FEM Magazine interview

FEM Magazine interviews me!

THE FEM is a literary journal that publishes feminist, diverse, and inclusive creative works and interviews with writers, artists, and creators twice a week. 

Poetry Press Week 2016 in Miami-- an exciting new way of presenting your poetry!

I am one of the judges!

From Poetry Press Week's site:

Poetry Press week is currently accepting submissions from South Florida poets for our 2016 show at the O, Miami Festival, April 22-23.

We are honored to have three distinguished poets who will select invitees from the submissions pool:
John Brehm is the author of two books of poems, Help Is On the Way and Sea of Faith, and the associate editor of The Oxford Book of American Poetry. His poems have appeared in POETRY, The Southern Review, New Ohio Review, The Sun, Prairie Schooner, The Writer’s Almanac, and many other journals and anthologies. He teaches for Mountain Writers Workshop and Literary Arts.

Ashley Toliver is the author of IDEAL MACHINE (Poor Claudia, 2014). Her poems have appeared in Caketrain, Front Porch, PEN America and Third Coast, among others. A Cave Canem graduate fellow, she currently lives in Portland, Ore.

Beatriz Fitzgerald Fernandez is the author of Shining from a Different Firmament (Finishing Line Press) which she presented at the Miami Book Fair International this year.  Her poems have appeared in Boston Literary Magazine, FLARE: The Flagler Review, Label Me Latina/o, Verse Wisconsin, and Writer’s Digest, among others.

Submissions for Poetry Press Week at O, Miami close January 31.

Post-Writing Workshop Wrap-up

Now I know what people mean when they talk of coming "back to reality" after a writing workshop! After attending a poetry workshop in Key West, it is difficult to process all the feedback I got from fellow writers and the teacher, as well as try to retain everything I learned.  I think my brain is two days behind, still downloading data! It was nice to immerse myself in writing and think of nothing but poetry and where to have dinner for five days, but now I must start thinking about dental appointments and home repairs, etc.   I wouldn't really have the stamina for a longer workshop, anyway!  I produced three poems which are close to being in publishable form.

First acceptance of the New Year!

Ah, how sweet it is!  The first acceptance of the year comes from the Quarterday Review for their Imbolc issue. (The editor also offered candid feedback from her and her staff readers, so that was very helpful.  It's always interesting to see what other readers focus on when reading your poems.)

They accepted my latest ghazal Maid Marian's Many Silences!  This poem was inspired by the film "Robin and Marian" starring Sean Connery and Audrey Hepburn which must have made an impression on me since I have never forgotten it!  Contrary to most portrayals, this film showed an older Robin Hood and Maid Marian.

Right now I'm working on a free verse poem entitled Plague Graffiti and another one about Joan of Arc.  I guess I'm sort of mentally stuck in the Middle Ages right now!