Subscriber News: April 2021
Recent Honors
Congratulations to Alice Wolf Gilborn. Her new book of poetry, Apples & Stones, was recently published by Kelsay Books. Donald J. McNutt, Editor of Blueline Magazine, called it "a great achievement in contemporary American poetry, exhibiting Gilborn's mastery of lyrical, realistic, and always engaging verse that's centered on the natural world, as well as everyone's place within it." She kindly shares a sample poem here. In January, she also received a commendation from the State of Vermont General Assembly honoring her "outstanding literary achievements" over time. Visit her website to learn more about this collection and her nonfiction books Out of the Blue: Blueline Essays 1979-1989 and What Do You Do With a Kinkajou?
Congratulations to Sherri Felt Dratfield. Her third poetry collection, Millie Collins, Your Barn is Gone, was recently published by Červená Barva Press. This collection explores change, loss, healing, and renewal, in scenes ranging from Venice, Italy to the seashore to the cafes of New York City; from learning a vaudeville song with Jimmy Durante to engaging the Madonna in a Bellini Triptych to examining the divinity of an egg.
Congratulations to Gavin Larsen. Her memoir, Being a Ballerina: The Power and Perfection of a Dancing Life, will be published this month by University Press of Florida, the scholarly publishing arm of the State University System of Florida. Gavin says, "Being a Ballerina is an untraditionally structured memoir tracing the arc of my career as a professional ballet dancer. In a series of essay-like chapters, told from a variety of perspectives and in voices not only my own, the reader experiences the true existence of a dancer. The drama inherent in the dance itself is revealed as I explore the relationship between a dancer and her craft, her audiences, her body and herself." Follow her on Facebook and Twitter to find out more.
Congratulations to Annie Dawid. Her essay collection Put Off My Sackcloth will be released this month by The Humble Essayist Press.
Congratulations to Kayleb Rae Candrilli. They won the 2020 Frontier Poetry Open for their poem "A Marble Run for Another End-of-Days". The most recent deadline for this $5,000 prize was November 15. Winning Writers subscribers Taylor Byas, Julia Kolchinsky Dasbach, Joshua Nguyen, and Remi Recchia were among the finalists. In other news, Kayleb's poetry collection All the Gay Saints (Saturnalia Books, 2020) was favorably reviewed by Annette Covrigaru at Lambda Literary in March: "Candrilli's poetry is the raw pink of (re)birth and beginning, each poem a root or tendon trusting its own vitality and resilience, finding cohesion within transness." Their newest collection, Water I Won't Touch (Copper Canyon Books, 2021), was named one of Lambda's most-anticipated books for April. Copper Canyon held a book launch and reading on May 5 at 5:00 PM Pacific time. WW subscriber Kelli Russell Agodon also launched her new book Dialogues with Rising Tides at the event.
Congratulations to Elizabeth Miki Brina. Her debut memoir, Speak, Okinawa, was published in February by Penguin Random House. Read a review by Christopher Louis Romaguera on the blog of the esteemed literary journal Ploughshares. This book delves into her family history as the child of an American father and Okinawan mother, putting her personal story in the context of colonialism and intergenerational trauma. Read her essay "How They Met", second prize winner in our 2018 Tom Howard/John H. Reid Fiction & Essay Contest.
Congratulations to Robin Reardon. Her novel On Chocorua won first prize in the LGBT category of the 2020 PenCraft Awards. Listen to her acceptance speech here. The first book in her "Trailblazer" series, On Chocorua is the coming-of-age story of a young gay man whose hiking adventure in the White Mountains of New Hampshire takes a dangerous turn. Robin says, "People sometimes ask if my work has an agenda. You bet. Two of them. The first is that my stories are not only entertaining, but also that they present unusual ideas. The second is that I want anyone who reads my books to understand that the only thing wrong with being gay is how some people treat you when they find out."
Congratulations to Gloria Mindock. Her sixth poetry collection, Ash, was published by Glass Lyre Press. The book is currently being translated into Serbian by Milutin Djuričović for an edition that will be published in Belgrade. Email Gloria for the Zoom link for her book launch reading on April 28 at 7:00 PM Eastern time.
Congratulations to Richard de Forest. His poem "Otro" was a Gold Finalist, and "Thermopylae" and "Amazonia" were Silver Finalists, in the 2020 Oprelle "Matter" Anthology Poetry Contest.
Recent Publications
Tamara Kaye Sellman's flash essay "Zebrafish Husbandry" appeared in Blanket Sea. Her poem "Kanab" was published in Cirque, Vol. 10 No. 1 (2019); find it on page 90 in the Issuu online reader. "Uhthoff's Phenomena" was published in The Coil Magazine. "The Expert" appeared in Halfway Down the Stairs. "Group Admin, Illness Forum" was published in Pioneertown. These pieces are included in her new collection, Intention Tremor (MoonPath Press, 2021), which chronicles the five years following her diagnosis of multiple sclerosis. Sign up on her website to find out the latest stops on her virtual book tour.
Tresha Faye Haefner ("Passover 2020"), Mary Langer Thompson ("For the Minister of Loneliness"), and Linda Dove ("At the Start of the Pandemic, We Find Ourselves in the Desert", co-authored with Angie Vorhies) were among the poets nominated for a Pushcart Prize by Golden Foothills Press for their poems in the anthology When the Virus Came Calling: COVID-19 Strikes America.
Shanna McNair's story "Funhouse" was published in KGB Bar Lit, Issue #12, with an introduction by Rick Moody.
Elie Azar's poetry collection Scribbles of the Mind is available on Amazon Kindle and has garnered several 4- and 5- star Goodreads reviews. He kindly shares a sample poem here. Goodreads member Antonio Bahkos says, "As the title implies, this collection of thoughts flawlessly captures the vulnerability of the human soul, tinted with personal experiences and adventures. Azar's authentic touch and emotions are highly visible and endearing."
Gail Thomas has had poems published in Whale Road Review, Halfway Down the Stairs, Nixes Mate, and One Art; poems are forthcoming in Muddy River Poetry Review.
Lesléa Newman's new poetry collection, I Wish My Father (Headmistress Press, 2021), was profiled by Carol Rosenfeld in Tablet Magazine in March.
Diane Elayne Dees was interviewed by poet Lisa Mary Armstrong for her Poets in the Pandemic series. Diane is the author of Coronary Truth, a chapbook from Kelsay Books, and blogs about women's professional tennis at Women Who Serve. Visit her website to learn more about her work.
Published: April 11, 2021
