Apr.
15
2014
The Mannequin’s Comb. Rhino: The Poetry Forum 2014. Joanne’s poem, “The Mannequin’s Comb,” just appeared in the annual edition of this journal which is published in Evanston, Illinois. It begins: “This morning I washed a dying woman’s hair.” Joanne wrote it after one such encounter. The poem includes references to her granddaughter, Bliss, and to her grandmother who, besides being a psychic, made women’s hats. There is so much about being a woman that goes beyond vanity. The poem is about the subtleties of how we appear to and for each other.
Apr.
01
2014
Believing the Body. Gribble Press 2014. This beautifully designed chapbook contains 24 poems that reflect the author’s experience as a nurse with themes around courage in the face of suffering. These poems also attempt to answer the larger question of man’s place in the universe.
Mar.
17
2014
San Pedro River Review, Spring 2014 “Work” issue. My poem is called “Farmer’s Child” and is about seeing the land my grandfather used to farm, that he lost during the Great Depression and mourned for all his life.
Jan.
23
2014
Naugatuck River Review: a journal of narrative poetry that sings. Winter 2014. My poem, “Last Chorus,” included here was a finalist for the annual contest. I wrote this poem for the Double Shot festival in Olympia last year. It is one of my “Jess poems” about my friend and mentor. He told me the story of when he was a young boy and was chosen to sing in Aida – and the prejudice he experienced at that time (about 1917) as a Jew.
Nov.
16
2013
The Midwest Quarterly Fall 2013. Theme: The Living and the Dead. Two poems: “Red Wind Breaker” (based on a news story about a boy who drowned in a rip tide at Westport, WA) and “Eyes Like Trunk or Wingtip” about seeing a squirrel who was hit by a car.
Oct.
07
2013
The Examined Life Journal from the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine. Fall 2013. I have two poems in this issue: “Moment of Knowing” a tribute to a caregiver trying to feed an angry, confused man peaches and “Leaving Him There,” for a wife who could no long care for her aging husband with dementia.
Sep.
14
2013
WomenArts Quarterly Journal. Fall 2013. My poem is entitled “House of Need” and is about a woman who rescues everyone and everything – and what that costs her.
Aug.
12
2013
Nimrod International Journal. Spring/Summer 2013. “Mother of Phobia” is my poem about a mother sweeping the steps for a child who is afraid of spiders.