Subscriber News: January 2015
Recent Honors
Congratulations to Lesléa Newman. Her poetry collection I Carry My Mother was published this month by Headmistress Press. The book explores a daughter's journey through her mother's illness and death. From diagnosis through first yarzheit (death anniversary) the narrator grapples with what it means to lose a mother. Jewelle Gomez says of this book, "Each verse is a spiritual chant; each line is a lyric glistening with grief." For each book ordered between now and January 25, the author will donate $1.00 to Cancer Connection, the Western Massachusetts support center that helped her through her mother's last illness. In other news, Lesléa's essay "Fifty-Eight and Counting" was published at The Manifest-Station.
Congratulations to Roger Higgins. His poetry chapbook Surf Sounds was published in October by Liquid Light Press, a publisher of "poetry that landmarks spiritual evolution, is attentive to the moment and reminds us of everyday miracles."
Congratulations to Ed Coletti. His story "Res Kid" won second prize for fiction in the 2014 Crucible Poetry and Fiction Competition, an opportunity he found in this newsletter. This free contest from Barton College's literary journal gives prizes up to $150; the most recent deadline was May 1.
Recent Publications
W.R. Rodriguez's second poetry collection, Concrete Pastures of the Beautiful Bronx, is now available as an e-book. Visit his website for sample poems and purchasing information.
Erika Dreifus's poem "Kaddish for My Uterus" was published on the blog of Lilith, a Jewish feminist literary magazine, in December.
Patricia Blanco's debut collection, Pluto: Poems & Prose, is now available on Amazon.com. She kindly shares a sample poem here.
Daniel von der Embse has several poetry publications to share. "Blood and Cardboard" was a poem of the week in December 2014 at The Missing Slate. "Secret Death of Birds" appeared in Issue 3 of The Harpoon Review. "Alone" appeared in the Winter 2014 debut issue of After the Pause. "Photograph of My Father, Africa, 1943" was published in the November 2014 issue of Vine Leaves Literary Journal, and "salsa" in their forthcoming "Best of 2014" anthology. "Solitary Heart" was published in Penny Ante Feud, a journal from Shoe Music Press that specializes in poems about mortality and last words. Haiku Journal published three of his haiku in December 2014. He writes, "I've really gained a lot of insight and useful information from Winning Writers...Reading your newsletter has been enormously helpful to me in getting poems published." Visit his blog Writing in Airplanes for more poems and musings on current events.
Trish Hopkinson's poems "Musings of a Mother", "The Day You Were Born", and "Waiting Around" appeared in the December 2014 issue of Verse-Virtual. "Reconstructed Happiness" was published in the I Am Waiting Poetry Series at Silver Birch Press. "Lonely Soup" was published in the Eat Genius series at Everyday Genius.
Diana Anhalt's poem "Memorial" was published in Constellations: A Journal of Poetry and Fiction and nominated by the editors for a Pushcart Prize. She kindly shares it with us here.
Peter Boadry's short story "Rescue 911" was accepted for Baby Shoes, an anthology edited by Jason Brick, which is currently seeking a publisher and start-up funding.
Judy Juanita's essay "The Gun as Ultimate Performance Poem" was nominated for a Pushcart Prize by The Weeklings, an online journal of politics and culture, where she has a regular column.
Mi West's Christmas scandicrime parody "Red-Liquid Sipping Ghost" was published by Paper Tape Mag.
Ruth Thompson has launched a YouTube channel. Her videos blend poetry, dance, music, natural landscapes, and reflections on writing. Enjoy her winter solstice meditations at Hilina Pali, Hawaii, here.
Published: January 8, 2015
