Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Philly schedule and general pre-departure update

Had the funniest dream this morning. Full of poets. Actually, it freaked out. Or more precisely, Brenda Nixon Cook freaked me out... but that came later.

We were in a place that looked like somewhere in the Amazon Rainforest. It was a poetry reading. James Tipton had the floor — his poem was describing how he drove home to his farm one day and found the land, crops and all, traveling in the opposite direction. He suddenly realized that this was happening right then. To save his farm, he had us — Brenda, Ellaraine Lockie, CE Chaffin and me — removing the overgrown fronds around us. Being nervous about insects, I just held the garbage bag for everyone to put their "weeds" in. I freaked out initially when I saw a finger-long white slug on a leaf. I stopped holding the bag. Ellaraine and Brenda chided me for being afraid of such darlings (!) and started going through the trash. Suddenly, Brenda picked up two orange slugs and placed them on her chest. She was Barbie-doll naked. She wanted me to pat the giant slugs. They were cute, I admit — being carbon copies of those Lotsa Legs stuffed toys. Same creepily smiling faces, too. Then they started spitting slime, like llamas, like baseball players. Ewwww! I think they had to spit, otherwise, they would drown in they own saliva. Double ewwww. Brenda kept insisting they were adorable. She was inching towards me. I woke up squeaking like a trapped mouse. Squeak!

Talk about bizarre dreams!


A's schedule in Philadelphia:

• October 17, Friday afternoon: Talk with Miriam Kotzin's Readings in Poetry Class, Drexel University

• October 19, Sunday, 1300hrs: Reading with Leonard Gontarek at Robin's Bookstore

• October 21, Tuesday, 1900hrs: Reading with Valerie Fox at Green Line Cafe

• October 22, Wednesday, 1700hrs: Reading and Q&A with Valerie Fox at Kutztown University, DeFrancesco Building, Room 100

• October 23, Thursday, 1400hrs: Reading and Q&A at Drexel University, Disque 109


Recent interview/publication:

NOO Journal is conducting a NOÖ Loves Everyone project. They are in the process of interviewing all their past contributors in an orderly manner, A-Z. I was tagged second.

• A wicked poem, Reasons for the Mass Destruction of Pigeons in Venice is up in the "Journaling the Apocalypse" issue of qarrtsiluni (October-November 2008). People with hearing aids will be able to detect the audio file as some kind of alien communication, not dangerous.

     Submission sent: 22 September 2008
     Reply date: 30 September 2008


Recent acceptances:

Poet Lore accepted a poem fresh out of 30:30 called Pictures for their Spring/Summer 2009 issue.

     Submission mailed: 14 August 2008
     E-mail reply: 25 September 2008

This is one my favorite print journals. I continue to submit because Ms. Scrooge here has a vested interest in getting the one-year subscription that comes with the acceptance.

THE SHOp accepted a poem, First Day Back — the first poem I wrote in 30:30 after a two-month hiatus.

     Submission mailed: 14 August 2008
     E-mail reply: 1 October 2008

Octopus Beak Inc accepted three poems: Marcia's Best Friend, On Sitting in the Dark with the Wipers On and Eve is the New Gorilla Suit for their end-of-the-year Cool Season Edition.

     Submission sent: 30 September 2008
     Reply date: 9 October 2008

• And pfew! After relentless submissions to the Rattle editor, I've finally made it (again)! My poem, Tonsillitis has been scheduled to appear in their Summer 2009 issue.

     Submission sent: 27 June 2008
     Reply date: 11 October 2008

Cricket Online Review, after a nice series of rejections, has accepted two poems: We stand the postal clerk and Mendel experiments for their next issue.

     Submission sent: 28 June 2008
     Reply date: 13 October 2008


Saving the best for last

This little carrot just received word that she won the 2008 Juked Poetry Prize!

Her Royal Jukedness will receive a check for US$500 and inclusion of her poems, Anima Nera and Like Blue Light Inside the Man with a Missing Arm in the print issue #6. She may or may not be brought before the guillotine.