Brand new and familiar poems published today by Editor Sharon Knutson at Storyteller Poetry Review. This journal specializes in narrative poetry–in other words, poetry that tells stories. In this group are new poems about my father and our lake cottage and about driving home from my Chicago grandma’s apartment when I was young.
https://stortellerpoetryreview.blogspot.com/2024/05/storyteller-of-week_17.html
I really hope you enjoy these poems because as a whole they create a little memoir.
In other writing news, Our Wolves moved from the Eric Hoffer Grand Prize Short List to First Runner-up of Chapbooks. Um yay!!!!
This is what the Hoffer judges said about the book:
“Our Wolves, Luanne Castle, Alien Buddha Press – In this bold recasting of the Little Red Riding Hood tale, a traumatic adventure unfolds, and the expectations one has for reality are shattered. An air of mystery pervades each poem, but beneath that mystery, worlds of forced silences exist. Some poems shock. Some poems awe. Some remind readers that the wolves one should fear most are not those roaming the forests.These poems also explore the myths and legends, symbolisms and mysticisms, which comprise the folk tales with which so many are familiar, and breathe new life into these well-worn tales. This retelling forms a narrative for a modern age.”
Additionally, two of my flash stories have been long listed in two different contests. One of them didn’t move beyond and the other hasn’t been announced yet.
And in still further news. I sent a couple stories to a journal yesterday and they came bouncing back, a big fat rejection with the admonition not to send again for another five months. HAHAHAHAHAH.
I have not been able to get over to our blogging community much lately because . . . baby. However, I am working on my songwriting talents as well as new poetry. Here are some samples. The first is a song:
A big tummy is happiness.
A big tummy is happiness.
A big tummy is happiness.
And a little tummy is a big tragedy.
And here is a poem:
Those that are really cute
are the ones that toot.
Haha. It won’t be long before he can join me in singing. 3 1/2 months and he’s turning on his tummy and turning on his back already.
What fun!
Thanks, Joy!
Congratulations on your publications and award!! What a wonderful run! May it go on and on!
Hah, thanks. I was on vacation when apparently they shortlisted it and asked for another copy for the judges, and I didn’t even know it was nominated and didn’t get that email. Then they sent another saying time was almost up. And I said, WHAT?
I am bug-eyed!
Thank you for the grandbaby update! You sound like you’re having a lot of fun with him. I enjoyed your new poems. I look forward to the memoir’s publication (all in good time, of course). As for the bouncing rejection, take heart in the fact that they didn’t say never darken our door with your pathetic scribblings ever, ever again!
Hahaha, that is what it felt like when they hammered home about five months! And such a quick rejection! Thank you! I don’t even have my memoir out anywhere. I haven’t done a thing with it in so long. I just don’t know where to send it. The baby is phenomenal. He’s sooooo strong. And so sweet, a really “good baby.”
I, too, have had the 24-hour rejection a time or two. Then there was the time I received three rejections for the same piece from Georgia Review–the same day! I expect it was a Submittable record-keeping error, but still . . .
Ugh. They have all kinds of ways of making it worse!
Yup, plenty of salt to rub in that wound.
Heh
Enjoyed the new and renewed poems, Luanne. Congratulations on the award and pfft! on the rejection. Glad you’re having such a good time with the grandson.
Pfft is right haha. Thank you so much, Eilene. Yeah, the baby wears me out but he’s worth it!
Congratulations on the publication and the review
Derrick, thank you so much!!!!
Congratulations on all your great publishing news, Luanne. And one rejection amidst all those publications is nothing. I’m hoping to have something published again someday. (I did receive one of the best rejection letters ever though.) 🙂
Enjoy that grandchild!
Congrats on the good rejection letter LOL. Have you ever submitted to Verse Virtual? If you want to be part of the poetry community of VV you should submit there. The idea is that people are meant to interact with each other from the group. Lots of wonderful poets in there. Anyway, Jim Lewis is the editor and super nice, and he publishes every month.
Thank you, Merril!
I will look it up. Thank you, Luanne, and you’re welcome. I’m trying to work out a collection or collections and just giving myself a headache!
So much to celebrate!
Thank you, Annette!!! XO
You really are getting so much amazing positive feedback—I hope it makes those rejections laughable. And I can just see Hudson giggling as you sing those songs!
Rejections are never fun, especially coming so soon after you’ve put the work into following all the rules. But, yes, the positive feedback sure helps. And Hudson is so much fun :).
Grandkids help you come up with the most interesting songs!
LOL. Everything is a song before I even know it. It just comes out of my mouth that way!
Looks like you are enjoying life. That’s as it should be.
I am tired, but yes, it’s very enjoyable to be around the little guy. I’m definitely in love!
Wonderful.
Congratulations, Luanne. So happy you’re getting the recognition. 🙂
Thanks so much, Jennifer!
Congratulations, Luanne, and thank you for sharing your successes as well as your rejections. Just goes to show that rejections can be so very wrong. One must never give up. You sound like you’re having so much fun with your grandbaby. He’s one lucky baby to have you as a grandmother ❤️
Aw, thanks, Marie. I am so blessed with him. What a happy baby.
Haha, re the rejections. I’m sure they don’t think they are wrong!
I wonder what those editors will think when they realize they had rejected an award-winner 😄
lol pretty sure they don’t care!
That would be very snobbish of them.
The important thing is that you are having fun! I wish you much joy with that grandbaby!!! 🙂 Congratulations on your poems!!!
Thank you so much, Linda! He is such a joy!
I read your Memoir poems today and they are awesome! My husband is from Chicago…So much detail in every line, you do bring the stories to life. 🙂 I had to smile when I read about the cookies from your grandmother in the car. Our grandchildren are so crazy for cookies!!!
Awww. I am sure they do! Thank you, Linda!