Pushcart Prize nomination for "Native" by Bainbridge Island Press!

The lead poem, "Native" of my latest poetry chapbook, Simultaneous States (Bainbridge Island Press, 2025) was nominated for the Pushcart Prize by the wonderful editors of said press.  

I'm very excited and honored that they thought the poem was worthy of the recognition!

"Native" is two-part poem that begins in my childhood in Puerto Rico attending a school on a U.S. Army base and ends with my current life in Miami, Florida.  It deals with identity issues that many Hispanic persons face when growing up in this country.  It was a very timely honor to receive during Hispanic Heritage month!

Back in July, Tamarah Rockwood of Bainbridge Island Press dedicated an entire podcast to "Native" as part of their Poetics Podcast series.  Her incredible insight and sensitivity surpassed all my expectations.  

Bainbridge Island Press publishes my chapbook Simultaneous States!

This innovative and dynamic press with a new vision for chapbook publishing has published my poetry chapbook, Simultaneous States!

My new chapbook, Simultaneous States, consists of 16 poems inspired by the experience of being two things at once---to feel both native and alien, both spirit and flesh, both the observer and the observed, both in the present and in the past. Many of the poems depict encounters and visitations that draw attention to these parallel experiences, some in reality, and some only in the imagination.

FIU campus authors reception at Barnes & Noble

At the FIU Provost's office reception for faculty authors. I got there late (I was on the desk) and was the last one to get my picture taken! Thanks to the campus Barnes & Noble for hosting the reception and purchasing two of my books!

The Dean of Libraries, Anne Prestamo, gave a speech and mentioned both librarians who had books out this last year and the faculty authors book display I had put together the night before! As I was leaving the desk to go to the event, there was already a faculty member looking for the display and happy to find his book there.

The Ocean Between Us cover reveal!

Backbone Press just published my new poetry chapbook The Ocean Between Us along with Faisal Mohyuddin‘s The Riddle of Longing.  Faisal’s book The Displaced Children of Displaced Children just won the 2017 Sexton Prize for Poetry from Eyewear Publishing; I’m very honored and excited to be published alongside him!

Many thanks to editor Crystal Simone Smith for the beautiful cover design and to editor Daniel Romo for his blurb!

Backbone Press will publish The Ocean Between Us!

I'm excited and honored to announce that Backbone Press chose my chapbook The Ocean Between Us as one of their two Fall 2017 publications from 120+ entries.  It will be in the pre-order stage for a few weeks ($9 via paypal).  The Riddle of Longing by Faisal Mohyuddin is the other chapbook chosen. Faisal just won the the 2017 Sexton Prize selected by Kimiko Hahn! 

Backbone's description: 

The Ocean Between Us is a collection of poems wrapped in memories and language. Beatriz Fernandez artfully weaves together dazzling imagery and alluring sounds to create concrete visions of Puerto Rico, Florida, and a geography of loss. With the ability to use the perfect words to describe imperfect times, she poses questions that pierce the human spirit. Unsure of the answer, this is a book of poetry that is rich with the “embryonic code of things to come.”

I'm really happy to have another chapbook published so soon after my first, Shining from a Different Firmament, in 2015 (Finishing Line Press).

The Ocean Between Us is very different than Shining, which was mostly a collection of persona poems about historical, literary and legendary women.  Ocean, as I described in my last post, is a collection of 25 poems about my personal experiences in Puerto Rico and Florida, from childhood to the present.  The first poem, Calle del Cristo, is an exception in that it is a persona poem.

The suffering of all Puerto Ricans as the island has endured two hurricanes is omnipresent in my mind these days.  My family members are safe and being very brave about the circumstances but I can't imagine living through that.  We were in Miami during Hurricane Andrew, but it did not hit our area directly.  Irma again sideswiped us, leaving only fences and trees down, mostly.  We are so lucky to have our homes and our lives to go back to.

Backbone Press finalist!

I'm very happy to learn that my chapbook, The Ocean Between Us, is a finalist in Backbone Press's Spring open reading session.

Backbone Press is a small press for ethnic poets and is interested in:

language that is elegant and provocative; poetry that informs and engages us in broader cultural conversations.

Even if my chapbook doesn't get accepted for publication, it is an honor to make it to the final round!

The Ocean Between Us is a 25-poem chapbook divided into two sections: Puerto Rico poems and Florida poems.  The journey begins with a brief visit back to Puerto Rico that brings back many memories of my childhood spent there. I’m the daughter of an immigrant and an islander whose ancestors also immigrated to their respective homelands.  Within every generation of my family there came a decision: to leave or to stay, and my ancestors always chose to leave, for their own sake and for their children’s.  From this restless heritage I derived a curious lack of home sense—I’ve always been neither one thing nor another, neither native nor alien.  These poems are an attempt to gather all these emotions together into a cohesive whole—to define what we mean by “home” and to highlight that perhaps it’s the ocean between that really matters:  that ever-changing, ever-the-same body that divides us and yet also unites us into a single body.

Red Bird Weekly Read site publishes my poem "Origins"

Red Bird Chapbooks, a respected publisher of multiple genre type chapbooks, featured my poem "Origins" on their "Weekly Read" column and their facebook site.  Many thanks to editor Sarah Hayes!

Red Bird does not limit itself to poetry chapbooks, so visit them to see all the possibilities they offer!

From their site:

"Red Bird Chapbooks is a venue for emerging and existing authors to bring forth small collections of their work in artistically appealing forms. We publish quality, handcrafted chapbooks, broadsides and pamphlets that introduce aspiring and inspiring writers and artists to a larger audience."

I'm very honored to be included in their list of published authors; the Weekly Read feature began in July 2016.  I heard about it via Trish Hopkinson's ever-useful blog!  I had also submitted a chapbook to them last year.

FIU Provost office and Barnes & Noble bookstore honor faculty authors

Jim's cd Reaching for the Stars and my poetry chapbook Shining from a Different Firmament are now both on sale at FIU's Barnes & Noble bookstore!  The Provost's office and the bookstore had a reception honoring faculty authors with recent publications and the Dean of Libraries mentioned in her speech that we might be the first husband and wife team to have publications come out the same year!

Jim has an ebook textbook coming out later this year and I hope to get my 2nd chapbook published at some point, so hopefully we will repeat the feat at next year's event!  I also put together a display of FIU faculty authors' books at the Green library in the new books area.

Green Library display of Faculty authors' books (I left my own out of this display)

Poet Lidy Wilks' guest post, chapbook cover reveal and giveaways!

Fellow Scribber, poet and blogger Lidy Wilks is on a blog tour for her chapbook Can You Catch My Flow?  Lidy is my first guest blogger!

Thanks for having me today Beatriz!

Why Do I Write Poetry?

Robert Graves once said, “There’s no money in poetry, but there’s no poetry in money either.” Well he’s right. Poetry is not a genre that will bring you fame and money. But of course one doesn’t write poetry for fame and money either.

So why do I write poetry?

It’d be too easy to say how can I not. But the reason really is a simple one. I write poetry to say what I can not. To write what I hold inside. Poetry is my creative outlet that delves much deeper into my heart and mind than any of my other writing. Through a poem, I question my own and the world’s preconceived notions. It and everything around me becomes a little darker. Or a little brighter. A little greyer. And a little more colorful.

Poetry exposes and reinvents. It is the journal of narrative into the deepest recesses of my mind and heart. And through it, I become more aware of all of the beauty and ugliness, the truth and lies found within and without. Giving birth to a hope that people, views, opinions and this world can change. That even I, as set in my ways at times, can change.

I write poetry to know and be true to myself. To know you and the world we live in.

 ~ Lidy Wilks

About Lidy:

Ever since she was young, Lidy Wilks was often found completely submerged in the worlds of Dickens, Louisa May Alcott, Sweet Valley High and Nancy Drew. She later went on to earn a Bachelor degree in English with a concentration in Creative Writing, from Franklin Pierce University. Where she spent the next four years knee deep in fiction, poetry and creative non-fiction workshops.

Lidy is the author of Can You Catch My Flow? a poetry chapbook and is a member of Write by the Rails. She currently resides in Virginia with her husband and two children. And an anime, book and manga library, she’s looking to expand, one day adding an Asian drama DVD collection. Lidy continues her pursuit in writing more poetry collections and fantasy novels. All the while eating milk chocolate and sipping a glass of Cabernet. Or Riesling wine.

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Here is a closeup of the beautiful new cover of Can You Catch My Flow?

Lidy is also hosting a giveaway of five autographed copies of her chapbook on Goodreads and a Rafflecopter giveaway of four possible prizes:

Miami Book Fair: Further Discussions

Miami Book Fair: Further Discussions



Irene Sperber of the MiamiArtZine interviews me and two other local writers in this article about the 2015 Miami Book Fair International.

Review of Shining from a Different Firmament

A review of my chapbook by Editor Lucy Johnson of the Quarterday Review

http://nebula61.tumblr.com/post/128270359556/clippedonissuu-from-the-quarterday-review-august

Also, it's been added to the FIU libraries' catalog!

Miami Book Fair International, here I come!

I just heard that my chapbook, Shining from a Different Firmament, was accepted for presentation at this year's Miami Book Fair International!

I will be featured as a presenter, with an audience Q&A followed by a book signing.

The Quarterday Review to publish my latest ghazal and review my chapbook!

I'm happy to have a new ghazal, "Thirteen Days and Nights" upcoming in the new journal The Quarterday Review: Poetry of Mythic Journeys. This is an ekphrastic ghazal inspired by the painting “The Amazon Queen Thalestris in the Camp of Alexander the Great” by Johann Georg Platzer, with thanks to Adrienne Mayor’s article on the subject in History Today 1/15. Her article and Platzer's painting really brought the encounter to life for me.

Quarterday's editor also kindly agreed to review my chapbook, Shining from a Different Firmament!

Librarything giveaway concurrent with Goodreads....

In celebration of my birth month, I'm giving away signed copies of my poetry chapbook, Shining from a Different Firmament via Librarything as well! So far 4 people have requested copies via LT and 68 and counting via Goodreads! These are early days, as the giveaways run for a month. For those of you not familiar with Librarything, it's a great way to catalog and organize your own books, discover new books and share your libraries and book reviews with your friends. There are groups for every type of reader imaginable. You can sign up for giveaways (a review is usually requested by the author or publisher giving away the book) or post your own! Ebooks as well!

Goodreads Giveaway begins May 18th!

I'm giving away five copies of my chapbook, Shining from a Different Firmament, via Goodreads.

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Shining from a Different Firmament

by Beatriz Fitzgerald Fernandez

Giveaway ends June 18, 2015.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to Win

Authors for Nepal

I am participating in the Authors for Nepal  initiative to raise funds for the Nepal earthquake.  I found out about it on facebook.  Authors donate services or signed books or even a character name as incentive to donors.  The books or services are being auctioned off on ebay and the author will then deliver the item or service directly to the donor.  I am donating signed copies of my chapbook, here: Shining from a Different Firmament--hopefully there will be some poetry lovers out there; I noticed most books were YA.

Feature on Somos en escrito: the Latino Literary Online Magazine!

Muchas gracias to Armando Rendón for featuring my work on the latest issue of Somos en escrito!  It includes three of the poems from my new chapbook, Shining from a Different Firmament:  Nefertiti's Secret, The Picture of Constance Wilde and Red Light.

30 Days of Poetry Love Q&A with Lidy Wilks

Lidy Wilks, fellow Scribber, who blogs at http://iheartallstories.weebly.com/ had the brilliant and fun idea to interview a different poet every day of the month for National Poetry Month.  She was kind enough to make me her April 14th interviewee and publish a poem from my chapbook:  Red Light.

Check out her website every day this month!

Shining from a Different Firmament: my first chapbook of poetry!

My first chapbook will be published just in time for Valentine's Day (and Women's History Month in March)!
It can be pre-ordered at the publisher's site:

https://finishinglinepress.com/product_info.php?products_id=

The Table of Contents:

Hypatia’s Revenge

Sister Mary Melanie’s Last Cotillion

Nefertiti’s Secret

The Picture of Constance Wilde

Heloise Alone, Argenteuil, 1118

On Viewing ‘Dante and Beatrice’ by Henry Holiday, 1884

Very Truly Yours, Irene Norton, née Adler

Rachel’s Reasons

Monody for Pierre by Marie C., Paris, 1910

Cassandra Austen Writes to Jane’s Faithless Lover

The Amazon Warrior Champion

Letter from Lara, Yuriatin, 1920

Richard the Lionheart’s Mummified Heart Examined

Red Light

I designed the cover and Jim took the picture of the Southern Pinwheel Galaxy and my author pics!

Poetry Chapbook Accepted by Finishing Line Press

My poetry chapbook entitled "Shining from a Different Firmament" was accepted for publication by Finishing Line Press.  (I had entered their yearly New Women's Voices chapbook contest and although I didn't win, they still offered me general publication.)

The chapbook consists of 20 mostly persona poems about historical and legendary women, among them:

Hypatia of Alexandria
Irene Adler, Sherlock Holmes' nemesis
Doc Holliday's cousin Sister Mary Melanie, the model for Gone With the Wind's Melanie Hamilton later Wilkes.
Madame Curie
Beatrice, whom Dante loved and featured in his Inferno.
Constance Wilde, wife of Oscar
Queen Nefertiti
Heloise
Rachel of the Bible
Cassandra Austen, sister of Jane
Lara, a character in Boris Pasternak's sole novel:  Doctor Zhivago