Subscriber News: December 2021
Recent Honors
Congratulations to Pamela Sumners. Her second poetry collection, Etiquette for a Pandemic (& Other Social Distancing Protocols) was released in October by Backroom Window Press. She kindly shares a sample poem here.
Congratulations to Hal Niedzviecki. His novel The Lost Expert was released in November by Canadian publisher Cormorant Books. The US edition is forthcoming in May. In this literary novel, a young waiter named Chris is mistaken for an international movie star who has recently disappeared amid allegations of sexual misconduct. As he takes on the actor's identity, Chris seeks the solution to the mystery.
Congratulations to Gary Greene. His poem "Day 348" won third prize in the 30th Annual Poet's Seat Poetry Contest. This contest for residents of Franklin County, MA is sponsored by Friends of the Greenfield Public Library; the most recent deadline was March 17. His poem "While I'm Sleeping" won second prize in the 2021 Robert P. Collén Poetry Competition. He kindly shares it with us here. This contest with a top prize of $100 is sponsored by Friends of the Orange Public Libraries; the most recent deadline was October 9.
Congratulations to Linda Neal. Her poem "The New Amazon" was nominated for a Pushcart Prize by Spectrum Publishing, where it first appeared in Issue #25. She kindly shares it with us here.
Congratulations to Rosanne Dingli. Her story "Young Franz" won the Local Residents Award in the 2021 City of Rockingham Creative Writing Competition. This contest gave cash prizes up to A$500 in various categories, plus writing mentorship opportunities. The most recent deadline was August 27. Rosanne's poem "Flood Delusion" won first prize in the annual Shire of Mundaring Poetry Competition and was published on their website. She kindly shares it with us here. The most recent deadline for this A$300 prize for Australian residents was October 15. Visit Rosanne's website to discover her historical novels, story collections, and poetry. She says of the Winning Writers newsletter, "I read it every time, and find your contest lists very useful."
Recent Publications
Winning Writers Editor Jendi Reiter was interviewed for Trish Hopkinson's Tell Tell Poetry series in November. Watch the 30-minute video on Trish's writing opportunities blog.
Sally Bellerose and Bonnie Atkins will be reading at an online event sponsored by Gallery of Readers Press on Saturday, December 19, at 4:00 pm Eastern time. A writer and psychotherapist in Western Massachusetts, Bonnie writes about family relationships, life on the margins, and identity development in queer life. Sally's awards include an NEA grant and the Tennessee Williams Saints and Sinners Award. Her most recent novel is Fishwives (Bywater Books, 2021), about a 60-year relationship between two working-class lesbians.
Joseph Stanton's poetry was profiled in September on Valerie Robillard's website Poems Meet Paintings, a site devoted to the practice and study of ekphrastic poetry. Four of his seven books of poems are ekphrastic: Imaginary Museum: Poems on Art (1999), Things Seen (2016), Moving Pictures (2019), and Prevailing Winds (forthcoming). The article includes an interview where he discusses techniques for creative writing in response to visual art, plus excerpts from his books.
Ruth Thompson's new collection of poetic spiritual channelings, Quickwater Oracles (Two Fine Crows Books), has been praised by Foreword Reviews ("an inspiring, thought-provoking collection of spiritual poetry that will carry the heart, mind, and soul toward broader, more open horizons"), Midwest Book Review, Blue Ink Review, and others. Liz Halton's blog Lemons But No Lemonade Recipe called the oracles "a treasure trove that will give me new experiences every time I read them" and said that the book "made me question if what is in my usual experience is all there is." Read more reviews on Ruth's website. The next stop on her virtual book tour will be Sunday, January 2, at 4:00 p.m. Eastern time. Ruth and book doctor and poet Esther Cohen will kick off the new year with talk, laughter, meditation, and a writing session.
Rick Lupert has two upcoming poetry events online in January. He will be reading at Poetry Square on Thursday, January 20, at 12:30 p.m. Pacific time, hosted via Facebook and Youtube Live by Marysville, California's Yuba Arts Center. On Thursday, January 27, at 4:30 p.m. Pacific time, he will lead a workshop titled "Old Religious Texts and Your Modern-Ass Self" for Eastern Shore Writers Association. Rick will be talking about writing a poem for every Torah portion and other Jewish texts/occasions. Visit his website for more information.
William Huhn's poems "Devil Mirror" and "First Love of the Sun King" were published in the 20th anniversary issue of BlazeVOX (Fall 2021).
Dan Klefstad was interviewed in November on WIFR News 23, a TV news channel in Rockford, IL, about strategies for National Novel Writing Month. Dan is working on a sequel to his vampire novel Fiona's Guardians.
Samantha Terrell's poetry collection Vision, and Other Things We Hide From (Potter's Grove Press, 2021) was favorably reviewed by Alan Parry of Broken Spine Arts (UK) on his YouTube channel. He described this book as "brimming with whimsy" and "healing". Samantha was also interviewed about her chapbook Keeping Afloat (JC Studio Press, 2021) at The Wombwell Rainbow.
Eva Tortora's essay "Expression Is for Anyone and Everyone" was published in October at Orange Blossom Books Blog. Eva tells Winning Writers, "I'm a big fan of your newsletter, you are the very very best!"
Joanie Holzer Schirm's nonfiction book Steadfast Ink: The Journey Within is available from Amazon. From the book blurb: "This standalone companion to Schirm's award-winning nonfiction books, Adventurers Against Their Will and My Dear Boy, brings the reader ever closer to the author's heart during her intimate journey within. Schirm dives deeper into stunning revelations from a WWII treasure trove of letters hidden away by her Czech father after the Nazis forced him from his homeland."
Kayleb Rae Candrilli's poem "Summering in Wildwood, NJ", from their collection Water I Won't Touch (Copper Canyon Press, 2021), was featured in American Life in Poetry #871 for the week of November 29. This weekly column from the Poetry Foundation is curated by Kwame Dawes.
Published: December 7, 2021
