#NationalPoetryMonth: Poems by Linda D. Addison, Bram Stoker Award Winner

HOOK of a BOOK!

I’m continuing on today in my series for National Poetry Month (April) with some three wonderful poems, two of them never before published, from the amazing poet Linda D. Addison! Linda D. Addison is the award-winning author of four collections, the first African-American to receive the Horror Writers Association (HWA) Bram Stoker Award®, and recipient of the 2018 HWA Lifetime Achievement Award. I’m quite honored that she agreed to be part of this series and thrilled she’s offered two unpublished poems for release here at Oh, for the Hook of a Book! Not only talented, she’s always a bright light with an enormous smile and a kind word for all.

Enjoy!

The first poem was nominated for a 2018 Rhysling Award and was published as the Afterword in the HWA Bram Stoker finalist Sycorax’s Daughters anthology of horror fiction/poetry by African-American women.

Sycorax’s Daughters Unveiled

by Linda D. Addison

Descendants…

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What Stories are We Looking For for 2020?

Cirsova

Cirsova Publishing will be opening Submissions for our flagship magazine in October. Details can be found here. Everything in the descriptions there hold true in terms of what it is we’re looking for, but I’d like to highlight a few things in this post:

Raygun noir – Dark detective stories that had exotic space locals as their setting were a staple in the pulps, particularly Planet Stories. We’d love to see more of these.

Monster Girl – We got a couple of these last go-round, but none were quite what we were looking for. Seriously, go read C.L. Moore’s The Bright Illusion and get back with us. You got something along those lines? We’d definitely be interested.

South Seas Adventure and Chinoiserie – There’s a lot of interesting territory to be explored here, and we’ve dipped our toes in a bit [see The Last Fortune of Ali al’Ahmar and…

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My poem “Preparation” published in The Penn Review’s 50th issue + no fee submission call & editor interview, DEADLINE: Nov. 14, 2017

Trish Hopkinson

It’s very exciting to have my poem “Preparation” previously featured at The Penn Review also included in their 50th issue! They are known for their fast response time, and got back to me on my original submission within two days. The issue is packed with a wide variety of poems and prose. Take a look to see what the editors are selecting and send in your best work before the deadline.

The Penn Review was founded in 1966, making it the oldest continuously published literary magazine at the University of Pennsylvania. “Devoted to the literary and visual arts, we publish original poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and visual artwork, and feature an innovative blend of emerging and established voices in our biannual publication.  Our list of contributors include authors and artists from across the United States and around the globe.”

They aim to respond within a couple of days and…

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6 Tips for Writing a Successful Persona Poem–guest blog post by Lois Roma-Deeley

Trish Hopkinson

As writers we are so often told to “write what you know.” And this is good advice.

But this “rule” should not be taken literally, especially when creating persona poems. The poet must create a place where the reader must, as Samuel T. Coleridge famously said, “willingly suspends his [or her] belief.” The voice in a persona poem has to emerge from an authentic place within the poet. Yet this “taking on of the mask” requires an authenticity of emotion and not, necessarily, autobiographical veracity.

Let me give an example. Suppose I am going to write a persona poem in the voice of an Alien whose head is made of a pink volcanic ash which resembles something like that of a pencil eraser. The eyes of this being take the shape of a semi-colon; the body looks like of exclamation mark! This other-worldly being lives on Hailey’s comet and is…

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The Eastbank Killer

Visitant

Attorney Donna Bosque finds her life turned upside down when an attractive associate at her firm becomes convinced the Eastbank Killer, who has been terrifying Portland, is directly linked to their law firm.

 

Next chapter

Chapter One

If it wasn’t for the cream-colored blouse unbuttoned an eighth of an inch lower than office decorum demanded, Astrid Merington would have reminded her boss, Donna Bosque, of a teenage boy telling campfire ghost stories.

Merington leaned back, one boot kicked up against the wall behind her, her face in shadow. It just after 5 PM, but the winter rain clouds had turned the sky black, and the halls of Pesher, Andrews, and Bosque were dark. The interns from Lewis and Clark Law School clustered around Merington, transfixed. Tony “my father is the DA so I know law” Peterson was openly leering. Twenty-two year old Barbara blushed when Merington looked at her…

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Making money is fun!

Building Business Online

So you’re ready to start earning more this year? Whether you want to be more aggressive about paying off student loans, dig yourself out of credit card debt, or save toward a down payment or vacation, making extra money on the side is a smart strategy for working toward your goals.

While you could simply get a part-time job, I’m going to focus on entrepreneurial ventures — side jobs where you control your time and rates.Instead of working the shifts you’re given for a set wage, you’ll be your own boss, deciding what you do, when you do it and elow much you make.

Whether you’re thinking of starting a side business that could eventually become your full-time job or you just want to earn a little extra cash on the weekends, I’ve got you covered. How will you earn more money this year?

Freelance With Your Skills

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Announcing New Cambridge Writers’ Workshop Faculty

Cambridge Writers' Workshop

The Cambridge Writers’ Workshop is delighted to announce that Heidi Pitlor and Laura van den Berg will be joining us as full faculty on our upcoming retreats and workshops, and that Lily Hoang and Frederick-Douglass Knowles II will be our newly appointed Summer 2016 Teaching Fellows.  More about our new faculty and teaching fellows and their talented work in fiction, editing, publishing, nonfiction, poetry, and performance can be found below:

Heidi Pitlor received her B.A. from McGill University in Montreal and her M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Emerson College. She eventually became an editor and later a senior editor at Houghton Mifflin (now Houghton Mifflin Harcourt). She has been the series editor of The Best American Short Stories since 2007. Her writing has appeared in such publications as Ploughshares, The Huffington Post, and Labor Day: True Birth Stories by Today’s Best Women Writers.

Laura van den Berg was…

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LOST FIELDS: 2016 Michael McLaverty Short Story Award

Short Story Ireland

The 2016 Michael McLaverty Short Story Award is accepting submissions until Thursday, June 30th.

The prize, which is run by the Linen Hall Library in Belfast, was set up in 2006 to foster and encourage the tradition of the Irish short story. Michael McLaverty (1904 – 1992) was one of Ireland’s distinguished short story writers and his archive was donated to the library in 2005.

Stories of up to 3,000 words on the theme of “LOST FIELDS” will be accepted and the entry fee is £10.

First prize is £2,000 and the top three stories will be published in an anthology.

Full entry details are available here.

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Over The Edge New Writer of the Year Competition 2016

Short Story Ireland

The 2016 Over The Edge New Writer of the Year Competition is now accepting short story and poetry submissions.

“Since its inception in 2007, it has grown to become one of the most important competition’s for emerging writers in Ireland and internationally. The competition is open to both poets and fiction writers worldwide.”

This year’s judge is Niamh Boyce author of The Herbalist. [pictured]

The total prize money is €1,000. The best fiction entry will win €300. The best poetry entry will win €300. One of these will then be chosen as the overall winner and will receive an additional €400, giving the overall winner total prize money of €700 and the title Over The Edge New Writer of The Year 2016.

The 2016 Over The Edge New Writer of The Year will be a Featured Reader at Ireland’s leading literary reading series, the Over The Edge: Open…

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Now Welcoming Priority Applications for Day of the Dead 2016 and Winter/Spring 2017 Residencies