Angel Zapata's Blog, page 6
December 17, 2012
Sandy Hook— A Poetic Reflection
Tonightthe moontook a deep breath,inhaled the stars;drank the purple,bruised sky; swallowedan archer, then a bear.Everyone here,crouched on this mountain,refocused telescopes,rubbed leaf-green eyes,snapped digital picsof calculated, coldand complete darkness.We all feltthe rain strike at once,without eyeing a single,hostile cloud—thought we knewthe differencebetween a bulletand a raindrop. We allran back inside our safe,warm cabins; satbefore television screens,empathized with tears;suffered the agonizingheart-quakes of mothers,fathers, brothers, sisters;witnessed these strangers,forced to becomesomething new beneathan unfamiliar sky.We killed the powerto our cable boxes— fast;wrapped ourselvesin burial cloths, venturedback into the rain,shook like dying flames;tried our bestto recall the stars—such innocent lights— learn each of their names.
Copyright © 2012, Angel Zapata
Copyright © 2012, Angel Zapata
December 13, 2012
New Poem: Chasing Philosophy at Red Fez
The December issue of Red Fez just went live! You can find my poem, Chasing Philosophy, listed under the poetry tab. An excerpt:
Per their website, “Red Fez is an artist-run organization determined to publish and promote creative, meaningful and accessible artistic pursuits and collaborations. Our mission is to provide opportunities for writers, artists and musicians to create, promote, publish and profit (in kind, in cash, in notoriety, in backrubs - hey artists will take whatever they can get these days!) from their work; and for readers, art enthusiasts and music fans to discover, connect and support art and artists meaningful and entertaining to them. We believe in accessible art and an accessible artistic community. Red Fez is a melting pot of people interested in creating, sharing and discovering writing, music, art and more.”
Submission guidelines can be found here.
Thank you, Michael Grover and all the staff at Red Fez.
December 12, 2012
2012 MicroHorror Story Contest: The Blood Worms is a Winner
Nathan Rosen, editor of the horror flash fiction site, MicroHorror, has announced the winners of the 2012 Short Story Contest. Three winning entries were chosen. It thrills me to announce my story, The Blood Worms was one of them.
My sincere thanks goes out to the judges: Nathan Rosen, Oonah V. Joslin, and Michael A. Arnzen.
And a big congrats to my fellow authors and their winning tales: Chiseled by Caelin Beaty Disturbing Art by Mara Morrigan
December 8, 2012
The Incurable Weight of the Breathless at eSteampunk
eFiction publishes a variety of genre magazines (adventure, fantasy, horror, noir, romance, sci-fi, Steampunk, humor) every month. Submissions guidelines for their Steampunk issues can be found here. I highly recommend you spend some time exploring the many offerings they have available.
My poem, The Incurable Weight of the Breathless, appears in their latest Steampunk issue, eSteampunk December 2012. The following is an excerpt of my poem:
My thanks to editor, Mandy Brown, whose valuable feedback was most appreciated.
December 7, 2012
Friday Reading Recommendation: Krystal Lambert at Doxa Literary Journal
Today’s recommendation is a departure from the often horrific, darker works I normally pimp. These particular poems explore one woman’s spirituality, spoken with a passionately, soothing persistence. This collection of
nine poems by Krystal Lambert
appears at
Doxa:
Nebraska Christian College's Undergraduate Literary Journal.
From the opening lines of
Pale Joy:
dear somber and sorrowstop sleeping on my doorstepstop sinking my heart
to the soulful pleas of her heartbreaking For Lovers:
breathe of beasts and baubles and beautywrap me in worthtorture me in tendernesscrown me in colorlove me in lavenderthat i might not find my heart in ashes
I was enamored with her honest and plainly-spoken prose. No matter what walk of faith you cling to, I believe a bit of her quiet divinity can offer something to ponder for days to come. Let’s face it, we can all benefit from a dose of optimism. I leave you with a passage from her thoughtfully stirring Temple of Bones:
Within my fleshdespite my filthYou place Your Spiritamong the wreckage.
dear somber and sorrowstop sleeping on my doorstepstop sinking my heart
to the soulful pleas of her heartbreaking For Lovers:
breathe of beasts and baubles and beautywrap me in worthtorture me in tendernesscrown me in colorlove me in lavenderthat i might not find my heart in ashes
I was enamored with her honest and plainly-spoken prose. No matter what walk of faith you cling to, I believe a bit of her quiet divinity can offer something to ponder for days to come. Let’s face it, we can all benefit from a dose of optimism. I leave you with a passage from her thoughtfully stirring Temple of Bones:
Within my fleshdespite my filthYou place Your Spiritamong the wreckage.
December 5, 2012
Simultaneous Submissions: To Do or Not To Do
Most online and print publications clearly state their preference for simultaneous submissions. Some will accept them; no problem. Some will accept them with stipulations. Some will absolutely not have anything to do with them.
By definition, a simultaneous submission is a completed manuscript (and here you can insert whatever specific type you choose: poem, flash fiction, short story, novella, novel, etc.) that the writer sends out to more than one publisher / editor. Every publication has a different response time, so the idea is for the writer to submit copies of their work to multiple publishers, thus increasing the chance for a ‘timely’ acceptance / rejection notification.
Examples of publisher preferences for simultaneous submissions:Yes— Sundog Lit Yes (with stipulations)— Boston Literary Magazine No— Every Day Fiction
If a writer’s work is accepted by one particular journal / magazine/ online pub/ press, it then becomes her responsibility to contact all the other publications she submitted to and inform them her work is no longer available for consideration.
This is where editors often run into a problem. They might love this writer’s work and want nothing more than to publish it but, unknown to them, it’s been accepted somewhere else… and the writer may have forgotten to communicate this fact. They may have already cleared the page space and closed submissions for their latest issue, and now they’ve lost the opportunity to present this writer’s work.
I guarantee this writer will never be welcome to submit to them again. For reals.
In my own opinion— and as the majority of publications I submit to are unpaid gigs— I see very little benefit in simultaneous submissions. Using myself as an example, I don’t let just any stranger hold my baby (my crafted words). I carefully choose where and to whom my work is sent. I want that publisher to take their time and really give my submission a fair shake before passing judgment. If rejected, I move on to plan B (always have a plan B thru Z) and submit elsewhere. And in reality, what’s the big hurry anyway? Use that anxious waiting time to continue creating new works.
The only time I consider submitting the same work to more than one publisher at a time is when there’s an opportunity to receive payment (if the selected publisher is open to this option). The benefit here is obvious— ker ching, ker ching… $$. BUT, if you’re lacking follow up skills, don’t bother as failing to alert publishers of acceptance elsewhere may burn bridges you may like to one day walk across.
In a nutshell, for me, I just don’t do it.
How do you feel about it?
By definition, a simultaneous submission is a completed manuscript (and here you can insert whatever specific type you choose: poem, flash fiction, short story, novella, novel, etc.) that the writer sends out to more than one publisher / editor. Every publication has a different response time, so the idea is for the writer to submit copies of their work to multiple publishers, thus increasing the chance for a ‘timely’ acceptance / rejection notification.
Examples of publisher preferences for simultaneous submissions:Yes— Sundog Lit Yes (with stipulations)— Boston Literary Magazine No— Every Day Fiction
If a writer’s work is accepted by one particular journal / magazine/ online pub/ press, it then becomes her responsibility to contact all the other publications she submitted to and inform them her work is no longer available for consideration.
This is where editors often run into a problem. They might love this writer’s work and want nothing more than to publish it but, unknown to them, it’s been accepted somewhere else… and the writer may have forgotten to communicate this fact. They may have already cleared the page space and closed submissions for their latest issue, and now they’ve lost the opportunity to present this writer’s work.
I guarantee this writer will never be welcome to submit to them again. For reals.
In my own opinion— and as the majority of publications I submit to are unpaid gigs— I see very little benefit in simultaneous submissions. Using myself as an example, I don’t let just any stranger hold my baby (my crafted words). I carefully choose where and to whom my work is sent. I want that publisher to take their time and really give my submission a fair shake before passing judgment. If rejected, I move on to plan B (always have a plan B thru Z) and submit elsewhere. And in reality, what’s the big hurry anyway? Use that anxious waiting time to continue creating new works.
The only time I consider submitting the same work to more than one publisher at a time is when there’s an opportunity to receive payment (if the selected publisher is open to this option). The benefit here is obvious— ker ching, ker ching… $$. BUT, if you’re lacking follow up skills, don’t bother as failing to alert publishers of acceptance elsewhere may burn bridges you may like to one day walk across.
In a nutshell, for me, I just don’t do it.
How do you feel about it?
November 23, 2012
Bully at 101 Fiction
101 Fiction publishes micro fiction that “must be 101 words long, consisting of a one word title and one hundred word story.” They are currently open to submissions in the following genres: science fiction, fantasy, horror and surreal. Read guidelines here.
My story, Bully is featured today.
Big shout out to editor, John Xero. Thanks!
Friday Reading Recommendation: Listerature at Little Fiction
This week I highly recommend you invest some time to read Little Fiction’s Listerature, Vol. 1. In the past, I’ve read stories presented in the form of a list, but this is the first time I’ve ever seen them put into a collection. I gotta say, they are impressive. Writers explore everything from to-do lists to bucket lists and anything in between. My favorite is the creepy and amazing That Song The Police Sing by Kristy Logan and Helen Sedgwick. You can download the entire issue for free.
Little Fiction is currently seeking submission for Listerature, Vol. 2 as well as their monthly online issues. Read guidelines here.
If you like what you read, and you can track them down, please make sure you let editor, Troy Palmer, and the featured writers know.
Enjoy!
November 19, 2012
The Housekeeper at The 5-2 Crime Poetry Weekly
Excited to report my crime poem, The Housekeeper, is the poem of the day on The 5-2: Crime Poetry Weekly. Editor, Gerald So, publishes one new crime/thriller poem every week.
They also include an audio version of each author’s work. My poem is read by the talented, Deshant Paul.
Submissions are currently open. Per the guidelines, “Holiday deadline – November 30, 2012. I'm seeking poems to run the weeks of December 24, 2012 and December 31, 2012. The poems can involve Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve, New Year's Day, or any holidays around the same time. Aside from the themes and deadline, the usual guidelines apply. I am accepting regular submissions at the same time.” Read more here.
Many thanks to Gerald So.
November 16, 2012
Friday Reading Recommendations (November 16th): 2 Featured Writers
Cherry Lollipops by Michael A. Kechula, published at Flashes in the Dark . This story is the reason I always hang up on wrong number calls. Plus it has vampires and an insane asylum. What’s not to like about that?
Notes on the Body and The Party by Melissa Reddish, published at Scissors and Spackle. Wow. Fine, fine writing. Talk about taking life’s mundane moments— a pimple of the nose— and creating a brilliant character study. Loved every word.
If you like what you read, and you can track them down, please make sure you let these talented writers know.
Enjoy!
