Sep.
22
2018
The Poeming Pigeon Literary Journal out of Beaverton, OR, has devoted its 2018 issue to news-worthy poetry. Two pieces of my work are included, both based on true stories from The Olympian earlier this year. The first one is titled, “Ex-Army Ranger Saves Teen on Hwy 12” and is from the point of view of a vet witnessing a terrible accident. His quick action, based on combat experiences, saved a young man’s life. The second poem is “Homeless Shelter Loses Host Church, Closes,” and is from the perspective of a homeless man who had spent cold nights in this sanctuary — until he couldn’t any more. This is a very powerful anthology of diverse voices on many contemporary topics!
Sep.
07
2018
My poem “Auditioning Death” is in the annual edition of the Bacopa Literary Review this year. The journal is published by the Writers Alliance of Gainesville, Florida. The poem was a finalist for their contest. Both poetry and prose are included. My poem is a collection of metaphors for how death might appear. I think all of us at one time or another have wondered what the end might look like!
Aug.
30
2018
My poem “The Art of Dying” appeared in the Spring 2018 edition of the Bellingham Review (Volume XLI, Issue 76). Although my friend and mentor Jess Spielholz died in 2009, his thoughts and the testimony of his amazing life continue to inspire me. He was 101 when he crossed over and in those final years and months, contemplated why he was still here on earth. At the very end he told me that he had transcended time, a concept he had puzzled over. To prove this, he revealed scores of Mariners’ ball games the day before they occurred and he was correct! This poem tells about our conversations about time and what he experienced.
Aug.
27
2018
Again for next year I have work in the We’Moon Datebook. The 2019 theme is “Fanning the Flame” which correlates with card 19 of the Tarot’s Major Arcana which is The Sun. I feel so honored to be among the amazingly talented artists and writers here. My poems this time are about light from the sun reading us ‘Every Nine Minutes’ and how I relate to my inspiration in “Calling My Radiant Muse.”
Everything from astrology to moon cycles to planetary influences to women’s myth and lore are included in these exquisitely illustrated pages.
This datebook and also the wall calendar are available at many bookstores and art venues including Radiance in Olympia and Phoenix Rising in Port Townsend.
Aug.
27
2018
Two of my poems appeared in issue #91 of the literary journal Earth’s Daughters this summer. The theme was ‘lines.’ The poem “Esther’s Last Story,” as about my grandmother telling me about her humiliation standing in bread lines during the Great Depression. The other one is called “Bone Notes” and is about my mother’s wonderful habit of doodling and sketching. She would start with a line or squiggle and turn this into beautiful and complex portraits. She used to draw on all sorts of things. I would gather these up and save them often playing with them like paper dolls.
I love this journal which is part of a women’s collective. See more at www.earthsdaughters.org.
May.
28
2018
After a run of rejections, I suddenly got three pieces of good news! My poem “The Oystermen” was a finalist for the Joan Swift Prize from Poetry Northwest and will be published online this fall. Then The Louisville Review emailed to tell me they accepted “Gutenberg’s Mirrors” and “Traffic Fiction” for their next issue. Finally Bacopa Literary Review informed me that “Auditioning Death” is a finalist for their annual poetry prize and will be included in their contest issue. Great to find homes for all these poems. “Traffic Fiction” had received positive feed-back from several editors. It will be great to see it in print finally.
Apr.
11
2018
My poem entitled “Suitcase” is in the 2018 Paterson Literary Review edited by the amazing Maria Mazziotti Gillan. This is what I call a ‘whole cloth’ poem, one that arrives intact and I just needed to write it down. We were flying to Arkansas for the Eureka Springs UFO conference last April. The woman in the seat next to mine and I began talking and she told me this personal and heart-wrenching story. When we got to the hotel that evening I wrote it down. Suitcase is that poem.
Mar.
21
2018
The New York women’s journal, Earth’s Daughters, has accepted my poems “Esther’s Last Story” and ” Bone Notes” for their upcoming issue themed ‘lines.’ The first one is about my psychic grandmother and the second one features my artistically talented mother. The website is www.earthsdaughters.org and is a wonderful source of inspiration about women’s issues and mother story in all its aspects.