 I've been teasing some big news for awhile, and now that I've signed the contract I'm finally ready to share. My newest chapbook of poems, titled Mid-Bloom, has been accepted for publication by Finishing Line Press!
This collection of poems centers around the loss of my mother to cancer when I was just 15, and my own experience with cancer at age 36. In these poems, I explore themes of childhood, family, illness, survivorship, and the ways in which my cancer brought me closer to my mother even though she's not here. The cover design is not yet complete, but I am thrilled to be able to use the artwork pictured here--ink and watercolor by the talented Linnea Broling. Anticipated publication should be later in 2021, but of course, these things change. As soon as pre-orders are open, I will share the details!
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I'm so pleased to be among a select number of poets published in the newest issue of River and South Review. This poem, "Rain Turns to Snow," is over a decade old and was part of my MFA thesis in 2006. The poem reflects on one of the last living memories of my mom, who passed away in 1998. This is an online literary magazine, so read my poem, and the entire issue, HERE.  Two years ago, I had the honor of serving on the hiring committee for a new tenure-track Assistant Professor of Creative Nonfiction. I feel fortunate that we hired Heather Lanier and that I can now call her colleague and friend. In July 2020, Heather's new memoir Raising a Rare Girl was published by Penguin Press. Ordinarily, I would have been among the creative writing instructors in our department to organize an on-campus reading celebrating her book. But of course, the Covid-19 pandemic prevented such an event, not to mention any launch party or book tours for Heather.  It was a thrill to host a live virtual reading in October on the Rowan University MA in Writing Facebook page. In spite of some technical difficulties getting started (it worked when we did a test run, I swear!) we had over 60 people join us live to hear Heather read from the book and to share in discussion. I monitored the comments as they came in and posed questions to Heather. What a joy to celebrate not just with our colleagues and students, but with friends, family, and members of the literary community near and far.
You can check out the recorded reading here. And you can buy Raising a Rare Girl and support local bookshops here. Like so much else in the world, we were disappointed that the Covid-19 pandemic kept us from celebrating Issue 20 of Glassworks in person as per usual with a reading at the Rowan University Art Gallery. However, I was so proud of my interns for pushing me to curate a virtual reading including inviting authors to read their own work. Between the author submissions and the editors, we recorded about half of the pieces published in Issue 20 and shared the videos on social media.
You can also access them all on our website - please enjoy! http://www.rowanglassworks.org/video.html
I'm so excited to host the first ever reading series for Glassworks Magazine, a publication of Rowan University's Master of Arts in Writing program. Our first event is being held on Wednesday, October 21st at 8pm in Philadelphia. Thanks to Tattooed Mom for setting up a private room for us! Our featured readers will be Jeff Markovitz and Liz Langemak, both published in Issue 10 of Glassworks. Food and drinks will be available for purchase, as well as copies of recent issues for $10 each. I'll also have copies of my own chapbook on hand for $10, and the featured readers will be bringing their own books.  Can't make it to Tattooed Mom? Join us Thursday, October 29th at 6:30 on Rowan's campus. We'll be taking over the upstairs of the Barnes & Noble bookstore in Glassboro, NJ and free coffee and cookies will be available to all who attend. Our student editors will be reading from the new Issue 11 of Glassworks.  Full details are available on our Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/rowanglassworks Hope to see you there!
I am honored to have two poems included in the upcoming anthology Crossing Lines now available for pre-order through Main Street Rag. The anthology is being offered at a discounted price now, so if you are interested, don't wait to make your purchase!
Synopsis Physical, cultural, emotional: the stories, poems, and essays in this collection cross almost every line imaginable. In the varied terrains of a Malaysian beach, a Parisian apartment, a Czech bar, and the cities, trailer parks, and backyards of America, people find themselves against the divides of family, race, friendship, and desire. These are not hapless victims. Circumstances challenge their beliefs and require them to act: A homicide detective stumbles into an ethical quagmire. A tsunami survivor chooses reinvention over redemption. A returning soldier confronts PTSD. Youngsters teeter on the border of sexual innocence and sexual experience. Lovers face equal parts of possibility and uncertainty. With grace and skill, award-winning poets and writers make a persuasive case that when the world around you shifts, the best thing to do is to start moving. |
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January 2021
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