Diane Lockward's Blog, page 31

Invective Against the Bumblebee: The Movie

Click Cover for Amazon

A few weeks ago poet and blogger Adele Kenny contacted me and asked permission to use my poem, "Invective Against the Bumblebee," as the model poem for her upcoming poetry prompt. Adele keeps a wonderful blog, The Music In It, where each Saturday she posts a prompt. Each prompt is preceded by a paragraph or two of instruction with some history and craft discussion. Then there is usually a list of links to sample poems. Then the prompt. Of course, I was happy to have my poem included in prompt #107, Invective Poems.



The timing of Adele's request was interesting as I was just putting the finishing touches on my July Poetry Newsletter. The prompt for July was a curse poem. I hope this doesn't indicate that the poets are turning cranky! I was also about to complete a movie I'd been making of the poem, using the soundtrack I'd recorded when the poem was reprinted at Soundzine a few months ago. So this seemed like a good time to at last post the movie version of "Invective Against the Bumblebee."



Check it out:







Now go visit The Music In It, bookmark the site, sign on as a follower, and return each Saturday.



If you're not already a subscriber to my monthly Poetry Newsletter and would like to be, move over to the right sidebar and fill out the brief form there. It's free and includes a book recommendation, poem and prompt, links to poetry-related sites, a video, and a Craft Tip from a well-established poet.

Summertime and the Reading is Wonderful at Ithaca Lit

I had the pleasure of being the Guest Editor for the Summer 2012 issue of Ithaca Lit, a very nice online journal founded by Editor Michele Lesko and co-edited by Sherry O'Keefe. This issue marks the end of the journal's first year, so a big round of applause! I had poems in the first issue, Autumn 2011, and the guest editorship came about as a result of that. The journal comes out four times a year, each scheduled to occur on the solstice.



One of my jobs was to suggest a poet to be the issue's Featured Poet. I suggested Bruce Guernsey and Michele agreed that he'd be perfect for the spot, especially since his new book, From Rain: Poems 1970-2010, had just come out. Bruce is the former editor of The Spoon River Poetry Review as well as an accomplished poet with five full-length collections and seven chapbooks. He's also been featured four times on Ted Kooser's "American Life in Poetry" and has a fifth feature coming up. After reading his new collection, I sent him the interview questions which he then responded to. His responses are wonderful. Be sure to read this Interview. I had a hard time but a good time selecting just five of Bruce's poems to feature. I think you'll enjoy the range, craft, and variety of these Poems. (You can purchase From Rain at Amazon.)



My other role was to invite a handful of poets to submit work to the journal. Hard to narrow down to just a handful, but I'm happy to say that work was accepted by all seven of the poets I invited. In addition, there is work by five other poets. One aspect of this journal that I like is that each issue is limited to a dozen poets, making the journal one you can get through in one sitting but also one you'll want to return to. You'll remember these Poems.



Yet another admirable feature of the journal is its attention to art. Every single page has a piece of art as its header. As you can see from the two images I've included here, the theme for this issue is Chairs. How appropriate for summer! But there's more. There's a featured artist, Michel Delgado. You'll find an Interview with Michel conducted by the editor and, best of all, a Gallery of his work.



There's also an interview with Seamus Heaney, a music feature, and several prose pieces. Please visit Ithaca Lit and be sure to bookmark it. You'll want to go back.

Me and Ribbet: A Love Story

Click to Enter Heaven


Several months ago I received an email containing the heart-breaking news that my favorite photo editing site, Picnik, would be closing on April 19. The reason offered was pretty bogus—they wanted to do even better things over at Google+. However, the features they migrated over there are minimal, not even close to the glories of the Picnik site. Apparently, Google owned Picnik and had made that decision.



Thousands of voices rose in protest, all to no avail. In April Picnik did indeed disappear. Gone. Kaput. Finito. Like others who had loved the ability to get rid of wrinkles and double chins, who'd adored the collage feature (the collage used as header for this blog was made at Picnik), and countless special effects, and so much more, I began a search for an alternative. I found some—FotoFlexer, iPiccy, PicMonkey—all fine but not one of them even close to Picnik. Oh! woe was me.



Then a hero came along. Ribbet! Imagine my joy when I discovered on Facebook that Ribbet would soon go live and would offer ALL of the features of Picnik, using many of the very same platforms, even keeping the frog logo. Although they were not able to meet their original target date—problems with licenses and a few glitches—happiness came back into my life when they officially opened yesterday.



The site is wonderful. I've already used it several times. This is a completely free service, though, like Picnik, they will eventually charge a fee for Premium service, now free to everyone, but that fee should be minimal. I paid it to Picnik and will pay it to Ribbet when necessary, though I'm hoping to be one of the 100 winners of free Premium for a year.





As a sample and a tease, I offer you a piece of the magnificent Strawberry Misu I made this week. With Ribbet, I added a speech bubble, text, and a butterfly. I wish I could offer you a real bite.

Summer Journals Q-Z

Here's the third and final installment of the list of print journals
that read during the summer months.  Again, please let me
know if you spot any errors or omissions. Good luck!






 

This mailbox is lucky!




**Remember that the asterisks indicate
that the journal accepts simultaneous submissions.

Journal accepts online submissions unless otherwise indicated.






**The Raleigh Review—1x



**Rattle—2x

via email



**Redactions—1x—by email



**Redivider—2x



**Rhino—1x—April 1-Oct 1



**River Styx—2x—May thru Nov

snail mail



**Rosebud—3x



**Sakura Review—2x



**Salt Hill—2x

August 1-April 1



**San Pedro River Review—2x

July 1st to July 31st, 2012 -- Non-themed

via email



**Saw Palm—1x—July 1-Oct. 1



**Slipstream—1x

snail mail



**Smartish Pace—2x



**South Dakota Review—4x



**The Southeast Review—2x



**Southern Humanities Review—4x

via email



**Southern Poetry Review—2x

snail mail



**Sugar House Review—2x

via email



**Turnrow—2x

snail mail



**Tusculum Review—1x



**Washington Square Review—2x

Aug 1-Oct 15



**Weave Magazine—2x

deadline July 31



**Women Arts Quarterly Journal—4x



**Yemassee—2x

Summer Journals G-P

Here's the second installment of the list of journals that read
during the summer months. If you find any errors or have
others to add to the list, please let me know. Good luck with your
submissions.











 This mailbox is ready to receive lots of good mail.


**Indicates that simultaneous submission is ok

Unless otherwise indicated, the journal accepts online submissions



**Gargoyle—1x—June 1-July 16



**The Grove Review—1x

snail mail



Hanging Loose—3x

snail mail



**Hawk & Handsaw—1x—Aug 1-Oct 1

email subs



**Hayden’s Ferry—2x



**Hiram Poetry Review—1x

snail mail



Hudson Review—3x—April 1-June 30 (all year if a subscriber)

snail mail



**Hunger Mountain—1x



**Inkwell—2x—Aug 1-Nov 15



**Lake Effect—1x

snail mail



Louisiana Literature—2x

snail mail



**Lumina—1x—Aug 1 – Nov 15



**MacGuffin—3x



**Madison Review—2x



Manhattan Review—2x

(prefers no sim but will take)

snail mail



Measure—2x

metrical only



**Michigan Quarterly Review—4x



**Mid-American Review—2x



**The Midwest Quarterly—4x



**Minnesota Review—2x—August 1–November 1



Missouri Review—4x



**The Mom Egg—1x—June 1-Sept 1



**Nimrod—2x—Jan 1-Nov 30

snail mail



North American Review—4x



**Parnassus: Poetry in Review—2x

snail mail



Pinyon—2x—August 1-Dec. 1

via email



**Pleiades—2x—Aug 15-May 15



**Ploughshares—3x—June 1 to January 15



**Poet Lore—2x

snail mail



**Poetry Miscellany—1x—tabloid

snail mail or e-mail



Poetry—11x

Summer Journals A-F

It's that time of year again. During the summer many of us have more
time to write and submit, but quite a few journals close their doors to
submissions for the summer months. Do not despair. There are still many
journals that do read during the summer and some that read only during
the summer. This is the first of a 3-part list of those journals, all print journals. Sadly, several had to be
removed this year as they have closed their doors permanently. But a few have been added.



I have
given the lists a thorough updating this year and have added links for your convenience. If you find an error, please let me know.






This mailbox only accepts Acceptances!


**Indicates that simultaneous submission is ok

Unless otherwise indicated, the journal accepts online submissions.





**American Poetry Journal—2x

    (summer only for subscribers)



**American Poetry Review—6x-tabloid



**Another Chicago Magazine—2x—Feb-Aug 31



**Asheville Poetry Review—3x—Jan. 15-July 15

snail mail



**Atlanta Review—2x—deadlines June 1 & Dec 1

reads all year, slower in summer

snail mail



**Baltimore Review—2x—August 1-Nov 30



**Barn Owl Review—1x—June 1-Nov 1

email sub



**Bat City Review—1x—June 1-Nov 15



Beloit Poetry Journal—3x



**Birmingham Poetry Review—2x—deadlines Dec 1 & June 1

reads all year

snail mail



**Black Warrior Review—2x



Bloodroot Literary Magazine—1x—April 1-Sept 1

snail mail



**Briar Cliff Review—1x—Aug 1-Nov 1

snail mail



**Burnside Review—2x

email sub ok

$3 reading fee /pays $50



**Caketrain—1x

email sub



**Chariton Review—2x

snail mail



**Cimarron Review—4x

snail mail



**Columbia Journal—2x



**Columbia Poetry Review—1x—Aug 1-Nov 30

snail mail



**Conduit—2x

snail mail



**Crab Orchard Review—2x—Aug 27-Nov. 2 (special issue)

snail mail



**Cream City Review—2x



**Explosion-Proof Magazine—4x

submit via email



5 AM—2x—tabloid

snail mail



**Field—2x

August thru May



**The Florida Review—2x—Aug-May 31 (subscribers all year)

Free Download Saturday Only

Click Cover for Amazon


My e-chapbook, Twelve for the Record, is available this weekend, Saturday, June 9, as a free download at Amazon. That's right, free! Just go HERE to instantly download. But do it right now as this promo will end Sunday at midnight (Pacific Time).



Here's the chapbook description:

Twelve for the Record originally appeared in print as part of the Greatest Hits series. The collection gathers together a dozen of the poet's most often requested poems, all of which have previously appeared in print and online journals, including Harvard Review, Prairie Schooner, and Spoon River Poetry Review. Several of the poems have appeared on Poetry Daily, Verse Daily, and The Writer's Almanac. Readers familiar with Lockward's work will find favorites such as "My Husband Discovers Poetry," "The Missing Wife," and "Linguini." The collection ends with an essay in which the poet traces the history of the poems. Teachers may find this a convenient and cost-effective resource for poetry students.    



Don't have an e-reader? No problem. You can also download a free e-reader for your desktop, laptop, or iPhone.




Here are two early comments from readers:



"Every poem in this tight collection is a winner."

        —Heather Kamins



"There's a righteous anger burning through these funny, sharp narratives which will entertain and devastate those new to poetry and long-time readers alike."

        —Joanne Merriam

Wishing for a Broadside?

Click Cover to Purchase

If you're looking for a handful of good poems gathered together in an attractive format, try Wisconsin poet Karla Huston's beautiful broadside, What To Wish On. This arrived in my mail the other day and was a delightful surprise, a gift sent by Karla. I've seen broadsides before but always with one poem set against  a decorative background. This is different. More like a hybrid, a cross between a broadside and a chapbook. I was immediately charmed by this lovely and special way to put together a small collection of poems.



The publisher began with one 11" x17" piece of blue paper. In one quadrant on the first side he put the cover, in another he put the blurb, and in the remaining two he put one poem each. He then laid out 5 poems on the other side, folded down once from top to bottom and then sideways to get something that looks like a chapbook. The publisher's own pen & ink drawing is on the cover. 



R. Chris Halla, the publisher, lives in Wisconsin and came up with this project a few years ago. Karla's is #14 in the invitational series.



The poems are all previously unpublished, all strong poems individually but also nicely and subtly connected to each other. Blurber Mariann Ritzer says these poems "take me on a journey off the interstate and onto the backroads, the country roads where I can hear the  wonderful sounds of assonance and consonance in the lines and phrases that take me up and down hills, around curves--quickly, slowly. . . You don't want to miss the narrative these seven gems tell collectively about love and sex (and the abyss between.)"



Here's the title poem:



What to Wish On



Not the breastbones of birds, forgotten

and drying on a shelf, nor the fairy seeds

of cattails and dandelions taking flight,



not the Evening Star, Venus’ light,

as the night flips its dazzling switch.

Don’t wish on your child’s lost tooth,



clippings from tiny nails or the umbilical root.

Don’t wish on the green flood

of four-leaf clovers at your feet



nor candle flames – for some are tricks

that steal your breath.

In fact, don’t wish on fire of any kind



nor the little piggies of your toes,

not the soft moles on your grandmother’s chin.

Rather, wish on the blue moon who comes



so seldom, you forget about her.

Now she’s returned to steal your conceit

as her mouth opens to your petitions.





What To Wish On can be securely ordered online via PayPal for a mere $4.50 which includes postage. Your broadside will arrive signed by the poet.



   

Anyone Need a Snarky Rejection?

Yet another online journal is about to enter the scene. The editor apparently recognizes that there's a lot of competition for our attention, so she's attempting to carve out a niche for her journal. Rude rejections. Great. That's just what poets need.

Here's the relevant excerpt from the call for submissions:

[nameless journal] aims to shake up the literary magazine submissions process by promising honest and at times belligerent responses to poetry submissions. Poetry acceptances need more flattery and rejections need more snark. Expect responses ranging from "This poem is so beautiful it makes me weep" to"Meh" to "Reading this poem makes me want a cartoon anvil to pulverize my skull." 

Why would an editor want to respond with belligerence and snark? For the sake of a cheap laugh at someone else's expense? Sounds like this new editor is in the business of hurting people for the sake of being original. That's not what editors do. Editors are in the business of promoting poetry and poets.

When I checked the masthead, I was not surprised to discover that this editor is a student still in an MFA program. Let's hope she grows up before she does much damage. Such a bizarre intention regarding notifications suggests that this editor is not ready to be an editor. 

She also says that "Publication will be highly selective." That's if she gets any submissions.

To add to the entertainment value of her rejections, the editor will keep a page called "The Wall of Shame." Here she will post angry responses to her snarky rejections—"Passive agressive, nasty, and/or bizarre responses to poetry rejections will be posted here (sans personal identifiers)." How delightful.




For you sissy poets, the editor allows the option of stating in your cover letter that you want to receive a form rejection. 




I say don't bother. Just go somewhere else.

Appealing Online Journals

Following is the list of online journals that I've assembled from my recent search. I was already familiar with a number of these, but I also posted a query at Facebook and received some suggestions for journals I was not familiar with. I checked out each suggestion but did not include all of them. I excluded online versions of print journals, those with unattractive aesthetics, those that require a download, those that appear as pdf's, those that do not notify of rejection. I included a number that violated one or two of the items on my list of What I Look for in an Online Journal because they were strong in other areas. There are a few here that desperately need navigation buttons, Share Buttons, and breathing space between poems and sidebar information or contents. Two have cumbersome guidelines which I hope they'll trim down.



I also kept in mind that I'm imposing my own criteria. This list should not be construed as a Best Of list. It's not; nor do I have the credentials to create such a list. But I present these as the journals which I now find appealing and which others might want to consider. I should also mention that I have not included a number of fine but more innovative kinds of journals.





The Collagist—monthly

Each issue contains short fiction, poetry, essays, book reviews, and one or more excerpts from novels.



Connotation Press—monthly

Lots of good material in this journal. Most of the poems are preceded by an interview with the poet. Lots of reviews.



Devil's Lake Review—2x

Limited number of poets, some reviews and interviews.



diode—3x

Plain and simple. Gets the job done and nicely.



Goblin Fruit—4x—pays

Poetry only, "poetry of the fantastical," includes audio.



Innisfree Poetry Journal—2x

Includes reviews and a Closer Look feature in each issue.



Ithaca Lit—4x

New one, includes lovely art work in header on each and every page.

A featured poet with interview and poems, featured artist, 12 poets, non-fiction craft essay.



Mezzo Cammin—2x

Formal poetry by women. Also features one visual artist.



Memorious—2x

Beautiful cover art, poetry, prose, and art song collaborations.



Pebble Lake Review—2x

Poetry with audio, fiction, non-fiction, reviews.



Pirene's Fountain—2x

Lots of poetry, several features, reviews and interviews.



Plume—monthly

12 poems / 12 poets per issue.



Poemeleon—2x

Poems, essays and reviews.

Themed issues.



Redheaded Stepchild—2x

Exclusively poetry. Poems must first have been rejected elsewhere.



Shenandoah—2x

Still requiring snail mail subs but planning to soon switch to online subs.



Superstition Review—2x

Poetry, fiction, interviews, nonfiction, and art.

Art slides are a wonderful feature of this journal.



TriQuarterly—2x

Fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, short drama, and hybrid work.

Video essays are a unique feature.



Umbrella—2x

Poetry and prose (variety of different kinds of criticism), book reviews.

No simultaneous submissions.



Valparaiso Poetry Review—2x

Poetry and reviews. Featured poet in each issue.



Verse Wisconsin—1x

Poetry, verse drama, lots of reviews, essays.

Some themed issues.

No simultaneous submissions.



Waccamaw Journal—2x

Fiction, non-fiction, poetry.



Wicked Alice—2x

Women-centered but publishes work by men.

Poetry, reviews, and criticism (current issue has only poetry).