Friday, December 26, 2008

The Harlem Book Fair 2009 - Early Registration by March 27th




The 11th
HARLEM BOOK FAIR
Saturday July 18, 2009
11:00 AM - 6:00 PM
(No Rain Date)
@
West 135th Street from Malcolm X Blvd.
to Frederick Douglass Blvd.

BUILDING READERS, BUILDING COMMUNITY

DOWNLOAD COMPLETE 2009 EXHIBITOR APPLICATION


Book Sellers, Publishers, Small Presses, Authors, Art & Cultural Vendors* & Food Vendors**!

Register early (by March 27th, 2009) and save!

Final Registration Deadline: June 26th, 2009.


*Limited to 40 Art & Cultural Vendors. First come, first serve. Sorry no exceptions.
**Limited to 6 Food Vendors. First come, first serve. Sorry no exceptions.


The Harlem Book Fair, the largest African American book Fair nationally, held annually in New York City and throughout the United States is produced by QBR The Black Review.


The Harlem Book Fair, which free to the public, features over 250 exhibit booths, four stages, celebrity authors, book selling, storytelling and a variety of musical entertainment.


The program of activities includes an opportunity for attendees to be a part of the studio audience for the author panel discussions that take place at the Schomburg Center for Research and air live on C-Span’s Book TV.


For additional information, call (212) 348.1681 or email: hbf@qbr.com
Or visit us online at http://www.harlembookfair.com/

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Queer Collection, Poetry & Prose - Deadline: December 31

Queer Collection Logo

Queer Collection: Poetry & Prose 2008

Fabulist Flash Publishing

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: QUEER COLLECTION, POETRY AND PROSE
Deadline: December 31, 2008
Publication Date: June 2009

What we're looking for: Creative original prose and poetry by and for a gay, lesbian, bi, transgender, and queer audience. Fiction, nonfiction, and poetry will be considered. Some previously published material will be considered including stories, articles, and book excerpts.

You may submit a combination of up to 5 pieces of prose or poetry. Prose up to 3000 words Poetry up to 40 lines. Payment on publication: $25.00

What we're not looking for: Pornography or graphic erotica.

Submission Guidelines:
Cover Page should include: Title, Byline, Word Count, Full Name and Address, Phone and e-mail address. If previously published, please indicate date and source.

Format: Header with Last Name, Title, Page Number; 1" margins; 12 point Times New Roman or Currier New font; Prose, Double Spaced; Poetry spaced as intended for publication; Include your bio (up to 150 words) as the last page of your submission.

Mail to:
Gregory A. Kompes, Editor
The Queer Collection
Fabulist Flash Publishing
PO Box 570368
Las Vegas, NV 89157

For More Info:
http://www.queercollection.com/
Editor@QueerCollection.com
http://www.fabulistflashpublishing.com/
702-870-8314



Thanks to Ellen Bass for providing this listing.

2nd Annual Award for Prose Fiction: Postmark Deadline December 31


NO FEE CONTEST FOR PROSE FICTION (UNDER 1000 WORDS) PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED IN 2008:

The Micro Award is presented annually to a work of prose fiction written in English, not above 1000 words in length. Poetry, performance scripts, non-fiction, translated fiction, excerpts from longer works of fiction, and visual art with literary texts are all ineligible.


Stories considered for the 2nd Annual Micro Award must have been published originally in 2008. Qualifying venues are any form of print or electronic publication designed for public display and subject to a process of editorial selection


Stories must be mailed this December and received by January 15, 2009. I have closed our post office box, and submissions should be mailed to 683 E. 4th, Chico CA 95928 .


Robert Laughlin, Micro Award Administrator

For more details please visit our official website:
http://www.microaward.com/

Special thanks to Adam Henry Carriere for providing this listing.

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Best Gay/Best Lesbian Poetry 2009 Seeking Nominations - Deadline January 31

For the 2009 editions of this exciting new series celebrating the best in gay/lesbian poetry, A Midsummer Night's Press invites submissions of poems PUBLISHED during 2008 for


BEST GAY POETRY edited by Lawrence Schimel

BEST LESBIAN POETRY edited by Linda Alvarez


Poems can have appeared in print or online magazines, journals, or anthologies; we are also willing to consider poems from books or chapbooks published in 2008, even if the poem was originally published previously in periodicals--so long as the poet has the right to reprint the poem.

We are open to all styles of poetry, from formal to free verse; we are likewise open-minded in terms of content, so long as it somehow fits (even if pushing the boundaries of) what might be considered "gay poetry" or "lesbian poetry".

We are willing to consider slam poetry, so long as it has been published in text form, not merely performed; the poem must also work on the page, for these anthologies.

We are open to English-language poetry from all over the world, and actively look to include non-North American voices.

Please title documents with the poet's surname.

Please include contact information (both street and email address), bio, and where the poem was published WITHIN the .doc file, as documents will be read separately from the emails.

Submissions from individual poets or queries should be sent by email in .doc format to one of the following addresses, as appropriate:

BestGayPoetry@gmail.com

BestLesbianPoetry@gmail.com

Deadline is January 31, 2009.

In each volume, A Midsummer Night's Press also plans to include a round-up of all books/journals/anthologies of gay/lesbian poetry published the previous year. (We also welcome recommendations or suggestions of appropriate poems from editors of journals, anthologies, or presses.)

Books and journals for review can be sent to the attention of the appropriate editor at:

A Midsummer Night's Press
16 West 36th Street
2nd Floor
New York NY 10018
amidsummernightspress@gmail.com
http://www.amidsummernightspress.com/


About the Editors

Linda Alvarez is the editor of the anthologies Best Lesbian Poetry 2008 (A Midsummer Night's Press), Best Date Ever: True Stories That Celebrate Lesbian Relationships (Alyson) and Dyke the Halls: Erotic Lesbian Christman Tales (Circlet) and lives in New York City.

Lawrence Schimel is an award-winning author and anthologist who has published over 90 books, including First Person Queer (Arsenal Pulp), Two Boys in Love (Seventh Window), The Future is Queer (Arsenal Pulp), PoMoSEXUALS (Cleis), and Two Hearts Desire (St. Martin's Press), as well as Best Gay Poetry 2008 (A Midsummer Night's Press). His first collection of poems written in Spanish, Desayuno en la Cama (Desatada/Egales), was published in 2008. He also edited the first (and so far only) anthology of gay love poetry to appear in Catalan, Ells S'Estimen (Llibres de l'Index). His poems have appeared in a diverse array of periodicals, from The Christian Science Monitor to Physics Today to The Lyric, and have been widely anthologized in Gay Love Poetry, The Practice of Peace, Chicken Soup for the Horse-Lover's Soul 2, and The Random House Treasury of Light Verse, among others. He lives in Madrid, Spain.

About the Publisher:

A Midsummer Night's Press (http://www.amidsummernightspress.com/) is an independent publisher devoted primarily to poetry, publishing under three imprints: Fabula Rasa for work inspired by fairy tales or mythology, Funny Bones for light verse and humor, and Body Language for works exploring sexuality and queer subjects. The press' titles include This is What Happened in Our Other Life by Achy Obejas, Banalities by Brane Mozetic (translated by Elizabeta Zargi with Timothy Liu), The Good-Neighbor Policy: A Double-Cross in Double Dactyls by Charles Ardai, and Fairy Tales For Writers by Lawrence Schimel. A Midsummer Night's Press is distributed by SPD (http://www.spdbooks.org/).

Up And Under: The QND Review - Deadline December 30


Up And Under, The Quick and Dirty Poets Annual Review is now accepting submissions for their next publication.

Closing date is December 30, 2008 postmarked.


Check out http://www.quickanddirtypoets.com/ for Submissions Guideline or email qndpoets@yahoo.com

To submit via snail-mail:

Quick & Dirty Poets
P.O. Box 115
Hainesport, NJ 08036

Please include an SASE to receive a reply.

Via email:

Paste up to five poems in the body of an email;
NO ATTACHMENTS will be accepted.

Mail to qndpoets@yahoo.com with "Poetry Sub for Up and Under" in the subject line.


Payment will be 1 contributor's copy. No previously published poems. Simultaneous Submissions are acceptable with notification. We endeavor to respond in 2-3 months, and sooner if possible.

Up And Under is available through Maverick Duck Press and will also be available at Quick & Dirty Poets Readings or from this website. Click the publications link on the left to order Up and Under or any of the QND Chapbooks.

Call for Poetry: Poppyseed Kolaché #2

Poppyseed Kolaché Issue #1 of Poppyseed Kolache.
Contains 35 poems by 26 poets.



Poppyseed Kolaché Poetry Journal (ISSN 1938-0496)

Cover artwork shown at left is "Little Yellow House," copyright 2008, by Mary Agnes Dalrymple

Poppyseed Kolaché , a small-press poetry publication. The editor, Mary Agnes Dalrymple, published 7 issues of Blue Violin from 1996 through 2001 and is the current editor of Angel Face.
Note: Unlike other MaryAnka Press publications, Poppyseed Kolaché is not rosary based.

Submission Guidelines

Poppyseed Kolaché, a free-verse poetry publication, seeks strong visual poetry of the human experience for the inaugural issue.


The editor will consider any well-written poem, including prose poetry, but prefers visual poetry about or from everyday life. Wants to see poems that move both the heart and the mind and connect a reader's life to the lives of others.


Editor is open to most subjects, but does not want to see rhyming poetry, first drafts, erotica, didactic works, esoteric think pieces, or greeting card verse.


Do not submit via e-mail.


Poets published in Poppyseed Kolaché retain all rights to their work and will receive one free copy of the issue in which their poem or poems appear.


To submit, send up to 5 typed poems (one poem per page), plus SASE (self-addressed stamped envelope) to


Poppyseed Kolaché
c/o MaryAnka Press
P.O. Box 102
Huffman, TX 77336


Please include your name and address at the top of each poem. E-mail addresses are also helpful in case the editor needs to ask the poet a quick question. Simultaneous and previously published submissions okay with proper notification.


Poets published in Poppyseed Kolaché retain all rights to their work and will receive one free copy of the issue in which their poem(s) appear.


Note: Poems submitted to Poppyseed Kolaché may also be considered for a future issue of Angel Face. For information on this publication, please go to Angel Face Poetry Journal.


If, for some reason, you do not wish poetry submitted to Poppyseed Kolaché to be considered for Angel Face, please let me know in your cover letter.


____________________________________________________


Issue # 1 of Poppyseed Kolache is now available. Copies are desktop published, printed on acid-free paper and hand-bound with waxed Irish linen thread by the editor.


Cost per issue is $5.00 plus $2.00 postage and handling = $7.00 total. Texas residents please add an additional 32 cents sales tax.


Important: Please be sure to make checks payable to Mary Agnes Dalrymple as my bank may not accept your check otherwise.


For more information visit: http://www.maryanka.com/


Call for Red Wheelbarrow National Edition - January 31

RED WHEELBARROW LITERARY MAGAZINE

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: RED WHEELBARROW LITERARY MAGAZINE
Postmark deadline: January 31, 2008

Red Wheelbarrow, De Anza College’s Student literary magazine features fiction, poetry, drama, creative nonfiction, and visual art, invites you to submit for their spring "national" edition.
Email submissions are preferred, but snail mail is possible. Simultaneous submissions are acceptable. Please include a brief bio and your email, even if you are submitting by snail mail.

  • Poetry: up to 5 poems.
  • Fiction: 1 short story (up to 4,000 words), or up to 3 short-shorts.
  • Plays: 1 dramatic piece up to 4,000 words.
  • Creative Nonfiction: 1 piece up to 4,000 words.
  • Photographs/Drawings: up to 5 prints or digital files. Do not send originals. We require B&W work for the inside of the magazine, but color may be considered for the cover.
  • Comics: 1 brief graphic story.

We accept submissions from September 1 to January 31, read them from September to February, make final decisions in March, construct the magazine in March and April, and publish it by late spring (if the gods are willing).

You may submit via email to Randolph Splitter: splitterrandolph@deanza.edu

For snail mail submissions, enclose an SASE and/or an email address for reply to:

Red Wheelbarrowc/o Language Arts Division
DeAnza Community College
21250 Stevens Creek Blvd.
Cupertino, CA 95014

For more information and for a sampling of our back issues visit our website:
http://www.deanza.edu/redwheelbarrow/

Sunday, December 14, 2008

New from PWP: Green Rain by Mary Orovan

GREEN RAIN: Poems by Mary Orovan (Poets Wear Prada, December 2008) GREEN RAIN
Poems by Mary Orovan
Poets Wear Prada, December 2008
ISBN 978-0-9817678-5-7
Soft Cover/Saddle-stitched/20 pp.
$8.00 (+ $1.50 S&H)

Poets Wear Prada is pleased to announce the release of Green Rain, a poetry chapbook by Ms. Mary Orovan.

Here's what some readers have been saying about Mary Orovan's poems:

We really enjoy your use of imagery, descriptive language and insight.
Pat Swenson, Editor Emeritus, Avocet, A Journal of Nature Poems

Besides being wonderful poems they have an undercurrent, sometimes a flood-tide of sensuality, Eros and Thanatos, which gives the book a life above and beyond the beautiful words.
George Spencer, Co-host of ABC No Rio in NYC


To preview this book at Issuu.com go to http://issuu.com/pradapoet/docs/greenrainbymaryorovan?mode=embed&documentId=081210214505-cef39b698eb04be68c342cc674cd8aa6&layout=grass

To learn more about this new chapbook and for ordering information please visit Poets Wear Prada online at:

http://poetswearpradanj.home.att.net/



POETS WEAR PRADA
C/O Roxanne Hoffman
533 Bloomfield Street - 2nd Floor
Hoboken, NJ 07030
http://poetswearpradanj.home.att.net/
http://poetswearprada.blogspot.com/

POETS WEAR PRADA is a small press based in Hoboken, New Jersey devoted to introducing new authors through limited edition, high- quality chaplets, primarily of poetry.

New press, great authors, a publisher who is one miracle short of sainthood.
—Angelo Verga, Poetry Curator of The Cornelia Street Cafe

Poets Wear Prada is a poetry publishing house with excellent poets and affordable books with beautiful covers. Have you had your poetry today?
—Meredith Sue Willis, Books for Readers

Stylistically, these beautifully designed and produced chaplets bear their own distinctive signature.
—Linda Lerner, Small Press Review


Proud Member of CLMP

http://www.myspace.com/poetswearprada
http://www.youtube.com/pradapoet
http://gcast.com/u/pradapoet

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Submission Call:Six Sentences, Volume 2 - December 31

SIX SENTENCES
What can you say in six sentences?


Last April, the book pictured above literally rocked the world of publishing... and now, the time has come...to rock on!

The submission period for Six Sentences, Volume 2 – the highly anticipated, eagerly awaited follow-up to the original smash-hit (scheduled to be published in March) – is officially underway!
If you’d like to be part of the coolest anthology in town, just send your work to the brand new, specially created 6SV2 email address (sixsentencesv2@yahoo.com), and make sure the subject line of your email is 6SV2 SUBMISSION (or 6SV2 SUBMISSIONS if you're sending more than one – you may send two, but not more than two).

Your work must be previously unpublished, and the same 6S Writer's Guidelines apply.

The deadline for potential inclusion in the book is Wednesday, December 31st, 2008 (at midnight EST). A list of included authors will be published sometime in January.

Volume 2 will pack a bigger, juicier, deadlier punch than its predecessor, and include a few surprises guaranteed to blow you away!

Writer's Guidelines

It’s simple. Just write six sentences. Say anything you like. Send your work (including its title) along with your name (or pseudonym), your bio, and any links you’d like to include.


Formatting

Six Sentences uses a paragraph format. Six consecutive sentences. No poems, no bullets. The title of your piece should be no longer than 36 characters, including spaces (because 6x6=36). Again, say anything you like, and tell a friend. Have a cool day.


Robert McEvily
c/o MediaPost
1140 Broadway, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10001

http://sixsentences.blogspot.com/

Submisson Call: New Anthology On The Economy


HELICON NINE EDITIONS
3607 Pennsylvania • Kansas City, MO 64111


If we want to know what it felt like to be alive at any given moment in the long odyssey of the race, it is to poetry we must turn.…[It is] a form of spiritual testimony, the sign of the inviolable self consolidated against the enemies within and without that would corrupt or destroy human pride and dignity.

Stanley Kunitz



Greetings:


Philip Miller and I are soliciting poems for a new anthology, In the Black/In the Red: Poems of Profit & Loss, to be published by Helicon Nine Editions in June 2009. We are seeking poems about the economy: the financial crisis we face as individuals, as a nation, and as part of the globe. Poems may include topics such as wealth, poverty, labor, industry, unemployment, hunger, gluttony, fame, fortune, bankruptcy, the stock market, society, class, being “in” or being “out,” health, homelessness, the environment, oil. war, prison, immigration, and just plain cash (or the lack of it)—in short, any relevant metaphor for an economic boom gone belly up. We’ll also welcome poems in the spirit of Stendhal’s satiric novel, The Red and the Black (which inspired our title) about overfed, opulent, unscrupulous societies like that of Stendhal’s France, and ours.


Email submissions to: vandog@heliconnine.com and riverfrontreadings@yahoo.com

To avoid problems with accuracy, please type your poems into the body of the email and also include them as Word document attachments (we are unable to open Word Perfect documents). Please limit your submission to three poems of any length and in any style. Surprise us!

All kind thoughts,

Gloria Vando
Publisher/editor

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Liberated Muse, Volume I: How I Freed My Soul - Deadline December 31


Liberated Muse Productions is now accepting submissions for its anthology Liberated Muse, Volume I: How I Freed My Soul.

The deadline for submissions is December 31, 2008.


What Should I Submit?


We are looking for poetry, essays, short stories, visual art (paintings, drawings, photography) and prose submissions that deal with the theme "How I Freed My Soul".

Your work should illustrate "How I Freed My Soul" either in first person or through a pivotal character in your fiction work. Non-fiction accounts will be most appreciated.

Your work should give an idea of what your definition of freedom is at some point in the piece...

...is freedom the ability to do what you want to do professionally?

...is freedom a state of being or a way of thought?

...have you always been free?

...is it possible to be free?

...is there a person or place that represents freedom?

Format:
  • Submissions can be in poetry, visual artwork, prose, or essay form. We ask that if work is explicit, it be in the context of the story portrayed and not for the sake of being gratuitous, exploitive or merely shocking. This book will be marketed to an 18 year-old and older population, yet we do wish to appeal to a wide audience which may include high-school students.
  • Submissions should illustrate an example of when the author experienced or witnessed a moment when they felt truly "free", whatever that definition means to them.
  • All submissions should be authentic renderings by the person submitting the work. You can not submit work for your friend, relative, student, etc.
  • Submitted work should not be work that has been published in a book, magazine or online publication before. (This does not include online poetry sites that allow members to share and critique each other's work).
  • All authors and visual artists may submit up to three pieces for consideration.
    Work should be in a Word document (no pdfs) and should appear as you would like it to appear in the anthology
  • Please include your contact information at the bottom of each submission (Name, email address, phone number). Bios will be requested from those who are included in the anthology.


We suggest you send in your submission after getting constructive feedback. We will not contact you if your work is not chosen for the anthology. Authors whose work will be selected for the anthology will be notified by January 5, 2009 or earlier. All selected authors will be required to print off the Terms of Agreement form and sign it to authorize publication of the work.


Please check the Call for Submissons page for more details and updates: http://sites.google.com/site/liberatedmuseanthology/


About Us

Liberated Muse Productions (LMP) is an arts-based events planning group based in the Washington DC metropolitan area. LMP was created in 2007 by writers and community activists Maceo Thomas and Khadijah "Moon" Ali-Coleman. LMP's intent is to create events promoting artistry and awareness of issues pivotal to urban communities. LMP has become a network of dedicated artists and patrons of the arts. The Capital Hip Hop Soul Fest is an LMP landmark event. The inaugaral event in 2008 attracted numerous businesses and organizations to provide sponsorship or purchase vending space. Those present included: Peace Corps, the Washington Informer, Educate Online, Planned Parenthood, Mimi's Boutique Mix, Veg to Go and the Law Offices of Donovan Brown.

Liberated Muse Productions produced the 2008 Capital Hip Hop Soul Fest CD compilation which features artists who performed at the music festival. The CD is on sale and can be bought at www.CapitalHipHopSoulFest.com. Liberated Muse Productions operates a social networking site at www.LiberatedMuse.com

About the Editor

Khadijah Ali-Coleman is the editor for Liberated Muse Volume I: How I Freed My Soul. Ali-Coleman is a poet, photographer, playwright and journalist. Her poetry has been featured on the online site Flask and Pen, online magazines such as Ymib.com and the poetry anthology Friends I've Never Met. She wrote the stage play Shades of Black: a thought in progress in 2007 and produced and directed it in 2008. Her photography and articles have appeared in the Washington Post, the Washington Informer, East of the River and the District Chronicles newspapers.

Ali-Coleman holds a Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies (African-American Studies and Mass Media) and a Writing minor from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. In 2000 she received a Master of Arts degree in Mass Communications from Towson University. She is founder of So Our Youth Aspire (SOYA), LLC


All submissions should be emailed to LiberatedMuseProductions@gmail.com

For more details, visit http://sites.google.com/site/liberatedmuseanthology/

Monday, December 8, 2008

THIS ONE IS FOR YOU by Agnes Meadows

THIS ONE IS FOR YOU
by Agnes Meadows
Flipped Eye Press (October 2008)
ISBN 978-1905233199
Paperback 56 pages
£6.00 (about $12 USD)


Christmas is less than 17 days away and if you’re stuck for what to buy your best beloved, your granny, or your great aunt Bertha, there’s always a copy of Agnes Meadow's latest book This One Is For You, which was launched very gently into the world last month, and which (I’ve been assured) is an excellent read.

Gumbo for the Soul Submission Call for Women of Honor

Gumbo for the Soul Publications: Shedding Light on Life

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS:

Next in the GUMBO FOR THE SOUL anthology series is Gumbo for the Soul: Women of Honor, in which writers will acknowledge women who have made a difference in their lives. You may share joyous and even painful times of mother and sisterhood, while giving honor to the women of significance in your lives through words of courage, love, and wisdom in normal and extraordinary life experiences.

A portion of the proceeds will be donated to benefit the fight against breast cancer.

Submission deadline: Open

Submission guidelines must be strictly adhered for consideration:
All submissions must be 1500 words or less in Times Roman Size 12 regular typeface in the form of essays, poetry, inspirational or quote on wisdom, love, courage, life experiences. All submissions must be formatted with the title and author at the header of the document and a brief bio at the footer. Bios are also factored in the submission word count.

Also, please attach a jpeg picture (photo is optional) of yourself for our Yahoo group Contributor Photo Album. A signed Contributor Agreement (available online at our Yahoo group) must be received prior to publication.

Both hardcopy and electronic submissions are required as detailed below:

Email submissions to Gumbo for The Soul at: gumboforthesoul@yahoo.com with "Women of Honor" in the subject field.

Contributor agreement hardcopy must be mailed to:

GFTS-Women
P.O. Box 5193
San Jose, CA 95150.

Include a self-addressed, stamped envelope to obtain receipt confirmation.

(A copy of the Contributor Agreement is available upon joining our yahoo group by email to Mothers_and_Women_of_Honor-subscribe@yahoogroups.com)

Deadline: ONGOING. We will publish the updates via the Yahoo group.

Compensation: A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the fight against breast cancer. Because of the humanitarian nature of this project there is no monetary compensation: Contributors will receive an honorable mention on the website and in anthology which may include links to email and website of choice. Contributos can purchase copies of the book at a discounted rate via pre-ordering which will be made available via this site in 2009, as we near the drop date.

Byline: A short bio will be included for each contributing author.

Rights: Authors retain all rights and copyright to their individual works. Gumbo for the Soul will obtain the copyright and ISBN for the entire compilation (anthology).

Editing: We reserve the right to edit selected submissions for grammar, punctuation, spelling, and appropriate content

Sponsor ads are available.

For more detailed information, please visit http://www.gumboforthesoul.com/.

Gumbo for the Soul is a savory blend of anthologies that focus on humantarian issues effecting communities worldwide! From education to adoption and everything in between, we will bring inspirational and informative publications that promise to spark change, heighten awareness and offer resources and resolutions to the issues we outline.

The first in our series of publications, Gumbo For The Soul: the Recipe for Literacy in the Black Community (released April 2007) received recognition as "Most Outstanding Anthology of the Year" from The 4th YOUnity Guild of America and was selected as "Best Anthology" of 2007 by Blackrefer.com's 3rd Annual Reviewer's Choice Awards.

The second in the series Gumbo For The Soul: "Here's Our Child, Where's The Village?" was released this November 2008 in celebration of National Adoption Month. A portion of the sales of this book will benefit African Cradle, a U.S. adoption agency.

Gumbo For The Soul Publications ©2004-2020 Beverly Black Johnson

PRESS CONTACT
Toni Beckham PR, et Cetera, Inc.
209.832.8020
Toni@PRetCetera.com

Saturday, December 6, 2008

George Held's PHASED Reviewed in ICONOCLAST

PHASED: Poems, etc.
by George Held
(Poets Wear Prada, August 2008)
$10 (+1.50 s/h)

A delightful, entertaining, and attractively presented collection celebrating our sidereal companion, the moon.

ICONOCLAST #100


George Held's inexhaustible subject is the moon in all its phases, and he treats it with a quiet ear-pleasing lyricism and an impressive range. His moons shine on the world, and, bathed in their various lights, his imagination shines on the subjects it conjures and illuminates.
Michael Graves, author of Illegal Border Crosser (Cervená Barva Press) and Adam and Cain (Black Buzzard Press)


Thursday, December 4, 2008

KNOWING PAINS Contributors at KGB in NYC

Knowing Pains: Women on Love, Sex and Work in our 40s
Edited by Molly Tracy Rosen
Paperback (8.5 x 5.5 X 0.8) 232 pp.
WingSpan Press (August 5, 2008)
ISBN 978-1595942548
List $16.95


Contributors:

Sonia Alison
Ana Ammann
Elizabeth Becker
Lauren Bogart
Robin Dougherty
Anita Drieseberg
Therese Gilardi
Tina Goette
Colleen Gregory
Ona Gritz
Esther Gulli
Elaine Hamill
Maria Hjelm
Erin St. John Kelly
Nancy Davis Kho
Vicki Larson
Jennifer Lear
Mardi Link
Kim Merkin
Kym Miller
Cari Shane Parven
Diane Perro
Samantha Pinney
Susan Reinhardt
Gabrielle Selz
Natalie Serber
Regina Sewell
Thea Singer
Amy Smith
Lori Stott
Stephanie Vanderslice
Edie Zusman


Have you ever wondered how other women survived their 40's? You'll get an earful in Knowing Pains, an honest, humorous, thoughtful and diverse collection of essays by real women who aren't afraid to tell their age and tell it like it is. Sex, marriage, love, divorce, motherhood, singlehood, passion, obsession. Nothing is off-limits to this startlingly fresh group of new female voices that Molly Rosen has brought together to swap stories and compare notes on the desires, influences and events that have impacted and shaped their midlives. Collectively, they form a true picture of how real women not only survive their 40's, but thrive with dignity, courage and laughter.


Tuesday, December 9 at 7:00:
KGB Bar in the East Village
Ona Gritz
Erin St John Kelly
Cari Shane Parven
Gabrielle Selz


The book, Knowing Pains, was developed through the voluntary collaboration of scores of 40-something women, from the writers, editors, graphic designer, illustrator and photographer, to the web hosting and PR support.



These professionals were united in their desire to amplify the collective voice of today's 40-something woman, as well as to raise funds for research and access to care for breast cancer. All net proceeds from book sales will go to a breast cancer non-profit.


For more information visit: http://www.knowingpains.com

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Themed Submission Call - WOMAN - Deadline Jan 15, 2009


Soundzine's Next Issue to Feature: "Woman"


We could list all the allusions, the archetypes, the symbols and metaphors, "woman" as whore, as Madonna, as warrior, as nurturer, etc., but we won't. That's your job. NOTE: We will still accept our usual eclectic range of subject matter outside of the theme.


DEADLINE: January 15, 2009

We accept quality poetry and flash fiction, as well as author's readings. We are now also accepting submissions of music and song. Submissions should be accompanied by a brief bio. Articles concerning literary criticism or theory will also be considered.

Submissions should be e-mailed to: submissions at soundzine dot org.


Soundzine is an online journal for the spoken word. Poetry and stories can be traced at least as far back as Homer, who recited his epics by torch or firelight. It was born and flourished in the milieu of the cadences, inflections and stresses of the human voice. We're not presumptuous enough to think we'll revolutionize the world of literature by turning to the roots of things, which is the real meaning of "radical," but we do think that the modern digital world offers an opportunity to enrich and enliven an art that has waned of late.


For more details regarding our submission requirements and to check out our November issue, please visit our website at soundzine.org


PWP Announces 2008 PUSHCART Nominees

Poets Wear Prada Banner
Pushcart Anthology Cover



PWP Announces 2008 PUSHCART Nominees




December 1, 2008



POETS WEAR PRADA is pleased to announce its 2008 PUSHCART Nominees:


From Our 2008 Chapbooks:

Erik La Prade: "Blaze Starr's Autograph" from his recent chapbook SWATCHES.

Mary Orovan: "Feathers" from her forthcoming chapbook Green Rain.

Richard Marx Weinraub: "Persephone Meet Pluto on The Web" from his new chapbook Heavenly Bodies.


From the Online Edition of Our Upcoming Anthology, THE BUG BOOK (online edition), due out in print later this winter in early 2009, now available at http://poetswearprada.blogspot.com:

Juventino Manzano: "I have a padrino, a godfather..."

Thaddeus Rutkowski: "Monarch Migration"

Bruce Weber: "Silencio"


To learn more about the Pushcart Prize: Best of the Small Press contest and annual anthology please visit http://www.pushcartprize.com/

Please join us in congratulating all our nominees and wishing them all the best in their continued writing efforts.



Roxanne Hoffman & Herb Fuerst
Publishers & Editors
POETS WEAR PRADA
Hoboken, New Jersey

* * *

POETS WEAR PRADA
C/O Roxanne Hoffman
533 Bloomfield Street - 2nd Floor
Hoboken, NJ 07030
http://poetswearpradanj.home.att.net/
http://poetswearprada.blogspot.com/


POETS WEAR PRADA is a small press based in Hoboken, New Jersey devoted to introducing new authors through limited edition, high- quality chaplets, primarily of poetry.

New press, great authors, a publisher who is one miracle short of sainthood.-Angelo Verga, Poetry Curator of The Cornelia Street Cafe

Poets Wear Prada is a poetry publishing house with excellent poets and affordable books with beautiful covers. Have you had your poetry today?-Meredith Sue Willis, Books for Readers

Stylistically, these beautifully designed and produced chaplets bear their own distinctive signature.-Linda Lerner, Small Press Review

Proud Member of CLMP

http://www.myspace.com/poetswearprada
http://www.youtube.com/pradapoet
http://gcast.com/u/pradapoet



Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Submission Call: Angel With Broken Wings Anthology

Angels With Broken Wings
Submissions Still Open for ANGELS WITH BROKEN WINGS Anthology:

Please Note: That we are looking for all stories, poems, quotes, expressions and art including those that come from but not limited to Death Row inmates and Wrongfully Convicted Inmates. Hopefully the stories published in the book will assist in obtaining retrials and overturning wrongful convictions.

WE DO NOT BELIEVE IN CENSORSHIP AND AVOCATE FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION

Submission Guidelines Scope:

Angels With Broken Wings is an anthology of creative art, including poetry, Haiku, short stories, letters, quotes and art work written or drawn by current and former inmates. The editors of this book welcome any and all across the country and around the world to submit original material (poetry, prose, artwork, photographs, etc.) for consideration.

We will equally consider material on any topic, in any form and according to how you wish to represent yourself. We want to put together the type of book that shows our full creative sides. Whether the material you send is specifically related to prison, your experiences or the direct actions which have led to your incarceration, it is your creativity we intend to expose.

Poetry, short stories,letters, interviews, artwork, and photography should be sent by email to:

AngelsWhtBrokenWings@yahoo.com
www.myspace.com/thangelswthbrokenwings
or
JaySkills@aol.com

Material should also be submitted with signed submission form by mail to:

Angels With Broken Wings
P.O. Box 984
Seaford, DE 19973

Payment:

The creator of any material that is accepted into the anthology will receive a small honorarium. Each author will also receive two copies of Angels With Broken Wings with his/her submission included. All authors and artist will retain ownership and copyrights over their material. Please be advised that we will shy away from that which has already been published. If your material is accepted, payment can be made out to whomever the contributor assigns. We are not interested in violating your right to privacy. Use of work that was done or created by others without permission is a violation of copyright laws.

For further details please review the following links:

http://eyesoftruth.homestead.com/files/Angels_With_Broken_Wings.pdf

http://eyesoftruth.homestead.com/files/Submission_Guidelines.pdf


A special thanks to Bruce George for circulating this information.

Sunday, November 23, 2008

The 21st Annual Independent & Small Press Book Fair: December 6 & 7

The 21st Annual Independent & Small Press Book Fair: December 6 & 7
The next Independent and Small Press Book Fair will be held in midtown Manhattan on a prime weekend, December 6 and 7, to help increase revenue and exposure for independent publishers and small presses. Last year's Fair drew over 3,000 visitors. With a large selection of books and magazines on all subjects, the Book Fair is a lively and cost-effective way to sell your books and promote your press. Exhibitor space is limited, resulting most years in a sell-out of tables. Don't miss the opportunity to come together for this significant event!


December 6th from 10am to 6pm

December 7th from 11am to 5pm


We are pleased to offer paid-up NYCIP members a 20% discount. Publishers who wish to share a table can arrange a share with another press (except in the Library) or have this arranged by the NYCIP. For publishers who cannot be here in person, a discount also applies to displaying titles in the Cooperative Exhibition Room. Registering now will secure your ideal location! If you would like space in either the Library or Balcony, we urge you to sign up as soon as possible. The Fair is held at the New York Center for Independent Publishing in the landmark building of the General Society of Mechanics and Tradesmen in midtown Manhattan.

General Information
The Independent and Small Press Book Fair is free and open to the public, although a $1 donation is encour- aged. By holding the Fair on a prime weekend, in midtown Manhattan, the New York Center for Independent Publishing intends to encourage optimum sales and exposure for independent publishers and small presses. The Fair is an excellent, cost-effective opportunity to sell and promote your press, as well as meet other industry contacts. In addition, the Book Fair will present live book craft events, readings, a whole range of literary and book-related programs, a literary cafe and much more.

Complete information on participation in the Book Fair, accommodation suggestions, shipping of materials, publicity, events, and readings will be sent when applications are processed.

Advertising and Promotion
The Book Fair advertising and promotional campaign includes print advertising and publicity, street banners, full-sized posters, postcards, and handbills; more than 20,000 promotional pieces will be distributed throughout metropolitan New York.

Exhibitors will also receive a supply of promotional materials, enabling them to invite friends and customers to their booths and to place publicity in appropriate outlets. In addition, the Book Fair will be promoted widely in both the local and national media.

In the past, visiting members of the media and trade have included: The Village Voice, Kirkus Reviews, Independent Publisher, Library Journal, The New York Times, Foreword, Publishers Weekly, New York Press, Time Out New York,The New York Sun, as well as representatives of the larger publishing houses, bookstore chains, independent bookstores, distributors, wholesalers, and literary agents.

Sponsors of past Fairs have included: The Onion, The Brooklyn Rail, Book Expo, The Nation, Publishers Weekly, The New York Review of Books, Ingram, Bomb, The New York Observer, Chelsea Now, The Villager, Mediabistro.com, Rodale, and PGW.

Cooperative Exhibit Room
Publishers unable to attend the Fair in person may be represented by displaying books for sale in the Book Fair's Cooperative Exhibit Room. Two copies of each title may be sent. Titles are shown face-out, with a total of 50 pieces of printed flyers, order forms, or catalogs which may accompany the book(s). Staff members will oversee the Cooperative Exhibit Room. Sales are by check only, made out to the publisher, and will be mailed when the Fair has concluded. Co-op books are not returned, but are used for Center fundraising events. Please send books for the Cooperative Exhibit Room when notified by the NYCIP.

Eligibility
The Book Fair is open to all presses that have published at least one book. It is not necessary to be an NYCIP member to participate. However, paid-up publisher members of the NYCIP are granted a 20% discount on exhibitor space. The NYCIP prohibits participation of publishers who engage in "vanity" publishing (in which the publisher charges the author at full cost of production and sells the books back to the author).

Cancellation Policy
No refunds will be issued after November 1, 2008. A $50 administrative fee for refunds will be deducted to cover processing fees. All requests for refunds must be received in writing, via mail or fax and addressed to: Karin Taylor, Executive Director, New York Center for Independent Publishing, 20 West 44th Street, New York, NY 10036. Fax: 212-840-2046.

Should any event arise prior to the Book Fair that would prevent its scheduled opening, such as a strike or Act of God, etc., it is expressly understood and agreed that the NYCIP may reschedule the event. Regardless of the reason for cancellation or postponement of the Book Fair, the NYCIP will not be liable for any loss resulting therefrom.

The New York Center for Independent Publishing
20 West Forty-Fourth Street
New York, NY 10036
212.764.7021 (phone)
212.840.2046 (fax)
http://nycip.org/
contact@nycip.org

Monday, November 17, 2008

2009 New York Book Show: Call for Entries Nov 17-19

2009 NEW YORK BOOK SHOW

Sponsored by the

Bookbinders' Guild of New York

CALL FOR ENTRIES

The New York Book Show Committee invites you to enter your publications in the 23rd Annual New York Book Show, sponsored by the Bookbinders' Guild of New York. Through this annual award show, the Guild encourages, recognizes, honors, and celebrates excellence in book production and design.

Each participant is required to complete a 2009 ENTRY FORM for each item to be submitted for judging via this website. (http://www.nybookshow.org/)

REVIEW ALL PAGES ON THIS WEBSITE AND FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS. (http://www.nybookshow.org/2009howtoenter.html)

QUESTIONS MAY BE SENT TO: nybookshow@nybookshow.org


The 2009 ENTRY FORM(S) can be completed and submitted any time prior to the arrival of the package containing your title/jacket/cover at Random House on the deadline dates of November 17, 18 and 19, 2008.

NO BOOKS OR COVERS OR JACKETS WILL BE ACCEPTED UNTIL NOVEMBER 17, 18 AND 19.

You may enter either as a book or book series or cover/jacket or cover/jacket series. All book entries will be judged for both interior and exterior and component quality. (Remember: You must enclose TWO printouts of EACH of the AUTOMATIC E-MAIL RESPONSES showing your completed 2009 ENTRY FORM with each book or book series or cover/jacket or cover/jacket series entry. )


UPON SUCCESSFUL SUBMISSION, YOU WILL RECEIVE IMMEDIATE NOTICE.

SUBMISSION CRITERIA

Publication Dates
Entries must have been published between January 1, 2008 through December 31, 2008.

Books

A book of thirty-two pages or more may be bound in either hard or soft cover. Publications fewer than thirty-two pages must be hardcover and thus distinguishable from a booklet.

Books in a Series

Books must be published as a series, identical in design and manufacture. For ELHI texts, select one student edition per grade, one teacher edition from one grade, and one piece of ancillary material.

To ensure that entries are evaluated with the appropriate criteria in mind, categories have been established to recognize the intended use of the book, as well as the demands, constraints, challenges, and opportunities that exist in each category.

All books, covers, and jackets are entered in ONLY ONE of the SIX categories. Please read the CATEGORIES descriptions and submit your entries accordingly USING THE APPROPRIATE CORRESPONDING CATEGORY NUMBER AND SUBCATEGORY LETTER ON THE INTERNET ENTRY FORM. Please note that entries are subject to the judges' final discretion--if they decide a book would be better served in a category other than that originally entered, it is in their purview to move it.


THE NEW YORK BOOK SHOW

DATE: March 24, 2009 TIME: 5:30-9:00 PM

LOCATION OF THE SHOW: The Grand Ballroom at The Manhattan Center, 34th Street and 8th Avenue, New York, NY

DISPLAY OF WINNING ENTRIES: Award recipients may be asked to send a clean copy of their winning entry for display at the New York Book Show. You are urged to keep one extra copy(ies) of your entry(ies) for this purpose.

CATALOGUE: Winning covers/jackets/text spreads will be pictured in the catalogue. The entrant acknowledges the right of the New York Book Show Committee to use these scans in its catalogue or release them to other publications reporting on the New York Book Show or the New York Bookbinders' Guild activities. Catalogues will be available at the show.
ADMISSION: Attendance at the show is by prepaid ticket, the price of which includes an open bar and hors d'oeuvres.. All winning books and covers/jackets will be put on display. Invitations to the show, with ticket ordering instructions, will be sent approximately five weeks prior.

FUTURE BOOK SHOWS: All of the New York Book Show Committee members serve on a volunteer basis. If you are interested in serving on a committee or would like to be a judge for the New York Book Show, please contact:

Adriana Coada 646-307-5330
adriana.coada@stmartins.com

John Sinclair 734-395-3361
johns@tshore.com

Saturday, November 15, 2008

New from Guernica: Desi Di Nardo's The Plural of Some Things

THE PLURAL OF SOME THINGS by Desi Di Nardo (Guernica, December 2008) THE PLURAL OF SOME THINGS
by

Desi Di Nardo
(Guernica Editions, December 1, 2008)
ISBN: 9781550712964
Trade Paperback, 75 pp.
List Price: $15

To purchase The Plural of Some Things: click here

Please join Ms. Di Nardo at her book launch December 7th at Bar Italia. She will be reading between 2 - 4 p.m. (Scroll Down for more details.)

The Plural of Some Things illuminates the subtle and poignant flashes of experience which shape the way we evolve and flourish and from time to time digress as human beings. Written with a probingly sensitive eye and a profound fervour for the natural world, The Plural of Some Things invites the reader to journey towards those encumbered truths embedded deep in the heart’s home.


Desi Di Nardo's energetic and exquisite poetry is already a major force, and a distinctive universal voice.
--Sheema Kalbasi


If one is seeking poetry that is fresh and insightful, this little book of gems will not disappoint. Desi Di Nardo’s poems impress instantly. Each one offers a transforming look at a facet of seemingly ordinary experience. Desi is one of my favourite poets writing in Canada today.
--Denis Deneau

How refreshing to find a writer so unabashedly poetic as Desi Di Nardo. In a world of politicized screeching and lament, one is reminded of Pablo Neruda's definition of art as that which "gives people hope”. By that definition Di Nardo stands head and shoulders above the mob of academic sirens and macho wailers. A poetry to be thankful for.
--Pier Giorgio Di Cicco



Desi Di Nardo

Desi Di Nardo is a poet and author in Toronto, Canada whose work has been published in numerous North American and international journals. Her poetry has been performed in Canada's National Arts Centre, featured in Poetry on the Way on Toronto’s transit system, selected by the Parliamentary Poet Laureate, and displayed in the Official Residences of Canada. Desi's poems have also been presented in schools across the country, translated into foreign languages, and printed on Starbucks cups. Visit http://www.desidinardo.com/

To purchase The Plural of Some Things: click here


Please join Ms. Di Nardo at her book launch December 7th at Bar Italia. She will be reading between 2 - 4 p.m.


Bar Italia
582 College Street
Toronto, Ontario
M6G 1B3
416.535.3621

Danse Macabre Announces Christmas Issue Contest


Danse Macabre
announces its first
prix d’écriture de Noël
in coloratura poetry & short fiction.
Deadline: December 10th, 2008

Winners in each category will receive

* pride-of-placement publication in Danse Macabre XXI
* two specially-selected multimedia collections for your stocking stuffer (or re-gifting) needs

Online submissions only, as pasted text into e-mails addressed dansemacabreonline@yahoo.com.
Winners will be notified via e-mail prior to DM XXI release.
There is no entry fee.

Bonne chance et bonnes fêtes!

Sincèrement,

Adam Henry Carrière
éditeur, Danse Macabre
http://thedansemacabre.blogspot.com/
le premier magasin littéraire en ligne au Nevada

Danse Macabre
Copyright (c.) 2006/8 by Adam Henry Carriere / Volksrundfunk Productions Gmbh.
All Rights Reserved.

Friday, November 14, 2008

Levis Reading Prize: No Entry Fee - Deadline 2/1/2009

LEVIS READING PRIZE – SUBMISSION DEADLINE EXTENDED: FEBRUARY 1, 2009

The Department of English at Virginia Commonwealth University is
pleased to announce its call for submissions for the 12th Annual
Levis Reading Prize., VCU's annual award to the best first or second
book of poetry published in the calendar year. As in years past,
there is no entry fee. Interested publishers/authors should follow
these simple guidelines:

• Entries may be submitted by either author or publisher, and must
include a copy of the book (48 pages or more), a cover letter, and a
brief biography of the author including previous publications.
(Entries from vanity presses are not eligible.) The book must have
been published in the calendar year 2008. Entrants wishing
acknowledgment of receipt must include a self-addressed stamped
postcard.

• Entries must be received by February 1, 2009. Materials received
after that date will be returned unopened. Because we cannot
guarantee their return, all entries will become the property of the
VCU Department of English.

• Send all materials to: Levis Reading Prize, VCU Department of
English, P.O. Box 842005, Richmond, VA 23284-2005

Judges will come from faculty of the VCU Department of English and the VCU MFA Program in Creative Writing. The winner will receive an honorarium of $1000 and will be invited, expenses paid, to Richmond to present a public reading in September 2009. In memory of Larry Levis, the distinguished poet and teacher who was our colleague until his untimely death in 1996, VCU aims to encourage poets early in their careers by sponsoring an annual award for the best first or second book of poetry. The 2008 Prize was awarded to Matthew Donovan for his collection Vellum, published by Mariner Books. Previous prizes have gone to Joshua Weiner his collection From the Book of Giants , Ron Slate for The Incentive of the Maggot, Spencer Reece for The Clerk's Tale, David Daniel for Seven-Star Bird, Susan Aizenberg for Muse, Steve Scafidi for Sparks from a Nine-Pound Hammer, Nick Flynn for Some Ether, Joel Brouwer for Exactly What Happened, Sandra Alcosser for Except by Nature, and Belle Waring for
Dark Blonde
.

For further information, call 804.828.1329 or e-mail tndidato@vcu.edu

Scapegoat: New Literary Journal Seeks Submissions - Deadline 12/10/2008

SCAPEGOAT
New Literary Journal Seeking Submissions
Deadline 12/10/2008

Hey all you fine looking writers,

I'm soliciting submissions for a great new journal, Scapegoat. We're looking for poetry, flash fiction and non-fiction. I am one of the poetry editors.

Here's a bit about it:

Scapegoat is dedicated to publishing work that is original and thought-provoking. We aim to gather pieces that actively engage with the audience -- they may be puzzling, surreal, or absurd, but they always express an interest in communication. We are not seeking dry or academic exercises in wit or intellect; rather work that resonates with sincere (even if ironically observed) emotion.

And here's the submission page:

http://scapegoatreview.com/submissions/


You'll have to upload as doc or rtf. Put the cover page with bio inside the doc, and use your last name, the genre of the work, and the date as the name of the document; submissions close December 10.

Hurry!

Christine Hamm
http://www.christinehamm.org/
http://www.myspace.com/christinehamm


SCAPEGOAT
http://scapegoatreview.com/


Publisher:
Erika Lutzner


Poetry Editors:
Erika Lutzner
Christine Hamm


Fiction/Non-fiction Editor:
Kate Hall

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

First Chapbook by Puma Perl from Erbacce-Press

Belinda and her Friends
by
PUMA PERL
erbacce-press
£4.00



belinda

belinda’s long slow features make young men burn
raised on concrete, they imagine holding her in
country hammocks
pushing her on swings
corner boys invite her to the movies, they take her hand
tall boys with hurt eyes follow her, ask to walk her home

tito’s mother left him in a shelter when he was three bobby’s
parents died of the same rotten disease
angel’s uncles took him in the back room
all the tough boys wear pain behind wary eyes

belinda lazily
allows their attentions in her hard-hearted way
she barely remembers her childhood
there was a kitchen chair, she’d stand on it to reach the stove
her baby sister held it steady so wouldn’t fall off while she cooked
two little girls alone in a tenement room
filled with fire escape dreams

belinda lives six flights up, she lives in heaven
she painted stars on the ceiling, suns on the wall
there are locks on every window and door
keys are her diamonds, encircling her thin caramel wrists…

Puma Perl


"This chapbook, the first by Puma Perl, is an exceptionally real depiction of life in a part of New York in the last millennium, where heroin or alcohol abuse is an integral part of life, where life is cold but full of a transient warmth, where hearts are larger than you might expect...Puma Perl is an extraordinary poet, she captures a feel and sense of place exquisitely." —David McLean


erbacce-press
5 Farrell Close
Melling
Liverpool
L31 1BU
UK

For more about the author and her book:

Sunday, November 9, 2008

Ekphrastic Poetry Contest Deadline: December 31, 2008

Poetica Magazine
Reflections of Jewish Thought

SPONSORS

Poetry Contest

Exploring the Visual Arts with a Poet's Eye

No Fee

Number of entries are limited to one per poet

Deadline December 31, 2008

Judge: Steven Shankman
Please submit by email poeticamag@aol.com



Elegy III
by Samuel Bak

1997 - oil on canvas - 47 ½ x 51 ½" - BK545


Image Courtesy of Pucker Gallery
http://www.puckergallery.com/

to learn about the artist - please visit him
here




Poetica Magazine
P.O. Box 11014
Norfolk, VA 23517

http://www.freewebs.com/poeticamagazine/index.htm
poeticamag@aol.com

New Book of Jewish Poetry

In the Shadow of a Burning Bush
Poems on Exodus
by Yakov Azriel
(Time Being Books, 2008)
ISBN 9781568091228
$15.95
Paperback, 115 pages
Receive a 20% discount by using the coupon code SALE




Drawing on his extensive knowledge of the Torah and the rabbinic texts, Yakov Azriel retells the story of Moses and the Exodus in a series of inspired poems. Like the authors of the Midrash, he reads between the lines and intuits the untold parts of the story. So too does he link many aspects of the biblical account with later episodes in Jewish history, such as the Holocaust. Azriel writes with the kind of authority rarely found among modern poets, with strong echoes of Hayim Nachman Bialik, whose biblical poems have themselves become sacred texts.

Howard Schwartz, author of Tree of Souls: The Mythology of Judaism


Yakov Azriel has followed his splendid poetic commentary on Genesis, Threads from a Coat of Many Colors, with an even more powerful commentary on Exodus. In the Shadow of a Burning Bush is simultaneously a retelling of the Exodus story, a reliving of Jewish history, and an expression of contemporary Jewish experience. Mr. Azriel approaches these themes with a mastery of poetic forms — from sonnet to free verse — and a brilliant visual and auditory imagination. This is truly high art in the service of faith; the poems seem destined to be read at the Passover seder or at the Sabbath table. As a term of comparison, the Arthur Szyk Haggadah comes to mind; each represents both a significant artistic achievement and an affirmation of the Jewish present.

Esther Cameron, editor of the Deronda Review and author of Rim of Gold


In the Shadow of a Burning Bush is Yakov Azriel's second collection of verse, a series of powerful meditations on key passages in the book of Exodus which are frequently linked to Jewish historical experience, often with the Shoah as it's prefigured in Pharaoh, and always with a freshness and insight un-embittered by the pain often present in the subject matter. This is poetry as a prayerful bridge across time and space, a kind of contemporary midrash. It's a refusal to allow history to hinder the voice of contemporary spiritual experience and poetry as participation in ancient events as present meaning.

Albert Radcliffe, Canon Emeritus of Manchester Cathedral, England, and organizer of its Annual Interfaith Religious Poetry Competition


Yakov Azriel's new volume takes the genre of midrashic poetry to the next level. These well-crafted poems are filled with tenderness and nuance; weaving modern sensibility and ancient narrative, this luminous book encourages us to see the Bible with new eyes.

Amy Gottlieb, editorial director of Aviv Press


In the Shadow of a Burning Bush is Yakov Azriel's new haggadah for Israel and a record of his wrestling match with Jewish history, his conflicted love for the God who set that history in motion, and the joy and pain he feels when he thinks of the country that has been his home for nearly forty years. By using the Exodus narrative as the central motif in his extended series of elegant and technically brilliant poems, the poet is able to link biblical and modern Israel with the fate of Jews during the Holocaust. His complaint is that the One God who spoke to Moses and showed him the way to lead his people out of slavery in ancient Egypt remained silent during the Shoah and remains silent still, in the face of contemporary threats to the existence of his nation. Yakov Azriel writes with the clarity, love, and fierceness of the Hebrew prophets and, on the eve of Israel's 60th birthday, all of us should listen.

Charles Adés Fishman, author, Chopin's Piano, Country of Memory, The Death Mazurka, and other books, and editor of Blood to Remember: American Poets on the Holocaust

Once again Yakov Azriel has reached deep to discover new ways of reading ancient texts. From “The Tree of Israel,” which waits for spring at the mercy of the Amalekian woodcutter, to a powerful imagining of Egyptian slavery in “The Angel of Death Does Not Pass over Us,” Azriel's In the Shadow of a Burning Bush brings new images and insights into the book of Exodus. This collection is meant to be read and savored, and its multiple poems on the four questions, the plagues, and the four sons (and four daughters), will find a ready audience at the Passover Seder.

Rabbi Gilah Langner, coeditor of Kerem: Creative Explorations in Judaism


In the Shadow of a Burning Bush combines formal experimentation with midrashic imagination. Like many writers today, Yakov Azriel revisits the words, and more interestingly, the gaps, in Biblical narrative to touch on Jewish and universal themes. The result is a voice at times prophetic, sometimes conversational, other times almost liturgical.

Jay Michaelson, author of Another Word for Sky: Poems


Again, as he did for the book of Genesis, Yakov Azriel writes his own poetic midrash on the book of Exodus. As he follows Israel's journey from slavery to freedom, he seamlessly interweaves images from the Bible with images from modern Jewish history, particularly that of the Holocaust. He moves on to visions of redemption, drawing from the Biblical Prophets, from Chassidic sources and from deep within his own soul. Yakov Azriel has created a book that can immeasurably enhance classroom discussion, sermonic presentations, and which can guide each one of us as we attempt to find personal meaning in the words of the Bible. Through the poems of Yakov Azriel, we get a glimpse of how we can view our own struggles through the medium of the Biblical narrative.

Rabbi Reuben Landman, Congregation Har Tzeon-Agudath Achim, Silver Spring, Maryland


Yakov Azriel looks at the world differently than most of us and that is why he discovers pearls of insight that escape us. And yet, we, too, can see those pearls because of his great gift: Azriel has the ability to paint pictures with his words of what his eyes see and his mind intuits. How fortunate we are to be allowed into his head.

Rabbi Shammai Engelmayer, editor of Judaism: A Journal of Jewish Life & Thought


Yakov Azriel has gifted us with a most heartfelt and soul stirring commentary on the Bible in his masterful work In the Shadow of a Burning Bush. I truly believe that it should be read by all as an important commentary to the Bible.

Shlomo Riskin, Chief Rabbi of Efrat, Israel, and Chancellor of Ohr Torah Stone Institutions


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Yakov Azriel was born in New York, in 1950, as Gerald Rosenkrantz. After receiving his B.A. in English literature, summa cum laude, at Brooklyn College, in 1971, he moved to Israel, where he changed his name to Yakov Azriel. He studied at the Mercaz HaRav Kook Yeshiva, in Jerusalem, and the Har-Etzion Yeshiva, in Alon-Shvut, Israel, and later completed an M.A., with distinction, and a doctorate in Judaica, concentrating on the stories of Rabbi Nachman of Braslav.

His first book of poems, Threads from a Coat of Many Colors: Poems on Genesis, was published by Time Being Books, in 2005. This book was a candidate for several awards, including the National Jewish Book Award, in the U.S., and the President's Prize for Literature (awarded by the President of Israel), which is one of Israel's most prestigious literary awards.

Over ninety of his poems on Biblical and Jewish themes have been published in journals in the U.S., the U.K., and Israel since he began submitting poems, in 2000. His poems have won twelve prizes in international competitions, including First Place in the 2004 Miriam Lindberg Poetry for Peace Prize, Honorable Mention in the 2004 Annual Poetry Contest sponsored by Poetica magazine, Fourth Place in the 2004 Fifteenth Reuben Rose International Poetry Competition, Semifinalist in the 2005 Pablo Neruda Prize in Poetry Competition sponsored by Nimrod magazine, Finalist in the 2006 International Poetry Competition sponsored by Binnacle magazine, Honorable Mention in the 2006 poetry contest sponsored by Inspirit magazine, and Second Place in the 2006 Dancing Galliard Sonnet Contest. In addition, Azriel was awarded a fellowship from the Memorial Foundation for Jewish Culture, in 2004-2005, for his poetry.



Time Being Books
10411 Clayton Road, Suites 201–203
St. Louis, MO 63131
314-432-1771 (phone)
314-432-7939 (fax)

toll-free:
866-840-4334 (phone)
888-301-9121 (fax)

http://www.timebeing.com/
tbbooks@sbcglobal.net