mariness

So last week the latest issue of Mythic Delirum, containing my poem, "Gleaming," arrived in my mailbox, with its cover of a freaky snowman and an interior of marvelous poems. I've just started dipping into the words and am caught, as always, by the magic.

"Gleaming" is the poem that I submitted completely by accident, not even realizing that I'd done so until weeks later. And by "completely by accident" I mean that I was so unaware that it was in the file I submitted that I didn't name it in the title of the file or on my cover letter, learning that I'd sent it along with three other poems (which I did list on the cover letter and in Excel) only weeks later on Twitter. From the editor. Oh well. The perils of copying and pasting and going through about five different combinations of poems to sell.

In related news, Mike Allen, the editor, rejected the three poems I so carefully picked out, assuming he would love, and grabbed this one instead. Which says something about my ability to figure out what editors will or won't love.

In unrelated to my incompetence news, Mythic Delirium is about to switch from print to ezine form, so you might want to grab one last print issue while you can.

I have other thoughts, but I don't seem to be caffeinated enough to express them, so, more blogging later.

The inaugural issue of Through the Gate has just been published, led off by my poem, Rahab. It also contains poems by several other marvelous poets, including Rose Lemberg, Sonya Taaffe, Michele Bannister, Adrienne Odasso and many more.

I'm extremely pleased to be part of the launch of this (and kinda stunned that my poem started things off...that I wasn't expecting.) If you need some myth and magic in your day today, given in words dripping with beauty, this would be where to start.

1. So while I was mostly out of it over the last few days, the goblins released the latest issue of Goblin Fruit, which contains my little poem Reversals But that's not important. What's actually important is that, as a special gift to me, the editors INCLUDED VILLANELLES. IN THE PLURAL. Here is C.S.E. Cooney's It Only Takes a Cauldron and a Dash of Thyme, AND ONE WITH A HURRICANE, Melissa Frederick's Hurricane Ophelia (no, really!). The issue has some other remarkable pieces in it as well, so go read it already.

(Mind you, I also sense that this means C.S.E. Cooney is about to outclass all of us again at the next poetry reading, but she just does that sort of thing.)

2. Also while I was out of it Freddy the Pig reread trotted on with chatter about Freddy the Cowboy. I think the next Heyer post should be up tomorrow -- there's been some hiccups in that process, mostly involving me, but I'm hoping we'll be back on an iffy schedule for that one soon.

3. Finally, not about me, but I'm very pleased to announce that the Kickstarter for Clockwork Phoenix 4 managed to get fully funded. Which means that the goals just got a little loftier. If it gets just a bit more money -- say, hitting the $8000 mark -- editor Mike Allen will be able to pay professional rates. So, if you were considering this (and bear in mind that backers get ebooks and particularly generous backers get ebooks AND JEWELRY), consider harder!

(Course, this means I should probably think of actually writing something for this anthology, Hmm. Hmm. Hmm.)

First, the very good news: Issue 7 of Bull Spec is finally here, featuring the usual mix of excellent short fiction and fascinating interviews, along with a small poem, "Laurels," by yours truly. You can pick up either a print (directly from Bull Spec) or online (through Weightless Books or Wizard's Tower Books) edition.

Second, for those of you heading to Wiscon, I'm pleased to note that you'll be able to find my little poem "Encantada" in Stone Telling's Here, We Cross chapbook, which will be available at the con. Also available at the con, a book I'm not in, but which is also edited by the same person who brought us Stone Telling in the first place, Rose Lemberg: The Moment of Change. Rumor has it that if you go to the launch party for that particular book you will get cookies. Excellent poetry AND cookies, yay!

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In hopefully untrue news, Twitter is reporting the death of Gabriel Garcia Marquez. His work has had a pretty profound influence on me, and this is sad news. ETA: Internet hoax.

What with various things going on this week, including yesterday's and today's addition of major (and needed) public utility work just across and down the street and about to be just outside the house, I completely missed that my poem Tongueless just went up at Strange Horizons a couple of days ago.

I had more to say about this, but the drilling is making poetic thoughts kinda difficult, so I'll just leave you with: Enjoy!

1. As I announced in a couple places elsewhere, my poem Snowmelt was nominated for a Rhysling Award.

I don't often have favorites among my poems, but "Snowmelt" was one of the rare poems that entirely satisfied me, and hands down the poem I was proudest of last year. I have, you see, a slight – very slight – obsession with structured poetry, but I can only rarely make it work. "Snowmelt," which mingles a triolet, rondeau, pantoum and a sonnet in with other mirrored and structured works, takes that obsession to new levels, and I'm delighted that someone else has decided to indulge my obsession with a nice nod of recognition.

Assuming the goblins cooperate, I believe we'll have a bit more news about Goblin Fruit, where this poem initially appeared, in the next few days....although you never quite know with goblins. Tricksy creatures, they be.

2. And since it's Thursday, it must be time for another Tor.com post, this one about A Wind in the Door. I'll also note that people have already started chattering about A Severed Wasp in the comments on earlier posts, which suggests that we'll be having some interesting comments once we get to that book (not for a few more weeks.)

3. A few other good and interesting things are happening on the publishing front that I can't blog about quite yet, but, well, as they say, watch this space. Nothing good is happening on the writing front, where my work in progress can be best compared to that of a turtle who has decided that, you know, even this crawling thing is Too. Much. I've just been too tired to think clearly.

....why is the Batman theme song playing outside?

Anyway. Off to try to trick out a few more words.

Mythic Delirium #25 is here! Purchase information at the link, and yes, you want to purchase, you do, because this particular issue has a couple of poems by me and also includes poems by such luminaries as Catherynne Valente (catvalente), Sonya Taaffe (who incidentally also has a new poetry collection available from Papaveria Press, Rose Lemberg (rose_lemberg), Mary Turzillo, Rachel Manija Brown, and others.

One of these others is Ann K. Schwader, who I mention because this is the first time I've ever appeared on the same table of contents with the same person twice in more or less one month -- she also has some excellent work available in Future Lovecraft. That's either awesome, or further proof that Cthulhu's influence is spreading. Let's go with the explanation of awesome. Much safer that way.

Issue two of Inkscrawl is up today, featuring my little poem The Sea Torn Heart, along with work from Sonya Taaffe (sovay), Alex Dally MacFarlane, Alexandra Seidel, and many others. Inkscrawl focuses on minimalist - i.e., short - poems; some of you will be shocked to find out that I could write anything brief, but it happens, as you'll see here.

Have I mentioned how much I love this zine, as well as the proliferation of zines that either sneak some speculative poetry in or drown in it? Such a marvelous change from the days when finding these sorts of poems was a rare event, something that left me hungry for more, without knowing where that more could be found.

And speaking of Alexandra Seidel, she's also the poetry editor over at Fantastique Unfettered, whose third issue should be coming out this week. I just got a sneak peek of the issue emailed to me, and I can say it looks awesome (PLUS MY STORY HAS A DRAGON ILLUSTRATION and WHY YES I'M SHOUTING ABOUT THIS BECAUSE DRAGON=AWESOME!) and I'll have more to say once I've had a chance to read through it.

My poem, Encantada, loosely based – very loosely based – on some of the legends of the pink dolphins of the Amazon River (Inia geoffrensis), is up at Stone Telling today, along with a powerful poem by Amal El-Mohtar, aka tithenai, Pieces. (I am trying not to be jealous that her poem is so much better than mine and, I must admit, failing badly.)

Also in the issue: Karen Joy Fowler, better known to most of you as the author of The Jane Austen Book Club, but known to write award-winning genre stuff now and again; the fabulous Nisi Shawl, who won the Tiptree for Filter House, and other amazing people.

While I'm talking poetry, if you haven't read ink scrawl, yet, do so. Especially recommended: Reb Yoel's Violin, by Rose Lemberg, and Unland, Unlife by Mike and Anita Allen, but everything in the issue is lovely, boding very well for the future of this journal.

In marked contrast to the last few poems, this is not a serious poem in any way, although based on a real life experience/thought, but it amused me. Here you go:

FRUIT

Her white coat shines
in the cold lamps,
the glow of the screens.
Click click
on the keyboard
tap tap on the mouse.

Refined sugars, bad.
Vegetables, good.
And fruit, fruit.
Ah, fruit.

Here. Nibble on this.
Taste the fruit,
the fresh fresh seeds.

The succulent fruit.

And forget – oh forget –
those refined sugars,
those cookies and cakes,
ice cream and candies,
sugared castles and
honeyed sweets,
decadent desserts,
and rich syrups
forget, forget.

Remember the fruit.
Oh, that succulent fruit.

And try to forget that
just a few seeds of fruit,
the tiniest nibble,
the barest taste,
was enough to condemn
a woman to spend
at least a few months
of each year
in hell.