In Case You Missed Any Of These...

From around the Internet a few things I found interesting this week.

• Nin Andrews interviews Shanna Compton, editor of Bloof Books.  READ HERE
• Fritiancy - Nancy Friedman discusses her Words of the Year READ HERE
• Under Rated Books in 2013 from Salon READ HERE
• A New Twist To Writer Residency READ HERE
• Bob Dylan - Songwriter or Poet?  READ HERE
• A Year of Favorites - Mairead Case READ HERE

First Submission Saturday of the New Year

My muse is reminding me that I need to  whip out some new submissions. Thankfully I have a couple of new pieces ready. Gotta get crack'n or she gets pretty pissed.

Have you submitted any work yet this year?

Crunching the numbers for 2013

Just as a point of reference for me to look back on next year.... I ended the year having submitted a total of 129 poems to various publishing venues. Of those, 53 poems remaining pending. My acceptance ratio for the 12 month period was 9.1%

Still a lot of work out there awaiting  word.

Upcoming Poetry Events in The Kansas City Area

Riverfront Reading: Mary Bunten & Gary Lechliter Friday, January 10, 2014 8:00 PM

Fiction writer Mary Bunten and poet Gary Lechliter read from their work. Mary Bunten's work has appeared in SAVEUR, The Houston Press, Art Lies, The Austin Chronicle, and elsewhere. She currently works as the director of The Writers Place.

Gary Lechliter's poetry has recently appeared in Main Street Rag,New Mexico Poetry Review,Straylight, Tears in the Fence, and Wisconsin Review. He is the editor and publisher of the I-70 Review


Blue Monday @ the Uptown Arts Bar, Monday, January 13, 2014 8:00 PM
Five minutes of fame at our open mic, hosted by David Arnold Hughes, Uptown Arts Bar - 3611 Broadway, Kansas City, MO 64111 816-960-4611

Confession Tuesday - Year End Condition

Tuesday evening and it's time to head to the confessional for the last time this year.  Join me as I unload what I've been carrying around.

Dear Reader:

It's been two weeks since my last confession. I confess I was a slacker over the holiday.

It's funny I generally approach each year end wanting to shake the dust of the past year from my feet. Usually I can not wait to put it behind me focusing on all the bad things that are lingering in my memory. I usually figure whatever the new year brings can't be worse than the one just past.  This year I confess I can actually think of some things that have gone right for a change.

I have to say that I am thankful that we managed to get the required work done on our water meter line of font done without having to bring in outside help. This was a big savings.

I'm thankful that I have had a very successful year of Submission Saturdays. This was not something that was just good luck, but a determination on my part that has turned something I dreaded into a habit. A good one. And the results have payed off with more acceptances - getting  homes for my work. It makes writing so much more enjoyable when you know others will get to see your work.

We were able to reclaim our garage and park our car in it. This has been awesome this winter already.

I was also able to move back into my home office. I think it has been beneficial to my writing and writing related tasks.

Those are a few of the positive things but I confess there are things that have been struggles.  Sadness also seemed a be a theme this year as we lost three beloved pets. Our dog Mo and our cats Autumn, and Abby. Also, my son lost the his Mastiff named Church. I confess that I don't deal with the loss of pets well. They are family members. They also remind me of our own human frailty and mortality. Obviously I could really do without any more in 2014.

I confess that 2013 was also the year of binge TV for my wife and I. Yes, we did 8 seasons of 24 - all 196 episodes. Then we tackled Glee all past seasons and followed the current season. Then we too on Bones - watching all past seasons of it. Honestly some days we would do like a 6 episode marathon. No everyday, but I won't deny that it happened.

Now I could say that  that was a lot of time wasted. But honestly, most of that I confess to having enjoyed.

I've probably read more this year then most past as well. That can't be a bad thing.

As we get ready for the new year I've been busy assessing some things. Taking an inventory of what I would do the same this year and what I might do differently.

Besides writing I've started painting in acrylics and water colors. I'm not professing to be great at it but  it is relaxing and I'm hopeful that my skills will improve. I feel like it is just an extension of exercising the creative mind. I hope to keep up these activities in 2014.  I'm also wanting to start playing  my saxophone again. I've done a little in 2013 but  nothing consistent. So this is another creative activity I hope to infuse into my routine in the new year.

Submission Saturday was such a success it will continue.

I confess I did not get out  to read or to other readings nearly enough this year. This is something I need to be more committed to. There was a time when I was reading every month and sometime multiple times but that has been so long ago.

I need to work on some of my ties with other poets. I believe community is so very important for writers and I've not focused enough on this the past couple of years.

If this sounds very random, that's because my mind is feeling pretty random right now.  The thing is I have in my mind some things I want different, but I confess can't say that I have any defined new years resolutions.  
I suppose I have a few hours left...

Happy New Years to all of you!

Journal Bits.....

I've not done a slice of my journal post lately so I thought  I'd feature some bits since December 15...

• 12-15-13 - New journal with clean passages for me to fill. Always a good deal of hope, anticipation and adrenaline (associated with).
• 12-18-13 - There is the here and now with all the talk and no proximity. I am a party to this but not a part. 
• 12-18-13 - "Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened." - Rachel Johnson from Notting Hill, Actually.
• 12-25-13 - "Chekhov is the poet of melancholy and isolation and wishing  you were somewhere else than where you are." - Salman Rushdie
• 12-25-13 - ...as nigh comes we drive to the utmost extreme of the city - where the suburbs have ended and the city really isn't anymore.
• 12-26-13 - Traditions seem to be my friend. I'm most comfortable in (the) throngs of tradition. I suspect this is a Capricorn thing. 
• 12-27-13 - Distant train whistle/tracks rumble in my head/hot steel searing thoughts/cauterized-

Submission Saturday....

It's my last Submission Saturday of the year and I will be sending out material but also following the advise of these guys... how about you?