Great News. Yesterday I received an acceptance for my submission to Cadence: Life’s Poetic Rhythms, an upcoming anthology (for Spring 2024), from Prolific Pulse Press.
They’re open to “more submissions” until the 31st of January, so I encourage all my poet friends to offer the Editor, Lisa, some joyful poetry. Details via this link >> https://www.prolificpulse.com/
Featured Image Above: A photo collage of my “Flowers in the Sky”
Last evening I attended the Geelong Writers book launch of their annual anthology “Eclectic Words 2023”, and I am thrilled to announce that my piece “A Frollick of Forest Faeries” appears in the poetry section this prestigious Anthology.
The lyrics to “A Faerie Song (We Who Are Old)” by The Waterboys & William B Yeats
Once again thank you to Susi, >>https://iwriteher.com/2023/04/26/reflections-revelations-has-published/ for selecting my poems in her outstanding Anthology, “Reflections and Revelations, The Short of It, Vol 2” … Today I am presenting the second page (33) of my pieces from her fascinating Collection of Short poems and prose … which I have scanned directly from copy of the anthology and attached below … The paperback version is available on Amazon.com NOW!! If you’re interested in getting a copy, pleaseCLICK THIS LINK!
Forty-seven poets and writers with astute observations about living, emotions, and our world were featured online in The Short of It publication in 2022. The best of their thoughts fill the pages of this compilation. They will leave you with rich impressions, some providing mysteries to ponder but also many which speak deep truths. Each piece by the poets and writers presented in this collection shows us, with depth and succinctness, what was on their minds. Every one of their poems, as the title of this book suggests, brings to the surface their “reflections and revelations.” A big thank you to Susi Bocks for editing and producing this outstanding Anthology, and I am proud to have been selected as one of many in a talented list of writers. “The paperback version is available on Amazon.com NOW!! To get your copy, please CLICK THIS LINK! “
Here are my “Short” poetic entries in Anthology:
Facades
Wearing your best vest Is not necessarily a truthful test A facade for a restless chest
Again
Summer’s golden plains And stormy rains Erase winter stains
After Twilight
Starry, starry nights Shine on, shine on bright Please stay, please stay within sight
Earthquake
I feel the earth quake Fracturing tears off my soul Tremors from my heart
Hail
Hailstones, hard as nails Falling frozen razor blades Storm’s icy sharp balls
Yes it’s that time of the year … Here is another annual Anthology that my poems have been published in. This is one has been produced and published by the Belmont Page Writers group and superbly edited by our convener Claudia Collins. Three of my poems were published in this fabulously presented Anthology. They were, “Have We The Backbone?”, “Out There, Right Now”, and “Afloat”
I am thrilled to announce that three of my poems were selected for publication in the prestigious Geelong Writers Inc. Annual Anthology, 2022, and I am honoured to have my words published in a journal along side a group of talented writers that I admire and who have mentored me for many years.
I have two poems, “Fragments Float, Tears Splash” and “The Disappearance Of Decency”, in the Poetry Chapter, and the other poem, “Love Is Not Declined”, is in the Romance Chapter
Ten years ago my poem ‘This Lost Shadow‘ was accepted and published in the Literary Anthology, “Melpomene” . The poem was the first piece of mine to appear in a Published Book, and I was exceptionally proud to have my name in the authors list, along side the famous poets, Charles Baudelaire, Edgar Allan Poe, Emily Dickinson, William Blake, and Paul Verlaine … Below, I have scanned my poem ‘This Lost Shadow’ directly from my copy of the book.
Melpomene is a collection of poetry, prose and short fiction named after the Greek Muse of Tragedy. The central theme of the anthology is the beauty found in sorrow and the darker sides of human nature, drawing on literary traditions such as the ‘Damned Poets’, the Decadent Movement, Symbolism/Surrealism and the Fin de si cle. Melpomene is broken into four sections: Liber Veneficium (Book of Magic), Liber Maeroris (Book of Sorrow), Liber Fatum (Book of Fate), and Liber Mortuorum (Book of Death). Each section contains both new and classic literature dealing with these themes. Authors in this volume include Charles Baudelaire, Paul Verlaine, William Blake, Edgar Allan Poe, Emily Dickinson, Gwendolyn Taunton, Azsacra Zarathustra, Math Jones, Bernardo Sena, J. Karl Bogartte, C. B. Liddell, James WF Roberts, Christopher Pankhurst, H. A. Cledones, Tamas Nagyatadi Horvath, L. Alexander Carle, Bill Noble, Marg Howlet, Ivor Steven and Gene Banyard. Containing works both old and new, Melpomene offers a prime selection of works on the melancholic side of existence, the transformational beauty of the esoteric, occult secrets hidden in verse, sorrow, doom and the inevitable grasp of death. Melpomene will haunt the reader with a dark and unearthly beauty that is both forbidden and forlorn…
I feel honoured to have three pieces published in Lisa Tomey’s new Anthology, Social Justice Links. And congratulations to Lisa Tomey for this project. This is a raw and honest poetic view to the many aspects of social injustice in our world.
It takes courage to publish a book like this and I applaud Lisa Tomey for doing so! Congratulations Lisa and to all the writers/contributors!
Social Justice Inks is about expression of social justice concerns and about working through these concerns, seeking answers is an ongoing process. We asked poets to offer their creative expressions about Social Justice and what they think about how to solve social problems in the world.
This collection is from poets around the world, offering their points of view about Social Justice. It has brought chill bumps to rise, blood to boil, hearts to beat, and hope to ring true.
It has often been said that awareness is the key from apathy to action. The writers offer such a strong awareness from so many perspectives. What will be interesting to hear is how the reader is affected and if the words stimulate change.
Last, we cannot express deeply enough the appreciation for all these talented individuals who have come together to establish a community for social awareness.
About the Artist & Cover Art It has been a delight to work with Kay Payne as we developed a concept for the cover art. What I was looking for is something to show the positive spirit and power of nature. This evolved to the wreath of unity decorated with the spirit animals which came to mind. It is by no means exhaustive but was designed to show the power of the spirit. This comes from my personal belief that with unity we have strength and with strength and spirit we have power. May we always use that power to make positive changes in this world.
Kay Payne resides in Alabama with a paintbrush in one hand and a hammer in the other. She helps her beloved with his handyman work, while raising their blended family, full of love and sweet tea.
A Hard Rain A’Gonna Fall on Polar Bears
The foreigners have quietly landed
Wood from our trees has all been sanded
We’re a country without doors
Surrounded by golden shores
The openings are vast
The alien’s time is here at last
I cannot stop them, nor can you
If it be their will
Then, let it be
Join them, do not flee
We’ll all be hand in hand
To become the promised land
So let us be great again
Do not worry about the hard rain
Do not consider the faded sunlight
Forget about the rainstorm tonight
Who cares about Polar Bear’s with no ice?
World leaders say “Enjoy now, no matter the price”
The Geelong Writers annual anthology for 2021, “Eclectic Words”, was released during the week, and I am delighted to announce that 3 of my pieces were accepted by the selection panel. I must say it’s a honour and a thrill to have these articles represented in my hometown’s foremost literary anthology. Attached below, I have scanned the items directly from my copy of the Anothology