M.A. Dubbs's Blog, page 6

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!

Updates & PUBLICATIONS

I typically post one topic at a time when doing updates but there is so much going on (which is amazing!) that I can’t justify making that many posts and notifications!

First up, my poem “A Night with My Cryptids” is being produced by Recover Me. They are a non-for-profit that’s mission is to generate mental health awareness “By showcasing various narratives through the powerful medium of visual and performing arts”. My poem along other pieces will be performed on December 8th at Recover Me’s gala. If you are near the Los Angeles, California area please check it out. You can purchase tickets here. https://www.discoverlosangeles.com/event/2023/12/08/4th-annual-recover-me-mental-health-awareness-gala

Next, zerofeedback’s (a Japanese-Italian art publisher) attended the art book fair held at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Tokyo, Japan. Annihilation of Space and Time, which has my black out poem “Black Out Posterity” was among the books sold. This is my first publication in Japan!

Next, pre-order are available for Fright Night, an Indianapolis zine publisher. My poem “An Ode to Sammy Terry” will be included in the mix. I check out proof reviews yesterday and it looks SO good!

My hybrid visual-written piece “Greetings from the Therapy Office” is being published in the anthology Letters I’ll Never Send” and contributor copies are on their way! Curated and edited by Jackie Bluu, she is holding a launch party in Brooklyn, New York on December 15th. Tickets can be found here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/open-mic-book-launch-letters-ill-never-send-tickets-739798466127?aff=oddtdtcreator

My Spanglish haiku “Champurrado” and “Second Generation Garden” are being published with The Bayou Review, a University of Houston-Downtown publication. They are having a virtual launch party on November 30th.

Last but not least, my poem “Moving Up in America” was published in Growing Pains: Texte über das Erwachsenwerden. This is a German-English anthology of writings of the experience of growing up. This is my first publication in Austria with Danzin & unfried publisher. You can buy a copy on Amazon, soon to be other online shops as well.

Hoo! That was a lot! I’m so happy that so much is happening for me in the literary world! I’ll post more updates once contributor copies come in, too!

Black Out Poem with Zerofeedback

My black out poem “Black Out Posterity” was published with art collective and publisher zerofeedback, located out of Tokyo, Japan. The theme for this collection is “The Annihilation of Space and Time” and contains photography, art, and other creative works around these concepts. I chose Albert Einstein’s Time Capsule Letter for the 1939 World Fair as my found piece. Who better to capture these concepts besides the legend himself? His letter serves as a warning for future generations but overall is hopeful while I used blackout structure to focus on the nihilist cycle of human suffering (I’m a bit of a downer in this one!).

The collection is quite the hefty book with 272 pages! You can purchase a copy here: https://zrfdbck.com/The-Annihilation-Space-and-Time

All of the published pieces will be displayed in a gallery in Tokyo, Japan. More details to come!

Poem in Porridge Magazine

Today my poem “A Tamalada” was released with Porridge Magazine as part of their Comfort Foods feature. Comfort Foods focuses on creative writing all around food and culture. This poem was inspired earlier this year after I hosted my first Tamalada for my family. For those unfamiliar, a Tamalada is basically a party where you make and eat tamales. It was a great day to pass on family recipes and introduce the youngest generation to our native Mexican traditions. You can read the poem (and check out other great writing!) here: https://porridgemagazine.com/2023/10/21/comfort-foods-a-tamalada-by-m-a-dubbs/

I also just got back from A Día de Muertos celebration at my local Native American museum. I ate some pan de muerto, got to see some beautiful ofrendas, listened to mariachi music, watched a Catrinas parade, and ate some al pastor tacos. Tell me that’s not a great day!

I was talking to my husband on the way home how important these celebrations are. I’m a long way from Mexico but even in Indiana I can celebrate my cultural heritage and share it with my kids!

Shortlist Kinship Poetry Competition

Today Renard Press announced the Shortlist for the Kinship Poetry Anthology Competition. My poem “Here’s To Us Spanglish Kids” made the cut! It was first long listed among 101 other poems and now is among 50 other poems. All shortlist poems will be printed in the Kinship Anthology and receive a free copy. 1st and 2nd place will be announced at the online launch party later this month.

LongList for Kinship Competition

The Longlist for Renard Press Kinship Poetry Competition’s went live this afternoon and I was delighted to learn my poem “Here’s to Us Spanglish Kids” made the cut!

This poem is a rally and reminder to those who are trying to reconnect with their culture, background, and language. I’ve been writing so much about this topic recently and it is cathartic to put it out there. I was raised and identify with the label of “mix” and often felt between two different worlds growing up. My dad’s side of the family was a typical white American family (which I love!) but my mom’s side of the family was Hispanic, my grandfather immigrating from Mexico when he was a teen. My family were proud Mexican-Americans!

It was difficult finding a balance, particularly once I moved as a pre-teen to a less diverse area. I was proud to share my heritage with my new classmates but was often met with people questioning my authenticity (due to my skin color/hair and not being Spanish fluent) or racism (I won’t even go into detail at the jokes people would make). I felt like I had to defend myself and my family.

Most of all, I began questioning whether they were right. Could I really be Mexican-American when I was blonde and white? Most of my Mexican-American family had dark brown hair and eyes with a darker hue. I felt left out and like I was a fraud. I remember initially not selecting “Hispanic” on my college applications and my mom being so disappointed. I was signed up for Hispanic Club at college but I was too scared to ever go. Too scared to be told “I think you’re in the wrong room.”

It was full on identity crisis. I constantly questioned: Who am I? What am I? I never felt “enough” to fit into either world. The feeling inside it all: shame.

I’ve learned, with time, to accept who I am. I make attempts to reclaim my heritage through traditional family recipes, crafting my ofrenda, listening to my grandpa’s stories of Mexico, researching my genealogy, and practicing my Spanglish.

I’ve realized that it’s not just bloodlines that define you but your culture you were raised and loved in. I am enough.

Hispanic Heritage Month starts in a few days, but there’s no better way to kick it off than with this post. I hope you celebrate yourself. Celebrate your culture, heritage, language, and all your other in-betweens. You’re enough and always have been.

La libertad está en ser dueños de nuestra vida

2 Zines Out Today

Two new zines hot off the presses! Save the Axolotl was made at the pleading of my kids.Being their favorite critter, they were distraught to learn axolotls are critically endangered and told me to do something about it. Well, this is my doing something! Filled with axolotl facts and info about how to help and donate to MOJA.

In a totally different direction, >Greentext, Food Poisoning, & Calculus is a non-fiction zine humorously detailing me trying to pass my Calculus class freshman year of college.

Both zines are available on itch.io and Ko-fi. Pay what you can (and that includes free). Links below:

https://madubbs.itch.io/save-the-axolotl

https://madubbs.itch.io/greentext-food-poisoning-calculus-zine

https://ko-fi.com/madubbs

The Sunshine Lounge Reading + Music

Today was the release of “Color to my Landscape with M. A. Dubbs” with The Sunshine Lounge! The Sunshine Lounge is “The Show that Feels Like a Warm Blanket” or a podcast on Spotify and intertwines poetry with fitting, themed music. Cara (they/them) reads my poems “Nature abhors a vacuum”, “Verse for the Forager”, “Little Eagle Creek in Seasons”, “In These Black Hills You Need More Than Gold”, and “Blue Collar Fishing Trip” and mixes them with indie pop and folk music. Is there anything better than discovering new music?

I greatly appreciate Cara’s dedication and gentleness with my work and the final product is incredible. They did a great job capturing the Midwestern/Americana of the poems. Take a listen for yourself!

Spotify with reading and musicYoutube playlist for full songs

Interested in submitting your own writing, check out the podcast website here (please note this is a Google Site): https://sites.google.com/view/caramorganpoet/podcast?authuser=3 or follow them on Instagram @thesunshineloungefm

Reading at Grand Opening of fort Ben Library

This Saturday I had the great pleasure of reading my poem “A Star Party in the Heartland” for the Grand Opening of the Fort Ben Library. The library is the latest to open in the Indianapolis area. I read with Poets Laureate of Lawrence and we even had a group photo which was a wonderful treat! The opening also had face painting and animal encounters (which my kids loved). Following the poetry reading was Ballet Folklorico Mosaicos (traditional Mexican dance) who were incredible!