It seems to happen every autumn. For some reason—the shortened day length, the return of the rain, the cooler temperatures—I suddenly get the urge to blow money here and there entering what are likely long-shot poetry contests.
Acceptance News: “Ernestine”
My poem, “Ernestine,” has been accepted for publication in the December 2023 issue of kerning—the theme of the issue is “Body as Evidence.” kerning is a biannual publication of writing from women and gender-diverse people published under the umbrella of Toad Hall Editions
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Organizing a New Poetry Manuscript
Suddenly, out of the blue, I’ve found myself motivated to gather up a whole passel of my recent poems into yet another book-length collection. Well, it wasn’t exactly out of the blue. I was spurred onward when I saw the notice for the John Ridland Poetry Prize, a new prize open to poets 55 years and older
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Memory Lane Book Publication News: Every Door Recklessly Ajar
In June of 2015, my first full-length poetry collection, Every Door Recklessly Ajar, was published by Cayuga Lake Books of Ithaca, New York. A few months later in August, Mountain Writers hosted a book launch and reading for me at Vie de Bohème…
Publication News: When It Rains It Pours
Two centos from my draft manuscript, I Am Speechless—“Cusp” and “where late the sweet birds sang”—have been accepted for published in the When It Rains It Pours anthology from Kind of a Hurricane Press…
Fifteen Seconds of (Ephemeral) Fame?
Was having my Letter to the Editor published in the esteemed Poetry Magazine back in 2008. Here is the brief text: Dear Editor,
As I wound my way through Eavan Boland’s “Islands Apart: A Notebook” [May 2008], in which she writes of the increasingly skill-based nature of poets, I was surprised to find this:…
Award News: Oregon Poetry Association Fall 2023 Contest
My poem, “Learning to See,” won Third Place in the Theme—Ekphrasis category of the Oregon Poetry Association’s Fall 2023 Contest. I wrote about this poem in a recent Apostrophe Blog post, explaining the concept of Ekphrastic Poetry and how I came to write this particular poem….
Publication News: “About the Laying-on of Bricks not Hands”
Qarrtsiluni published my poem about my maternal grandfather, “About the Laying-on of Bricks not Hands” in their Worship issue back in October 2011. Part of their process was having poets record a reading of the poem. My voice actually does the content of this serious narrative poem justice, I think.
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Award News: Oregon Poetry Association Fall 2023 Contests
I just found out this morning that two of my poems have been awarded Third Place in two categories of the Oregon Poetry Association Fall 2023 adult contests. The first, “provenance,” has placed in the Members Only category—the category name explains itself….
Found Poem: Gratitude Posts from a Dying Friend
Below is a found poem that was part of a Zoom memorial service celebration for a neighbor during the isolating years of the pandemic. I created it from the amazing trove of gratitude posts my neighbor made over the years before she was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer…
