M.A. Dubbs's Blog, page 5

4 Haiku in ionsphere Vol 1

It’s here! The first edition of @ampliconpress, a journal where poetry meets science, space, and technology is now live!

I had a fun time doing research before writing my pieces. It’s nice to brush up on science and try to merge terminology with poetic imagery. I’ve always enjoyed science and learning about space, even if I don’t fully understand everything. When I was a kid I had a telescope and an interactive space board that gave you facts about the planets which I loved. My kids play with it now, though I have to explain that Pluto is no longer a planet.

I have four haiku to kick start the journey into the ionosphere. The book also was #1 best seller in Nature for new releases so congratulations to Amplicon Press! So proud to be included in this project! You can buy a copy (digital or physical) on Amazon.

Poem in pan(*)Cha.zine

It’s #mailday and I received my copy of Remix by @panochazine You can find my poem “Patchwork of a Mixed Kid” (paired with beautiful art!) inside. The art is by Amori Piñon and I love the message. As much as I love genealogy, I feel that, at least in the US, there is a big emphasize on your percentage of heritage instead of focusing on people and cultures as wholes.

The poem explores my mixed feelings about my mixed identity and cultural upbringing of being white Mexican-American. Oftentimes I have felt not Latina enough, not white enough, etc. Where do I fit in when I have blonde hair but celebrate Día de Muertos? What do I call myself when filling out a census and it asks if I’m indigenous? What percent is the cut-off? Does it even count when you aren’t card-carrying with a tribe? Am I Hispanic when I speak Spanglish that I mostly learned in the classroom? Should I just put white because there’s more European blood or is that erasing my ancestry, lineage, and culture that survived colonization? These are questions that I hem and haw frequently. If anyone has an easy answer, let me know, so I can obtain some inner peace!

It was refreshing and relieving to read the pieces from others about their own experiences. Sometimes it can feel isolating and that you have to choose when you are split between different races/ethnicity/cultures. I think this forced choice comes from a long line of historical oppression and colorism and puts stress and pressure on people with mixed backgrounds. I love this zine because it was a reminder that we are whole and always enough. We get to define who we are and our labels. You can buy your copy of Remix or other zines here!

Fright Night Print + Group Photo + Upcoming Workshop

Today is mail day and it’s here! The print edition of Fright Night: A Halloween Zine @frightnightzine. It’s so sleek and looks so nice! I love have large the book is and it was so well packaged (it came in a black bubble folder which I think thinks the tone of the zine nicely!).

I’m a little sad this chapter is coming to a close because it was a pleasure being a part of this project. I’ve worked with lots of publications but this is among my top experiences so far! Great communication, scheduling, packaging, attention to detail…things you really come to appreciate as a writer and creative. It was so nice working with Nicole! But here’s to maybe potential future happy haunts?

This Tuesday was also the first meeting of Poets Laureate of Lawrence for 2024 and we took some group photos which was fun! More to come in the future on why we needed a group photo… (if you can’t tell, I hate to spoil things too early, especially when things haven’t been finalized.)

Also, on March 26th, 2024 I will be holding a FREE community workshop on how to get your poetry published. Whether a single poem, a chapbook, or a full length book, I’ll walk you through the things you need to get started and gain your confidence!

You can get the full event information at Indy Arts Guide or from Arts for Lawrence events! I hope to see you there!

Visual Found Poem with Rough Cut Press

First publication of 2024! My visual found poem “Secrets of Midsummer” is now live in Issue 56 of Rough Cut Press. Rough Cut Press is a monthly online publication that shares written and visual work from creatives that identify as part of the LGBT+ community. They also pay an honorarium and do not charge submission fees (we love to see it!)

“Secrets of Midsummer” was created from the June 1921 edition of Good Housekeeping. I love going through old magazines and seeing what things people were writing, talking, and thinking about. I couldn’t help but notice the illustrations of women together and note the proximity and intimacy at play (I was picking up some ‘and they were roommates’ vibes!) So from that, the collage was born!

I’m so happy that the piece was picked up by Rough Cut Press! You can read Issue 56 for yourself which also has a short piece, “Chokecherry”, by Kody Owen.

Haiku for Swim Press December Prompt

My haiku ““Trimming Our Tree” is now live over on Swim Press’ monthly blog. Swim Press is an independent publisher and magazine dedicated to emerging and undiscovered writers/artists. Each month the release a writing prompt to inspire creatives and then post the results on their monthly blog. The month of December had the theme “ornaments” and I had immediate inspiration. Ornaments are small but can hold so much meaning, much like a haiku, so the form choice was an easy one. You see my excerpt below and

Sneakpeek Haiku with The NeuroJournalist

My haiku “Tetris Therapy” was presented as a sneak peek for the upcoming winter edition of The NeuroJournalist. The NeuroJournalist is an upcoming publication featuring all things related to neuroscience: art, writing, articles, music etc.. I have a large interest in neuroscience given my previous education and career background in psychology, so I had to create something once I saw the call! I am so in love with the visuals added to the poem. It really aids so much to the piece.

“Tetris Therapy” references the very real world phenomenon of The Tetris Effect which are lingering thoughts/thought patterns of the Tetris blocks falling and quickly arranging them. Because of the taxing and quick nature of the game, Tetris has been helpful for those suffering with PTSD and other mental health symptoms.

I can personally attest to using video games to help with mental health symptoms, especially when I was teenager and young adult. Wario Woods and Bomberman 64 were my Tetris but I also loved the calming nature of Legend of Zelda OOT, Mario 64, Mario Paint and later RPGs such as KOTOR and Mass Effect. They provided me escapism and peace of mind during rough parts of my life.

It’s not too late to submit to The NeuroJournalist! You can email them anything neuro related at their email: theneurojournalist@gmail.com

Haiku Published with Coin-Operated Press

The Haiku Poetry Zine by Coin-Operated Press is now live! Coin-Operated Press is “queer-led social enterprise run by Chloe Henderson & Katie McCann” from Scotland. I have five haiku in this edition: “Rain Legs”, “Fool’s Spring”, “Pearl Hunting”, “Endangered”, & “The Climb.” My poems focus on nature in Indiana (minus “The Climb”, that has to do with Clingman’s Dome in Tennessee). You can buy the virtual edition for £3.00 or print for £4.00.

Poem Published with Fright Night

It’s…it’s…it’s alive!! Fright Night, a local Indiana based horror zine, is now live! Check out the digital zine on Flipbook! It’s free and filled with spooky, gory, goodness. You can read my poem “An Ode to Sammy Terry” which is dedicated to the O.G. horror host himself! You can also pre-order the print edition on Big Cartel before December 31st.

Poem Published with In Plainspeak

My poem “The Two Worlds of a Bi Poet” was published today in the December edition of In Plainspeak, A digital magazine on sexuality, based in the Global South. This edition focused on Digital Spaces and Sexuality and explored how these two worlds converge. My poem explores the outlet my digital writing presence provides when my own world cannot always do so.

Earlier this year, my local library made national news due to enacting a very strict policy on what they deemed inappropriate for teens to read. Many classics would have been removed from the teen section under this policy and it was obvious from the start that this policy was set into place to restrict LGBT books and topics from the teen section. Why is it that anything even remotely LGBT related is automatically deemed explicit, inappropriate, or propaganda when straight relationships are not?

Thanks to local writer John Green, this policy received national scrutiny and the board is in discussions to stop the policy and put books back in the teen section. But the damage has been done. I know for myself, this ban created a sense of unwelcomeness in my own community. My poem makes mention of this event because of its impact on my identity within my real community and the fragile illusion of safety online in comparison.

LGBT rights have come so far even in the past few years. Gay marriage has only been legal in my state for the past 9 years! But there is still a lot of progress to go. You can feel the animosity in discourse related to LGBT topics in both the digital and real world. Accusations of grooming or other inappropriate behaviors are often brought up when discussing sex education, especially if it includes any LGBT topics. Globally, there are still countries where LGBT relationships are banned, illegal, and can be punished with death. I also fear what the future holds for LGBT citizens in Russia after the raids on LGBT bars and making lists of patrons earlier this month.

I thank In Plainspeak for offering this space to discuss these topics and making it their mission to educate both their local community and the online community on various topics related to sexuality. It’s a honor to carve out my little piece of protest on the digital stage.

Pop-Up Shop

For a limited time, I will be hosting a pop-up shop with Printify! All the word cloud designs are created myself and feature poetry types, LGBT writers, or Hispanic writers from all around the world. I did a lot of research to create representation from across the globe and learned so much! All designs are available on totes (because what writer isn’t lugging around journals and books) and choice designs are on a button and lined journal. You can check out the designs below and visit my shop with this link!