S. Scott Whitaker's Blog, page 2
June 8, 2020
Grateful to be included in Fourteen Hill's new issue!
Fourteen Hills is out of San Francisco State, and a fine journal. Grateful to be included in this issue alongside many fine poets. The virtual release party is on June 11th. Not sure if I'm scheduled to read. Probably. I'll guess I'll find out. This poem is about climate change's impact on agriculture on the Eastern Shore. Flood water and flood waste can ruin a fine field of potatoes. Anyway, this poem is from a cycle of poems about climate change, economic depression & recession, and of course sound. Poor Yuck Mouth is a bitter old despot. Thank you Nik Greene, Chandler Fitchett, Elizabeth Rosas, and Dodie Bellamy for including me!
March 23, 2020
"Privacy in a Small Town" up at The Citron Review
My poem "Privacy in a Small Town" is up at the Citron Review, part of their 10th-anniversary celebration this year. They were fine folks to work with. Check out the other poets as well, Michael Lauchlan & Leah Mueller. This poem is also in Neighbors, an anthology from the folks at Crack the Spine, who were also super easy to work with.
PSA: Stay home. Make a gratitude list. Practice social distancing! Support small presses & literary journals.
https://citronreview.com/2020/03/19/privacy-in-a-small-town/
March 17, 2020
APEP Publications, releases These Poems Are Not What They Seem
Twin Peaks fans will find much to admire in this handmade chapbook from APEP Publications, from Chewsville, MD, a small press with fantastic aesthetics. https://www.apeppublications.com/shop/
There are several fellows I already admired, and it's glorious to share this cool book with them.
My contribution is a prose poem about addiction, obsession, walking, recovery, and fear. And about Laura Palmer being reborn again as Carrie Page.
Personal note:
Reminds me of what Finishing Line used to do, hand made books that felt great in the hands. Their catalog looks edgy to boot.
Stay safe.
Stay frosty.
The chair is against the wall.
February 12, 2020
Neighbors Anthology, from @CrackTheSpine, out now!
Grateful to have a poem, "Privacy In a Small Town", in Crack The Spine's new Neighbors Anthology. Read about it here.
"Ask someone who lives in a small town to swallow a Ferris wheel and they will
turn over secrets to a happy life. "
#ThesePoemsAreNotWhatTheySeem Preorders open Sunday 2/16, #TwinPeaks #Poems
Psyched to have a prose poem included in this damn fine anthology of Twin Peaks poems. You can find out more here. The anthology features some gorgeous details Twin Peaks fans will dig.
Pre-order Shout! From Not A Pipe Publishing! #resistance #spec-fic #poetry #fiction
Grateful to have a surreal fantasia poem included in Shout! from Not A Pipe Publishing, a passionate small press out of Oregon. Proceeds from the anthology will go to RAICES, The ACLU, and other organizations to help families affected by current immigration policy. Order here.
December 31, 2019
Grateful to Poets Reading the News for publishing this piece and nominating it for the Pushcart Prize!
Grateful to Poets Reading the News for publishing this piece and nominating it for the Pushcart Prize! Read it here http://www.poetsreadingthenews.com/2019/09/incantation-whitaker/
Also, testing out DLVR.it account connections, forgive my oversharing today, New Year's Eve, 2019.
Workshop spots available at the ESCC Academy for Lifetime Learning in Feb/March
Workshop spots available for my creative writing class, Thursdays, from Feb through March (2/20, 2/27, 3/5, 3/12, 3/19, 3/26) at the Eastern Shore Community College (the website is listing the Fall Hours). 4:30-5:30 PM.From course description:
Students will read poems and short plays, analyzing for content and technique. Students will compose original works. Students will critique each other’s works for content and technique. Prompts will be provided but will not be required. Students are encouraged to go on their nerve with regard to the work they will compose.
"Future Refugees from Accomack County" featured as a broadside on Penultimate Peanut
I forgot to post this one back in September. This prose poem was featured as a broadside in the 9th issue of the Hampton Rhoads literary zine, Penultimate Peanut.
"Mixtape for Expatriate Fantasy" & "Fireman Down. For Two Voices" up at AvantAppal(Achia)
Grateful thanks to AvantAppal(achia) for including two experimental poems in their new winter issue. One, "Mixtape..." is meant to be read track to track, so to speak. Track one of one side goes with Track one of the B side, etc. The other "Fireman Down" is written for two speakers. I've had a lot of interest in these multi-voiced poems from editors etc, but the formatting is a pain in the %^&$. Editors beware indeed.
Happy New Year!
