Sunday, September 21, 2008

Zombie haiku

John V tagged me ages ago to reveal six unspectacular things about myself.

1. I still sleep with a night light on. When the husband is away, I sleep with ALL the lights on.
2. I can't tread water. In two years of obligatory swimming class, I managed to learn the forward crawl, the backstroke, the breaststroke and the dolphin kick... but not how to stop myself from drowning.
3. I like to read literary fiction in the —erm— toilet.
4. I'm a Word Spy aficionado.
5. I have eaten rabbit and asked for a second serving.
6. From our island-hopping tour yesterday, I realize I prefer visiting ex-mental institutes, ex-leper colonies, etc to nature walks and mushroom-picking.

Terms & conditions!
1. link the person who tagged you: John V
2. mention the rules on your blog: (these are them)
3. list 6 unspectacular things about you: (see above)
4. tag 6 other bloggers by linking them: Maggie E, Nathan M, Valerie L, Sara, CE C and Cheryl C.


More good news than bad

• The Bundles book is finally ready for order at Texture Press. Yay! I still haven't seen the physical copy, but Valerie says it's looking good. We were worried they wouldn't managed to center the spine text, but they did.

• One of my serial sonnets, Raindrop Prelude received Honorable Mention in the 2008 Biscuit International Poetry Prize. The prize money was £25 (+£5 for the exchange), but I opted for 4 poetry books from their catalog... the publisher mentioned he threw in an extra book by Maureen Almond and their audio CD of short stories. Any more thrilled than this and I'd be drunk and laughing off a building.

I was excited to see that Annie Bien, a 30:30 person herself, won the 3rd Prize. Woooohooo! Go send her flowers and hugs!

• Received three acceptance e-mails within a 24-hour period... which nicely balances my standing record of three rejections within a 24-hour period.

• Ever since I stopped drinking alcohol during the week, I haven't been able to drink much over the weekend. After the second half-glass of wine, I get warning bells that chime: Vomit Season! Vomit Season! in my mind. OH NO. This is SO wrong. As in, I have a day-trip to Napa Valley in November to think of for crying out loud.

• The season here has gone from summer to winter in one snap of the fingers. As an excuse to warm myself, I've purchased a nice bottle of Marzemino. Yuk yuk yuk!

• Started yoga class again this week (my 4th year at it). Tuesday and Thursday. I woke up Friday morning thinking I was paralyzed. Apparently, there are muscles around the ribs that could create pain. And our yoga instructors actually told us, "Because you're all rusty, let's start off nice and easy."

• Because we're leaving on November 2 for San Francisco, my sister called to say that she won't be hosting a Halloween party this year (sigh). However, she said that I can wear her genie costume and give candies to the children (oooooh). She also has a nun's habit, but that might be too scary for everyone. Hee.

Recent publications:

• My poem, Holding a bucket in one hand is up in juked (09.04.08).

• Two ticklish poems, Genesis and About Your Bucket may be found in the September issue of Defenestration — a neat 'zine to read when you're drunk or want to be but can't go to the supermarket because your camouflage outfit is still in the washer.

     Submission sent: 11 July 2008
     Reply date: 11 September 2008

past simple has my three prose poems, with one title longer than the other, in their 5th issue. Audio recording included. Just discovered this neat 'zine with a bent for the experimental, the surreal, the plain-jane weird while hopping from one link to another. Went through the fab archives and just craved for more.

     Submission sent: 11 August 2008
     Reply date: 12 September 2008

Rumble is primarily a micro-fiction magazine, but they do publish poetry! Which is why The Body At Rest can be found in their September 2008 issue.

     Submission sent: 13 August 2008
     Reply date: 12 September 2008

Recent acceptances:

Other Poetry accepted my poem, A Photography Student Interrupts a Mosquito for an upcoming issue.

     Submission sent: 26 April 2008
     Reply date: 1 September 2008

They have a 3-4 months response time — they usually send a note within this time bracket to say whether or not any of your poems made it to the final round. Then a 2-4 weeks wait before they write back with good or bad news. It's a gorgeous print magazine — and a paying market to boot.

Opium Magazine accepted a dictionary-type prose poem, pacifier (from Laslow’s Guide to Counteracting Bad Luck) for a future post.

     Submission sent: 2 March 2008
     Reply date: 7 September 2008


Oh dear, is this me they're talking about?


You Are Arson


No doubt about it, you have a serious destructive streak. You can't help it!
Sometimes you just get so frustrated with the world, and you have to let your aggression out.

You have a notoriously bad temper. You are obsessed with getting your revenge.
You are obviously a pyromaniac, whether you realize it or not. It feels great to watch something burn.


10 comments:

Maggie May said...

thanks for the tag, will reciprocate:)

and congrats on your stamina woman! you put us mere mortals to shame with your submissions. i have a poem coming out in Opium Magazine too, that would be so cool if we had the same edition :)

Maggie May said...

ps i haven't figured out how to link in posts yet, so i'll go try to figure that out so i can linkya.

Collin Kelley said...

It is always mind-boggling to come to your blog and see all the places you've been published. I don't know how you have the time or the strength. I managed to make three submissions yesterday and those were the first in six months (maybe more). Bravo.

Valerie Loveland said...

Holding a bucket in one hand is great!

Sharon Hurlbut said...

Oooh, I love the cover of your book!! Congrats, as always, on your amazing achievements. And, um, I'm, well, erm ... I'm Stalking (per the felony quiz).

Tommaso Gervasutti said...

Dear Arlene, I am glad you back in the blogs'hovering, I have traslated some poems from the Friuli dialect in my blog, I would be happy if you read them.
Yes, the cold has arrived so abruptly,my hands are freezing here and I am typing with a woody numbness in my fingertips ( and it seems so fearfully early a time to switch on the heating) and yes Marzemino is great but also Grappa and most of all homemade Nocino, a nectar, but hard to find.
All the best, Davide

Liz said...

Hey Arlene, uncannily so, it is ditto for me too on the 'light, rabbit and treading water inability' unspectacular thingies...; )

The book cover is to totally roll-over for...love it.

Congrats on the Biscuit comp. and all those pubs...just read the bucket one and it brought back memories of how it was begotten in that 30:30 bucket-frenzy-time with Nate...; )

Well done for sticking with the yoga...that is something I have to get back into after a 4 year lapse!

xx

Cheryl said...

Congrats on all the pubs!!!

Oh, and in response to your question about using mean 'n' difficult on your hair...perhaps you would appear as if in a gorilla suit.

C

Pris said...

I came on to say hi and wow, tons of news. Congrats on all the well deserved honors!

If you're not a floater, you have more muscle than fat in your body. Even when I weighed 117 pounds I was a floater. Even when I rode my bike daily, I was a floater. I think a lot of the fat is in my brain:-)

And, it looks like Pasqual has disappeared again. The same issue of Niedergasse still sits there with one of my poems in it. I love that journal . Wish he would come back.

Lummox Press is coming out soon with a small chap of mine in their Little Red Book series, so I'm pleased. One day I'll crack into an actual book. Well maybe.

You're the greatest!

Pris

nanette rayman rivera said...

arlene,

hey! congratulations on your book and ALL your success!

you rock--

nanette