Moving Forward

Thanks to The Green Hills Literary Lantern for publishing my poem, Moving Forward.  

The title of the poem and timing of it being published does not escape me.  

There hasn't been a whole of writing going on at the moment.  My current favorite way of expressing myself is through unintelligible grousing and large, erratic movements with art implements and unfortunate paper victims. 

Dear poetry, are you still my friend?  Please check yes or no. 😆

Yes     ▢

No     ▢

poetry

Last week I had a really nice rejection email.  An editor from Free State Review sent some thoughtful notes about three of my poems, and I was so impressed that he took the time to do so.

Speaking of acceptances, thanks to Across the Margin for publishing three very different poems of mine, The Beast, The Variety Store, and Water Aerobics.  When I'm reading journals and come across a poet who has multiple works published at once, I rarely try to make connections.  There are a couple exceptions of course.  Sometimes the connections are obvious and beautifully done.  Other times I find myself wondering how poems that are so different can come from one person.  

I have been working on The Variety Store for several years, compiling real moments and dreams in the hopes that one day the poem would finally reveal itself.  I'm still wondering how it is that I managed to drive to the lake on one of the rare days the variety store was actually open.  It's an experience I will never forget.   

Water Aerobics took almost as much time, but really it was just years of polishing and adjusting.  I was always an outsider during water aerobics - really just like anything else I'm involved with - but I felt so honored to be a quiet observer during this weekly ritual.  I think water aerobics was one of the things that helped me embrace the role and importance of being an observer. 

I wrote The Beast quickly, shared it with my poetry friends who offered helpful critiques, and submitted it.  Unlike the other two poems, it was an easy poem to write, a recurring dream I find myself in just as much as the rooms in my house.  I have discovered if I write about a recurring dream, the act of writing changes its landscape.  I wonder if this happens to others as well.  

Three different poems that mean a lot to me all sharing one page.  I am very thankful.

Womb Dreams

Thanks to The South Shore Review for publishing my poem, Womb Dreams!

My first Canadian journal, and it's such an honor.

Mixed Media

Thanks to Sublunary Review for publishing my poem, Mixed Media.  It's no secret this is my favorite poem.  I'm so glad it found a home with Sublunary Review.

I have a lot of dreams that take place in thrift stores, garage sales, and junkyards.  My childhood was a patchwork of these places, so it makes perfect sense I spend a lot of my sleep time wandering aisles and rows of bizarre, sometimes familiar treasures, the lullaby of mildew, rust, and damp creating an ache of longing.  My family was always happiest when we were searching for treasure.  Some times that is still the case.  

Often, when I'm dreaming I browse the thrift stores and garage sales alone, but I know my family is close by thanks to the abundance of childhood memories, knick-knacks, sounds, smells, and feelings that fill the dream.  These dreams always bring me so much comfort, even when they are only there as messengers.

A little bit of everything

I have been very busy with SO many things - preparing for fall programming at the library, starting my third semester of my MLS degree, a couple of all-consuming art projects, soaking up all the hot, evil weather I can before it turns, and working on compiling a chapbook.  

Here are a few special moments I don't want to let slip through the cracks.

First, I am behind on my thank-yous!  Thank you to Loch Raven Review for publishing Just as I Begin, Willows Wept Review for publishing Panorama, and The Phoenix for publishing Grandma's Kitchen and My Apology.  I have mentioned two of these journals prior to this post, but since then I have received physical copies, which is always so exciting.  This issue of Loch Raven Review will take a year for me to read it, but I am excited to dive in.  You can find it here.  You can find the issue of Willows Wept Review I am in here.

One last thing about this picture.  I look so much like my brother, Scott in this picture!  How cool is that?  Does anyone else get super excited when you see people you love the most in pictures of yourself?  It never gets old.

I told Robert I wanted to make a caterpillar that helped guide kids and their caregivers through storytime.  The face segment is the hello song and the last blue segment is the goodbye song (I've been calling it the bye-bye butt, but not in front of kids!).  In-between the hello and goodbye segments are three options and multiple copies of each - song, activity or book.  Not shown in this picture is the arrow, which will show patrons where we are at during storytimes.   Because storytimes are a little different each time, I'll be able to change up my caterpillar for each storytime.  Originally, my plan was to make laminated segments.  

Robert and our friend, Josh took it to a whole new level and made the segments on a 3D printer!

Tomorrow I give my first ever outreach storytime at a nearby day school.  I am both excited and terrified.  I have no idea what the space looks like and only a vague idea of how many sessions and the different age groups.  It will be a lesson in going with the flow for me!  I packed my traveling storytime bag (and my caterpillar just in case there's a whiteboard big enough).  It will be the first storytime of the season.  My library starts storytimes back up again next week, so I've been thinking about this outreach storytime like a really crazy practice run.

I have been meeting with the same poetry friends for almost ten years now!  I just realized this the last time we met, which is now virtually, so I captured a picture of us.  Four out of the seven of us who meet have been meeting for almost ten years, and one of our original four is in her nineties and writes exceptional poetry.  We transitioned to meeting virtually during the pandemic and have stayed virtual because three people in our group do not live in Kansas City!  Though my life can be crazy busy sometimes, I always look forward to sitting down and talking poetry with this special group of friends.

Margo has been sleeping with her tongue out recently.  It is the cutest thing.

Robert and I recently tried out Swimply and rented someone's pool who allowed dogs.  Margo and Josie mostly enjoyed Robert carrying them around on the raft.

A few more pictures of the girls in all their cuteness.

Margo doesn't even need to sleep in our bed to steal all the covers.  

I love coming up the stairs and seeing this.  It never gets old.  Her lovely face hanging over the steps.

poem palooza

Thanks to Poetry Super Highway for publishing three of my poems: Cyclops, Lunch Break, and Sunday Drive.  These poems are definitely on the lighter end of the spectrum of my poetry.  Two were written while driving!  Poems are everywhere!

If you haven't had the opportunity, please take some time to explore Poetry Super Highway.  It is bursting with treasure.

Gossip & Trash Receptacle at Waldo Library

Thanks to Neologism Poetry Journal for publishing my poem, Gossip, which I wrote while hiking at Clinton Lake - one of my favorite nearby hiking places.

And thanks to The Lake for publishing my poem, Trash Receptacle at Waldo Library, quite possibly my grossest and most profound poem to date.

Panorama

Thanks to Willows Wept Review for publishing my poem, Panorama in their issue 28 spring 2023 issue!!

Cicadas

Thanks to Rue Scribe for publishing my poem, Cicadas.  I write and read a lot of small poems, so this small corner of the web is a special place to get lost for a little while.

Just as I Begin

Thanks to The Loch Raven Review for publishing my poem, Just as I Begin.  This is my second poem I've written about treadmills that has been published, so I am now wondering about the beauty and wonder of treadmills.  Also, how many treadmill poems are out there? 

Surprised

Thanks to Pennsylvania English for publishing my poem, Surprised.

Look at that cover!

Lisel

 Thanks to Evening Street Press for publishing my poem, Lisel.

What a lovely cover to see on a cold, winter day!

pancakes

 Thanks to Slab for publishing my ridiculously long library poem, pancakes. 

It's a library love story so there is much to get excited about.  Now excuse me while I go tuck into my copy!

Kicking Clouds

Thanks to Remington for publishing my poem, Kicking Clouds in their five-year anniversary issue!

This poem was previously published in their Winter 2022 issue.

I'm loving this cover!

a few poems and publications

A few publications to share:

Thanks to Cider Review Press for publishing my poem, Grandma's House, a poem that still kicks me in the pants when I read it.  

Thanks to Cerasus Magazine for publishing my poems, Sketching the Void and Freedom from Toxic Relationships in their beautiful journal.  You can purchase it here.  Sketching the Void is one of my favorite poems.  It's a peek into my creative process, which is a spoiler alert, but a small one.  Freedom from Toxic Relationships is a library poem (surprise, surprise).  Getting it published is a nice reminder to keep jotting down all the extraordinary moments I witness and am a part of at the library.

Thanks to The Rail for publishing my poems, The Basement, The Drummer, and The EXIT Sign.  I am particularly excited about The Basement, which is a poem about my grandparent's basement where two of my brothers and I spent countless hours playing.

A lot of love and time went into these poems, and it means so much to me to share them with others.

A Gift

Thanks to The Phoenix Soul for publishing my poem, A Gift.  It's a gift I experience at least once a week during my walks with the dogs and Robert.

When it rains...

Thanks to Dash for publishing my poems, Sunshine (a poem about my mom) and She Pollinated the Plants with Her Soul (a poem about my grandma).  

I think this is the first time poems about two different family members have been published in the same journal. It's definitely a special issue for me.  And it's filled with beauty.  I'm still absorbing all the beautiful writing.

A thank you to Apricity who first published my poem, The Death and Life of a Pigeon online and then sent a very nice email about publishing it in their physical journal.  The journal is so pretty and glossy.  I haven't been able to pick a favorite piece of art.  

And thanks to El Portal for publishing Tennis in the Bubble.  I have been enjoying taking my time with this journal.  

Close

Thanks to The Phoenix Soul for publishing my poem, Close.

I feel so comforted and reassured by these moments of tenderness, and I'm fortunate to see them all the time.

Yesterday, while working the desk at the library, an older couple needed assistance with their Kindle.  The husband and wife were very sweet with each other, and the wife was clearly protective of her husband, who was in a wheelchair, hard of hearing, and struggling to keep up with me as I helped them.  

I asked if I could touch the device and the husband pushed it towards me.  As I was working on the Kindle the husband asked me to speak up.  

"Oh she's just talking to it like I do," the wife reassured him.  And then she turned to me and asked me to speak up so he could hear me talking to the Kindle! 

Flight

Thanks to Packingtown Review for publishing my poem, Flight.  You never know when a plastic bag is going to steal your heart.  Or maybe you do.  

Oh how I love the cover of this issue.  The artwork is done by Andrea Worthey, who is a new discovery for me.      

And yes, the writing in this issue is just as great as the cover.  

some thug muffin for you

Thanks to Brief Wilderness for publishing Ella (One) and Gray!

It is bittersweet to see a poem about my Ella Bella get published.  Would she have cared or even listened to me read it?  Nope!  I miss that ornery thug muffin.  

This does give me the opportunity to continue showing off her loveliness, which I will do until I die.

Oh and yes, there's another poem, Gray.  It's a good poem too.  If you open it on your phone, the format does a funky and 'moisture' gets its own line.  That's for all you fans of the word, 'moist.' 😜