d. ellis phelps's Blog, page 14
March 15, 2019
The Larger Geometry: a reading
You gotta love this!
Please join contributors to The Larger Geometry: poems for peace and flutist, Brianna Gonzales of Texas State University as she plays musical interludes for the poets who will read both, selections from the anthology and other original poetry at The Twig Book Shop in San Antonio, Texas on April 12, 2019 in celebration of National Poetry Month.
View this post on InstagramA post shared by D Ellis Phelps (@dellisphelps) on Mar 15, 2019 at 5:37pm PDT
This promises to be a joyful listening experience and features many of San Antonio’s premier poets including: Carol Coffee Reposa, 2018 Texas State Poet Laureate; Jim LaVilla Havelin, San Antonio Express News Poetry Editor and author of the recent, West: poems of a place; Patricia Spears Bigelow; Rebecca Raphael; Jeanie Sanders; Robert Okaji; Rachel Clark; d. ellis phelps (that’s me :)) plus one contributor all the way from Buffalo New York, Michael Vecchio.
Join us! No RSVP necessary, but the place may be packed so come early and snag your seat!
March 13, 2019
book reveiw submission guidelines
anybody publishing out there? need a review? summer is coming!!
First, let me say, that if you have written a book, you have really done something. I honor your effort and persistence. Reviewing a book is my way of honoring quality writing that moves me.
I review books by independent and traditionally published authors pre or post publication on this blog at no charge and with no obligation to the author.
I read non-fiction, memoir, women’s fiction, spirituality, poetry, self-help, and literary or general fiction with an empowered or courageous female protagonist. Think To Kill a Mockingbird, The Secret Life of Bees, and Care of the Soul (non-fiction). I will consider non-violent psychological thrillers and paranormal. I do not read vampire stories, crime drama, romance, erotica or any other writing that denigrates women or promotes violence against them. I like books that make me think, that make me feel good or cry for happy. I enjoy strong…
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March 8, 2019
Call for submissions: poetry, prose, photography
Dear Writer:
I am acting as managing editor for the anthology of place, Our Texas Hill Country
(working title, forthcoming, October, 2019). There will be a panel of
editors who will select work for inclusion using a blind submissions
process. Contributors do not have to be Texas residents nor must they
have visited Texas.
The
challenge then, is to write (creative non-fiction, or poetry) from the
point of view of or about an historical character of this region, from
the voice of or about the landscape, the animals , the legends
(the Chupacabra
for example!)
, or any other Texas Hill Country related subject. The second page of
the call (attached) gives resources you may wish to consider as
prompts. Special consideration will be given to work specifically
related to Kendall County or Boerne, Texas.
I do hope many of you will rise to the challenge. Also, please do share widely with other courageous writers.
Write on!
Call
for submissions:
Our
Texas Hill Country: an anthology of
place (working title)
The Patrick Heath Public Library in Boerne, Texas,
in conjunction with the Boerne Beat Poetry Group and Friends of the Boerne
Public Library, seeks submissions of poetry, prose, memoir, creative
non-fiction and photography for publication in an anthology to be published and
printed by the library. All profits from
the sale of the book will benefit the Dietert Historical Archives at the
Patrick Heath Public Library.
Distribution: This perfect-bound
anthology will be distributed to local book stores, sold at local readings and
on Amazon and placed in the Patrick Heath Library collection. Contributors will receive one complimentary
copy and be given the opportunity to purchase copies at a discounted rate. Select contributors may be invited to read
work from the anthology at the Boerne Book & Arts Fest on Main Plaza,
October 5, 2019.
Submissions: All work should have an
easily understandable connection to the Texas Hill Country. We especially seek work related to the
history of the Kendall County region and Boerne, specifically, but all work
related to the Texas Hill Country will be considered: its land, its people, its history and its
heritage. Think Spoon River Anthology. Contributors are not required to be local
residents.
For historical prompts, see the attached resource
document.
Submit previously unpublished poetry, prose, memoir,
creative non-fiction or photography (black and white only). Work previously posted on a blog is
considered published. As an attachment
and not within the text of the email, submit writing in a Word Document (not
PDF) in Times New Roman 12 pt. font using single spaces, except in the case of
line breaks and spacing needed for creative emphasis in poetry. Submit photography (1-3 photos) in a small
jpg file format (314 X 235px). Upon
selection, high resolution photos will be required. For poetry, submit 3-5 poems of any length
within one document, using page breaks between poems; for prose, etc., please
limit submissions to 1,500 words.
Please
remove all personal identifiers from the submitted document as well as the file
name,
as editors will use a blind review process.
Please no simultaneous submissions. Include all submitter contact
information, the title of your submission (using the same title as your file
name), and a short bio (100 words or less) within the body of the email.
Deadline to submit: June 1, 2019. Notification of acceptance: September, 2019.
Publication date: Oct. 1, 2019.
Send queries and submissions to boernepoetry@gmail.com. Please do not query regarding your submission
until after Sept. 30, 2019.
People
of Interest-Kendall County
Mary Becker – first non-Native American woman born in Kendall county
Bickel
Family – massacred by Indians, only 12 yo son survived
Fred
Dodge – former Wells Fargo undercover detective who was
close with Wyatt Earp; library owns his memoir
https://www.legendsofamerica.com/law-freddodge/
Caroline
St. Germaine de Valcourt – earliest birth record in the
Boerne cemetery; born in Paris, France in 1796.
Came to Boerne after her daughter married George W. Kendall
George
W. Kendall – considered the country’s first war correspondent;
founder of the New Orleans Times Picayune; extensive writings and holding at
both Boerne library and University of Texas Arlington.
https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fke19
Emeric
Szabad – 19th Century writer from Hungary,
mainly on military and war history; fought for the Union in the Civil War and
was a POW at infamous Libby Prison.
http://www.txgenwebcounties.org/kendall/biszabad.htm
Herb
Hall
– Jazz Clarinet player in the 1920s forward for many famous musicians,
including Don Albert, Eddie Condon, Doc Cheatham. Married a Boerne girl, which is why they
lived here in retirement.
http://digital.utsa.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p15125coll4/id/1616
Bruno
Phillip – WWI soldier who died during the influenza
outbreak, 1918, France. Library has
original last letter home.
Resources:
Patrick Heath Public Library
Archives: contact Robin Stauber for
access to 1,355 physical holdings of the Boerne
Star archives from 19491969. Also
available online: https://texashistory.unt.edu/search/?q=boerne+star&t=fulltextCity of Boerne:
https://www.ci.boerne.tx.us/121/Historical-Graves
Explore Magazine,
A Brief History of Boerne: http://www.hillcountryexplore.com/?p=4175 The Portal to Texas History, University
of North Texas:
[image error]
February 22, 2019
Song Seeds by Lori Bonati-Phillips
Song Seeds
A few years ago, I wrote a song, submitted it to a contest, and sang it in front of a live audience. My father planted the seeds of that song. A trumpet player since the age of eight, he inspired me to write songs and to have the confidence to project my voice out into the world.
[image error]Jazz on the Docks by Ashley Pollak
As a child, my father played his trumpet on street corners. As a soldier during World War II, he led a band that entertained the troops. And as a husband and father, he played in dance bands on the weekends. He practiced diligently, and every night I got to hear him playing standards from the American Songbook. It was the soundtrack of my childhood.
[image error]Music by Brandon Giesbrecht
I absorbed those songs like the proverbial sponge. I’m told that I used to sing to strangers in the grocery store when I was about three. “Adorable!” and “So talented!” they’d say, stopping in the aisle to admire my tiny voice. So, when the Ted Mack Amateur Hour came to town, my father put four-year-old me in the front seat of his Ford sedan and took me to an audition….
read more…
Lori Bonati is a school psychologist who lives in Tucson, Arizona. She enjoys all forms of writing, has been published by Learning Yogi (an educational website), and has self-published two photo journals. She enjoys songwriting, playing the guitar, traveling, and connecting with family and friends.
To engage more of Lori’s work, go here. Find Lori’s cd, Twisted, including “My Name is Romeo” and other tracks here.
images: used with permission of the artists via Creative Commons. Some rights reserved.
rachmaninoff off key – a poem by d. ellis phelps – Amethyst Review
Many thanks to editor, Sarh Law, for choosing this poem.
rachmaninoff .......off key
a minister
maybe a member
of the house of restoration
this man stands
in the street asking.......for handouts
& my hand’s out the window
holding spare change
~
coming toward me
—his steps tentative
—his eyes locked on mine
he stops a few feet from me
takes a tiny bow
~
emboldened by this:
act of prayer…
— Read on...
image: beggar used with permission of the artist via Creative Commons. Some rights reserved.
February 11, 2019
february comes by d. ellis phelps
february comes
broadleaf demons wake from soil
rude noise demands toil
This lovely, green creature came up in my garden last week, reminding me of this haiku, first published in Promise Magazine (Purple Rose Publications, 2001).
I think this is a dandelion. Soon, a yellow bloom will tell. Then perhaps: tea.
video by Neil Bromhall
The coming of the Winter Solstice on December 21st with its returning light, and the day I first spot a broadleaf demon
growing in the yard are two of my favorite days of the year, meaning
spring is coming. But my most favorite day is the day I hear the cranes
returning, their lilting chatter calling me out to whoop and holler
with that glorious vee in the sky.
January 28, 2019
poem up on Amethyst Review Today…
NOAA Photo Library, NOAA Central Library; OAR/ERL/National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL) via Creative Commons. Some Rights reserved.
Many thanks
to editor Sarah Dwyer for choosing my poem deluge.
I began this poem as an exercise in writing thirty poems in thirty days for Tupelo Press. I participated in their 30/30 fundraising project a few years ago. Thanks to Kirsten Miles and Jeffrey Levine for their encouragement and confidence in my writing.
This piece tells a true story about my son and I, about our brushes with death, mistakes and faith…
how we bow/to a god/ neither of us/ understands
read deluge here…
January 24, 2019
Good Cookie
Wow!
Okay. To be clear: I really need to like this cookie. Because, I. LOVE. COOKIES. And I need to abstain from ingesting sugar/dairy/gluten/grains and more. Why? Because I have osteoarthritis with symptoms of Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, including digestive dysfunction. Reducing inflammation and gastric distress is crucial to my body’s comfort level and these foods can be upsetting and inflammatory!
Plus, many alternative baking flours, like Bob’s Red Mill Paleo Baking Flour
are a blend of almond & coconut flours and while I have been using this particular blend for some time, I am sadly realizing that coconut flours, sugars and oils distress my digestion. Aargh!
So yesterday, I was hunting around the web for an all-of-the-above-less cookie recipe. I found this one made with Cassava Flour by Lauren Geersten.
[image error]
Thirty-nine years and day…
ago, I stopped drinking alcohol. Interestingly, at the time, one of the “cures” for alcohol craving recommended by those in the know was sugar. It was the lesser evil. I used sugar for many, many years because I enjoyed it and because it became, for me, a “drug of choice.”
I have slipped on and off of sugar (and dairy) many times…for example, here is one post about a grand resolve I made a year or so ago…. At the time, I was sincere. I’m always sincere. But food cravings or addictions are insidious creatures that fester and grow in the soup of denial.
The good news is that I wake up now and then and try again. That’s another reason I need to like these cookies.
And I do! Some who do not have my body-mind-spirt constitution and who, thus, do not need to abstain from these substances might not. They taste a bit like eating pie crust with jelly on top.
The way I made them is a bit different from Ms. Geersten’s recipe because I eliminated the granulated sugar altogether and used Crisco shortening instead of her recommended oils. I know. Using Crisco or anything soy based is sacrilegious to some and it certainly is not healthy. But like I said, I needed some cookies (it was after all my birthday/anniversary of abstinence) and I didn’t have Palm Oil shortening on hand. For the jelly, I used Smucker’s Simply Fruit Spread, Apricot flavor.
Also good news is that though I needed to bake them a bit longer than is indicated in this recipe (maybe 7 more minutes), and unlike some of the reviewers on Ms. Geersten’s site, my cookies (all eight of them) held together well and were indeed quite tasty, especially with a good, strong cup of Joe.
[image error]Steaming Hot Cappuccino! Walter Lim
Now that. You may have to pry out of my cold, dead hand!
image: “cappuccino” used with permission of the artist via CC. Some right reserved. All other images are my own. (c) d. ellis phelps Rights reserved.
January 20, 2019
Restored by Cate Terwilliger
a hundred small wonders
Recently, I was privileged to serve as managing editor for an anthology of poetry: The Larger Geometry: poems for peace. In the call for submissions, we asked for poetry that would “uplift, encourage and inspire,” for poems that were heart warming, fun, funny, and so on.
Myself and two other editors read more than six hundred submissions. Restored by Cate Terwilliger was one of the submissions that made it to the final round but then we found out that Cate had previously published her poem on her blog. Bummer! We could only accept previously unpublished work. But…I simply loved this poem, so I asked Cate if I could re-publish it here (note: formidableWoman does not ordinarily publish previously published work, so this is a rare exception).
Restored is story. It is compassion personified:
Spider/…I/…lay you there gently, lifted/and lay you again,/…blew softly/on your corpse with sorry breath
It is an ode to “a hundred small wonders,” to the micro-cosmic
universes that teem and thrive around us, unnoticed. It is theological
inquiry:
[image error]I’m beginning to see the light by Matthias Ripp
Was there a white light?/ Did you see them?
It is social commentary:
were they half/ as glad, half as glad as I –/ to feel one needless harm undone,
This poem made me laugh and cry out loud. I hope it does the same for you. Read Restored in its entirety here:
restored-by-cate-terwilliger
[image error]His Hand by Hartwig HKD
Cate Terwilliger is a runner and recovering journalist who shares a homestead with beautiful hens and extraordinary cats in the Colorado Rockies. She frequently wonders what life is all about and involuntarily practices the sacred art of not knowing. Find more of her work on her blog here.
images: all are used with permission of the artist via Creative Commons unless otherwise noted. Some rights reserved.
January 15, 2019
Dear Corporate Warrior Princess by Devon Cozad
Bra Burning
Though I did not actually participate in the purported, now mythical “bra burning” of 1968, I did ditch the ones I’d worn since becoming pubescent as a first act of defiance and liberation in 1970 when I entered UT Austin as a freshman.
Those were tumultuous times for which I was ill prepared. No number of straight-A’s or student council meetings had given me the chutzpah necessary to weather the social upheaval, emotional overload and mental bombardment of ideas, cultures and beliefs that came with leaving home and landing at The University, especially in 1970.
Students were protesting the Vietnam War in the streets, chanting Give Peace a Chance.
and getting gassed by authorities.
Civil Rights were being questioned and demanded. There were riots. Attrocities. Assassinations.
Women were speaking out and acting out in unprecedented ways, demanding equality in the workplace, equal pay for equal work, sexual freedom and reproductive rights. Thank God.
& I was aghast. Excited. Terrified. Not at all courageous enough to join them in the streets. But I did join. & it was then, in the midst of all that chaos and uprising that I began my own work of becoming formidable. First, I needed to know who I was before I could know what I stood for and how I would make my stand.
If you want to know more about that story, you might call it my personal liberation story and the emotional work I needed to do, and continue to do, you may want to read my post “How We Heal: Become Formidable and Choose for Love.” But a short note here will help me connect Ms. Cozad’s poem to this post.
At UT, I was studying to become a teacher at my father’s insistence, so that “I would have a career to fall back on,” meaning, the real goal was to find a suitable husband to support me. So. You can see how I might not have been ready to stop wearing make-up, stop shaving, and forge ahead with my own ideas toward a brilliant career. My own ideas had not yet surfaced.
Hi Ho Hi Ho It’s Off to Work I go…
[image error]Dessanech Woman, Omerate by Rod Waddington
…a singing sword fits your hand as well as a scepter…
Devon Cozad
Or not. The Feminist Movement brought to fruition the possibility for women to be strong, corporate executives, powerful political leaders and more. But it also caused an unfortunate rift between women who were now divided about how a woman should occupy her world and those of us who chose family and home life over career somehow became “less than” those who chose careers. At least that’s what happened to me in my mind.
Today, I know who I am. I never wanted a “corporate” life or a spectacular career in the “eight-to-five work-a-day world.” I know I wanted a family and the time to devote to it. & I know I am an artist and a writer. But that knowing took considerable personal journey work.
And that brings me to the work of today’s guest-poet, Devon Cozad and how profoundly its message affects me.
Yes! Writing is activism. & in her poem Dear Corporate Warrior Princess, Ms. Cozad reminds us to keep up the good work, each in our own particular way…
Goddesses can step a brave beat/In high heels/Or bare feet
So, in my own ways, I continue be brave, to stand for peace, for justice, for equality, for humane and compassionate treatment of all humans, creatures and the planet. I go barefoot more than I wear shoes. I teach. I write. I paint. I smudge. I pray…
[image error]smudging ceremony by d. ellis phelps
Sage your office space regularly/And blow a kiss to the moon
I try to heed Ms. Cozad’s warning to…
Tread with purpose and with care/to let the divine in…
I try to remember, we women are in this together, that there are no sides. And that this work of becoming formidable is never done.
[image error]Rise for LB. by Nebraska Oddfish
Devon Cozad earned her MA in English Literature at Buffalo State College. She currently teaches College Writing and Communications courses across several campuses in Western New York, and also works with community garden and literacy programs. Her work has appeared with and is forthcoming in Meow Meow Pow Pow, In Layman’s Terms, Scene & Heard, and Persephone’s Daughters. Read Dear Corporate Warrior Princess in its entirety here…
dear corporate warrior princess by devon cozad
To read Apology by Ms. Cozad on Meow Meow Pow Pow go here.
Now…
Dig in your stiletto./The blade came before the shoe…
Devon Cozad
please note: my apologies for the lower case treatment of Ms. Cozad’s name and poem title. I switched to the new “block” editor style in WP and it automatically does this to the file name for some reason I cannot decipher at this time.
images: all are used with permission of the artist via Creative Commons with some rights reserved unless otherwise noted
