Acceptances

My poem “Rainy Season” published by Claw & Blossom.

in

From their website, "Claw & Blossom is a seasonal online literary journal of prose and poems that illustrate human experience within a larger context. Claw & Blossom publishes work that is touched by the natural world."

Many thanks to Claw & Blossom and editor C.B. Auder for publishing my short prose poem "Rainy Season" as part of their Water issue. “Rainy Season” is a poem of nostalgia, melancholy, and hope. I’m honored to be published alongside some incredible poets/writers. You can read all the poems in this issue online here.

https://clawandblossom.com/issues/issue8/potter-rainy-season/?fbclid=IwAR22XmDlvWJmn17KygxR-DfDhgkuI3mf6jtYE7CVqA0fUHyizTP3boqWKNY

An Update About Me.

in

I have been so focused on posting resources lately that I haven’t talked very much about my writing. But there are good things happening behind the curtain and many more coming down the pipeline.

I do have a desk drawer and gmail inbox filled with rejection notices. Despite that fact, I have work forthcoming in The Talking Stick, Alchemy, Switched-on-Gutenberg, Opossum, and Birch Gang Review.

2016 has been pretty enjoyable so far from a writing standpoint and I am hoping to make it even better as it progresses on. Be good.

I’ve Been Putting in Work.

in

I am blessed. I will have quite a bit of work that will come out soon in publications – a variety of poems, prose poems, and even a short story.

I will have work in upcoming editions of The Talking Stick, Kansas City Voices, North American Review (the first literary magazine in the United States), Obsidian, Switched-On Gutenberg, The Tishman Review, and Knut House Magazine. I appreciate all these journals and the staff that considered my work worthy to be in their publications.

I will be sure drop more info on this blog as these publications roll out. Until then, be good.

The Beauty of Acceptance.

in

After many, many rejection notices, I finally hit paydirt in the past few weeks.

My prose poem “No Black People Were Harmed in the Making of this Poem” will appear an upcoming edition of Kansas City Voices, a publication of Whispering Prairie Press. This will be my second time appearing in this journal.

My poem “Trial Separation” will appear in Volume 18 of Steam Ticket, a nationally distributed journal from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.

I will also have several poems appearing in an upcoming edition of the Vermillion Literary Project, a student produced journal from the University of South Dakota.

And my poem “On the Occasion of My Untimely Demise” will appear in The Talking Stick, a Minnesota literary journal published by the Jackpine Writers' Bloc. It is produced entirely by Minnesota writers for Minnesota writers since 1995. There will be more news about that poem in a future post.

Huge thanks to the editors of these publications for a chance to contribute. Now it looks like I need to get back to writing before I run out of work to submit! Be good.

Three Pieces in A Quiet Courage & Stepping Outside of My Skin.

in

I’m excited to announce that I have three new microfiction pieces featured in A Quiet Courage, an online literary journal that publishes compelling, poignant, memorable, and well-written microfiction and poetry in 100 words or less.

Deadbeat: https://aquietcourage.wordpress.com/2015/04/06/deadbeat/

Role Model: https://aquietcourage.wordpress.com/2015/04/06/role-model/

Appearances: https://aquietcourage.wordpress.com/2015/04/06/appearances/

Thanks to the editors who deemed my work worthy – much appreciated.

What these pieces have in common: focused, emotional description told in first or second person using the voices of characters that are absolutely nothing like me. This is what I love about writing – it gives you a chance to walk in someone else’s shoes (pardon the cliché). And I believe you have to completely sell out to that concept of what a character is all about in order to make a story seem genuine. I think I was all in with these three pieces – and that is something I need to do more often in my writing in order to make it resonate.

Upcoming.

in

Ayris Magazine, a magazine edited by the students at the New Hampshire Institute of Art, will be publishing my prose poem Migraine soon.

Siren Magazine will be publishing two prose poems of mine, Damage Control and Signs of the Impending Apocalypse.

I appreciate the opportunity to contribute to both of these publications.

Not much more to report. Still writing and submitting and trying to get my creative vision out there. Oh, and trying to survive the holiday season, just like everyone else.

Some things I forgot to blog about…

in ,

(1) I will have two prose poems in “World’s End”, which will be the inaugural edition of The End Times. The End Times is a student run publication from the University of Illinois Springfield. Per their mission statement, it’s a literary magazine with a focus on distributing literature in a post-apocalyptic Midwest; a collection of poetry and prose signifying the challenges of maintaining humanity in the end of the world. I’m excited to contribute– thanks to the editors for choosing my work.

(2) The results of the 2013 Annual Whispering Prairie Press Writers’ Contest came out in early August 2013, and I was ecstatic to find out my poem Bad Luck Sings the Blues took third place. No publication, but cash and encouragement are positive things. Big thanks to the judges for deeming my work worthy of commendation.

(3) I’ve got a lot of love for Whispering Prairie Press this year.  In addition to the aforementioned 3rd place contest finish, their periodical Kansas City Voices published my poem How to Sing Under the Influence. Kansas City Voices’ mission is to discover, encourage, and promote creativity and communication through literature, art, and other forms of cultural expression. I am happy to be a part of Issue 11 of Kansas City Voices. If you get a chance to check out this periodical, I’d suggest it – the poetry, pictures, and fiction are all very engaging.

(4) Since I am behind in mentioning publications, I will play catch up on my year in print by mentioning that I had poetry and fiction included in Talking Stick Volume 22, two poems in the Vermillion Literary Project, and a prose poem featured in the Bare Root Review.

That’s all for now. Be good.

That silence you hear…

in , , , ,

…is the sound of me working. Seriously. The lack of posts on this blog is not an indication of a lack of writing activity, for sure.

I will have upcoming work in publications that I failed to previously mention on here, in print in burntdistrict and online in the Bare Root Review.

In addition, I earned third place finishes in both the Art Affair Poetry Contest and the Burning the Midnight Oil Poetry Contest – no publication, but a little cash always soothes the soul.

I wrestled my inner procrastination demons in a cage match. I won and am now back on pace with a decent writing work rate in the past month. This has been partially sponsored by a new manuscript idea that I hope will lead to the promised land of publication and not another dead end.

I also have big plans to revamp this blog.

All I need to do is execute. Which means not more hiatuses, no more wandering focus.

That’s all for now. Be good.

Forthcoming.

in ,

Great news, another poem has found a loving home.

I will have a prose poem published in an upcoming edition of The Broken Plate, a national literary magazine produced by Ball State University undergraduates each spring. The magazine features poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, art, book reviews and interviews. The poem is called The Algorithm of Desire. This will be my second engagement with The Broken Plate; they were kind enough to publish my poem Instructions in 2010. 

Huge thanks to Jeremy Flick & the other staff at The Broken Plate for giving me a chance to contribute.

Upcoming.

in ,

I will have a prose poem published in an upcoming edition of Ayris Magazine, a magazine of literature and art accepting work from everywhere and edited by the students at the New Hampshire Institute of Art.

The poem is called Migraine, and it is part of my manuscript, The Blues Almanac, which still needs a publisher, by the way (hint hint hint).

Huge thanks to Jenn Monroe & the staff of Ayris for thinking my work good enough.

Year of the Prose Poem.

in

If you follow my writing and/or this blog, then you probably have noticed that I‘ve been writing a lot of prose poems lately, and those pieces are what I’ve been lucky enough to get accepted at journals. Which kinda makes 2011 the year of the prose poem, for me at least.

My prose poem Memoir will be published in the next edition of Apropos Literary Journal.

Ginger Piglet Press has accepted three of my prose poems for its next issue.

Huge thanks to the editors of these publications. I truly appreciate the love.

I Haven’t Posted in Awhile, But I’m Still Writing.

in

 

And I have proof. My poem Innovations in Violence will be included in the forthcoming Heyday Magazine Vol.1, Issue #2.

I'll have prose poems appearing in the upcoming November print edition of Insolent Aardvark.

Big thanks to the editors of these journals. I’ll post updates when these poems make their magnificent appearances and include more info about these journals.

As far as my manuscript goes…it’s still not accepted, but I’m not giving up. My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Be good.

 

Upcoming.

in

My prose poem Accident Prone will be published online in Issue 17 of Switched-on-Gutenberg. This is my second engagement with Switched-on-Gutenberg.

My prose poem Epiphany shall appear in the first issue of burntdistrict, a new journal dedicated to elevating public awareness of contemporary poetry and to the promotion of our writers.

Thank you to the editors of these journals. So much appreciated, as always.

Of course I’ll post updates when these poems make their glorious debuts.

Forthcoming.

in ,

I’ll have a prose poem published in Clare Literary Magazine, a journal published by the students and faculty of Cardinal Stritch University. The poem is called The Inherent Discontent of Objects, and it is part of my completed manusctipt, The Blues Almanac, which still needs a publisher, by the way (hint hint hint). Huge huge thanks to Abby Gambrel & the staff of Clare for thinking my work good enough.

The Prose-Poem Project.

in

My prose poem Depression will be published in The Prose-Poem Project, an online and print literary journal devoted entirely to the prose poem. I’m excited about this acceptance. This piece is quite different from most of my work to date, so it’s a great feeling to intentionally step out of my comfort zone and compose something that ‘s been deemed worthy enough to be published.

I’ve been gravitating toward writing prose poems lately. For some reason, I’ve found them less constraining and more forgiving when I attempt new things with my writing. This is a departure from my previous mode of operation: although I've written a handful of prose poems, I usually like the border between fiction and verse to not be blurry. So swan diving into the deep end of the prose poem pool is a big step for me.

I’ve written fifteen or so prose poems in the past two months, and Depression was one of those. I am considering trying to put together a manuscript of prose poems as a long term project. Sort of my own personal "prose-poem project." We’ll see if I can overcome my truncated attention span and make it happen.

Be good.

Redemption.

in

My poem Redemption recently won the 2010 Southern Illinois Writers Guild National Contest (Poetry Division)!  Big thanks to Roger Poppen (the Contest Chair) and anyone else involved in with this wonderful contest opportunity. My poem Education also earned a tie for third place.

I am both happy and humbled that my work has been received this positively. Redemption especially was an experiment of sorts for me, a venture into a different style of poetry than I usually write, so I am encouraged by its victory.

To see a complete list of the contest winners, you can click here.

Since Redemption garnered first place, it will be published in an anthology – I’ll pass along those details later.

Quick Update.

in , ,

Can’t knock my hustle.

The Tidal Basin Review will publish my poems The Blues Almanac and Education in an upcoming edition.

My micro-fiction piece Anniversary recently appeared in One Forty Fiction.  Click here to read it, and leave a critique there if you feel compelled to do so.

Finally, the online journal A Handful of Dust will publish my poem Hello, My Name Is sometime in the future.

Things are looking up.