#Trish Hopkinson

[amitapaul]

30/19

19/4/24

#24GloPoNaPoWriMo #amitasinfinity

Format Final

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#24GloPoWriMo

Prompt Dated : 2024 April 19

Response No : 1

Poem No: 30

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Prompt :

What are you haunted by, or what haunts you? Write a poem responding to this question.

Then change the word haunt to hunt

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Featured Poem :

Our featured participant for the day is Gloria D. Gonsalves, who brings us not one, but two, poems in response to Day 18’s “other selves” prompt.

IN MY NEXT LIFE, I WANT THE COURAGE OF OUR GERMAN SHEPHERDS

to be multi-religious and bark at contradictions

that faith cannot be held by diverse worshiping.

At 4am, when the muezzin sings a call to prayer,

the pack leader Rocky barks a wolf-like refrain

and his lady Ruby barks the refrain in response.

The puppies, Ryder and Roxy, join in the prayer

after their parents prompt with alternate barking.

They will dutifully bark until the muezzin is done.

And I will be between dreaming and waking up.

Throughout the day, they respond to muezzin calls,

and I sigh in despair that I cannot be that disciplined.

At 6am, when the first set of Angelus gongs strikes,

our pack of dogs will begin again a hymn of barking

resembling the appropriate devotion for believers

and I, the less religious, hail the new day, thank you.

They do not tire repeating the ringing of Angelus;

morning, noon, and evening they loyally respond;

and I am ashamed to react when the gate bell rings.

In this world where we pit each other against faith,

I am grateful to be a multi-religious dog mama.

In my next life, may our pack of dogs welcome me

to where different faiths co-exist in lives and thrive.

THE GRACE TO BE MYSELF

Among selves and other selves of this world,

I pray for the courage to be myself.

When jingles of gold and silver smug,

I pray loudly to be myself.

When magnolias come for their shower brides,

I pray for grace to be myself.

When the bees land on me like their queen,

I pray for me to be myself.

When ant soldiers tempt me to be their master,

I pray for mastery to be myself.

When birds compose a hymn for me,

I pray for worth to be myself.

When the eagles land in the cliffs of my heart,

I pray to soar and be myself.

When the sun kisses my skin with a glow,

I pray consciously to be myself.

When the wind is frivolous with my facade,

I pray firmly to reveal myself.

When the rainbow hails my colors,

I pray for authenticity to be myself.

When the rivers channel my gifts,

I pray to contain myself to be myself.

When the seas rise to hold me higher,

I pray for humility to be myself.

When water creatures come to my service,

I pray for gentleness to be myself.

When the mountains stand tall for my guard,

I pray unwavering to be myself.

When the trees bow upon my arrival,

I pray for stillness to be myself.

When mushrooms emerge,

I pray to bow down as myself.

When memories come to hunt,

I pray for a cave to be myself.

When love and hate collide,

I pray to be a keeper of myself.

When peace breakers hold the forts,

I pray for wisdom to be myself.

When opportunity to avenge arises,

I pray for restraint to be myself.

When hawks and doves come calling,

I pray for bravery to be myself.

When selves and other selves unite,

I graciously pray to be myself.

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Poetry Resource :

Today’s resource is the website of “selfish” poet Trish Hopkinson, where you’ll find calls for submissions, blog posts, and oodles of tips and other resources on submitting poetry for publication.

Persona Poetry as a Memoir Writing Technique (part 2/2) – guest blog post by Kimberly Burnham, PhD

BY TRISH HOPKINSON ON MARCH 31, 2024 • ( LEAVE A COMMENT )

We can use persona poetry techniques to write memoires. Technically, memoir poetry is not persona poetry, because in persona poetry, the poet and the speaker are different people. It is a bit like ghostwriting. We want to preserve the feeling that it’s true to the person’s voice, even when it is not our voice.

One can make the case that when I try to write about a memory from my five-year-old self’s point of view, the poet and the speaker are different people. At 66 I am not physically different but certainly I am emotionally and experientially unlike my 16-year-old self. In persona poems the poet tries to “walk a mile in another person’s shoes,” tries to evoke the feelings of another person as clearly as if the person themselves wrote the poem about their experience.

Persona poems are often written about a celebrity and we try to imagine what they are thinking and feeling. Children in classrooms are instructed to write persona poems about a relative who has passed with the teacher encouraging them to imagine what their relative would say to them today or what they would think about the world the child lives in. What would be different seen through the relative’s eyes.

One way to do this is to close your eyes and with your mind’s eye look around at the environment, the landscape, the people around the “persona” or the younger version of yourself. Ground them in space and then visualize or remember their feelings and responses to the environment, people, and situations. Write the poem from this feeling.

In a memoir poem, there is an added layer of having a stronger sense of what your ten-year old self saw and felt. These persona poems can be included in a memoir as poetry or woven back into prose. If we publish in traditional prose we can use the poetry, that helped us unlock the memories, in a newsletter promoting the book or as an eBook to be given away for free in order to draw attention to the memoir’s launch.

The following poem appeared originally in Live Like Someone Left The Gate Open, a poetry collection memoir of my coming out process and I have written it in prose format as two different stories for my upcoming memoir, Mistaken for a Man, a Story for Anyone Struggling to Feel Comfortable in Their Own Skin, Clothes or Community. My prose stories are better because I wrote the poem first.

Who Am I To You

A big party at your parent’s place

a family friend asks you to dance

then you sit on the edge of his chair

laughing and talking as if

I am not watching

with territorial bile rising

the hem of your short skirt touching him

Who am I to you? Not here in our bed

out in the world, browsing for books

near home, far from your work

where no one must know

of us, of our love

“Hey look at this book,” turning I find you

away across the store talking

to a stranger, I have never met

but know at once?your ex

the way you stand, the way he looks, I know

but not what you will say if I approach

Who am I to you? Doubt crazes me

I panic

imagining an introduction

I can’t bear to hear myself described

“Kim’s a friend”, the story I tell myself

as I turn and walk home alone

without making you choose

love, family, work

without even saying goodbye

As I wrote this story back into prose, I felt the panic that I experienced as I walked home alone. Revisiting this memory and poem helped me see the way I responded in a new way.

Writing poetry can sometimes intensify the feelings, but it can also be a way to express traumatic events in a way that allows one to release the trauma. Certainly writing our life stories in poetry lends a new frame or perspective.

This idea of combining poetry and prose is not new. Japanese poet Matsuo Basho created Haibun, a poetic form in which a poet combines prose and haiku to create a prose poem. The prose part is like telling a story with full sentences and grammar followed by a poem that summarizes, adds to or frames the prose. Memoirs written by poets lend themselves to a Haibun style of writing flowing back and forth between prose and poetry or putting the poetry in the marketing pile and just publishing the prose. Of course, we can also put the prose in the marketing pile and only publish the poetry.

Found poetry is another marketing tool I have been using to engage with potential readers. When I publish a book, I often get several proof copies over the editing period. Once I have gone through the paperback proof, I will use the pages for found poetry.

Sometimes called Blackout poetry, it is poetry written with the words that are already on a page of text. The words of the poem are circled, while the words not used are blacked out or drawn over or obscured in some way. The poem (words only written out) or an image of the page can be used to promote your memoir or any other book you publish.

Here is a found poem from my upcoming memoir, Mistaken for a Man.

Orthodox Men’s Hands

Miami Florida 2019

In a Jewish deli I stood deciding

he slapped me on the back in a friendly way

and said, So many great choices, eh

mistake he slapped

a woman on the back

His touch contaminates him

his mistake

कीmberly Burnham, an award-winning poet living in Spokane, Washington is the author of Live Like Someone Left The Gate Open, a poetry memoir of her coming out process. Her second memoir is prose. Mistaken for a Man, A Story for Anyone Struggling to Feel Comfortable in Their Own Skin, Clothes, and Community is coming out in May 2024. She is the author of Awakenings, Peace Dictionary, Language and the Mind, A Daily Brain Health Program, a book of poems on the word for peace in different languages. Almost half-way finished, her “Peace Project” is a quest to find the word for peace in 10,000 different languages. Kimberly’s book Using Ekphrastic Fiction Writing and Poetry to Create Interest and Promote Artists, Writers, and Poets is a how-to-guide for writers collaborating with artists and promoting both their art forms for mutual benefit.

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Prompt :

Finally, here’s our prompt – optional, as always! This one comes to us from Moist Poetry Journal, which posted this prompt by K-Ming Chang a while back:

warm February watching nature documentaries

APRIL 18, 2024

MPJ

a hippo heads straight for the surf

looking for a feeling of smallness in salt water

I dump some more salsa

on my night nachos

there’s a way if you try hard you can make life

really good

bike shop with its doors open this morning I saw

a dude on Clark Street leaving the gym in his shorts

I saw goldendoodles without sweaters I saw girls

in hoodies getting after-school chips

& tea in a can I saw my kid take his coat off while

running on the playground & saw myself

thinking it wasn’t worth getting up to chastise

he was wearing his skull sweatshirt

& now I’m seeing a jaguar fight a crocodile

& sure I’m stoned but the kid’s asleep

thought about opening windows today

shit winter’s so warm we didn’t

bother taping them this year

there’s not much to like about Obama’s post-presidency as of 2024

but what a great voice for nature documentaries

a macaque jumps on

the back of a distracted deer

& I think how humiliating without language

no negotiation

no established friendship

you’re a vessel now deer let me ride you

there’s no penance I know

to make up for droning Lebanese weddings

or not closing Guantanamo

there’s no reward I know

for being the first Black man

trying to preside in Trump country

at least 80 species live in a sloth’s fur

algae swamp moss—I dunno—looks itchy

animals & people willingly live in the Arctic

& Mark Zuckerberg’s terraforming Hawaii

despite locals four years ago

being like STOP COMING HERE PLEASE

THE LAND CAN’T HANDLE IT

the land can’t handle it

the land can’t handle it

the land can’t handle it

some endangered condors are making

a comeback in Chile

Prompt

It’s easy to say we live in unprecedentedly bad times—partially because we sort of do—but that does not change the fact that there is beauty and goodness and things worth living for in the world. One part of a writer’s job is to call attention to horror, another part of a writer’s job is celebrate wonder when we see it. Still a third part of a writer’s job is going outside. Take a walk around your block/the wilderness/near a body of water. That’s the first step. Then think of something you love and something that pisses you off and put them both in a poem. Bonus points if you can fit in at least two questions and/or anaphora.

Chris Corlew (he/him) is a writer and musician in Chicago. With Bob Sykora, he co-hosts The Line Break, a podcast about poetry and basketball. With Brendan Johnson, he is 1/2 of LAZY & ENTITLED, a writing and musical collaboration.

What are you haunted by, or what haunts you? Write a poem responding to this question. Then change the word haunt to hunt.

Happy (and potentially spooky) writing!

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Poem Title :

HUNTED BY MEMORIES

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I’m hunted by the memories of the time

When I was both ecstatic and depressed

When I was at my wisest yet unblest

When I took refuge in music and rhyme

If only , Oh, if only I’d forget

That which I heard and saw and dreamt and felt

That fevered longing, that deep crimson melt

Of the sick rose, darkened by sharp regret

Let go of wisdom, reason, and forethought

The Tempter whispered, that is for the best

Life cannot always pass the moral test

Yet why was I then always overwrought ?

My demons torture me, I went too far

Others hunt me for not doing enough

Perpetual Purgatory is hot and rough

My only hope lies in a distant star

I thought guilt would only attach to deeds

Alas, what hunts one more is what’s undone

An unresolved dilemma, is, bar none

The source that unrest deep within you breeds !

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Poet : Amita Sarjit Ahluwalia

Poem 30 / 19 th Day

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PS

30/19

19/4/24

Prompt :

What are you haunted by, or what haunts you? Write a poem responding to this question.

Then change the word haunt to hunt.

******

The Haunted Version

HAUNTED BY MEMORIES

I’m haunted by the memories of the time

When I was both ecstatic and depressed

When I was at my wisest yet unblest

When I took refuge in music and rhyme

If only , Oh, if only I’d forget

That which I heard and saw and dreamt and felt

That fevered longing, that deep crimson melt

Of the sick rose, darkened by sharp regret

Let go of wisdom, reason, and forethought

The Tempter whispered, that is for the best

Life cannot always pass the moral test

Yet why was I then always overwrought ?

My demons torture me, I went too far

Others haunt me for not doing enough

Perpetual Purgatory is hot and rough

My only hope lies in a distant star

I thought guilt would only attach to deeds

Alas, what haunts one more is what’s undone

An unresolved dilemma, is, bar none

The source that unrest deep within you breeds !

( ASA )

#24GloPoNaPoWriMo #amitasinfinity

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Day Nineteen

on APRIL 19, 2024

Happy Friday, everyone!

Our featured participant for the day is Gloria D. Gonsalves, who brings us not one, but two, poems in response to Day 18’s “other selves” prompt.

IN MY NEXT LIFE, I WANT THE COURAGE OF OUR GERMAN SHEPHERDS

to be multi-religious and bark at contradictions

that faith cannot be held by diverse worshiping.

At 4am, when the muezzin sings a call to prayer,

the pack leader Rocky barks a wolf-like refrain

and his lady Ruby barks the refrain in response.

The puppies, Ryder and Roxy, join in the prayer

after their parents prompt with alternate barking.

They will dutifully bark until the muezzin is done.

And I will be between dreaming and waking up.

Throughout the day, they respond to muezzin calls,

and I sigh in despair that I cannot be that disciplined.

At 6am, when the first set of Angelus gongs strikes,

our pack of dogs will begin again a hymn of barking

resembling the appropriate devotion for believers

and I, the less religious, hail the new day, thank you.

They do not tire repeating the ringing of Angelus;

morning, noon, and evening they loyally respond;

and I am ashamed to react when the gate bell rings.

In this world where we pit each other against faith,

I am grateful to be a multi-religious dog mama.

In my next life, may our pack of dogs welcome me

to where different faiths co-exist in lives and thrive.

THE GRACE TO BE MYSELF

Among selves and other selves of this world,

I pray for the courage to be myself.

When jingles of gold and silver smug,

I pray loudly to be myself.

When magnolias come for their shower brides,

I pray for grace to be myself.

When the bees land on me like their queen,

I pray for me to be myself.

When ant soldiers tempt me to be their master,

I pray for mastery to be myself.

When birds compose a hymn for me,

I pray for worth to be myself.

When the eagles land in the cliffs of my heart,

I pray to soar and be myself.

When the sun kisses my skin with a glow,

I pray consciously to be myself.

When the wind is frivolous with my facade,

I pray firmly to reveal myself.

When the rainbow hails my colors,

I pray for authenticity to be myself.

When the rivers channel my gifts,

I pray to contain myself to be myself.

When the seas rise to hold me higher,

I pray for humility to be myself.

When water creatures come to my service,

I pray for gentleness to be myself.

When the mountains stand tall for my guard,

I pray unwavering to be myself.

When the trees bow upon my arrival,

I pray for stillness to be myself.

When mushrooms emerge,

I pray to bow down as myself.

When memories come to hunt,

I pray for a cave to be myself.

When love and hate collide,

I pray to be a keeper of myself.

When peace breakers hold the forts,

I pray for wisdom to be myself.

When opportunity to avenge arises,

I pray for restraint to be myself.

When hawks and doves come calling,

I pray for bravery to be myself.

When selves and other selves unite,

I graciously pray to be myself.

Today’s resource is the website of “selfish” poet Trish Hopkinson, where you’ll find calls for submissions, blog posts, and oodles of tips and other resources on submitting poetry for publication.

Finally, here’s our prompt – optional, as always! This one comes to us from Moist Poetry Journal, which posted this prompt by K-Ming Chang a while back:

What are you haunted by, or what haunts you? Write a poem responding to this question. Then change the word haunt to hunt.

Happy (and potentially spooky) writing!

[newsmutproject]

New Smut Project is a small press with the tagline “A kind of funny name for people very serious about quality, diverse erotica.” They are interested in erotica that is also literature: “We love smut, but we also love language; we love lyrical sentences that sing with meaning, action so vivid you can feel as well as picture it, and dialogue that rings so true it hurts.”

HOPKINSON: Who is your target reader audience?

NSP: Readers like us: discerning, curious, unashamed of their desires (or trying to be!), and a bit bored with standard erotic fare. Whether queer or straight, and wherever in the world they come from, they’re ready to read something different. They may also be of identities that aren’t well-represented in mainstream erotica, seeking characters and experiences more like their own real lives.

HOPKINSON: What type of work are you looking for?

NSP: Stories that are gripping from the first line, make efficient use of wordcount, and feature vivid consensual sexiness while celebrating the diversity of human experiences. How explicit the sex is–and what counts as “sex”–is up to the writer, but we’re seeking stories that leave us in some way breathless. For this anthology we’re also looking especially for conscious, creative use of language, literary structures, and narrative forms.

HOPKINSON: What do you wish you’d see submitted, but rarely comes in?

NSP: We’re always seeking more diverse work, body positivity, queerness, and anything that breaks the “mold” (of basically a well-endowed guy and a flat-stomached gal having missionary penetrative sex). In terms of specific plotlines or ideas, I (T.C.) love to see more sex realism: for instance, arousal nonconcordance, women with unshaved legs, or characters adapting to minor mishaps in the bedroom. We’re also hungry for #OwnVoices stories from trans writers, writers of color, and disabled writers.

[batgovernor]

Resources: Trish Hopkinson's blog about poetry

Resources: Trish Hopkinson’s blog about poetry

When so many poetry magazines are one-or two-person operations, it is hard to know of all of them, harder still to sort through and find the ones that you would enjoy reading and, as a poet, would like to submit work to. How wonderful, then, when someone like Trish Hopkinson comes long to inform us of magazine openings and closings, of different editorial requests and requirements, and of calls…

[awriterspath]

How to Not Strangle People Who Are More Successful Than You

How to Not Strangle People Who Are More Successful Than You

  by Daniella Levy

  Poet and blogger Trish Hopkinson reposted an article I wrote about rejection and the value of hope. That article was a sort of precursor to this blog, and it made me feel very warm and fuzzy to see it popping up again. I got some really lovely responses to it the first time, and even more this time around.

(more…)

[tlhopkinson]

PAYING/NO FEE Submission call & editor interview--Outlook Springs, DEADLINE: July 15, 2017

PAYING/NO FEE Submission call & editor interview–Outlook Springs, DEADLINE: July 15, 2017

Outlook Springs is a new bi-annual, print and online literary journal “transmitted from the town of Outlook Springs, New Hampshire, which may or may not exist in one or more alternate dimensions.” They don’t charge submission fees and they pay their contributors, $25 fiction/non-fiction and $10 per poem + a contributor copy.

I was honored and pleased to have my poem, “A Way In,” published in the…

[eddycurrents]

For the week of 11 November 2019

Quick Bits:

Batman & The Outsiders #7 throws some further ramifications of Ra’s al Ghul and his minions meddling with Duke and Sofia. Some particularly disturbing transformations going on with Duke that should be interesting. The level of intrigue that Bryan Hill is keeping in the story is gripping.

| Published by DC Comics

The Batman’s Grave #2 is another excellent issue. A little more packed with action than the first one, allowing Bryan Hitch to cut loose with some of the sequences. Also, I’m loving the humour that Warren Ellis is giving us between Alfred and Bruce. That acerbic wit is something we’ve seen from Alfred a lot and Ellis just nails the voice.

| Published by DC Comics

Battlepug #3 is more fun from Mike Norton, Allen Passalaqua, and Crank! Some really nice stuff here as Bryony cuts loose on Nobody’s Ponies. I absolutely love the mix of traditional sword and sorcery storytelling with rather over-the-top humour that basically lampoons it at the same time.

| Published by Image

Black Cat Annual #1 is a fun tale of a heist on the Maggia by Black Cat and Spider-Man from Jed MacKay, Joey Vazquez, Natacha Bustos, Juan Gedeon, Brian Reber, and Ferran Delgado. It features the usual humour and action that we see in the series and I quite like how the artists are broken up each following one particular aspect of the story. Though it’s all one narrative, it gives a nice differing feel to each part.

| Published by Marvel

Black Hammer / Justice League: Hammer of Justice #5 concludes what has been an excellent series from Jeff Lemire, Michael Walsh, and Nate Piekos. Ultimately, this has reminded me of the old JLA/JSA crossovers of old, and just feels great as an overall story. Plus the possibility of seeing a sequel.

| Published by Dark Horse & DC Comics

Black Panther and the Agents of Wakanda #3 begins “God Loves, Moon Kills”, another two-parter for this series, from Jim Zub, Lan Medina, Craig Yeung, Marcio Menyz, Federico Blee, and Joe Sabino. I love this story format, giving us essentially quick-hit missions dealing with a problem and then moving on. It’s yielded some pretty tight storytelling and some fascinating situations.

| Published by Marvel

Black Stars Above #1 is another incredible debut for Vault, with Lonnie Nadler, Jenna Cha, Brad Simpson, and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou delivering an incredibly deep and unique horror story. It centres around a young woman in a family of fur traders, as the trade itself begins to die in Canada, and it’s impressive as to how real the characters and their struggle feels. The artwork from Cha and Simpson is exquisite.

| Published by Vault

Buffy + Angel: Hellmouth #2 continues Buffy and Angel’s descent through hell. It’s much more cerebral than you’d expect, with the demons trying to get into Buffy and Angel’s respective heads in order to manipulate and destroy them. Plus, a rather interesting surprise. Jordie Bellaire, Jeremy Lambert, Eleonora Carlini, Cris Peter, and Ed Dukeshire are doing some great work with the core of this event.

| Published by BOOM! Studios

Collapser #5 somehow gets even stranger in this penultimate issue as Liam creates a “perfect” world to run away from the problems he’s having in the real world. The real world bleeding through and a revelation of his girlfriend’s true intentions just ratchet up the strangeness further. Mikey Way, Shaun Simon, Ilias Kyriazis, Cris Peter, and Simon Bowland are just doing amazing work here.

| Published by DC Comics / Young Animal

Detective Comics #1015 takes an interesting turn as Nora decides that she likes being a villain. Through this, Peter J. Tomasi is definitely showing an interesting side to Mr. Freeze, emphasizing again that he’s a rather conflicted villain, only doing the various heinous actions to save his wife. Who now doesn’t need him.

| Published by DC Comics

Doctor Mirage #4 features more incredibly beautiful, inventive artwork from Nick Robles and Jordie Bellaire. The visual storytelling as Shan faces the Embalmer is just incredible. Magdalene Visaggio, Robles, Bellaire, and Dave Sharpe continue to deliver magic with this penultimate issue.

| Published by Valiant

Edgar Allan Poe’s Snifter of Terror: Season Two #2 is another entertaining issue. The lead tale from Tom Peyer, Greg Scott, Lee Loughridge, and Rob Steen has traditional EC Comics horror vibes, as a scientist tries to communicate with our worm overlords. In one of the comics back-ups Mark Russell, Peter Snejbjerg, and Steen revisit the world of the breakfast cereal monsters. And there’s the usual prose pieces, poetry, and Hunt Emerson’s Black Cat. 

| Published by Ahoy

Event Leviathan #6 concludes this series from Brian Michael Bendis, Alex Maleev, and Josh Reed. How much you enjoy it will hinge on how much you enjoy Maleev’s art and the realization that most of this tale is about moving one person off the board and the reveal of Leviathan to set up further stories. Also, Bendis paints a Batman who is ridiculously terrible at hiding his secret identity.

| Published by DC Comics

Fallen Angels #1 is the final new first issue of this first wave of “Dawn of X” titles and in many ways it’s more personal than the other X-titles, even Excalibur, delving into Psylocke (the former Kwannon, not Betsy Braddock) and her past. Bryan Hill, Szymon Kudranski, Frank D’Armata, and Joe Sabino deliver an interesting story with hooks on the darker side of the X-world, including some ominous bits from Magneto and Sinister, but I question the inclusion of X-23 and Cable. They don’t exactly seem to fit the roles they’ve been put into here.

| Published by Marvel

Family Tree #1 is a phenomenal debut from Jeff Lemire, Phil Hester, Eric Gapstur, Ryan Cody, and Steve Wands. This first issue perfectly captures that insidious nature of family drama mixed with creeping terror and body horror as a bizarre plague begins spreading across America.

| Published by Image

Far Sector #1 is one of the most impressive debuts I’ve read in a long time. NK Jemisin, Jamal Campbell, and Deron Bennett create a rich new world in the City Enduring and a compelling character in the new Green Lantern, Sojourner Mullein. The murder mystery that ties everything together is just the icing on the cake. Incredible world-building here and drop dead gorgeous artwork. Do not miss this.

| Published by DC Comics / Young Animal

The Flash #82 is part one of “Rogues’ Reign” from Joshua Williamson, Rafa Sandoval, Jordi Tarragona, Arif Prianto, and Steve Wands. It features a Central City taken over by the Rogues, transformed into their own personal playgrounds, as the Flash is nowhere to be found. It’s not bad, but the amount you’re going to like it may be relative to how much you’re also enjoying “City of Bane” and the recently concluded similar arc involving the Trickster.

| Published by DC Comics

Folklords #1 is off to a fantastic start from Matt Kindt, Matt Smith, Chris O’Halloran, and Jim Campbell. It starts off with a precocious kid in a fantasy world who’s been having visions of what essentially amounts to our world, whose quest sets out a rather draconian lockdown on their society when the Librarians rein in everyone from illicit action, like finding the Folklords. Highly recommended.

| Published by BOOM! Studios

Forgotten Home #2 reveals more about Jannada, its history and society, and how an unjust queen was brought to rule through racial warfare. Love the artwork from Marika Cresta and Matt Emmons.

| Published by Vices Press

Gideon Falls #18 unleashes the Laughing Man on reality in part two of “The Pentoculus”. Jeff Lemire, Andrea Sorrentino, Dave Stewart, and Steve Wands are beautifully unfolding this twisted and horrific flower of a story.

| Published by Image

Gotham City Monsters #3 adds another element of DC lore to the series as Melmoth claims a particular prize. I really quite like how Steve Orlando, Amancay Nahuelpan, Trish Mulvihill, and Tom Napolitano are pulling together disparate bits of Gotham and beyond to craft this story.

| Published by DC Comics

Guardians of the Galaxy #11 is the penultimate issue of this series from Donny Cate, Cory Smith, Victor Olazaba, David Curiel, and Cory Petit. It’s basically a big fight between the remaining Guardians and everyone else. It doesn’t go so well.

| Published by Marvel

Hawkman #18 takes a somewhat different approach to Hawkman’s infection than what we’ve seen of the others so far. Rather than being a dark reflection of Hawkman’s own desires, he’s taken over by an Earth-3 incarnation in Sky Tyrant. Robert Venditti, Pat Olliffe, Tom Palmer, Jeremiah Skipper, and Richard Starkings & Comicraft instead use that to play the spirit of our Hawkman against.

| Published by DC Comics

Hit-Girl: Season Two #10 is part two of “India”. The artwork from Alison Sampson and Tríona Farrell is impressive, given an amazing level of detail to bringing Mumbai to life. Brutal and rich in colour.

| Published by Image

House of Whispers #15 takes a new twist as the Corinthian finds the House of Watchers, takes over, and everything changes. Nalo Hopkinson, Dan Watters, Dominike “Dono” Stanton, Zac Atkinson, and AndWorld Design kick off some new terrors as even Erzulie’s status quo is upended, and we get another guest appearance of John Constantine’s homecoming.

| Published by DC Comics - Black Label / The Sandman Universe

Invaders #11 pushes deeper into Steve and Namor’s history and relationship, as Steve refuses to give up on his old friend. There’s some very heavy, very good character work here as we head into the final issue. Chip Zdarsky, Carlos Magno, Butch Guice, Alex Guimarães, and Travis Lanham continue to astonish at the incredibly high bar they’ve set for this story.

| Published by Marvel

Justice League Odyssey #15 is a fun tale from Dan Abnett, Will Conrad, Rain Beredo, Pete Pantazis, and AndWorld Design. Jessica Cruz leading a rag tag band of villains (and Orion) against Darkseid and the previous JLO turned evil is unfolding as a very entertaining story with some interesting twists. Also, Dex-Starr is awesome.

| Published by DC Comics

Morbius #1 isn’t a bad start from Vita Ayala, Marcelo Ferreira, Roberto Poggi, Dono Sánchez-Almara, and Clayton Cowles. This first issue is largely just action as Morbius sets out on his quest to cure himself, again, but it’s not bad. The art from Ferreira, Poggi, and Sánchez-Almara is very nice.

| Published by Marvel

Oblivion Song #21 continues the slowburn investigation and reconnaissance of the Faceless Men’s base, as Marco tries to map it out and discover where they’re holding all of the people who decided to stay in Oblivion. Gorgeous artwork from Lorenzo De Felici and Annalisa Leoni as we see more of the Faceless Men’s technology.

| Published by Image / Skybound

Psi-Lords #6 does a bit more world-building as we find out more about the Psi-Lords and the Starwatchers, even as the four Earthers are beset by the other Marked in a bizarre farce of a trial. Fred Van Lente, Renato Guedes, and Dave Sharpe are telling a pretty great sci-fi adventure tale here. It largely stands alone in the greater Valiant universe framework and deserves more attention than its getting.

| Published by Valiant

Punisher: Soviet #1 is another welcome return to the Punisher by Garth Ennis, stepping back into Frank’s adventures like he never left. Ennis, Jacen Burrows, Guillermo Ortego, Nolan Woodard, and Rob Steen deliver a brutal and bloody beginning as Frank chases down someone who everyone seems to think is him.

| Published by Marvel / MAX

Reaver #5 is a fairly impressive spotlight for Breaker as he does what he really didn’t want to do again in order to help his “friends”. Justin Jordan, Rebekah Isaacs, Alex Guimarães, and Clayton Cowles present a number of twists and surprises in one of the most brutal issues yet.

| Published by Image / Skybound

Ronin Island #8 sees the remaining islanders largely stand together as they try to both stand up to and flee from the Shogun’s soldiers and madness. With a terrible occurrence that looks like it’s going to cause even more problems for the survivors. Giannis Milonogiannis and Irma Kniivila’s art continues to be everything.

| Published by BOOM! Studios

Sea of Stars #5 very nicely puts the pieces together as a disconsolate Gil has been captured and basically given up thinking Kadyn dead is brought to the world where his son is about to be gutted. Jason Aaron, Dennis Hallum, Stephen Green, Rico Renzi, and Jared K. Fletcher are telling an incredible story here and this issue throws even more twists at the reader.

| Published by Image

Seven Days #2 unfolds some of the fallout of people learning that they only have seven days left, as the superhero community is enlisted to try to stop whatever the shiny harbinger things are. Gail Simone, José Luís, Jonas Trinidade, Michelle Madsen, and Saida Temofonte are continuing to build an intriguing story here as we get more and more of the breadth of the Catalyst Prime universe.

| Published by Lion Forge / Catalyst Prime

Superman #17 is kind of a housekeeping issue from Brian Michael Bendis, Kevin Maguire, Paul Mounts, and Dave Sharpe, acting as a prologue to “The Truth”. A bit of reflection on the Unity Saga, Event Leviathan, and Year of the Villain.

| Published by DC Comics

Tales from the Dark Multiverse: Blackest Night #1 might well be the best of these one-shots yet. Tim Seeley, Kyle Hotz, Dexter Vines, Walden Wong, Danny Miki, David Baron, Allen Passalaqua, and Tom Napolitano give us a bleak look at a world where Sinestro chose not to share the power of the White Lantern light and essentially everything fell to Nekron and the Black Lanterns. It’s a very unique take on the zombie apocalypse on its own, made more interesting as a fallen Sinestro, Lobo, and Dove try to save this universe. The art from Hotz, Vines, Wong, Miki, Baron, and Passalaqua is perfect.

| Published by DC Comics

Trees: Three Fates #3 continues to build up the weird atmosphere from last issue, then turns around and focuses on more of the gritty aspects of Oleg, Mik, and Nina. Gorgeous artwork all throughout from Jason Howard and Dee Cunniffe.

| Published by Image

Triage #3 shifts to Commander Marco’s reality as the group flee from the Hunter. I really like what Phillip Sevy and Frank Cvetkovic have been doing with this story. Great high concept, but the interpersonal relationships are where it’s really at.

| Published by Dark Horse

Usagi Yojimbo #6 is a beautiful updating and embellishment of the very first story of Usagi from Albedo by Stan Sakai and Tom Luth. This single issue story really captures the spirit and magic of all of Sakai’s stories, wonderfully portraying his mix of action and folklore.

| Published by IDW

Vampirella/Red Sonja #3 explores more of what the Russians were doing in regards to Drakulon and more. More very nice humour from Jordie Bellaire in the interactions between Vampirella and Sonja.

| Published by Dynamite

Wonder Woman #82 begins “The Wild Hunt” from the new creative team of Steve Orlando, Kieran McKeown, Scott Hanna, Romulo Fajardo Jr., and Pat Brosseau. It very much continues on from the plot threads and elements of the previous run, continuing to build on the current conflict between Wonder Woman and Cheetah.

| Published by DC Comics

X-Men #2 is pretty damn great, going back to the big and wild ideas bringing new elements into the X-universe, all while Cyclops gives some of the strangest parenting. Jonathan Hickman, Leinil Francis Yu, Garry Alanguilan, Sunny Gho, and Clayton Cowles give us a new mystery with the arrival of Arakko and the first of -|A|-’s missing original horsemen.

| Published by Marvel

Other Highlights: Age of Conan: Valeria #4, Agents of Atlas #4, Catwoman #17, Doctor Who: The Thirteenth Doctor Holiday Special #1, The Dollhouse Family #1, Elvira: Mistress of the Dark #10, Firefly: The Sting, Future Foundation #4, Ghosted in LA #5, GI Joe: A Real American Hero #268, Girl on Film, Go Go Power Rangers #25, Harley Quinn & Poison Ivy #3, History of the Marvel Universe #5, Marvel Action: Spider-Man #11, Midnight Vista #3, Moonshine #13, Runaways #27, RWBY (print) #2, RWBY (digital) #6, Savage Sword of Conan #11, Star Wars #74, Star Wars: Jedi - Fallen Order: Dark Temple #4, Star Wars: Target Vader #5, The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #50

Recommended Collections: Babyteeth - Volume 3, Dark Red - Volume 1, Fallen World, GLOW - Volume 1: Versus the Star Primas, Justice League - Volume 4: The Sixth Dimension, Savage Avengers - Volume 1: City of Sickles, Star Wars: Age of Resistance - Heroes, Star Wars Adventures - Volume 7: Pomp and Circumstance, Wonder Twins - Volume 1: Activate

d. emerson eddy can hear the scratching at the walls of reality.

[matthewjhall1979]

A Review: Footnote by Trish Hopkinson

A Review: Footnote by Trish Hopkinson

I didn’t know quite what to expect from Trish Hopkinson’s poetry chapbook Footnote, and found myself entering into it with a somewhat dubious approach. Each of the twenty poems have a footnote, all of which inform the reader of whom the poem in question is influenced by or in tribute to; a concept I have never been particularly drawn to. At worst I expect the author might be riding a better known…

[ssddandme]

25 Magazines accepting nontraditional poetry and creative writing Most editors are happy to answer questions regarding submissions. If a lit mag seems like a good fit for your work and it happens to be a collaboration, found poem, or other more nontraditional form, contact them via email or on other social media to ask if they are open to such forms. If you […] via 25 lit mags to submit nontraditional & found poetry — Trish Hopkinson

[gun-roswell]

How To Market Your Poetry Online – guest blog post by Hayley Zelda – From Trish Hopkinson blog Not everyone in modern times truly appreciates poetry. It’s often linked to old sonnets and pretty love rhymes. But as a poet, you know there’s much … How To Market Your Poetry Online – guest blog post by Hayley Zelda

[newsmutproject]

An interview with the New Smut Project is now live on poet Trish Hopkinson’s website! We talk about the history of NSP and what we’re looking for in submissions. 

[batgovernor]

Resources: Robin Houghton's submissions list: UK and Ireland

Resources: Robin Houghton’s submissions list: UK and Ireland

Robin Houghton

Well-known British poet Robin Houghtonhas a blog that is also connected to her list of British and Irish poetry magazines, with information about their submission opportunities and requirements. This is similar to Trish Hopkinson’s blog and lists of predominantly American poetry magazines, with this major difference: Trish Hopkinson produces individually themed lists for the…

[kelliagodon]

Here's a list of poets who have committed to blogging at least once a week in 2018.

Kelli Russell Agodon- http://ift.tt/2l3gb0R;  

Donna Vorreyer – http://ift.tt/2lea358  

Carolee Bennett – http://ift.tt/2lea3Ca

Mary Biddinger – wordcage.blogspot.com/ 

Dave Bonta –  http://vianegativa.us

Jim Brock  http://ift.tt/2lea4Ge;

Angela T Carr   http://ift.tt/2bNW1Ug

Jill Crammond   http://ift.tt/2l33UJO;

Kate Debolt – http://ift.tt/2lea8ps

Heather Derr-Smith – ferhext.com/   

Risa Denenberg – http://ift.tt/2l4JTm4

Andrew Eickstead http://ift.tt/2lea9tw;

Jeannine Hall Gailey  – webbish6.com 

Erin Hollowell – http://www.beingpoetry.net . T

Trish Hopkinson  http://ift.tt/2e4cdC5

Jennifer Hudgens  http://ift.tt/2l3gg4F

Catherine Hume: http://ift.tt/2l4RDV8

Crystal Ignatowski – http://ift.tt/2lfBxrd

Charles Jensen – http://ift.tt/2l2x8Zm

Anita Olivia Koester – http://ift.tt/2lf3uza

Lakshmi – thiswinterheart.tumblr.com 

Courtney LeBlanc – wordperv.com   

Lorena P Matejowsky   http://ift.tt/2lbY48e   

Ann Michael – www.annemichael.wordpress.com

Amy Miller – http://ift.tt/1tpEHmZ

James Moore – jameswmoore.wordpress.com   

LouAnn Sheperd Muhm – https://louannmuhm.com/

January Gill O’Neill  – http://ift.tt/2leagoW;.  

Shawnte Orion  http://ift.tt/2l1BHmQ

Susan Rich – http://ift.tt/2leagVY;.

Sarah Russell – http://ift.tt/2mWpIKd

Martha Silano: http://ift.tt/2l3gpVL

Bonnie Staiger –http://ift.tt/2leaiNA

Hannah Stephenson – http://ift.tt/2l3gqch

Stephanie Lane Sutton athenasleepsin.wordpress.com

Christine Swint –  http://ift.tt/2lf3uPG;  

Dylan Tweney – http://ift.tt/2cpCG9c

Michael Allyn Wells: http://ift.tt/2leak8a

Bookmark these bloggers! I'm going to be adding them to my sidebar shorly!

___________________ Blog posts topics you may see here and on other blogs:

craft discussions

reviews/sharing reading lists

poem drafts

process discussions

Successes and failures

interviews

prompts

market news/suggestions

news of the “writing world”

ANYTHING that could be interesting to a reader

My goal is to post at least ONCE a week, and more polished blog posts will end up on my Medium page (http://ift.tt/1InToVO)

NOTE: If you aren't listed and want to add your name, go to Donna's blog and leave a comment on this post: http://ift.tt/2l1x248 Make sure to include YOUR NAME (as you would like it listed) and A LINK TO YOUR BLOG -- she will be adding people next week and once a week from then on. (There seems to be a group forming!)

Looking forward to being back in the blogging world!

See you in 2018! 

~ Kells ________________   www.agodon.com  http://ift.tt/11bAs7h http://ift.tt/2lea2y6

[tlhopkinson]

Poetry Podcast "Assiduous Dust #4: Trish Hopkinson + Rick Lupert" with Joshua Corwin

Poetry Podcast “Assiduous Dust #4: Trish Hopkinson + Rick Lupert” with Joshua Corwin

I had an amazing time speaking with Joshua Corwin who recently and singlehandedly created the poetry podcast Assiduous Dustwhere he hosts a poetry interview and performance with guests. He asks guests to make up poems on the fly or read their own. For episode #4, Corwin I chat with Corwin, talk poetry advocacy, read some poems, and create a found poem on the fly, in exquisite corpse style. You…

[shereewrites]

I'm honored to have three poems published in From The Ashes: An international anthology of womxn's poetry edited by Amanda McLeod & Mela Blust of Animal Heart Press. It includes a wide variety of womxn poets, including Alexis Rhone Fancher, Trish Hopkinson, Kai Coggin, and Francesca Bell. All proceeds from the sale of this anthology will be donated to international womxn's charities. The book is officially published and is available for purchase now! (Blurb from Trish) https://www.animalheartpress.net/p/purchase-from-ashes.html The first charity that will be benefiting from this book is UN Women. Books are available for $15 and Kindle copies are $4.99. #fromtheashes Editors Amanda McLeod and Mela Blust have curated a collection of poems that tell the stories of the journey, trials, and triumphs of womxn. In this book, womxn share their most authentic, inner selves; their challenges and their victories; the words they wish they could say; the legacy they dream of for the womxn of the future. With over 50 poets, some internationally acclaimed and others making their publication debut, this stunning anthology captures the voices of womxn around the world. https://www.instagram.com/p/B4WB8gqBiOx/?igshid=1l0nug8p8uqof