Juliet Cook's Blog, page 9

The Moon looking a bit purple-ish...

The moon near the beginning of its latest Waning gibbous phase, near the end of November 2023, looking a bit purple-ish...I'm glad to remain alive at this time of year or any time of year, but this is not my favorite time of year. In fact, it's been my least favorite time of year (November and December, that is), for years now. I feel like it's filled with assumptions that we're all into the same sort of things. I'm not religious - I'm not particularly into standard holiday traditions - I'm not particularly into group events (other than occasional poetry-oriented events) and so on.I'm not into the cold weather part of the season (although glittery snow can be pretty before it gets dirty) or the holiday assumptions that seem to combine traditions and religions and corporate expenditures (as though giving involves spending money) and other such assumptions that everyone's into the same sort of traditions, celebrations, and rituals.But the moon and purple causes me to feel a bit better.You can be into whatever you're into and so can I.I'm into poetry, art, music, non-mainstream, non-traditional, purple, (and all of that stuff in various different varieties and hues) and genuine one-on-one interactions (among many other things).More poetry coming very soon, but for now, here is the moon.

A New Flock of Thirteen Myna Birds has Arrived!

 A NEW flock of Thirteen Myna Birds has finally arrived!

NEW poetry and art offerings by Robert Beveridge - Scott Ferry - DS Maolalai - MISH - Jacklyn Henry - Paul Hostovsky - Jake Sheff - and Wayne F Burke!

Visit the new Myna Birds flock, look at the art, and read the poetry here (and please feel free to share - and possibly consider submitting some of your own creative work to be considered for the next Myna Birds flock).

https://13myna.blogspot.com/

NEW! My poem "What Do You Believe?" is newly appearing in Meow Meow Pow Pow!

"Who knows what might be
burning inside this 
Easy-Bake Cremation Bin?"

the beginning of my poem "What Do You Believe?", which appears in Meow Meow Pow Pow!

You can read more here (and you can also listen to me read it, if so inclined...)...

HERE: Juliet Cook - Meow Meow Pow Pow (meowmeowpowpowlit.com)

NEW! I have two poems with centipedes inside them making an appearance in the new issue of Sein und Werden!

"Broken wings and cracked mirrors
would transport magpies. Magpies would bounce
out of the glass, slither down bedroom walls,
carry the new centipedes into their new nests"

in my poem "It's Raining Centipedes"
Very excited to have one individual poem and one collaborative poem by j/j hastain and me appearing in the new Autumn/Winter 2023 Issue of Sein und Werden!

And both poems have centipedes inside them.

Check out the contents HERE - http://www.kissthewitch.co.uk/seinundwerden/autumn-winter23/contents.html

My "It's Raining Centipedes" poem HERE - http://www.kissthewitch.co.uk/seinundwerden/autumn-winter23/page35.html

Me and j/j hastain's "Centipede Cider" poem HERE - http://www.kissthewitch.co.uk/seinundwerden/autumn-winter23/page38.html

HAPPY NOVEMBER! Your Mouth is Moving Backwards (my new poetry chapbook) is COMING SOON!

I am very excited about my new creepy poetry chapbook, "Your Mouth is Moving Backwards", coming very soon from Ethel Zine & Micro-Press!

Stay tuned...

***

FLESH WORLD

The only place to hide is a trap
door loaded with rotting baby toes
and constrained screams
shoved inside a dollhouse
sized train that can't move.

***

Coming soon! Juliet Cook’s YOUR MOUTH IS MOVING BACKWARDS

Juliet Cook's poetry has appeared in a small multitude of print and online publications. She is the author of numerous poetry chapbooks, recently including "Another Set of Ripped-Out Bloody Pigtails" (The Poet's Haven, 2019), "The Rabbits with Red Eyes" (Ethel Zine & Micro-Press, 2020), "Histrionics Inside my Interior City" (part of Ghost City Press's Summer Micro-Chapbook Series, 2020), "red flames burning out" (Grey Book Press, April 2023), and "Contorted Doom Conveyor" (Gutter Snob Books, July 2023).

Cook's first full-length poetry book, “Horrific Confection", was published by BlazeVOX. Her most recent full-length poetry book, "Malformed Confetti" was published by Crisis Chronicles Press in 2018. She is currently in the long process of compiling and organizing her third full-length poetry manuscript.

Cook's own tiny independent press, Blood Pudding Press, sometimes publishes hand-designed poetry chapbooks and sometimes creates other art.

Cook also writes collaborative poetry and also creates abstract painting collage art hybrid creatures.

You can find out more at Cook's website at www.JulietCook.weebly.com.

I have two creepy new poems bleeding their way through the CUL-DE-SAC OF BLOOD!

I have two creepy new poems making an appearance inside the CUL-DE-SAC OF BLOOD.

The poems are entitled, "Thorns Stuck Inside My Left Foot" and "Knocked Out".

Underneath "Knocked Out", you may also click on "Learn More About These Poems", if so inclined...


"The swelling kept changing its shape and position
like impending signs of my shifting sins that deserved
to be punished. It's my fault. I'm going to Hell
even though I don't believe in Hell.
My hysterical foot keeps expanding
into an increasingly uncomfortable land of the unknown."

in the poem "Thorns Stuck Inside My Left Foot"

read more HERE - https://www.culdesacofblood.com/juliet-cook-1

Happy creepy October!

glowing skull head

Age and the speed racing of time (and poetry)...

I try not to go on about age too much (because I don't really care about age too much - except for when it comes to the ridiculously speed-racing passage of time and how fast every year seems to fly by - and how I think for a lot of us, every year goes by so fast that our age is older than we feel FOR YEARS). And then of course, further approaching the progression of impending death.

But since I just turned 51 this week and since I thus stated my age on a few photos I put up online, maybe that's part of the reason why a photo post from a poet friend showed up in my fb Newsfeed and said he was about to turn 31, which then caused me to feel a bit weird about him being so much younger than me (in terms of age, anyway), because I don't tend to think of or view people as being much younger or older, unless they're way younger or older (or act like a kid or a parent in all their interactions).

And so 30 doesn't sound particularly young or old to me; it just sounds like a number. But it's a number that's currently 20 years younger than my number, which escalates the speed-racing passage of time! And also, backtracking in time, I remember having a freak out when I was about to turn 30! And now I've just turned 51! And even though me being 30 feels like quite a while ago now and a whole different part of my life, it doesn't feel like more than 20 years ago! I mean, I still have a lot of significant memories associated with parts of my life in my 20's...and 30's...and 40's... but now I'm in a different decade already.

In a way, it feels a bit weird when a lot of the poets who are getting attention are now 20 years (or more than 20 years) younger than me. But I mean...I was writing and getting published 20 years ago (and more than 20 years ago) too. I was getting published in my twenties, too. But then even more in my thirties and beyond. I thought my poetry really started flourishing (as in, coming out more naturally) at age 33. I think my first full-length poetry book was published when I was 35. Prior to that, I'd had quite a few poetry chapbooks published.

I'm one of those writers who has always loved chapbooks, small presses, indie presses and always will. I think I'll always remain focused on chapbooks. I've had two chapbooks published this year, another one forthcoming soon, and another new chapbook manuscript that I'm currently submitting. I also have a collaborative full-length manuscript I'm submitting and an individual full-length manuscript in-progress, but I seem to have a harder time with full-length manuscripts, both in terms of assembling them (it just takes me a while) and in terms of submitting them (I'm not paying big reading fees or submitting to presses that don't even tell you what happens if they accept your manuscript or that only give you one free copy of your own book).

But now I'm rambling in a different direction when I was supposed to be talking about the speed racing of time. For example, my last individual full-length poetry book was published 5 years ago now and that does not feel like 5 years ago!

October 17, 2023, me on my 51st birthday...

October is my birthday month and a wonderful month to buy one of my recent poetry chapbooks!!!

My poetry chapbook "red flames burning out" waspublished about 6 months ago, by Grey Book Press, and if you're interestedin acquiring a copy and haven't yet, October would be a wonderful month to doso.

Read a little bit about it from Grey Book Presshere (and then click on the TITLES page to the left to buy a copy) - http://www.greybookpress.com/2023/04/07/internal-suffocation/

(OR you can get a copy directly from me viamy Blood Pudding Press shop here) - https://www.etsy.com/listing/1474135657/new-red-flames-burning-out-a-poetry

***

My poetry chapbook "CONTORTED DOOM CONVEYOR" waspublished about 3 months ago, by Gutter Snob Books, is a Limited Edition, andhas 3 copies left from Gutter Snob.  Ifyou're interested in acquiring a copy and haven't yet, October would be adelicious month to get one.

Get yourself one of the 3 remaining copies from Gutter Snob here (and considerbuying some other chapbooks/books there too)  - https://www.magicaljeep.com/product/doom/140

(OR you can get a copy directly from me via my Blood Pudding Press shop hereand consider acquiring some other chapbooks there too) -  https://www.etsy.com/listing/1527609127/new-contorted-doom-conveyor-a-poetry

***

By the way, October also happens to be my birthday month AND I have another new poetry chapbook, "Your Mouth Is Moving Backwards", coming soon from Ethel Zine & Micro Press, MAYBE a little bit later this month.

Stay tuned...