W A N T : "Impossible Questions"

There exists a sacredness (however small) in contributing a quiet, simple poem to a veteran literary haven such as CALYX Journal.

Now approaching its 36th year, CALYX has published over 4,000 unique women, many of them 'emerging' writers and artists. It was also the first U.S. publisher to house English translations of Wislawa Szymborska and to publish color reproductions of Frida Kahlo's art.

Fitting that just this morning, I read a Wislawa Szymborska poem on the uptown 4 train on my way to work (in preparation for an evening apartment lecture on personas and masks in poetry given by Jeffrey McDaniel to a group of feisty Sarah Lawrence alumni).

Be sure to grab a copy of CALYX Journal's Winter 2012 (volume 27.1) issue, which hosts my poem, "Impossible Questions."

I haven't received my contributor's copy yet, but loved the glimpse I received on their website of Tamiko Beyer's poem, "after ten years, a net." Tamiko is not only a powerful poet (and a beautiful soul), but also a winner of the Alice James Books 2011 Kinereth Gensler Award for her forthcoming poetry collection, We Come Elemental.

Also honored to announce that CALYX featured the audio version of my poem on their new audio blog today. Keep checking the blog because more writers from this issue will also share audio versions of their pieces!

Gratitude to Rebecca Olson, senior editor at CALYX. One of the most charming editors I've corresponded with.

N O M I N A T I O N : Pushcart Prize

Many many thanks to The Collagist for my first Pushcart Prize nomination. I'm specifically grateful to editors Matt Bell and Matthew Olzmann, both of whom are editorial rockstars. And congratulations to the other contributors who were nominated by The Collagist.

Gratitude also to "Selah," the poem that was memorable to these editors and has seemed to sprout a life apart from anything I could ever do for it. Blessed.

Check out the interview in which I discuss "Selah" with The Collagist's former blog editor, Tyler Gobble (who asked some meaty questions).

Cheers!

B R A Z E N : "Sex Education"

Delighted—and honored beyond belief—to have a small poem published in North American Review's Summer 2011 issue (the annual fiction issue—issue 296, no. 3).

Leave it to "America's Oldest Literary Magazine" to take a poem about sex (rated PG).

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note: Much belated news, which I should have posted in August. I hesitated because I hadn't yet received my copy (due to relocating to a new apartment). Yes, at this stage for me, a publication in the almighty North American Review is still one of those I-won't-believe-it-'til-I-see-it sort of situations. Oh, but it was marvelous to see it.