OMP calls for submissions for new anthology

Tom Davis of Old Mountain Press has called his former contributors to submit to a new anthology. You can view the submissions of those who have already been accepted. Be sure to visit the website for Old Mountain Press.

Old Mountain Press (OMP) is accepting submissions for 

Wish You Were Here from PREVIOUS CONTRIBUTORS ONLY OR SOMEONE RECOMMENDED BY A PREVIOUS CONTRIBUTOR. Each contributor whose work will appear in this anthology can recommend ONE person to submit to this anthology. Someone whose work you would like to see included with yours–maybe right beside yours:-).

See  http://www.oldmp.com/anthology/wishyouwerehere.htm here you will also find guidelines and the link to an online submission form.

View camera ready copy of all submissions accepted so far at http://www.oldmp.com/anthology/review/wishyouwerehere.pdf

NOTE: As always this anthology may fill up before the close out date so don’t procrastinate.

Wish You Were Here’s THEME is ANYTHING RELATING  TO TRAVELING TO PLACES YOU HAVE BEEN OR WOULD LIKE TO GO: THE PLACE, THE PEOPLE, THE FOOD, ETC.
NOTE: The theme is NOT missing someone or something.

I will accept submissions until 12:00, 6 March OR when I have at least 90 to 100 pages (includes table of content and authors’ bios 75 words or preferably less please) or 70 contributors of quality poems and short shorts WHICHEVER COMES FIRST. If you wish to be considered for inclusion in this anthology, do not procrastinate. Get your work in now! Since this is a very wide topic, I expect the anthology to fill up well before the close out date.

There is no reading fee, no entry fee, and no requirement for a contributor to purchase this anthology.
As always, contributors will be able to purchase copies at a reduced rate.

Full Class for Will Wright's Poetry workshop

Writers Circle hosted Will Wright, poet, editor, and more, from the Atlanta area. We had a full class of poets, some who had never published their work and some with awards and a long history of publications.

The students participated, asked questions and presented wonderful discussion on the sheaf of poems Will gave us to read and talk about.

The young, but experienced poet, had several of his collections with him and also the latest anthology he has published.

I chose his first collection, Dark Orchard, winner of 2005 Texas Review Breakthrough Poetry Contest and Night Field Anecdote, published by Louisiana Literature Press. Both books are acclaimed by outstanding poets and Will is compared with Theadore Roethke and Robert Penn Warren.Wright co-edits an anthology series The Southern Poetry Anthology. 

We will certainly ask Will Wright to come back to Writers Circle next year.

Poets and Writers and Poets

This post was written after the weekend at Festival on the Square.

After a weekend of promoting Writers Circle, NCWN West and Echoes Across the Blue Ridge, I dragged myself home, took a shower and a nap. Hot weather saps my energy and yesterday was hot and humid, but we had a successful event.

In one of the anthologies on our table was my story, An Angel Named Amos. The theme is horses. That book was popular. So was the anthology, Echoes Across the Blue Ridge. 

Poetry was not popular with people at this festival. Does that mean that we didn't have a literary crowd? Or is it true that only poets buy poetry books? I did not buy one of Robert S. King's poetry books. I already have The Gravedigger's Roots and The Haunted River, both excellent collections.

Clarence Newton, poet and writer

I bought a book by my good friend, Clarence Newton. For years I have begged him to put together a book of his poems because I wanted to have them available to read often.

Like many who have lived a long life, this astute gentleman's words of wisdom in verse and his clever, tongue in cheek poems that make me laugh out loud will be cherished and kept on my book shelf.

He gave me permission to publish some poems from his book, Short Glances Forward and A Long Look Back.

Cycling

Nobody dies anymore.

Some pass on, others pass away.

Some go to heaven, others reincarnate.

Some go to hell.

A few spirits hang around as ghosts.

Some are convinced that this

matter of which we are made

is in a constant mode

of earth attachment and recycling.

Born of the cosmos, matter spun and whirled,

made to reason, wonder, laugh and cry,

guided by circumstances, seeds sown to wind,

we dance upon the crest of life's bell curve,

embrace hope, faith and serenity,

relishing fleeting moments of lust and love

thinking only of the present;

finally to metamorphose into particles of dust

and subatomic energy where goes body and soul

carried by whirlwinds of the ethereal universe,

from whence we came and so shall return.

A merry-go-round, this mysterious life

of consciousness, matter and will

where passions flare and time flies.

Clarence then writes this one:

Froggy

Three hopping friends

sat upon two logs

searching with buggy eyes

for a breakfast of flies

One had two and two had three.

then saluted with high fives

saying ain't life fun

when we're having flies?