In Print

I'm delighted to have my poem "1942 and We Tapped" included in the second issue of Fifth Wednesday Journal.

Fellow ITWS poet Jason Fraley also has a poem in this issue.

This is a fantastic new magazine stuffed with enough stories, poems, and nonfiction to suit every taste, as well as visually satisfying black and white photos. You can find this review of the first issue at New Pages.




My poem "Dr. Zhoudou's Cabinet of Hypnosis and Broken Hearts" can be found in the new issue (Volume 9) of Cider Press Review.

Sarah Sloat, another ITWS poet, is also represented.

You may remember that I reviewed Quinn Rennerfeldt's poem "Mona Lisa" from Cider Press Review Volume 8 for Kelly Spitzer's ABC Showcase last summer. Cider Press is one of my favorite poetry magazines and I'm thrilled to be a part of it.




Finally, I'm absolutely ecstatic to have two poems in the latest issue of Poet Lore: "Paper Birds" and "Postcard from Shambhala." This is my second appearance in Poet Lore, a journal that I feel embodies everything great about poetry.

I'm joined in this issue by yet another ITWS poet, Nathan McClain, who was also included in the same previous issue of Poet Lore as myself. We seem to be following one another, which suits me just fine as he is an oustanding poet and I'm honored to be in such great company.

Probably everyone reading my blog already knows this, but just in case there are any new readers, let me point out again that my work is published under the pen-name Ann Walters. There's a lot of great stories and poems in these journals. If you can get your hands on a copy, I hope you'll give each one a read!

Aluminum Overcast

Thirty-Thirty Poetry

For those of you keeping score, this is round 17 of writing thirty poems in thirty days. I'm sure I'll get to 20 before the end of this year, but for now I'm taking a much-needed break. Here's those titles:

1. He Said, She Said
2. The Day the Roadside Bomb Exploded
3. Stone Walls
4. A Pale Thought
5. JayJay Writes a Letter to God
6. i am always in love
7. When the Letter Came
8. mea culpa
9. God Gives JayJay an Answer
10. Windowsill and Still Life
11. Carnival
12. Everyone
13. Bee
14. Sonnenizio on a line from Bates
15. Buffalo Gals
16. Fly Away
17. Howl
18. Witness
19. Dreadful Truth
20. This is Pain
21. On the Last Day of School, 1958
22. The secret compartment of joy
23. And the Devil of Dust Spins On
24. A Long Line of Tanks
25. Baby I Would
26. Wind Song at Pueblo Bonito
27. Sonnenizio on a line from Millay
28. Lemons
29. Letter from Camp
30. haiku

Venting

As I mentioned in a previous post, the last few months have been very stressful. That particular stress is now gone, but it's no less crazy here. Two weeks ago we had Emma's birthday squeezed smack into the middle of a lot of other activities. I was in major pain from a kidney stone, but toughed it out so we wouldn't be in the ER on her birthday, finally passing it late that night. It was the second largest stone I've ever passed.

Last week was my birthday, again squeezed into a rather tight schedule that included Kindergarten Open House for Kate and Girl Scout Camp for Emma and I on the weekend. We left for camp on Friday after school and got back Sunday afternoon. I have no idea why they would schedule camp on Mother's Day weekend. It basically meant having no Mother's Day since I was too tired to do anything after we got home. Camp itself was a blast, though, and I'd go again in a second despite the lack of sleep, the sporadic crankiness of adults and kids, and the sheer exhaustion.

This week, I just feel worn out. Months of stress and weeks of nonstop activity have left me feeling like I need to recharge in a huge way. I feel like a piece of wood that's been whittled at and whittled at until it's in danger of disappearing altogether. On Monday I finished my 17th round of 30 poems in 30 days and I don't plan on going back immediately this time. I need a break. The problem is, I'm not sure how a stay at home mom of two young kids gets the kind of break I need. However, the sun is shining and we're having very hot weather today and tomorrow, so maybe a little relaxing in the sun will help...

And on a more cheerful note, I do have some nifty new knitting to show you, new publications to share, and my title list for round 17 of 30/30, all coming soon.

Wigleaf

My flash The Voice of Love is now live at Wigleaf.