Interview and chapbook giveaway

There's a three-part interview with me up at Savvy Verse & Wit, plus a review of Secret Love Poems and a chapbook lottery. If you'd like to try your luck at winning a copy of the chapbook, just leave your e-mail address here. The deadline is 26 February 2009.

Thanks so much for this honor, Serena!!


Currently at the Event Museum:

• Am seriously considering renaming this blog as The Event Museum... where for months only one important event is happening — based on a ticklish collaboem I've been writing with Valerie.

• Have been busy redesigning my website. Good grief. I've been rechecking all the links from way back in 1995... and finding so many dead bodies, I mean, dead 'zines. At this rate, I'm going to outlive all my publication credits.

• Am scheduled to leave for Manila on Friday... and so have only three days more to get my act together — which includes answering my messages — or will be forced to forever hold my peace. Hee.


Recent publications:

• qarrtsiluni has posted the first collaboem (with Valerie) in their "Mutating the Signature" series, In retrospect, 1984 made a fine sausage. The audio file is between me and John Vick.

• Three poems: Polish Dancer Prelude (sonnet), The Local Physician Returns to the Ski Lodge and The 38th Secret Love Poem are in Issue 2 of Blackbox Manifold together with the works of Vahni Capildeo, Joshua Clover, Vona Groarke, Alan Halsey, Lisa Jarnot, John Kinsella, Peter Larkin, Matt Merritt, Drew Milne, Geraldine Monk, Paul Muldoon, Vivek Narayanan, Chris Nealon, Francis Raven, Ian Seed, Ben Stainton, Kyle Storm, Matthew Sweeney and Nathan Thompson.

Double yikes

Let's pretend it's still January... 2008. So this blog entry is almost a year early. Hee.

Special Events in The AA Event Museum:,

• The January-April 2009 issue of Press 1 came out too soon, a case of multiple breech births, with the following bouncing bunnies: Lydia Cortes, Nicole Cartwright Denison, Theresa Edwards, David Erlewine, Rebecca Guyon, Mark Lowe, Lilla Lyon, Sally Molini, Michelle Panik, Meg Pokrass, Ron Price, Don Riggs, Denise Scicluna, and Robert Anthony Watts.

• Someone fell off the 30:30 wagon three times. She is now on Day 23 (round 15) and should be able to make it with her favorite sandbox playmate, Valerie helping her out with the other half of the poems.

• Because drinking was making A one heck of a depressed drunk, she decided to stop... or at least drink only on weekends. Plus, the wine store across the street has had a change of owner. There's a woman there now. She has terrible wine — believe me I tried them all. I used to think I can glug down anything... I was mistaken.

• Have bought a ticket for Manila... and have started having anxiety dreams about the plane taking off without me again.

• The laptop caught a virus for the second time in two years and had to be reformatted. The cure seems to agree with Muerte (as re-baptized on 13 January 2009). Since then it's been more quiet, ventilator-wise. No more crazy chopper/hacking cough sounds. Yay!

• Chainsaw rant coming down here —

Recently discovered on my own that London Magazine didn't include my poem in their Anglo/Indian issue after all. I'm quite pissed about it since they didn't even bother to tell me after all this time when I could've sent it off elsewhere. Oh yes. I remember. On their guidelines page they say they don't send rejections. First they send me the proofs, with a two-day response time or else (they chopped off the first stanza, too without so much as a by-your-leave). I okayed everything next day, then sometime later got invited to the issue launch. A good thing I was in Philly that time... if I had gone all the way to London to read a poem that they chose not to publish, I'd probably have gone after somebody with a knife.

I guess I'm just pissed for the most part that that poem, which is about a woman mourning the death of her unborn child, didn't make it right next to that half-page SMB ad: for all your corporate and personal tax advice. Hee.

Anyway, I'm blacklisting this magazine. I think they're a bit better via snailmail, for some strange reason. But that was way back in 2007.


Recent (and not so recent) publications:

• The Winter 2009 issue of blossombones is now live — with poetry by Lana Hechtman Ayers, Margaret Bashaar, Elizabeth Bruno, Juliet Cook, Athena Dixon, Jo Hemmant, Amy Hinrichs, Charmi Keranen, Daniela Olszewska, Kristen Orser, Nanette Rayman Rivera, Toni Scales, Erin Elizabeth Smith, Bill Yarrow, Susan Yount, and (ahem).

• A new 'zine, Fleeting posted two poems, Confessions of a Road Sign Collector and Dream Interstate 104 on 26 January 2009.

• Canopic Jar #22 with poetry by coreyMesler, gabebaBaderoon, isobelDixon, johnMcCullough, kayMckenzieCooke, leeAnnPickrell, leeStern, matthewGillis, michelleMcgrane, myeshaJenkins, patrickSullivan, phillippaYaaDeVilliers, rethabileMasilo, roseDewyKnickers, ruthSabathRosenthal, santiagoDelDardanoTurann, and someKindofStrangeOrgan. They have some fab pRose and aRt sections, too.

This is an elegant online journal, quite eclectic tastes. With regards to response times, the editor actually wrote me on 17 December 2008 to ask if the poems were still available. The in-between e-mail exchange kind of made the waiting seem less.

     Submission sent: 7 October 2008
     Reply date: 9 January 2009

Okay. I confess. I knew he was my kind of editor when I read his e-mail signature quote:

         I cook with wine, sometimes I even add it to the food.
                                  —W.C. Fields

Just because I no longer drink on weekdays (again), doesn't mean I've stopped thinking of it.

• Two poems, Mendel experiments and We stand the postal clerk are up in the current issue of Cricket Online Review (volume iv, number ii).

• Found out just last week that they made me (woohooo!) Featured Poet in Identity Theory (Summer/Fall 2008). Thanks for the nod, WP!


Recent (and not so recent) acceptances:

• Cerise Press accepted four poems (2 spanking new/2 oldish) on 5 February 2009:

If I had an eye patch, I'd give you my eye—
Orphanage
five : leap
six : sundown

for their first issue (Summer 2009). They officially open to unsolicited submission on 1 April 2009 — for the Fall/Winter 2009 issue. Don't forget. It's a neat, sleek 'zine. Response time was one day — really quick, but under normal circumstances they give 2-3 months in the guidelines.

• While hopping from one 'zine to another, I discovered Robot Melon and couldn't resist submitting. Who could resist such an order as ticklish as, In the body of the e-mail give us a 2-3 line biography. If you like a certain type of bear, this might be the place to mention it. Neat little bear trap, ain't it?

Anyway, I was thrilled that they accepted my prose poem, What Happens to the Postwoman When She Stops Delivering the Mail for Issue Nine. Nothing like some robot lovin' to wake up to in the morning. Hee.

     Submission sent: 30 December 2008
     Reply date: 18 January 2009

• Three collaboems, (1) Visions of Lamb Cooked in Slight Brine, (2) We Wrote a Letter to Jesus and He Told Us To Buy a New Car, and (3) In retrospect, 1984 made a fine sausage — that Valerie and I wrote last year have been accepted for publication in the Mutating the Signature issue of qarrtsiluni.

     Submission sent: 2 January 2009
     Reply date: 15 January 2009

• Wooopwooop!! I received my first ever flash fiction acceptance from Oak Bend Review. Very quick response times, too (see below)! My shorty, The Dreaming Lake is slated for their March/April 2009 issue.

     Submission sent: 4 January 2009
     Reply date: 8 January 2009

Happy Holidays!

Yikes. It's been more than month since my last confession... I mean, blog entry. I AM NOT DEAD. I have been Facebooking where I am the mayor of a small town. Oh yes. I even have an electric sheep. I may also be Twittered though I haven't exactly understood all the mechanics of making sounds every half-hour.

That said, I'm thrilled to announce that the 49th issue of The Pedestal Magazine is now up! With fantastic poetry by Eduards Aivars, Margaret Bashaar, Lisa Fay Coutley, Katie Fesuk, Brian Foley, S. Jason Fraley, Paul Hostovsky, Shaylah Kloska, Michelle Menting, Natasha Kochicheril Moni, Rick Marlatt, R Jay Slais, Sarah Sorenson, Tammy F. Trendle and Joseph P. Wood.

Recent publications:

• The Autumn 2008 issue DMQ Review is now up — featuring the poetry of Lana Hechtman Ayers, Robert Lee Brewer, Claudia Burbank, Ellen Elder, Joan Fiset, Paul Fisher, Rebecca Morgan Frank, Virginia Konchan, Robert McDonald, Chad Sweeney, Mary Wang and Fritz Ward with artwork by Chris Roberts-Antieau.

It was such a fab surprise when editors announced that they've nominated my poem, Like Closed Eyes for the Pushcart Prize. It's my 9th ever (yikes) and the 2nd (yay) this year — the first nomination (8th) coming from Juked for Anima Nera, one of the poems that received the 2008 Juked Poetry Prize... a poem written two years ago, incidentally, after a post-Christmas hangover. Hee.

• Three poems in Seven CirclePress: Ants, How Did Her Garden Grow and Phantom Limb.

• Two poems, Inheritance and I met my mother and called her Night (with audio) in the inaugural issue of Holly Rose Review — an online poetry & tattoo literary journal — which also features the poetry of Danny Bellinger, Debbi Brody, Lane Falcon, Beatrix Gates, Peter Joseph Gloviczki, Donnelle McGee, Karen Neuberg, Rhonda Palmer, Simon Petkovich, Mani Rao, John Bloomberg-Rissman, Maria Williams-Russell, Jane Wohl and Cyril Wong.

• Am tickled that the Pirates issue of Painted Bride Quarterly is now online — just in time for the holidays. I have poem here with private parts in 100% gang green. Arrrrrrr!


Recent acceptance:

• blossombones accepted two poems, So What If It's a Red Dress and Celebrating the Therapist for their Winter 2009 issue.

     Submission sent: 15 October 2008
     Reply date: 12 December 2008


Balls! Balls! Balls! —

Are you done shopping? Have you finished wrapping all the gifts you've bought? Have you taken a shower? Is it the fog or are the windows just dirty? Are you sure you have clean clothes to wear for the party? Is that the smell of Santa's beard burning in the open fire? Why are all these liquor bottles empty?



Have a merry dance through the ballsy holidays everyone!

Officially in working condition

Or almost. Got back from LA last Friday night and have slowly gone through my stack of TPM subs. Yep, I'm the editor on duty again for the December 2008 issue of The Pedestal Magazine. On that note, I should like — hinthint — to receive more nonlinear, surreal, experimental poetry. You have until December 14 to send those puppies my way. I will know who hasn't been submitting. You will not receive a note from Santa. You have been warned.

Also, I've finally gotten myself into Goodreads. If anyone wants to link up, just hoot. I am, at the moment, friendless... but already armed with Freud. Hehe.


The Philly readings:

They actually went better than I feared. For one, we had fantastic supporters in the audience. For another, I had a fab time meeting so many poets/writers for the first time — people I've known over the internet casually for years and never dreamed I would one day see in the flesh. Plus, Valerie and I even managed to sell copies of Bundles!

The university readings were a bit harder because of the Q&A afterwards. Because of some pointed questions from the students, I realized that our Bundles book is full of criminal intentions — from crank callers to stalkers, from pirates to extortionists... and no one has bothered to notify the cops. Someone asked Valerie if she had a rough childhood, and I almost heard a sigh of disappointment when she said no. I was asked if I had personal dealings with stalkers or being in prison... whereupon I admitted openly that I just like stalkers and prisons — which ended the discussion right there and then.



Here we are, thanks to John V who came to Philly all the way from Minneapolis just to be with us. He took pictures (and video) of our last reading at Disque 109 in Drexel University. We had some mints, but no liquor.


Other Philly things:

On top of everything, I also had a great time in Philly because, apart from going museum-hopping with John V, I also found a playmate in Valerie's M. Isn't she adorable? She has great fondness for (1) Egyptian culture, (2) A's lingerie, (3) eyeballs on a toothbrush, and (4) butlers.



San Francisco in brief, snappy sentences:



Had clam chowder. Drank wine. Went to the Museum of Modern Art and Chinatown. Had six kinds of oysters. Drank wine. Fell in love with the Pier 39 seals. Had crab and lobster. Drank wine. Walked six blocks uphill to Lombard Street. Did some heavy breathing. Listened to my heart attack. Drank wine. Had cioppino. Had hangover. Spent the day in the California Academy of Sciences. Drank water. Had dinner with Meg Pokrass. Went to Sonoma Valley. Drank a lot of wine. Had little to eat. Watched the sister snore in the car on the way back. Had water. Devoured a burger (medium-rare).


Halloween in LA:



This is me. Really. I was one bad-ass ghost. I stood creepily behind the screen door and waited for the children. At some point, I had to remove the head covering because they were avoiding the house and my sister needed to get rid of the candies. The brave ones who approached me ran for their lives as soon as I handed over the sugar. Bwwwuaaaahaaaahaaaaaahaaaa!


Recent interview on Bundles:

Valerie and I were interviewed by Robert Watts about our Bundles book in ASK (The Journal of the College of Arts and Sciences at Drexel University).

If anyone's interested in a copy, it's already available at Amazon.com (just click and the link should take you directly there).

We are also offering discounted author copies, dedication included, for $12 — postage and handling (hehe) included in the price. Feel free to drop me or Valerie a line.


Recent acceptances:

• When The London Magazine wrote me, they mentioned strongly considering my poem, Agasthya-Tirtha Lake, Badami for their Anglo/Indian issue. On Halloween, they invited me to their November 14th issue launch... so, I take it that I did make it into their pages... right next to an SMB ad: for all your corporate and personal tax advice. Tickles!

This is one fancy print journal, too. And they're accepting e-mail submissions now. The only drawback is that they reply only to authors whose work they're accepting. It's worth a try though — I don't think they keep backlogs, and it's probably safe to assume that once their next issue is out (depending on which issue deadline you met) that your work hasn't been accepted. I used to send by post and this is my first encounter with them via e-mail. You do get a receipt when you send them work via e-mail — a day or two later.

     Submission sent: 25 August 2008
     Reply date: 14 October 2008

• Blackbox Manifold accepted three poems, Polish Dancer Prelude (one of the serial Chopin sonnets), The Local Physician Returns to the Ski Lodge and The 38th Secret Love Poem for their January 2009 issue.

BBM describes itself as an online forum with a slant towards innovative poetry that has prose, narrative, or sequences in its sights. That said, they seem to have very eclectic tastes — from experimental to narrative free verse to formal poetry.

     Submission sent: 18 August 2008
     Reply date: 15 October 2008

• Merge accepted three poems: Apple, At the Checkout, and Leak for their Fall/Winter 08/09 issue.

This is a gorgeous print and online journal — held up by deliciously eloquent poetry. You just know you wanna mate... I mean, MERGE with it.

     Submission sent: 18 July 2008
     Reply date: 16 November 2008


Recent publications:

• Issue 8.5 of Diagram is now up, which includes my poem, Shipwreck. Everyone's probably tired of hearing me say that this is one of my favorite 'zines, the better half of my brain, my pet x-ray of lung, my undying love for all things dead.

• The 7th issue of Parameter Magazine is also out. It is a UK-based print journal — with the contents, fiction, poetry and reviews saddle-stapled individually. A driving student conceptualizing rain as well as reasons for not writing poetry may be chanced upon at their website.

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.

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.

Tell me, what Felony are you?

Issue 5 of Press 1 now online

It's barbecue time! The 5th issue of Press 1 is now officially live.

We celebrate the end of summer and the arrival of winter with the visual artistry of Héctor Pineda García; poetry by Jillian Bledsoe, Allan Peterson, Karin Randolph, Paul Siegell, Rina Terry, David Michael Wolach, and Changming Yuan; fiction by John Bruce, Kate Evans, and Nathan Leslie; plus an exclusive interview with Jayne Pupek.

Incidentally, this seems to be a Jayne Pupek day since Kate's review of her book, Tomato Girl (Algonquin Books, 2008) is also just up in Quarterly Conversation.

Jayne was lovely enough to send me a copy of Tomato Girl and I've gone bonkers over it ever since.


Stuff of which A's days are made of —

• Finished my 13th round in 30:30 without a hitch. Impressive. Valerie and I are doing collaboems for the first time and it's certainly more fun than writing alone.

• Have found a new love: writing fiction. This is really strange for me since I used to hate it... but now I wake up every morning thinking: "Now what would I have Mr Tickler or some other nut do today?"

• For some strange reason, I've stopped drinking alcohol during weekdays. It may or may not be because the husband has recently taken to cooking calf's liver for dinner. Hee. I've been waiting expectantly for my hands to shake, like in my poems, but so far have been disappointed.

• Migraine. Cured, in part, by vanilla ice cream.

• Obsession about calling ahead for a baked potato at Ponder Steakhouse in Ponder, Texas. Valerie's fault for mentioning it twice — once in a poem, and then in an old story we did together. I just connected the two dots and haven't been the same since. I still find it hard to believe that such a place really exists!

• Watching past seasons of Stargate Atlantis and Spooks. Am particularly tickled that MI5 (Spooks) uses the same Mac as I do. Makes me feel all 007 while I submit my poems and prepare the pages of Press 1.

• What else? I'm trying to enjoy the last 7 days of being a 33-year-old. Afterwards, I think I get to be prime roadkill material.


Recent acceptance:

• Identity Theory accepted five poems, (1) Bodie Ghost Town, (2) Something like a husband's death, (3) Close Your Eyes, (4) Goldfish, and (5) Extinction for their next issue.

     Submission sent: 2 July 2008
     Reply date: 28 August 2008


A's writing motto, or Please flush Robert Rehder from my head:

I am Rumpelstiltskin
And this is my stamp collection.