Holly Walrath's Blog, page 25
May 21, 2018
New Poem up at Ekphrastic Review
Artwork by John Bernhard Hey y'all! I have a new poem up at the Ekphrastic Review. It is an excerpt from my chapbook,
Glimmerglass Girl
. This poem is called "Anvil Crawler" and it is an art response poem to a piece of art by John Bernhard, a local Houston artist. I got to go see him yesterday and pick up my copy of the book Dreamlike Art & Deviations (Isn't it gorgeous?) which is now available on Amazon. John and I have worked together for several years now as part of his magazine, ArtHouston. So it was lovely to see him, the book, and his exhibition at the Art Car Museum in Houston.
I love collaborating with artists like this, and you'll notice that many of the poems in my chapbook are ekphrastic or pieces that are paired with artwork. There's just something moving to me about putting words and art together.
We weren't able to include John's artwork in the chapbook because it's full color and I didn't want to diminish the work by transferring it to black and white. As you can see, the color really makes a difference. However, I'm still glad that this piece appears in my book and it was a delightful experience working with John.
Anywho, go read the poem!
May 20, 2018
Comicpalooza 2018 Schedule
Here's my schedule for Comicpalooza 2018!
The Uncanny Valley in Fiction: Writing the Nearly Human
Friday, May 25
3:30-4:30pm - 370D
Evoking the uncanny, as understood by Housman and Freud, is one of the most evocative ways to add a skin-crawling sense of horror to your fiction. This panel will focus on how the uncanny works, what its roots and motifs are, and how to use it. Examples will include works by Neil Gaiman, Salvador Dali, Susan Cooper and David Lynch.
Poetry of the Imagination: Offsite Reading
Friday, May 25
7:00-9:00pm - Kaboom Books
3116 Houston Avenue
Houston, TX 77009
2018 marks the 40th anniversary of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Poetry Association (SFPA). Join SFPA President Bryan Thao Worra, along with Houston residents Holly Walrath (author of Glimmerglass Girl), Saba Razvi (author of Of the Divining and the Dead), T. Haven Morse (Flooded By, Beam Me Up Yoda), Kate Pentecost (Elysium Girls), and Deborah L. Davitt (Ave, Caesarion), along with Dallas-area poets Michelle Muenzler (The Hills of Meat, the Forest of Bone) and Bonnie Jo Stufflebeam (Strange Monsters), and Iowa poet Karen Bovenmeyer (Swift for the Sun) for an evening of speculative poetry.
This event is FREE and open to the public!
Character Springboard Workshop
Saturday, May 26
1:30-3:00pm - 370E
Drawing from popular television, movies, and books, this workshop explores how to create in-depth characters in your novels and short fiction. Feel free to bring a piece you are working on, or start something new using exercises from the workshop.
Writing Violence in Speculative Fiction
Saturday, May 26
3:30-4:00pm - 370F
Good writing involves conflict, and conflict can involve violence. How do writers create violent scenes effectively without sacrificing world building and characterization? When is the hint of violence scarier, and more effective, than a fully realized attack or battle? Should violence be handled differently for different audiences (such as YA and senior citizens)? Does the current international political and military climate affect the way that writers shape violent scenes? Our panel will discuss these crucial questions for the genre writer.
Speculative Poetry Deathmatch!
Saturday, May 26
4:30-5:30pm - 370E
Join us for an entertaining and interactive panel on science fiction, fantasy and horror poetry. Learn a little about speculative poetry, hear poets read some of their works, and then participate in a lyrical death-match in which you, the audience, decide which poet walks away with a tinfoil crown and bragging rights.
May 13, 2018
Subscriber-Only Post at Curious Fictions
Subscribe for $2 to read this post! I have a new post up at Curious Fictions, an essay on writing flash fiction. Subscribers also get a free eBook of my story "Mermaid Hunt."
Curious Fictions is a website similar to Patreon where I post occasional content, essays, and other random stuff.
May 11, 2018
2018 Events (Updated!)
Below is a list of events I'll be participating in this year! Hope to see you around. Please come say hi - I love meeting other writers.
May:
Comicpalooza (Panelist and hosting the SFPA Poetry reading May 25th)
June:
I'm the 2018 SFPA Contest chair. Submissions open June 1!
June 26, 6:30pm: Reading Fix Coffee Bar hosted by Mike Alexander
July:
Readercon (Panelist)
August:
Flash Fiction Retreat Breckenridge
August 22nd-September 12: Writespace Writing Life 101 Workshop
August 25: Writespace Poetry of the Fantastic Workshop
September:
September 29: Reading, Art & Words Show hosted by Bonnie Jo Stufflebeam
May 2, 2018
Writefest 2018 Schedule
I'll be paneling at Writefest this year. Here's my schedule if you want to come say hi! I'm also volunteering so you'll probably see me around putting out fires. Check out the full schedule of events here and don't miss the Saturday night social!
April 30, 2018
GlimmerGlass Girl Early Reviews
Whew, deep breaths. I am really pleased to share with you some early reviews for my forthcoming chapbook, Glimmerglass Girl (Finishing Line Press 2018). It is so exciting (and a bit terrifying) to see that people are already engaging with this book. 
My chapbook was reviewed by VIDA: Women in the Literary Arts. This is such an honor, as VIDA is a very important organization working to expose gender parity issues in literary journals and the writing world. This is a mission that means a great deal to me so to have them review my work gives me a lot of feels. Read it here.
My chapbook was also reviewed by two bloggers, Melissa Jennings and Morgan Boyer. Thanks for the reviews fellow bloggers!
My chapbook was reviewed by VIDA: Women in the Literary Arts. This is such an honor, as VIDA is a very important organization working to expose gender parity issues in literary journals and the writing world. This is a mission that means a great deal to me so to have them review my work gives me a lot of feels. Read it here. My chapbook was also reviewed by two bloggers, Melissa Jennings and Morgan Boyer. Thanks for the reviews fellow bloggers!
April 28, 2018
NaPoWriMo Day 29
This one has a pretty dark message, but I think it was just reflective of how I was feeling that day, after dealing with a lot of people.Sometimes people aren't perfect, and that's okay.
This is the last #NaPoWriMo post. I didn't get as many poems as I wanted written this year, but I think it was still a fun month of poetry. I'm working on promo for my chapbook, which is exciting but also a lot of work. So I'm still getting things done even if I'm not writing every day. It's fun to play around and see where my poems are evolving or even backsliding. If you want to read more of my stuff, follow me on Instagram.
