Last day of May and another flash fiction piece squeezed in to kick off the start of June (and hopefully nicer weather here in Britain), published in Pure Slush Magazine. The Art of Something out of Nothing is a sketch that plays around with language and interpretation. Just as an artist starts out with a blank canvas, a writer begins with an empty page; at least in a normal writing process. But what happens if a story is already fully formed and the writer begins by deconstructing the concept, picking away at elements and leaving the reader with only the bare bones that they need to know to follow the idea? Continue reading
I always enjoy the post coming when there’s a literary magazine or a poetry pamphlet that someone has sent, instead of bills, bills and more bills. This week, 2 copies of Mistress Quickly’s Bed Issue 5 arrived, which Joseph Robert and I have been busy reading. I’ve had an enjoyable commute the past few days perusing the poems, short fiction and entertaining reviews. Of course, the editorial at the start always amuses me; a dialogue between editors Alan Dent and Nancy Frost that in this issue makes a fun compare-contrast between poetry and politics – appropriate for today since it’s election day. Who are you voting for, people in Britain? Continue reading
Landmass
This month, Kind of a Hurricane Press has published its best of 2013 poetry and fiction in an annual anthology, Storm Cycle. Editors A. J. Huffman and April Salzano selected pieces from both the print magazines and online journals that they felt were ‘truly special and deserved extra recognition’. I’m delighted that three of my pieces – Landmass, Snowball Effect and Twenty Questions – were picked for the anthology and are published alongside some great poems and flash fiction. Continue reading
Excarnation… what a way to go!
My writer hubby’s latest fiction, Pitch for a Picture Book, is out in Mad Swirl magazine this month. The editor of Mad Swirl, Tyler, described excarnation in writing terms as defleshing art. It’s true that the process for a writer is to construct, then deconstruct their work – draft 1 is to get the ideas out and draft 2 is to edit and cut any extraneous parts, or to refine what works. Excarnation can also epitomise life’s tragedies (or comedies, depending on how you look at it!) In Pitch for a Picture Book the death or loss of everyone living who is dear to the central character, initiates a bit of philosophical reflection, and a quest for new friendships among inanimate objects. Continue reading
Here’s my latest update of FREE poetry and fiction competitions for teenagers to enter, either by themselves or through a school or local library. A lot of writers these days are cash-strapped and aren’t in a position to enter every fee-charging competition that comes up. There are many legitimate competitions that rely on funds to keep running their business and keep the world of poetry and short fiction alive (which I’m grateful for!), but in my mind, the odds of winning the top prizes are so low that it seems to me a writer would spend more on entry fees than reaping rewards. I’ve personally never entered a competition that isn’t free – however, I regularly subscribe to my favourite literary magazines to do my part for the industry! At least with magazines you subscribe to you get a product for the money you spend. And in my opinion, children and young people shouldn’t have to pay to enter competitions at all – on that note, here’s my round-up of freebie poetry competitions for youngsters:
Hang on in there… you’ll get discovered!
In a day and age when it is getting harder and harder for an up-and-coming writer to get noticed (and especially if they’re a starving artist…) what’s the best solution? Competitions – and better still – free ones. In an ideal world, it would be great to be able to subscribe to all the zines and competitions to keep supporting the cause, but face it, who has a money tree growing in their garden? Here are a few up-and-coming competitions for all you up-and-coming writers in the adult market (April to Dec 2014):
Here’s my latest poetry video. This poem was first published in Spring 2011 in a magazine now archived at the Southbank Poetry Library (issue 32 of The Journal). Since it’s a short one and was previously published in print and not in any electronic version online, I thought it a great piece for a reading. It’s a poetic weirdo…enjoy!
Ahead of my forthcoming flash fiction piece, The art of something out of nothing, to be published next month, the editor of Pure Slush has posted my author profile on the website. I also completed a questionnaire, which all the writers who contribute to Pure Slush provide, giving a little insight into who they are.
Turquoise… The colour of my soul
The questionnaire asks about the writer’s favourite colour and why. What does a person’s favourite colour say about them? Continue reading
Joseph Robert… bio in a bottle
The Spring issue of Message in a Bottle has Joseph Robert’s latest trio of published poems. ‘Imaginary Property Boom’ comes at a good time – how many people out there are wanting to be first time home owners, but could never in a month of Mondays afford to get onto even the first step of the housing ladder? Resigned to living out their lives in one bedroom apartments where they hand over the best part of their salary to a faceless landlord, they hope against hope their belongings won’t wash away on the flood plain, while waiting for years on a council list only to get kicked off, because the goal-posts keep moving! Continue reading
Since I started offering a space for poetry and fiction reviews back in February, I’ve been pleased with the responses and even more with the quality of writing out there. Writing by Indie authors makes for a much more interesting read than the often ‘filtered’ writing in mainstream publications. When an author takes control of their own work, they don’t have to ‘play it safe’, which is unfortunately the case with some contemporary verse.
Marakech A-ha by Simon Robson is a collection of travel-themed verse giving a snapshot of a package holiday in bite-sized poems. Glimpses of the landscape, people and tradition are pieced together to give an impression of a tourist lost in culture shock, and ultimately coerced into self exploration as a result. Photos taken from a high-rise hotel room and ticket stubs accompany the poems. In ‘Rehabilitating Slowly’, etiquette and customs become stifling even for the locals; people hang their arms out of car windows, exhausted by the social norms. Continue reading
Leilanie Stewart 