"Point of No Return" accepted by Spark, A Creative Anthology

Spark a Creative Anthology just accepted "Point of No Return," a sonnet in two septets honoring Harry K. Daghlian, Jr., the first American casualty of the Atomic Age.

I am very excited to be part of Spark's next volume. They have great contests which award not only cash prizes and publication, but also subscriptions and books!

Celebrating National Poetry Month by reading my poem on WRLN as part of the O'Miami Poetry Festival.

I was just notified that my poem, Like No Other, was chosen to be read on WRLN, 91.3 FM, as part of O'Miami's 2013 Poetry Festival. The submitted poems were published on tumblr as part of the celebration of National Poetry month and some were chosen to be read on the Morning Edition, which reaches an audience of half a million listeners.

Listen to a short extract:

"Parkinson's at 60" to be published as part of my guest blog at Latina Book Club!

A nice birthday present for me, Latina Book Club will be publishing my guest blog about discovering my muse in later life on May 1st, as part of their Writers' Wednesdays monthly series. I am very excited to be published there and to contribute to encouraging the community to read and to read Latino literature in particular.

This particular poem was inspired by a cousin's visit from Puerto Rico, during which he told me of his condition. These things are hard to process without poetry--I'm even more grateful than ever that I can do so!

However, the post is mostly about finding my mentor, Andrea Hollander, and how with her help I was able to overcome mental barriers to writing poetry that I had always struggled with over the years.

Being able to express myself effectively via poetry feels like being able to take a deep breath for the first time in my life!

Spellbound magazine publishes "Changelings"

I just found out Spellbound, a children's fantasy e-zine accepted my poem "Changelings" for their Spring issue. Their theme for this next issue will be "Changelings and Doppelgangers" so I thought this particular poem would fit in! I'm very honored to be published by Spellbound!

He will live forever....Ray Bradbury

Ray Bradbury, one of my favorite authors, passed away exactly one month ago at age 91 after a long illness. I was fortunate enough to meet him once, during a Miami Book Fair International 1990 "Evening with...." event. He held an entire auditorium spellbound for an hour as he spoke; it was one of those magical evenings where the whole audience was as one. After, we were able to talk to him as he signed my 40th anniversary edition of The Martian Chronicles. He mentioned that he very pleased with that edition.

This picture is from the 1990 Miami appearance, courtesy of wikipedia.

"Jury Duty" accepted by Verse Wisconsin

Verse Wisconsin just accepted my poem "Jury Duty" for publication in their online fall issue "It's Political." I'm very excited to be published in Verse Wisconsin again! Andrea Hollander Budy, my mentor and teacher since March 2011, had urged me to re-submit it and was sure the revised version would be accepted and it was!

Menopausal Mermaid Took 36th Place--2011

My poem "The Menopausal Mermaid Takes Medical Advice" came in 36th place in the 6th Annual Writer's Digest Poetry contest--the top 50 poems were published in The 6th Annual Writer's Digest Competition Collection. This was the first year I was eligible to compete again since I won the 2nd annual contest. I am entering this year again, having won only honorable mention (but also $50 worth of WD books, and the 2011 Poet's Market, which were all very welcome) and a free year's subscription!

2012 Update--"Persona" Poems

For some reason, I've been writing many "persona" poems lately. The one I'm working on now was inspired by Mary Doria Russell's novel Doc about Doc Holliday. I'm writing the poem from the perspective of his cousin Mattie Ann Holliday. In keeping with the American Old West feeling, we recently went to see a great exhibit of Western art, sculpture and artifacts at the Four Arts Society Museum in Palm Beach. Their gardens were spectacular as well.

An Embarrassment of Riches...National Poetry Month 2011

National Poetry Month is around the corner and I'm psyched to hear that both W.S. Merwin and Mary Oliver are coming to South Florida! I never thought I'd get to
see them in person! Mary Oliver is coming courtesy of Lynn University and the Palm Beach Poetry Festival.

Merwin, poet laureate, is coming as part of the Florida Center for the Literary Arts celebration.

Don't begin a novel by Sharon Shinn before work!

I recently discovered Sharon Shinn and her wonderful science fiction and fantasy novels. The best part is that I've discovered her late in the day so she has an extensive back list of works to explore! Her first novel, The Shape Changer's Wife is an incredible book that brought her instant fame. It's being made into a film but they are still looking for funding, so visit the film's website to see more details and how to donate toward this effort.

Shinn is a Firefly fan, which doesn't surprise me, as her characters strike me as similar to Firefly's--the type of characters you want to take home to dinner!

Just a warning, though, don't begin any Sharon Shinn novel before work or you may end up calling in sick!

Best Buys of 2010--total $65

When I look back on this year, I realize the two items that added most to my quality of life were simple and inexpensive: a $25 dollar fleecy robe and a $40 zero gravity
lawn chair (both bought on sale.) The time I spent wrapped up in one and sitting in the other, blissfully reading were the most satisfying, most relaxing hours of my year! (The books were free, courtesy of the public library!)