Poetry.com. You know you were a semi-finalist.
Did you know that poetry.com‘s database is SEARCHABLE? Well guess what, Internet? IT IS. Welcome to terrordome.
When I was 16 I sent a poem to them through bolt.com (anyone remember bolt.com? Social networking v.08 BETA…I was a bolt.com all-star, FYI…much less success on makeoutclub.com; did not like Coalesce…sad, so sad.) and it was from the point of view of a fortune cookie! But you didn’t KNOW it was a fortune cookie! Whaaaaaaat? I know, right? I was one mysterious poet!
Anyway, I totally was a SEMI-FINALIST and they were going to publish me in their MONTHLY ANTHOLOGY for like $45.00 and I was so psyched! Fortunately my parents did not believe in eCommerce at the time (shout-out to Patricia and Ed) and so I never got to see my poem in its Times New Roman 12-point double-spaced center-justified glory! This is why I write nonfiction today, no matter what Albert Goldbarth sez.
So, yeah, their database is searchable; plug your name in, hold your breath, and hope that you submitted too early for internet-foreverdom. Also, they have ‘POETRY REFERENCE’…’Need Help Rhyming?’ WHY YES I DO! Thanks for asking poetry.com! What rhymes with BLOODY?
Where are you, Jereme? I Miss you.
Where are you Jereme? I miss you. That’s all.
Excerpt: The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne by Brian Moore
I just finished reading this tragedy by an Irish writer (with a Catholic background, of course, for those who know my obsessions). It was recommended to me, but I can’t remember by whom. It was brilliant and relentlessly bleak. Here is a section where the protaganist begins to lose her faith:
Was there nothing to pray to? Was the confession she had just made a form, something you went through to ease your conscience? If it was, then how easy it was to explain all the miseries, the follies, all the useless novenas, the prayers that never got an answer. And if it was true, then all the priests, all the bishops, all the cardinals, are wrong. Deluded men, believing they are being helped by a God who is not there. An unhelpful God. Why does he make men suffer?…
Kathy Fish Fellowship now accepting applications
Sorry to bump the Boobs Friday post down, but Friday is nearly over and I’d like to post this before I forget. Also, I ate a really bad hamburger tonight, so I’m in a bad mood. It was one of those patties that are precooked and you just pull it out of the freezer and heat it up in the microwave. See, HEB was giving them away for free at one of their new stores here (they mailed out coupons or something) and I could not resist. I have three more left. I will probably eat those too and complain again. Sorry. I cannot control myself.
Okay, to the important information.
Smokelong has just announced that they are now accepting applications for the 2009 Kathy Fish Fellowship. You can read guidelines at their site, but here’s a nice excerpt:
We want to foster that sort of commitment to new writers, and in that vein, we created the Kathy Fish Fellowship. All writers previously unpublished in SmokeLong Quarterly are eligible to apply.
I like the idea for the fellowship. I wonder if other journals do this? I know The Southern Review has a fellowship (but it’s a little different), and maybe the folks at West Branch too?
Anyhow, the deadline is December 20th, so yeah. Send in your applications, people.