie and congrats to my fellow weird westerners!
 
Synopsis: Frontiers have always attracted the Other - where they find that the Other is always already there. These 22 stories explore what happens when queer characters encounter weirdness on the edge of the worlds they know.
 
My tale, “No Mercy Down in the Mine,” is included. In it, Sally “Bootheel” Doyle, an outlaw on the run from the Sturges gang, gets lost in the desert and stumbles into the mining town of Mobley. There, she finds the population has been decimated by a terrifying alien threat, the remaining survivors holed up in a saloon. She has no choice but to join the people of Mobley as they make their last stand against a pack of man-eating monsters. But then, Emmett Sturges and his boys catch up to her. Among the citizens of Mobley, Sally finds unlikely allies and even admirers. If she can help them survive, maybe they’ll return the favor.

 
Publications

The “Dahlia” issue of Meat for Tea has my short horror story, “Feather and Scale,” as well as three poems, “Sacrum,” “Heart,” and “Crown.” Many thanks to editor Elizabeth MacDuffie. “Feather and Scale” is about a man stranded on one of the US's Outlying Islands who is visited by a mermaid. He’s already mired in a pretty serious man vs. nature situation, and the mermaid is not there to make things better for him.
 
Link to purchase paperback or ebook:
https://meatfortea.com/buy.htm

 
Three poems appeared in Unlikely Stories: “Portrait of an Amateur Roadkill Artist,” “Interdimensional Border Town,” and “Contradiction.” Many thanks to editor Jonathan Penton.  

 
Issue 8 of It Takes All Kinds includes my poems, “Cherry” and “Ghosts of the Great Plains.” Thank you to editor Skaja Evens.

“Prayer for the Excommunicated,” appeared in my literary home-away-from-home, the Rye Whiskey Review. Thank you, as always, to John and Scott.

 
Three short poems were published at Five Fleas (Itchy Poetry), “Hallway” and “The Moon Doesn’t Ask,” and “Fourth of July.” Many thanks to editor and fleakeeper Robin/Roberta Beach Johnson.

Happy Halloween!

In honor of the season, just a friendly reminder that I have lots of good, spooky stories out there for you to peruse. My listing of short horror stories is here. Several of the stories are free to read here on this blog. 

My vampire novella, Our Miss Engel, is available on Amazon, Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, and other ebook retailers for only 99 cents.

The Order of the Four Sons series, while mostly fantasy, has a lot of horror elements - monsters, undead serial killers, and dark magic. 

 
 
 

August News

Hello, friends! I didn’t have any news to report last month. It’s the first slowdown I've had in a while. I’ve mentioned in previous posts that I’ve had health issues. I feel like I’ve been sick the whole damn year. Things are a bit better now—well enough that I’m back to writing and submitting work. I’m getting poetry and short story publications lined up now and hope to have something every month through the end of the year. 

I’m also pleased to share that I’ve been working on a poetry collaboration with two other poets that I deeply admire. We finished up the manuscript this month and have already sent off our first submission, so wish us luck! I look forward to sharing that with you all when it’s done.

 

Cover Reveal

Check out the gorgeous cover art for The Queer Weird West Tales anthology, which will be launching on August 31!

PREORDER NOW as an ebook or paperback. Details are available on editor Julie Bozza’s website. I am so excited that my story, “No Mercy Down in the Mine,” is included. It was a blast to write (no pun intended). I've already received my contributor's copy and I think Julie has really assembled something special here. 

Synopsis: Frontiers have always attracted the Other - where they find that the Other is always already there. These 22 stories explore what happens when queer characters encounter weirdness on the edge of the worlds they know.

Julie has interviewed all the contributors. I'm honored to be first in the lineup! Read the interview here.

 

Publications

My poem, “Watermelon,” is up at the Rye Whiskey Review! Many thanks to John Patrick Robbins and Scott Simmons.

The Science Fiction & Fantasy Poetry Society is doing a video series for Rhysling Award Long Poem nominees. You can follow along as I read my poem, “Priestess.” Many thanks to the SFPA for showcasing our work, and to Strider Marcus Jones at Lothlorien for the nomination!

I received my copy of K I N E T I C from Colliding Lines! This project was a collaboration between poets and visual artists. All the works incorporate typographical art. This is the artist’s rendering of my poem, “Kiva.” Copies are available here.

 

Other News

 

As a board member of the Blue Mountain Poetry Salon, I’m pleased to share that the Salon will be hosting weekly writing workshops. The first will be on September 7.

From facilitator Tina Marie Johnson: Wednesday evening online workshop where we will shut out the world & indulge in writing for pleasure. Multi genre, beginners to advanced. Enroll now. 

The Treasures of the Czars

The Treasures of the Czars 

January 1995

1. East and West

The wall’s come down and the curtain’s gone up. The Soviet Union has become the former. Mr. Gorbachev and Mr. Reagan don Stetsons for a Rancho del Cielo photo op. This is how the West was won, and we should know about the West, being the gateway to it and all: the beginning and the end of so many trails, the Pony Express and Joseph Smith, cattle and stockyards, Sacagawea and Lewis and Clark, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Calamity Jane and Belle Starr. We grew up in a town where Jesse James robbed the bank, where Bloody Bill Anderson and William Quantrill rode and raided, where our football teams vied for the honor of displaying a pair of flintlock pistols in their trophy case. 

I wondered if we were all cowboys to them, the way they were all heavily accented spies for us, the way they were cosmonauts for us. We’d grown up drinking Tang, we’d grown up with Boris and Natasha and the Nutcracker every Christmas and Tetris and the Ukraine girls really knock me out. When I was twelve, two Russian foreign exchange students stayed with the neighbors. When asked what their first impression of America was, they answered, A lot of food. The year I was fourteen, Goldeneye came out. That year shook Neftegorsk to the tune of 7.1. That year, the Space Shuttle Atlantis docked at Mir. (Hear me out, what if spies vs. cowboys, but like in space?) That year, the Unabomber’s Manifesto. That year, we suffered a heat wave, thermometers everywhere glaring red. 

But it was early yet-- in the year, in the day. One of those dreary January mornings in which dawn never quite breaks, where the sky overhead doesn’t feel like the sky but the shadow of a sky; even the yellow school buses looked muted beneath the weight of it. Five hundred teenagers still half-asleep staggered aboard and got settled in for the long drive through sleet and darkness, conversation further muted by the roar of the heater, melted ice blurring window panes, presenting us with yet another myopic vision of the world. Sometimes, you have to go west to go east.

2. The Exhibition 

Topeka is an indigenous word, meaning “a good place to dig potatoes.” The building an old Montgomery Ward, renovated for the occasion. (See, comrade, capitalism welcomes you!) We arrive, just one fleet of field trippers among many, a yellow caravan. If you’d asked us then, I’m sure every one of us would’ve told you, our future lies beyond an Elton John lyric. Yakov Smirnoff was headlining in Branson. He also did the TV ads for this exhibition. Smirnoff is a vodka made from potatoes. I read a UFO book that hinted strongly that Gorbachev was involved in an alien baby conspiracy. 

Three hundred years of Romanov rule distilled into these makeshift galleries, not quite an artifact per year: crowns, jewels, (I remember a particular bauble, topaz gems as big as my fist), sable, a throne, tapestries, icons, shrines, toys, weapons, a carriage. There were Faberge eggs worth unimaginable sums of money. We had to view them from behind velvet ropes, six feet away, kids in letter jackets and winter boots filing past, unable to grasp the enormity of such riches, of occupying such a stretch of time, barely over a decade old ourselves, a dynasty older than our country, older than anything we've ever come near with the exception of the earth itself. (For which we have no real appreciation either.) Our idea of wealth was and still is a McMansion in an upscale subdivision, a country club membership, a BMW, maybe a lake house. The eggs were the grand finale. (Does that make anybody else want breakfast? Let’s stop on the way home for latkes.) 

In the gift shop, they sell the obvious nesting dolls, as well as dolls with delicate, porcelain faces in traditional dress, beaded kokoshniks over embroidery thread hair. They sell T-shirts and flattened pennies, posters and postcards, refrigerator magnets and shot glasses, tea in fancy tins. I seem to remember the gift shop better than the rest of it, perhaps because we could handle those items, and tactile memory, but also, Western materialism. I already had a job and had been saving a little from each paycheck, hoping for just the right memento. I walked around and around the glass cases and spinning racks, searching, but in truth, what I wanted was magic. I thought it was possible to find magic on a par with a Faberge egg in a discount bin, scratch-and-dent wish fulfillment, that I might be the one to recognize a grand duchess languishing in an asylum. And Rasputin isn't dead but immortal, and Elvis isn't dead but hiding out from the mob. He and Gorbachev were spotted, delivering an alien baby in Brooklyn. O, Anastasia. O, Alexei. Dancing bears, painted wings. (See, comrade, we embrace you!) If Mikhail can dress like a cowboy, I can rock a sarafan. I settled on an enamel ring, Finift style, pink roses on pale blue, a setting of filigreed silver. O, Ingrid Bergman, and things I almost remember. 

3. Year’s End 

Christmas shopping at the mall, where a new and improved Montgomery Wards is all a-bustle, Electric Avenue holiday sale, thirty percent off camcorders and compact discs, and outside the Orange Julius, Santa holding court in his Coca-Cola suit. I browse a new kiosk where they’re hawking Russian items, liquidation from the gift shop, everything on extreme markdown. My enamel ring already has a chip in its face. Should’ve gone with the flattened penny. A Russian Orthodox friend takes me to Liturgy and feeds me their brown communion bread. How I wished I was in Moscow. How I craved onion domes and cathedrals, chamomile and lady slipper orchids. When most people talk of desires, this is what we mean: tea and flowers. If I didn’t understand the Romanovs, I understood the Bolsheviks less, Lenin and Stalin not at all. But I understand Hot Topic. I understand Forever 21. I understand RadioShack. Then came Yeltsin. Then came Putin. When they talk of Ukraine, I see in my mind’s eye a sunflower state, a pot-holed parking lot, gems like a fist, a chipped rose, freezing drizzle. I see Khrushchev crying outside Disneyland. I see twelve-year-old boys wearing out-of-date sweaters and corduroys, talking about empty grocery store shelves back in St. Petersburg, I mean Leningrad, I mean Petrograd, I mean the Window to the West. 

That Christmas, not a single flake of snow, and Christmas is only getting warmer. Every season, the red line rises. Cue the Sugar Plum Fairies in daisy dukes. Cue the Rat King. It’s okay, I’m told there are no cats in America. Everywhere is just denim and dust. A topaz is nothing but a trinket when the shelves are empty of bread, and what will we do for a host? Pushkin’s at Starbucks, drinking Frappuccinos with John Wayne, talking manifest destiny. Our very own Genghis Kahn, Rooster Cogburn, Marion, lost duke. Happy trails, my comrades. Proshchaniye, little dogies, it’s your misfortune and none of my own. The future is fighting over dueling pistols. The future is an outgrown letter jacket. The future is a reconstituted Monty Wards, littered with broken electronics. The future is on sublet. The future is a pale rider galloping into the sunset, and there’s nothing for us to do but follow. 

This poem originally appeared in Meat for Tea, Volume 16, Issue 1, The Russian Caravan Issue. 

June News

I’m relieved to say that I’m on some new medication and feeling much better than I was when I made my last post. I’m hoping that means I’ll be back to writing and submitting work. The only reason I have publications to share is because this is stuff that got accepted months ago—sometimes, it’s a good thing that it takes so long for publications to come out.  

Publications

On Cultural Daily’s Poets on Craft series, I got to share my thoughts on the cadralor form. I was honored to be featured alongside poet Sun Yung Shin, who discusses her writing process. Many thanks to Bunkong Tuon for this opportunity.

My poem, “Kiva,” appeared in K I N E T I C, Anthology #2 from Colliding Lines (UK). The editors paired each poem with an artist who created a piece based on it. Because of the health issues, I was unable to (virtually) attend the launch party hosted by the London art space, IKLECTIC, so I haven’t seen the art yet. I am a huge art geek, so I’m always thrilled to see my work interpreted into a visual medium. I am eagerly awaiting my contributor’s copy. Many thanks to Wesley Freeman-Smith for this wonderful project.  

Another organization that did an art/poetry collaboration this month was Ice Floe Press. My poem, “Touch, Stones,” appeared as part of their Work and the Anthropocene series, accompanied by art by Cathy Daley (pictured above). Many thanks to editor Robert Frede Kenter.

Horror/spec fiction fans, just a reminder that the Queer Weird West Tales anthology's release is still scheduled for Aug. 31. My short story, "No Mercy Down in the Mine," is included. (If you are familiar with The Order of the Four Sons series, my story is set in Carcosa.) The ebook is currently available for pre-order at Amazon, Apple, B&N, Smashwords, and Kobo. There will be a paperback version released in August as well. Read editor Julie Bozza's publication announcement for more details. The authors were given a sneak peek at the cover this month, as well, and it's pretty awesome. I'm looking forward to sharing that with you all.

Thank you for reading!

 

May News

Hello, friends. I just wanted to share a quick note to say that I’m dealing with some health issues, so I haven’t been on social media very much lately and haven’t been able to make any of my recent readings. I’ve also hit a bit of a slowdown with writing, but I do still have some news to share for May.


Publications

Issue 12 of Arkana is now live! My poem “Sweat” has been paired with art by Marcy Rae Henry. The site also includes an audio recording of the poem. Many thanks to editor Kathy M. Bates.

The annual Western Voices edition of Setu Magazine is out! Three of my poems are included, “Exude,” “River,” and “Liminality.” I am also in the company of many excellent poets. Thank you to editors Sunil Sharma and Anurag Sharma, as well as guest editor Scott Thomas Outlar.

In honor of International Dylan Thomas Day (May 14), Vatsala Radhakeesoon invited poets to write pieces based on Thomas or his work, which she has published on her blog. She included my piece, “Naked They Shall Be One.” Thank you, Vatsala!

Issue 9 of PØST is out, a magazine out of Montreal that publishes work in French and English. My poem, “Watermelon,” is included. Many thanks to editors Leila Alfaro and Gabriel Kunst.

My poem, “Vacillant,” is up at the Dope Fiend Daily. Big thanks, as always, to editor Scott Simmons—like the Rye Whiskey, I consider the Dope Fiend to be one of my literary homes.

Available for Pre-Order!

Horror/spec fiction fans, just a reminder that the Queer Weird West Tales anthology's release is still scheduled for Aug. 31. My short story, "No Mercy Down in the Mine," is included. (If you are familiar with The Order of the Four Sons series, my story is set in Carcosa.) The ebook is currently available for pre-order at Amazon, Apple, B&N, Smashwords, and Kobo. There will be a paperback version released in August as well. Read editor Julie Bozza's publication announcement for more details. June is Pride Month and what better way to celebrate than by supporting queer stories?

Other News

As an associate editor of GLEAM: A Journal of the Cadralor, I am thrilled to share that Issue 4 is now out. Congratulations to our contributors! I hope you stop by, check out their work, and learn more about this amazing new poetic form. 

April News

Videos and Upcoming Readings

 
Arkana Magazine is hosting a virtual launch party on Monday, May 2, for Issue 12! The event starts at 6 pm CT. I will be there to read my poem. In addition to poetry, contributors will read fiction and creative non-fiction. If you'd like to attend, please let me know and I will shoot you the Zoom link.

The SFPA is hosting a series of virtual readings for the 2022 Rhysling Award nominees. I will be reading on Friday, May 6, 7-8 pm EDT. It will be on live on Facebook via Zoom. 

 
K I N E T I C, an art/poetry collaboration anthology coordinated by Colliding Lines. Having my work paired with visual artists is one of my favorite things and I am so pumped to see the artist’s interpretation of my poem. The launch will be June 9 at 4 pm CT at the London art space, IKLECTIK. Contributors have been asked to read their work via Zoom. Details to come. 

 
For those of you who were unable to make the SpoFest event on April 5, you can see a recording here. 
I read an excerpt from Book 3 of my fantasy series, The Order of the Four Sons. Many thanks to the SpoFest team and to my fellow readers!
 
In advance of the SpoFest event, I did a separate interview with SpoFest's James Bryant and Rick Christiansen, in which I read an excerpt from Book I. It is available to view here.

 
Publication

 
My poem, “Brainwash,” appeared in the Dope Fiend Daily. Many thanks to Editor Scott Simmons for continuing to give my work a home.

 
 
 

 
 

March News

Hello, friends! March has been an extremely busy month!

Videos and Upcoming Readings

Rick Christiansen and James Bryant co-hosts of the literary show SpoFest, interviewed me earlier this month. In this video, I give a reading from the first book of my fantasy series, The Order of the Four Sons. Hope you give it a listen. We also talk a little bit about poetry. Thank you, Rick and James, for the fun interview!

I will be a returning guest author for SpoFest on April 5, where I will read again from the O4S series. Sign up for the event here.  Writers, if you are interested in the open mic, please sign up-- we’d love to hear your work! Fiction and poetry welcome.

Thank you to everyone who tuned in live to my interview and reading on the Jojo Show! Thank you to John Compton for creating this amazing space for writers. If you weren’t able to watch, here’s a link to the video—I read a selection of both poetry and fiction.

There's a new poetry open mic out of Great Britain, Soul Soup Poetry. I read on their virtual event this month. They have posted a video of me reading my cadralor, “Alligator Tooth,” on Instagram.

 

Honors

I was selected as a finalist for the 2022 Stephen A. DiBiase Poetry Contest for my poem, "Priestess," which was originally published in Lothlorien Journal. All wining/finalist poems have now been posted to the contest website. Many thanks to the judges and congrats to my fellow honorees!

My story, “Merchandise,” was shortlisted for the Bag of Bones 206-Word Story Contest. Many thanks to editor SJ Townend and the rest of the Bag of Bones team. The 206 Word Stories horror anthology is now available in paperback and as an ebook. Please consider buying a copy – all proceeds will go to benefit children’s charities in the UK.

 

Publications

The KC Writers Place has released a yearbook for 2021, with work by area poets. I’m pleased to share that my poem, “Women Alone,” was included. Paperback copies can be purchased through Amazon, or a free e-copy is available on the Writers Place website.

For International Women’s Day, the 2022 IWD Album #BreaktheBias is now live on Bandcamp. It features 15 poems from women from around the world, including my piece, “Ay de Mi.” The album is offered as a free listen, but donations are encouraged. Proceeds will benefit the Ukrainian Women’s Fund. Here is a direct link to my track. Many thanks to Colin Dardis for putting this incredible work together.

My poem, “Starlight,” appeared in the Rye Whiskey Review. Many thanks to John Patrick Robbins.

Meat for Tea’s Russian Caravan issue is out. It includes my prose-poem, “Treasures of the Czars.” Many thanks to editor Elizabeth MacDuffie. Print and PDF copies available.

 

Available for Pre-Order!

Horror/spec fiction fans, I’m thrilled to share that the Queer Weird West Tales anthology’s release date is Aug. 31. My short story, “No Mercy Down in the Mine,” is included. (If you are familiar with The Order of the Four Sons series, my story is set in Carcosa.) This publication is coming out of Australia, so I will have been published on every continent except South America! (Does anyone know of a lit mag down there that accepts work in English? Or do I need to become a better writer en español?)

The ebook is currently available for pre-order at Amazon, Apple, B&N and Kobo. There will be a paperback version released in August as well. Read Editor Julie Bozza’s publication announcement and many thanks to her for coordinating this amazing project!

 

Thank you for reading! As always, please feel free to leave comments below, or contact me directly via email or any of my social media accounts.