I am honoured and privileged that the following poets, local, national and international have agreed to be interviewed by me. I gave the writers two options: an emailed list of questions or a more fluid interview via messenger.
The usual ground is covered about motivation, daily routines and work ethic, but some surprises too. Some of these poets you may know, others may be new to you. I hope you enjoy the experience as much as I do.
Jamie Dedes
describes herself as “Poet and writer, I was once columnist and associate editor of a regional employment publication. Currently I run this site, The Poet by Day, an information hub for poets and writers. I am the managing editor of The BeZine published by The Bardo Group Beguines (originally The Bardo Group), a virtual arts collective I founded. I am a weekly contributor to Beguine Again, a…
Featured this week: Paul Brookes, Irma, Sonja Benskin Mesher, and Carol Mikoda,
I hope you’ll visit participating poets and get to know them. It’s important for us to support and encourage one another in our art and in our solidarity around concerns for the social and ethical issues we care about, even if we disagree. Respectful discussion is a healthy thing. I’ve linked in blogs for each poet and for your convenience. If the poet doesn’t have a blog, it’s likely you can catch up with her/him on Facebook.
Paul Brookes
FYI: Paul Brookes, a stalwart participant in Wednesday Writing Prompt, is running a series on poets, Wombwell Rainbow Interviews. Five in the series are already completed and posted. Worth your time. I believe Paul has ten planned altogether and I’m honored to be among those that are upcoming. So visit him, enjoy the interviews, get introduced to some poets who may be new to you, and learn a few things.
Join with us for the next Wednesday Writing Prompt. All are welcome – encouraged – to join in: novice, emerging or pro. It’s about exercising our imagination and our writing muscle, showcasing our efforts and getting to know other poets. This is a safe discerning place to share.
An Open
hand this petal an invite
to the best party
where laughter is plenty
walk through this wood,
let your cityself take same walk, see
buildings as lone trees,
homeless hostel
is an oak, butchers
a willow that bends
down over the stream
where jammed traffic swims.
A dead bird breathes
animated by flies
is a man in the corner who sings
the blues to passers.
Sonja Benskin Mesher, RCA paintings (This is her Facebook page, so you can connect with her there as well as view photographs of her colorful paintings.)
profoundly subtle cricket silence
that is not really
silence might not even
be only crickets but
powerful trigger of nightmares
deeply delicate evolution of leaves
first red maples edging
marshes eventually stunning yellow
of tall singular poplars
keenly subdued morning light
reaching resistantly sleepy eyes
intensely indistinct chill spice
of damp morning air
Poet and writer, I was once columnist and associate editor of a regional employment publication. Currently I run this site, The Poet by Day, an information hub for poets and writers. I am the managing editor of The BeZine published by The Bardo Group Beguines (originally The Bardo Group), a virtual arts collective I founded. I am a weekly contributor to Beguine Again, a site showcasing spiritual writers.
My work is featured in a variety of publications and on sites, including: Levure littéraure, Ramingo’s Porch, Vita Brevis Literature,Compass Rose, Connotation Press, The Bar None Group, Salamander Cove, Second Light, I Am Not a Silent Poet, Meta / Phor(e) /Play, and California Woman.
Thank you for sharing your love of words. Comments will appear after moderation.
Therefore to this dog will I,
Tenderly not scornfully,
Render praise and favor:
With my hand upon his head,
is my benediction said
Therefore, and or ever.
– Elizabeth Barret Browning, excerpt from To Flush, My Dog
CALLS FOR SUBMISSIONS
Opportunity Knocks
THE A3 REVIEW, Prose * Poetry * Art publishes a magazine that folds out like a map and includes winners of regularly held contests. Entry fee. Cash awards. Details HERE.
BARROW STREET 4×2 is open for submissions of poems by poets who who haven’t as yet had a chapbook or full-length collect published. $3 submission fee. Payment: 2 copies. Details HERE.
CHA: AN ASIAN LITERARY JOURNAL publishes works from and about Asia. The editors are currently seeking submissions for the Eleventh Anniversary Issue. Calls for Asian-themed poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction, photograph and art. Deadline: 30 September 2018. English only. Details HERE.
COAL CITY REVIEW & PRESS – Poetry, Fiction, Review & More will consider submissions from experienced and novice writers of literary poetry, short stories, flash and short-short. Details HERE.
DIAPHANOUS PRESS welcomes “creative work that challenges and blurs the boundaries of genre and styles/schools of literature and visual art. We champion polyphony, multiple POVs, language-centered texts vs. the conventional “I-centered” lyric, poetic and narrative “density” (compression), prose poetry, hybrid, hyper-text, micro-fiction; literature that is beautiful and/or unusual. READING PERIOD: please contact Krysia Jopek at diaphanouspress@gmail.com to query before submitting your art or writing.” Diaphonous Press publishes poetry, fiction, and visual arts. More detail HERE.
EAST OF THE WEB, Short Stories offers writers “exposure for writers by offering them a place where their work will be seen and read in a high quality, respected setting. The site receives about half a million unique visitors per month, so successful submissions are likely to be viewed by more readers than in almost any other short story publication. In addition, the site receives attention from agents, the press, film makers, schools, universities and other publishers.” Details HERE.
GREEN MOUNTAIN REVIEW – online – publishes poetry, essays, fiction, interviews, book reviews, art, audio and visual work. Submission fees. Details HERE.
GULF STREAM LIT MAG, South Florida’s Literary Current is open for submissions of fiction, nonfiction, poetry and artwork through November 1. Details HERE. Mark your calendar to check out their annual summer contest: June 1 – August 31.
HARPUR PALATE publishes creative nonfiction and poetry. The reading period for the winter issue runs through November 15. Details HERE.
POET LORE accepts submissions through November 30 via submittable and snail mail. Details HERE.
THE POETRY FOUNDATION’S POETRY MAGAZINE is now reopened on September 1 after its August hiatus. No submission fees. A paying market. Details HERE.
THIRD COAST MAGAZINE will open calls for submissions of nonfiction, fiction, poetry, drama, essays, drama, and book reviews on September 15. Details HERE.
THE HUDSON REVIEW, A Magazine of Literature and the Arts, is closed at this time for poetry and nonfiction by will consider fiction through November 1. Details HERE.
IMAGE JOURNAL Art * Faith * Mystery welcomes submissions that reflect “sustained” engagement with Western faith traditions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam). This quarterly journal publishes poetry, fiction, essays, interviews, translation, and artist profiles. This publisher also considers essays for Good Letters, a daily blog. Details HERE.
JUKED will consider submissions of fiction, poetry, and nonfiction. No submission fees. No payment. Details HERE.
KENYON REVIEW opens its reading period on September 15 and closes it on November 15 for both the Review and KROnline. The editors will consider short fiction and essays, poetry, plays, excerpts from larger work and poetry and short prose in translation. Details HERE.
PRESENCE, A JOURNAL OF CATHOLIC POETRY “the aim of which is to show the human soul in action, moved by God’s grace in any number of ways” is open for submissions through October 1, 2018. The third annual issue is scheduled for publication in April 2019. Details HERE.
SOCIAL JUSTICE ANTHOLOGIES and THE BEAUTIFUL CADAVER PROJECT PITTSBURGH has an open call for submission for its 2019 anthology The Two Dreamers: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Anne Frank. Deadline: September 30, 2018.Submit 1-5 poems, prose to 5,000 words, and dramatic work 15 pages or less. Details HERE.
SUBTROPICS, The Literary Journal of the University of Florida is open for submissions through October 31. The editors will consider stories, essays, and poetry.Submission fee: $3. For stories and essays, Subtropics pays a flat fee of $1,000 ($500 for a short short) for North American first serial rights. Poets are paid $100 per poem. Details HERE.
THE BeZINE, Be Inspired, Be Creative, Be Peace, Be. Submissions for the December issue – themed A Life of the Spirit – closes on November 10 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific .
Please send text in the body of the email not as an attachment. Send photographs or illustrations as attachments. No google docs or Dropbox or other such. No rich text. Send submissions to bardogroup@gmail.com.
Publication is December 15th. Poetry, essays, fiction and creative nonfiction, art and photography, music (videos or essays), and whatever lends itself to online presentation is welcome for consideration.
No demographic restrictions.
Please read at least one issue. We DO NOT publish anything that promotes hate, divisiveness or violence or that is scornful or in any way dismissive of “other” peoples.
December 2018 issue, Deadline November 10th, Theme: A Life of the Spirit
The BeZine is an entirely volunteer effort, a mission. It is not a paying market but neither does it charge submission or subscription fees.
Previously published work may be submitted IF you hold the copyright. Submissions from beginning and emerging artists as well as pro are encouraged and we have a special interest in getting more submissions of short stores, feature articles, music videos and art for consideration.
Reminder:
ATTENTION EDITORS AND PUBLISHERS
BEST OF THE NET ANTHOLOGY
Open call for submissions of poems, stories, essays, creative nonfiction to be considered for a Best of the Net Anthology published by Sundress Publications. Submissions must come from editors of journal, chapbook, zine and so on. Deadline is September 30, 2018. Details HERE.
COMPETITIONS
Opportunity Knocks
2O18 FRONTIER AWARD FOR NEW POETS (reminder) closes on September 15. $20 submission fee. Award: $3,000 for first prize. Second and third: $300 and $200.Details HERE.
6th Ó Bhéal Five Words International Poetry Competition runs through 29 January 2019. Each week five words will be posted and entrants have one week to compose and submit using all five words. Award: 500 euros and invitation to attend Ó Bhéal anniversary with some travel and accommodation costs covered. Details HERE.
SARTON WOMEN’S BOOK AWARDS is open for submissions through November 2018. Details HERE.
WERGLE FLOMP HUMOR POETRY CONTEST seeks out the best humor poets is open through April 1, 2019. No entry fee. Cash award: up to $1,000. Details HERE.
KUDOS TO
Michael Dickel (Meta /Phor(e) /Play – Words, Images, & More) Finishing Line Press has agreed to publish Nothing Remembers, Michael’s latest poetry collection. Publication is scheduled for Summer 2019. Michael is also the associate editor of The BeZine and you can read a selection of three poems from Nothing Remembers inThe BeZine 4:3 (Dec 15, 2017). Michael was also received three awards from Feedspot: one of the top 25 poetry blogs, one of the top 100 literary blogs, and one of the top 100 writing logs. Rock on, Michael. 🙂
Amy Barry for inclusion in a rather unusual exhibition: Beneath Western Skies an exhibition that will be launched this October 19th and 20th at the SiarScéal exhibition in Ireland. Amy also had two poems published by Live Encounters.
Sharmila Pupu Mitra for the acceptance of collection Makeshift Melodies (Norton Press). Pub date to be announced.
Sonja Benskin Mesher for her work featured and awarded by some many organizations it’s impossible to keep track. Most recently her art was featured at the Open Arts Forum.
REUBEN WOOLEY for his poem Brown Shoes / No Laces in the International Times. There’s been lots of good news for Reuben. He also publishes i am not a silent poet – a magazine or poetry and artwork protesting against abuse in any of its forms and a Facebook counterpart, which has nearly 6,000 members.
The Poet by Day always available online with poems, poets and writers, news and information.
The Poet by Day, Wednesday Writing Prompt, online every week (except for vacation) and all are invited to take part no matter the stage of career or status. Poems related to the challenge of the week (always theme based not form based) will be published here on the following Tuesday.
The Poet by Day, Sunday Announcements. Every week (except for vacation) opportunity knocks for poets and writers. Due to other weekend commitments, this post will often go up late.
THE BeZINE, Be Inspired, Be Creative, Be Peace, Be – always online HERE.
Beguine Again, daily inspiration and spiritual practice – always online HERE. Beguine Again is the sister site to The BeZine.
YOUR SUNDAY ANNOUNCEMENTS may be emailed to thepoetbyday@gmail.com. Please do so at least a week in advance.
If you would like me to consider reviewing your book, chapbook, magazine or film, here are some general guidelines:
send PDF to jamiededes@gmail.com (Note: I have a backlog of six or seven months, so at this writing I suggest you wait until June 2018 to forward anything.Thank you!)
nothing that foments hate or misunderstanding
nothing violent or encouraging of violence
English only, though Spanish is okay if accompanied by translation
your book or other product should be easy for readers to find through your site or other venues.
TO CONTACT ME WITH ANNOUNCEMENTS AND OTHER INFORMATION FOR THE POET BY DAY: thepoetbyday@gmail.com
TO CONTACT ME REGARDING SUBMISSIONS FOR THE BeZINE: bardogroup@gmail.com
PLEASE do not mix the communications between the two emails.
Often information is just that–information– and not necessarily recommendation. I haven’t worked with all the publications or other organizations featured in my regular Sunday Announcements or other announcements shared on this site. Awards and contests are often (generally) a means to generate income, publicity and marketing mailing lists for the host organizations, some of which are more reputable than others. I rarely attend events anymore. Caveat Emptor: Please be sure to verify information for yourself before submitting work, buying products, paying fees or attending events et al.
Poet and writer, I was once columnist and associate editor of a regional employment publication. I currently run this site, The Poet by Day, an information hub for poets and writers. I am the managing editor of The BeZine published by The Bardo Group Beguines (originally The Bardo Group), a virtual arts collective I founded. I am a weekly contributor to Beguine Again, a site showcasing spiritual writers. My work is featured in a variety of publications and on sites, including: Levure littéraure, Ramingo’s Porch, Vita Brevis Literature,Compass Rose, Connotation Press, The Bar None Group, Salamander Cove, Second Light, I Am Not a Silent Poet, Meta / Phor(e) /Play, and California Woman. My poetry was recently read byNorthern California actor Richard Lingua for Poetry Woodshed, Belfast Community Radio. I was featured in a lengthy interview on the Creative Nexus Radio Show where I was dubbed “Poetry Champion.”
“Nature never did betray The heart that loved her.” William Wordsworth
Steal what you will, my friends,
of small things. Dē minimīs nōn cūrat lēx.
The law takes no account of trifles,
though the recommended thefts
are not trifles to me.
In the heat of summer, I have stollen
the scent of roses for my skin
and the tantalizing aroma of
night-blooming jasmine.
It wafts through the house,
settling gently in my lungs.
In winter snowflakes appeal.
Steal dozens to line the drawers of
your memories, to keep them fresh.
Lazy motes of yellow moon-dust
are recommended. Let them
color your dreams with light,
your awakening with hope.
In stealth gather butterflies and bees into
rhapsodies. Loot the world’s dragonflies to
stitch beauty and cadence into your poetry.
Steal from your children too. Their hugs
are nontoxic, tonic for heart health.
The theft of your mother’s laugh
will sooth you mind, rest assured.
In flight, pluck away the cloud fluff
that hangs above the mountains below.
Cloud fluff is best for nightgowns, sexy
and sheer and lined with spun silver. Yes! Have at it, my friends …
Steal what you will
of small things. Dē minimīs nōn cūrat lēx.
The law takes no account of trifles,
though the recommended thefts
are not trifles to me
What among natures gifts do you cherish, the free gifts of life that marketers don’t sully and that are ours for the taking. Tells us what, why, how and when in your own poem/s.
Share your poem/s on theme or a link to it/them in the comments section below.
All poems on theme will be published next Tuesday. Please do NOT email your poem to me or leave it on Facebook. If you do it’s likely I’ll miss it or not see it in time.
IF this is your first time joining us for The Poet by Day, Wednesday Writing Prompt, please send a brief bio and photo to me at thepoetbyday@gmail.com to introduce yourself to the community … and to me :-). These will be partnered with your poem/s on first publication.
PLEASE send the bio ONLY if you are with us on this for the first time AND only if you have posted a poem (or a link to one of yours) on theme in the comments section below.
Deadline: Monday, September 3 by midnight Pacific time.
Anyone may take part Wednesday Writing Prompt, no matter the status of your career: novice, emerging or pro. It’s about exercising the poetic muscle, showcasing your work, and getting to know other poets who might be new to you. This is a discerning nonjudgemental place to connect.
Poet and writer, I was once columnist and associate editor of a regional employment publication. Currently I run this site, The Poet by Day, an information hub for poets and writers. I am the managing editor of The BeZine published by The Bardo Group Beguines (originally The Bardo Group), a virtual arts collective I founded. I am a weekly contributor to Beguine Again, a site showcasing spiritual writers.
My work is featured in a variety of publications and on sites, including: Levure littéraure, Ramingo’s Porch, Vita Brevis Literature,Compass Rose, Connotation Press, The Bar None Group, Salamander Cove, Second Light, I Am Not a Silent Poet, Meta / Phor(e) /Play, and California Woman.
Thank you for sharing your love of words. Comments will appear after moderation.
Jamie Dedes' THE POET BY DAY Webzine 