M.A. Dubbs's Blog, page 3

Poem In Amaranth Journal

Today is release day for online literary journal Amaranth! Amaranth Journal is an English/German publication that focuses on creative writing and art about food. I have two poems in Issue 3, Volume 1: “Food of the Dead” which is a haiku exploring the link between food and Mexican culture/holidays (specifically Day of the Dead). “Canned” is a free verse poem exploring how food in working class culture is prepared during the holidays. I love how both of these pieces capture different aspects of my life and upbringing.

Topics in this issue, as best summarized in the Editor’s Note, range from “food that opens up pathways to the past – often guiding us back home – and that which mirrors a perfect autumn day to the truth about heirloom
recipes and curious musings over family dinner, the travails of eating food in alphabetical order, the
hard realities of homelessness and hunger, and finding grace in unlikely places.”

Read for free here: https://amaranthjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Volume-3_Issue-1-Amaranth-Journal-Summer-24.pdf

Poetry contest with PSH

I’m proud to once again to be a sponsor for Poetry Super Highway’s annual poetry contest! Entry fee is only $1 per poem and entrants get a prize (such as a poetry book or other services). Winners split the pot as their prize winnings. If you enter you could win a copy of my latest poetry book Limestone Versified: Indiana Haiku and Other Poetry. Entries are allowed from all across the world! Check out the promo I made below and good luck!

Book Signing & Previews

Summer is usually a slow month for publications and writing but this week had some fun previews and my book signing. Today I was at Gal’s Guide Library in Noblesville and signed copies of my latest book Limestone Versified: Indiana Haiku and Other Poems. Riwo is the founder and has done such an amazing job creating an inclusive and welcoming space for everyone. I also adored the banner to advertise, too! Here I am with the banner at the front of the Nickle Plate Arts Building.

Queer Out Here shared their audio preview this week! Queer Out Here is an audio production, bringing together queer artists to read their writings, songs, quotes, sound effect, etc. Issue 9 focuses on nature, climate change, and environmentalism. Take a listen here:

Last, Cat Eye Press shared their contributor list for their upcoming Cursed Cooking anthology. I will have a horror flash fiction piece in addition to a cookie recipe. I’ve enjoyed diving more into the horror genre (it’s a genre I’ve always loved but for some reason hadn’t really created). I also can’t wait to see all the recipes, too! This is also the first time I’ll have a recipe published. I’ve been told the cookies are great so you’ll have to try them for yourself and see!

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Short Fiction in Transitions

The Spring 2024 edition of Dandelion Revolution Press is out now! The theme for this edition was “Transitions” and included my short fiction piece “Like That”. “Like That” was featured on DRP’s Subtrack as a preview so it’s excited to see the entire journal come together. You can read it for free here.

I will also have an upcoming interview and share more background about the creative behind-the-scenes for “Like That” in late summer/early fall with DRP. Thank you again to DRP for featuring my work and promoting me as an author!

Poem in Transitions

The Spring 2024 edition of Dandelion Revolution Press is out now! The theme for this edition was “Transitions” and included my short fiction piece “Like That”. “Like That” was featured on DRP’s Subtrack as a preview so it’s excited to see the entire journal come together. You can read it for free here.

I will also have an upcoming interview and share more background about the creative behind-the-scenes for “Like That” in late summer/early fall with DRP. Thank you again to DRP for featuring my work and promoting me as an author!

Book Signing at Gal’s Guide

Mark your calendars for July 13th because I am coming to Gal’s Guide for a book signing! I will be selling and signing my latest book Limestone Versified: Indiana Haiku and Other Poems along with other books in my back catalogue from 2 pm EST to 4 pm EST. A portion of the proceeds will go towards Gal’s Guide which is a 501(c)(3) women’s history library which provides free access to women’s literature and a wide range of author events, LGBT groups, walking groups, Buddhist meet-ups and so many other amazing events and activities for the local community. Shout out to Riwo for hosting me and making this amazing promo banner!

Zine and Pride Anthology

This week has been a whirlwind filled with ups and downs. My family had a sudden death of a family member which has been challenging. I’ve written a bit about my grief but its so raw its hard to fully put everything to words. On top of that, my kids are on summer break so routine has been changed in several ways. I had to move some writing things around but am trying to give myself grace and time to do what I can.

I still have a few writing updates that I still want to share and celebrate, despite the somber mood. The first is the release of Swagger: A Celebration of the Butch Experience (by Flashpoint Publications) on June 1st to celebrate Pride (Happy Pride Month!). This is an anthology of poetry, fiction, and essays exploring the butch experience and butch individuals. My poem “When I Met Haruka” (and yes, that is a Sailor Moon reference) was published in this collection. You can buy a digital copy on Amazon.

Next, the Wii Fan Zine by Morgan Taylor was released and my copy came in the mail. Mo encouraged the use of hands on art and that really shows in the zine. The rough textured paper and the hand-sewn seam really give that sensation of hand-made creation. Check out it out below!

The second picture shows my digital collage which I made out of Wii instruction manuals. It was a fun project! I loved the Wii as a teen (I even re-created my Mii for the author picture which was a great idea from Morgan)! You can read this digitally online! If you want a physical copy, reach out to Morgan on their Instagram (copies are pay-what-you-can).

Lastly, I had another mail day haul from JLRB Press. The Holes anthology came in along with a free poetry book and some other goodies. Thanks again for including my poems in the collection! There is an upcoming online reading which you can learn more about on JLRB Press’ website/Instagram.

Finalist in Chapbook Contest + Mental Health Awareness Month

It’s been a hectic week but I finally have some downtime to reflect on writing updates and achievements since last week!

The most exciting news is that my unpublished chapbook, In the Shadow of Sanity: Poems on Mental Health, is a finalist in Garden Party Collective’s annual chapbook contest. I’m very proud of this curated collection as it showcases a variety of poetry forms and formats. I am thrilled and honored to be a finalist and am excited to here the winner announcement at the end of this month.

All of the poems explore my personal experiences with mental health and my journey of healing. May is Mental Health Awareness Month so the timing is impeccable.

The tormented artist is a tired trope and one that I have always found ironic, as well. I’ve seen (online in particular) people enjoying art from an artist and supporting mental health (theoretically and performatively, at least) until that same artist exhibits symptoms of their mental health. Some popular artists that come to mind are Britney Spears or Lindsey Lohan. Both artists struggled with very public mental health crises and were mocked and rejected openly for years until the public narrative shift which offered more sympathy to growing up as famous children in a demanding field. I’ve found it disturbing how quickly and easily people will dogpile on someone when they are struggling with their mental health. I’ve also noticed how particularly vicious that tends to happen to femme artists.

People with mental health symptoms have historically been dismissed and rejected. Women, in particular, have been labeled “crazy” or “hysterical” and then subjected to institutions, asylums, lobotomies, and non-evidenced-based and unnecessary medical procedures (you can read more about this here) instead of receiving prompt, necessary, and life-saving care. Although society has made great strides towards having these open conversations, such as de-stigmatizing going to therapy or starting an anti-depressant, we still have a long way to go. This May, for Mental Health Awareness, I want to remind everyone that people with mental health symptoms are worthy of compassionate treatment, friendship, respect, understanding, and patience. This is not just on days when they are successfully masking their symptoms or overall doing well but also on days when they are struggling, have relapsed, are spiraling, or expressing other symptoms.

Mental illness, just like any other medical condition, is not a reflection of that person’s character or failings. Mental illnesses are chemical imbalances and changes in brain structure and activity due to inheritable disease, responses to trauma, brain injury, illness exposure, among many other contributing factors (you can read more about this here).

I’ve spent so much of my life trying to mask due to shame associated with my mental health and traumatic experiences. Whether bullying and gossip in middle/high school over my mental health to struggling to find quality medical professionals in high school and college to trying to cope with primary and secondary trauma when I was practicing to trying to get resources and support with post-partum, I can tell you there is a serious lack of support, means, and community for those who are neuro-divergent. And if you are neuro-divergent as well, please remember that you are always worthy of love, compassion, evidenced-based care, forgiveness, and recovery (yes, even on your rough days). You are not your symptoms. You are not bad because life dealt you the cards in your hand. It’s not an easy journey, but it is a journey always worth making.

I have a few more updates, as I step down from my soap box.

My short fiction story “Like That” was published today with Dandelion Revolution Press. You can read the piece on their Subtrack . This flash is a coming-of-age story and the transition out of childhood after a death in the family. It also explores the avoidant language we use with children and the impact on them.

The Neurodiversiverse: Alien Encounters – A Sci-Fi Anthology was successfully backed on Kickstarter! I’m excited that this project was enjoyed and supported so thoroughly and I am tickled to have a small part in it.

The Bluey Fan zine by Coin-Operated Press has launched. You can buy a physical or digital format at COP’s website!

You can pre-order Swagger: A Celebration of the Butch Experience by Flashpoint Publications on Amazon. The call was for artists who identify as butch or for pieces about butch individuals. I have a poem in this collection which comes out just in time for Pride month!

As always, more is going on behind the scenes so look forward to more updates! Until then, enjoy your week!

Non-fiction Piece in Entre Magazine

May 5th was the release of the first edition of Entre Magazine. Entre Magazine is a “a platform for artists of queer, Latina/o/x/e communities and beyond” and is interested in themes of “identity (through lenses of gender, culture, ethnicity, sexuality, etc.)” There’s not a lot of spaces for queer Hispanics so I was thrilled to see it.

I was also very excited to find this publication due to timing! I had finished a couple non-fiction pieces related to my mixed heritage (white Hispanic, Mexican specifically) and when I saw the call I immediately thought, “Oh, this is going to be a perfect fit!”

I’m still pretty green in writing creative non-fiction pieces since poetry is my forte. Also, to be honest, it’s hard for me to focus while editing prose. Poetry is really easy for me to edit but the longer the piece, the longer it takes me to edit. This week I just finished editing a horror novelette (25 pages single spaced) and that took so much energy to focus. Every little ding or notification or thought distracted me from the screen. It got done but it too some serious will power. Now to find a publication that publishes novelette’s (I swear that length is the kiss of death! So hard to find a home for that length!)

Anyways, my piece “Purr-ez” is a creative non-fiction piece about a visit to the VA which turned into a brief identity crisis. Entre Magazine editor Ray Páramo perfectly described the piece in the introduction:

“M.A. Dubbs’s work of short fiction, “Purr-ez,” conveys the struggle of someone trying to figure out how they fit within the Latina/o/x/e community when they also feel so disconnected from it.” (Entre Magazine, pg 4).

It perfectly describes, not only the piece, but my feelings in general: feeling between two worlds. Recently, I’ve been trying to find peace with my identity. I’ve been reading more literature and books about Mexico and written by Mexican-Americans and continuing to work on my Spanish. It’s so nice to read others who can relate to my experiences. “Write what you want to read,” indeed!

You can read Entre Magazine #1 for free online or order a physical print copy on their website.

Also, friendly reminder that the Kickstarter to purchase a copy of The Neurodiverse: Alien Encounter anthology ends in 4 days! Almost $4,600 has been backed for the project (that’s a lot of copies!), so the goal is almost met. Check out more at Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/thinkinginkpress/the-neurodiversiverse-alien-encounters-a-sci-fi-anthology

Publications ,Contests, Fundraising

I got some more publications hot off the presses this week!

First up is the upcoming Bluey fan zine by Coin-Operated Press and X SeaSlugChloe. I became a Bluey fan a few years ago after several moms from Australia recommended it on a parenting subreddit I read. I’m pretty sure it was on r/DanielTigerConspiracy (a subreddit where parents post unhinged and outlandish theories and takes about their kid’s TV shows because of course I did). For those not in the know, Bluey is a popular kids cartoon based in Australia. It’s wholesome, funny, and sometimes emotional due to hard topics they address. Mostly importantly, Bluey is a show that both kids and parents enjoy watching instead of the kids having fun and parents slowly, painfully dying inside (looking at you, Sunny Bunnies!)

My poem “Sleepytime” is about the episode of the same name and it’s one that’s often deemed by fans one of the most emotional of all the series. I was a mess watching it for the first time and often still tear up when I watch the episode. The episode’s soundtrack also includes “The Planets” by Gustav Holst which is one of my favorite pieces of classical music. My poem is a sweet exploration into parenting, being a mom, and healing my own inner child.

Check out the promo below! Zines went to print this week so the official release should be soon!

May 1st is the launch of Holes: An Anthology of Poems about Depths, Darkness, and Desire by JLRB Press. JLRB Press is “a small-run imprint that specia­lizes in poetry, with a strong emphasis on queer and neuro­divergent voices and emerg­ing writers” based out of Canada. I have three very different poems in this anthology ranging from trans and LGBT rights in “Let Me Hear You Ally” (because fuck book censorship and bans), an anti-war poem in “A War on Terror”, and recovery from mental illness in “Rock Bottom: A Sacred Place”.

Editions are available in soft-bound copies and can be found at the JLRB Press link above.

My kids had a lemonade stand and sold some axolotl zines to raise funds for MOJA (wetland preservation in Mexico to help axolotls habitat). They raised $6 which has us up to $13 raised total!

I also found out that my haiku won 3rd place in the social justice category in the 5th annual Mukai Farm & Garden Haiku Contest. My poem addressed recent issues of censorship in my local community (You can read more in this article linked here) which was removing many LGBTQ+ and other young adult books due to overly strict concerns that they were age-inappropriate. I’m thrilled my poem was enjoyed and won, plus I’m happy I could spread my voice and concern. I’m happy the policy was ended late last year but it never shouldn’t have gotten that far and probably would not have stopped if author John Green hadn’t spoken up and received national attention. You can check out my poem which is displayed at Mukai Farm right now!

Today is the last day to vote for People’s Choice Award for Gal’s Guide Nourish Anthology! You can vote on their website or using this link. Saturday May 4th is the last book tour event with an online Q&A called Meet the Authors. There will be readings and the announcement for the award as well. Tune in on Zoom! https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81409159276

Also out on May 1st is Cosmic Daffodil’s latest publication Ying and Yang. I have two poems in this publication “Sun Salutation” and “Moon Salutation”. These poems are both concrete poems in the shape of a sun and moon, respectively, along with an easier to read format following each one. I made this using Word Art (select customize). I have a Religious Studies minor and really enjoyed my courses learning about Daoism. Ying and Yang is about balance and when the call provided some examples, such as masculine and feminine, I remembered yoga. Sun and Moon Salutations are a flow of yoga moves which a yogi explained to me explore the masculine and feminine energies of our bodies and the earth. I made a concrete poem to showcase how much is held within a shape, just like how much is held within our bodies during yoga. I think they came our pretty nice!