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.

Duo: Poetry by Women anthology by Linen Press includes my poem "The Fourth Brontë Sister"

Duo: Poetry by Women anthology by Linen Press.  

Poetry Publication: "Departures" in Anacua Literary Arts Journal

 Very happy and honored to have a new poem published in the new issue of the Anacua Literary Arts Journal!  

Departures

Many thanks to editors Odilia Galván Rodríguez, Prickly Pear Publishing

and

Edward Vidaurre, FlowerSong Press

"We go into neighborhoods and areas where high school students and community members have not normally had the opportunity or been empowered to tell or write their own stories or do other kinds of creative writing such as poetry, creative non-fiction, memoir, or fiction. By offering no or low cost creative writing workshops either on a one time basis or preferably in a week long project, we are able to work magic. "

Ending the old year on a positive note: Boricua en la Luna anthology!

I'm very excited and honored to announce that Boricua en la Luna: An Anthology of Puerto Rican voices just accepted two of my poems for their upcoming publication!  It's a great way to end this year, which doesn't have too many good things associated with it, in my mind.  Boricua en la Luna's profits will benefit the Hispanic Federation's efforts on behalf of the island's hurricanes Maria and Irma recovery effort.  Many thanks to editor Elena Aponte for her vision and effort on behalf of the island and support for diverse voices in literature!

From their site:

We want diverse voices from Puerto Rico: stories, poems, and essays that will help the world understand the wonderful people who live on the island, a place that has given the world immensely talented artists, actors, writers, poets, musicians, librarians, politicians, humanitarians, scientists, and athletes-- a place that still needs our support and our love.

Boricua En La Luna will be available in Mid-2019 in both electronic and print formats.

Feminine Rising: Voices of Power & Invisibility--anthology update

My poem "Reunion" was accepted for publication in this anthology a while back. I just visited their site and I'm happy to find out they found a publisher, Cynren Press! It's available for Pre-order here:
Feminine Rising

We've officially signed a contract with Cynren Press!
Contributors will hear from us as soon as possible about next steps. We are so grateful to you all for sharing your voices with us, for making this labor of love something really worth loving.
Sincerely,
Andrea Fekete and Lara Lillibridge, editors

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.

Whale Road Review publishes my poem "The Astronomer's New Eyes"

Many thanks to the Whale Road Review for their May publication of my poem:

 "The Astronomer's New Eyes" in their Summer Issue 7.

Whale Road is a unique journal that publishes poetry, short prose, chapbook reviews and pedagogical papers!

This poem was written in honor of my husband, astronomer James R. Webb, of course!

The Ghazal Page published my poem "Rilke Returns to Ronda" -- late to report

For some reason, I never announced the publication of my latest favorite poem,

"Rilke Returns to Ronda,"

a ghazal in an earlier issue (number 63) of The Ghazal Page.

This poem was inspired by my visit to Ronda, Spain last year.  I found out that Ernest Hemingway had famously visited Ronda, and so had Rainer Maria Rilke, one of my favorite poets. Rilke had been experiencing terrible writer's block and stayed a few months in a hotel in the hills there, during which he experienced a re-awakening of inspiration and began writing again.

I had been toying with the idea of writing about Rilke in Ronda but had not hit upon a way to approach the theme when I heard of The Ghazal Page's "places" challenge and realized it had to be a ghazal!  I had not written a tercet ghazal before but this one seemed to demand to be one, maybe because Rilke wrote his famous "Spanish Trilogy" in Ronda! 

Rilke's real first name was "Rene" so I used "reborn" in the last stanza, according to the tradition.
I make a passing reference to Hemingway as well!  While I was in Ronda, my travel companion wanted to see the bullring, which is the oldest existing one in Spain, so I saw that firsthand.  And the carpark we used was called "Poeta Rilke!"

"Seagrapes" published by The Australia Times Poetry Magazine

The Australia Times Poetry Magazine published my poem "Seagrapes" in February; the cute illustration is by TAT artist Shallamar Mugot.  I'm very sad to find out that TAT will be closing its doors by May of this year.  I loved learning about Australia via its writers' works!  Poetry editor Maureen Clifford is the best!

The Ghazal Page publishes my ghazal "Wings" about Ada Lovelace in their Freedom issue.

POEMS

Beatriz F. Fernandez
Wings

"The Surest Poison" wins Thirty West Publishing House's sonnet challenge

Many thanks to Thirty West Publishing House for choosing my poem, The Surest Poison, as winner of their sonnet challenge!  They are a micropress based in Philadelphia, which naturally appeals to me.  They will possibly re-publish this sonnet in a chaplet compilation of their contest winners.  This was a great way to celebrate National Poetry Month!

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.

The Copperfield Review publishes three of my historical persona poems.

The Copperfield Review, a journal which features historical fiction, poetry and great interviews of authors of historical fiction like Mary Doria Russell, Jean M. Auel, Jeff Shaara and John Jakes, has published three of my historical persona poems in their latest online issue: Maid Joan’s Gethsemane (about Joan of Arc), Genesis, 1880 (about the first electrically lit city in the world–it’s not the one you think!) and The Lost Colony (about Virginia Dare, the first child born in the Roanoke colony.)

(Image from Britannica.com Biography of Saint Joan of Arc)

Spark: A Creative Anthology will publish my poem The Fourth Brontë Sister

Spark: A Creative Anthology, a paying market, just accepted my poem, The Fourth Brontë Sister, for publication in a future volume.

This persona poem is about two Emilys:  Emily Dickinson and Emily Brontë.  Dickinson was known to be a great admirer of the Brontës.  She was such a fan that an associate of hers commented that she should be called the fourth Brontë sister!  (Hence the poem's title!)  
And she (anecdotally) asked that her favorite of Emily's poems be read at her own funeral.

 

Shabda Press reveals the cover art for its Nuclear Impact anthology

Shabda Press recently announced its forthcoming poetry anthology (which will include one of my poems) Nuclear Impact: Broken Atoms in Our Hands will feature cover art by John Sokol!

Update!:

Nuclear Impact: Broken Atoms in Our Hands is available on AMAZON  and BARNES & NOBLE.  Proceeds from sales of the Nuclear Impact: Broken Atoms in Our Hands anthology will be donated to the Women's Center in Downtown Los Angeles.

Nuclear Impact: Broken Atoms in Our Hands anthology will include my poem "Point of No Return"

Shabda Press's anthology "Nuclear Impact: Broken Atoms in Our Hands" will include my sonnet dedicated to Harry K. Daghlian, the first American (peacetime) casualty of the Atomic Age: "Point of No Return."

Minerva Rising Literary Journal publication

Minerva Rising Literary Journal's new issue "Wide Open" is now available for purchase and includes my poem "Emily Brontë Addresses Her Creation."  This poem is my current favorite!

"Homeland" and "Crows" in The Light Ephrastic along with Laura Smith's artwork

http://nebula61.tumblr.com/post/128369323066/fernandez-smith-aug-15

The Ghazal Page is back! (and contains three of my ghazals!)

I'm very thrilled to be part of the comeback of The Ghazal Page! This inaugural issue of the revived Ghazal Page is chock-full of an amazing variety of this fascinating and fun poetry form, collected by the new editor, Holly Jensen, who kindly included my poems "Hypatia's Revenge", "The Ghazal Ghazal (or How to Write a Ghazal), (which she uses as an example below) and "Ghazal Upon Hearing of a Mutual Friend's Death" in this new issue!