If you’d like to send us some news, please email it to us at: contact@writersguildbloomington.com
April Ridge’s debut chapbook Monstrous is arriving this month, just in time for spooky season. See what other poets have to say:
Keep your eyes peeled (ew) for more blurbs and fun details of the chapbook release (by Pure Sleeze Press!) in the coming weeks!
Backspace Gallery is inside Bonne Fête, 112 West 6th Street, on the square in Bloomington IN
Thursday, Oct 10 2024 6 PM to 8:30 PM
My new new novel, If Not the Whole Truth (Margin Key), will be released on September 10.
Paperback $14.99
ISBN 979-8-9903018-0-1
ebook $4.99
ISBN 979-8-9903018-1-8
It’s is a tale of gritty courage and love in the endless struggle for power in which a young woman struggles to ferret out her place in the counterculture of the late 1960s era only to find in 2022 America that everything she holds dear, even her own life, is in jeopardy.
Connie Borders sees the changes coming down in 1969 and refuses to let them pass her by. Rejecting her parents’ outdated lifestyle and the narrow, whitebread path prescribed for her, Connie leaves Indianapolis for California to stop the Vietnam War and reshape the country into the Woodstock Nation. Her course veers when Carlos, an older university student who is a first-generation, Black Puerto Rican American, persuades her that radical Chicago is where it’s at.
During a whirlwind of protests and an acid-laced rock concert, electricity runs between Connie and Carlos. But when she witnesses a shooting in the wake of Black Panther Fred Hampton’s murder, she is forced to leave Chicago. From the Midwest to Berkeley and back, Connie goes on a freewheeling search for her place in the fractured movement. Naïve and flawed but pure-hearted, she navigates the complexities of friendship and family, of unwanted pregnancy and illegal abortion, and of cultural and political divides, while untangling her desire for Carlos and his hardcore passion for Puerto Rican independence. Connie learns she must trust her instincts to seek out the whole story—which may not be the whole truth.
Fifty years later, when Connie is a pro-choice activist in Chicago, her questioned convictions put her in chilling danger.
The core of this book illuminates how the basic struggle for power versus equity rolls over again and again. So caught up in the arrogance of each era and generation, we hardly notice that the tune to which we dance to is on repeat. Maybe with a different rhythm, or some reverb, but it’s the same. And if we don’t understand how each moment is tied to the past, tied to our basic flaws as humans, we have no possible hope of moving ahead.
II’m very encouraged by early reviews. Kirkus Reviews called it “Historically rich, with … searing contemporary relevance. OUR VERDICT: GET IT.”
Nuggets from other reviewers: “This book reignites the fire and the passion in my heart for hope.” “Sense of scene and characterization is wonderful.” “No easy answers here, but the questions are so very interesting, all within a page-turner of a novel.” “Magic tapestry of language, of storytelling raveled and unraveled.” “An important and necessary read for a nation that is now slipping backwards in time.”
Check out www.clairearbogast.com for more info on my books & full reviews, the Inside Stories blog, or Read Deeper book reviews on social and cultural issues.
So far, book launch events are:
Double Book Launch with Shana Ritter, Burning Convictions on Sunday, September 15, 3-5 pm (come early at 2:30 for mingling and book buying) at Backspace Gallery with a burning convictions-themed open mic. It’s a multimedia event, there will be food and drink. Shana’s is launching a new edition of In the Time of Leaving. At core of both books are resilient women amidst worlds of burning convictions.
Author Conversation with Shayne Laughter at Morgenstern, Monday, September 30, 6:30 to 7:30 pm.
Thanks to the Writers Guild of Bloomington for all the times I’ve read at Open Mic, as a featured reader, and at Spoken Word of oh so many versions of this book. I love youse guys. Your support means the world to me.
Keep on writing!
Claire
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Karen A. Wyle Book Launches and Readings
Karen A. Wyle writes: I have two book releases in August, quite different in nature. First, on August 4th, comes my nonfiction picture book A Boy Who Made Music: The Extraordinary Life of Joaquin Rodrigo. Joaquin Rodrigo was a brilliant Spanish composer, writing music for piano, violin, chorus, and most famously guitar. He was also, from the age of three, almost completely blind. This picture book follows Joaquin from carefree early childhood through his life-altering illness, his discovery of classical music, and his successful career and family life. It is my hope that his story will inspire children to dream beyond the apparent limitations suggested by circumstance. To symbolize Joaquin’s blindness, the illustrations go from color to black and white at the time he lost his sight — with one closing exception. The book’s back matter includes multiple activities as well as more information about his life.
Then, on August 15th, comes historical novel The Decision, set in 1915-1938 Berlin. This novel arises from a crucial incident in my family’s history. In October 1938, about a month before the death and destruction of Kristallnacht, my father and two of his brothers received new bicycles. This was no ordinary gift: the family had, with much difficulty, arranged to leave Germany, and as they would not be allowed to take much money with them, the family spent some of the funds that would otherwise be left behind on bicycles. As the three of them rode down a downtown street, the youngest inadvertently caused an accident — and the traffic policeman on the scene wore, under his uniform, the brown shirt of a Nazi storm trooper. Yet instead of detaining the boys, this policeman told them to “disappear.” The question is: why? What life did he live that led him to make these choices: to become a storm trooper, and yet to let three Jewish boys escape? And what happened to him afterward? The Decision imagines possible answers to these questions. In doing so, it takes the reader into the heart of the experience of wartime, and the repercussions of such conflict for years thereafter.
I will be doing a book launch event at Morgenstern on August 15th from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., complete with Q&A, book signing, and possibly a short reading from the novel. I will have copies of both books available. I hope to see some members there!
Check out Karen’s website here: http://www.karenawyle.com./
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Hiromi Yoshida’s Green Roses for Icarus is scheduled to be released in October! Congrats, Hiromi!
Her full-length poetry collection, *Green Roses Bloom for Icarus,* will be released by Roadside Press (1 October 2024). Pre-order at Amazon.com by clicking the cover image below!
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Patsy Rahn has a new gallery on her photography website!!! She says:
Patsy
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Member Jake Williger has published his debut novel, The Trials of Gnash: The Rites of Iron! Congratulations Jake!
“The Rushali Desert is many things–a swirling tempest of red sand, an arid landscape scoured by incredible heat, and a breeding ground for dangerous beasts. But for Gnash, a young warrior raised in a tribe of wandering nomads, the desert is simply home.
Through the Rites of Iron, a coming-of-age ceremony for young warriors in his tribe, Gnash discovers what it means to be truly strong as he fights through the perils of his desolate homeland.”
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Book Release Announcement from member Alisa Alering:
Dear Friends,
I have some news: I wrote a book! And it’s publishing this summer!
My debut novel, Smothermoss (Tin House), will be out on July 16. It’s already gotten some attention: Karen Joy Fowler called it “beautifully written, tense, and absorbing” and Barnes & Noble have named it a Most Anticipated Debut of 2024.
That’s great, you might be thinking, but what’s it about?
The short version: Haunted Appalachia 🌳👻
In 
Smothermoss, you’ll meet sisters Sheila and Angie: two very different young women whose lives get twisted up in small-town Appalachian darkness. As a first novel ought to do, it includes many of my most favorite things: uncanny forests, ancient mountains, family secrets, magic, yearning, murder, and a whole lot of rabbits.
Growing up in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Pennsylvania, I spent a lot of time by myself in the woods. Which turns out to be great training for a writer. As I wandered among the trees, there were no other people around, and yet I felt I wasn’t alone. This novel is my attempt to capture the strange magic I felt humming beside me in those dense green Pennsylvania woods.
If you have ever felt a deep attachment to a natural place–a meadow, a mountain, a river, a lake, somewhere you felt comforted, inspired, protected, connected, alive…then this book is for you.
If you’ve already pre-ordered a copy of Smothermoss, thank you! And if you haven’t had the chance yet, I’d be grateful if you would consider pre-ordering my novel today from your favorite place to buy books and audiobooks (see links below). Your support means the world to me. Pre-orders are vital proof to retailers that this book has an audience eagerly awaiting its arrival. Each one makes a huge difference in helping Smothermoss stand out among the crowd. (You can also request the title at your local library, which is a fantastic choice if you want to do just one thing to support the book.)
This summer and fall, I’ll be promoting Smothermoss at a few in-person events. If you live in Columbus, OH; Bloomington, IN; Chicago, or Seattle, I hope you’ll mark your calendars. For event updates you can follow me on Instagram (@alisa.alering) or check my website. If I’m in your area, it would be wonderful to see you!
I’ve been dreaming of sharing this story with you for ages now. The mountain is calling…will you answer?
Yours,
Alisa
🐰
Praise for Smothermoss
“A gothic and propulsive read that will dazzle you from start to finish.”
—Barnes & Noble, A Most Anticipated Debut of 2024
“This beautifully strange book of the mountains is alarming and inspiring.”
—Samantha Hunt
“Tense and absorbing, Smothermoss is an original story from a truly gifted storyteller.”
—Karen Joy Fowler
“Smothermoss is rich, strange, and beautiful, simultaneously eerie and so very honest.”
—Kij Johnson
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Tonia Matthew has two videos with Lee Chapman:
For those who remember Lee Chapman (who is now living outside Washington DC) poet, singer, and composer extraordinaire and the Five Women Poets performing “Walk like a Penguin” by Antonia Matthew might be interested in this video of Tonia reading the poem to Lee’s music:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ugOtwDt-2g
and also of Tonia reading a poem about wars and her family to Lee’s music:
This is a book about challenges and persistence. A book about the toughness of life on our planet beginning with the chicory flower. In its pages plants, people and animals form a field for exploring the Midwest, the nation, farming, fantasies, running, and science. The poems reach into the universe, and make a side trip to Chicago and its thereabouts. In addition to people, the usual cast of characters include a snooty vulture, a wise cracking groundhog and Tennessee leaves that travel to Mars.
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James Dorr had a new collection, AVOID SEEING A MOUSE AND OTHER TALES OF THE REAL AND SURREAL, published in January 2024 by Alien Buddha Press.
“At a bit less than 40,000 words, Avoid Seeing a Mouse and Other Tales of the Real and Surreal offers twelve stories set in times that range from the mid-part of the previous century to a heat- and pollution-baked far-future Earth, but all in worlds a bit askew from what we might be used to. These range from a city-wide celebration-to-come where only the dead may be asked to attend, to the title tale of a 1999 pre-New Year’s Eve Memphis, Tennessee, where contemporary fears that the changing of dates to the 21st century could bring about worldwide computer failures combine with an ancient Egyptian curse to engender a horrific alternate history. Also included: an anti-Communist who collects bottles, an eater of corpses learns sophistication, news coverage of the 1980s Voyager space probes’ approach to Saturn with strange implications, a high school science fair gone berserk, and six more visions – two published here for the first time – of the (hopefully) unexpected, but all mind-bending.
More information can be found on Goodreads at Avoid Seeing A Mouse — Goodreads
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Our high school recipient of the 2022 Writers Guild Ryser Scholarship is Anna Petro, a student in her first year at Bloomington High School North. Anna has chosen to attend the IU Writers Conference.
She was one of the guest poets at the Writers Guild’s Last Sunday Poetry Reading & Open Mic in 2021. Since this was during the pandemic, it was recorded via zoom. You can see her reading here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Joseph Kerschbaum has a new collection being published in the spring, Midnight Sunrise, published by Main Street Rag Press.
You can find more information here: https://
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Ray Zdonek’s latest Lee Kosak book is now available.
Available now at Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1952411920
Coming soon to Morgenstern Books: https://www.morgensternbooks.com/
and direct sales are always the way to go: https://tonybrewer71.blogspot.com/
– Hiromi Yoshida’s full-length poetry book manuscript, “Green Roses Bloom for Icarus,” is a semifinalist selection for the 2020 Gerald Cable Book Award, sponsored by Silverfish Review Press.
– Hiromi Yoshida’s “COVID America” in Icarus Redux (Alien Buddha Press, 2021) has been nominated for a 2021 Pushcart Prize.
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Hiromi Yoshida has a new chapbook out: Icarus Redux (Alien Buddha Press, 26 August 2021) https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09DN19179/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_taft_p1_i0.
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Tony Brewer and Tim Heerdink have a new chapbook TABLETOP ANXIETIES & SWEET DECAY. (Roaring Junior Press., Oct 2 2021)
Joe Walker’s story, “Give or Take a Quarter Inch” is currently up at Tough. http://www.toughcrime.com/2021/07/give-or-take-quarter-inch-fiction-by.html?fbclid=IwAR2_RYAZ3Qhk4jzgwl79TuNktU3yrNvJkeo2yUP8qXvdat7itZgTAZ4mlbI
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Lisa Kwong’s chapbook, “Becoming AppalAsian,” has been accepted by Glass Lyre press.
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Tony Brewer also has a new chapbook coming out . “The History of Projectiles”
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Hiromi Yoshida has been invited to judge the Indiana Writers Center poetry contest
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Nancy Chen Long has two poems in the Spring 2021 issue of Ploughshares
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James Dorr’s story “Death and The Vampire” is appearing in Weirdbook
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HIromi Yoshida won a Kundiman scholarship to enroll in Diana Khoi Nguyen’s online poetry craft class, “Resistance: Writing About or Against Aggressions.”
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Tony Brewer has published three new pieces
https://feversofthemind.com/2021/03/24/poetry-by-tony-brewer/
https://ryethewhiskeyreview.blogspot.com/2021/03/bourbon-by-tony-brewer.html
https://ryethewhiskeyreview.blogspot.com/2021/04/at-end-of-session-by-tony-brewer.html
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Congratulations to Erik Fuhrer for a fantastic review of his book Not Human Enough for the Census.
The review is at Eco Theo https://www.ecotheo.org/volatile-voices-a-review-of-erik-fuhrers-not-human-enough-for-the-census/. For a copy direct message Erik through Twitter Erik Fuhrer
@ErikFuhrer—
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Congratulations to Lucia Walker, a Bloomington South Student who will be representing Indiana at Poetry Out Loud https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/INARTS/bulletins/2c62f5a?fbclid=IwAR3M1V4BSolDGxSEOmlq6PxZrkVbJEHy1BlQ_4GK3wPhgdSUZB7c1Q3wldUhttps://content.
Carolyn Geduld‘s novel has been published and is available at Amazon.com“Take Me Out the Back” Published by Black Rose. ps://www.amazon.com/dp/1684335094/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_lG4rFbRSZK47
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From Bronia Volkova
here is the link to my poetry reading in three languages at the International Poetry Festival of Medellin on 9/3 2020 at 6 PM CET. This festival is thirty years old this year and due to Covid 19 has to be carried out only virtually.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5WuW296kqs
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James Dorr— “Country Doctor, Fake News.” “Eudora,” “Moons of Saturn” all in various stages of publication.
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Nancy Chen Long– discussion with Diode Press, the publishers of her latest chapbook https://www.diodeeditions.com/post/on-work-writing-poetry?fbclid=IwAR3cH5mObWGKuL8k1t7GoK-uXA05km-O-S8DQ5hr-HZ2rAG1POKRjqQtc50
Vítr na kolenou – Viter na kolenix (Wind on its Knees) is a bilingual Czech-Ukrainian book of selected poems from various collections, which is coming out next week in Luck, Ukraine by Tverdynja Publishing house, 2019, 120 pp. Translated by Mikola Martynjuk. This is my second book in Ukrainian. The first was Neprinaležnist (Nonconformity, 2014, translated by Viktor Mel’nik).
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David O’Nanhas a new book Fevers of the Mind available at Amazon.
Steve Schatz has published his first book: Any Summer Sunday at Nacho Mama’s Patio Cafe : Drag, Songs, Friends, Laughs, Lies, Tears & Redemption
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Shana Ritter has published a novel titled In the Time of Leaving. It is available from Amazon.
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Rachel Ronquillo Gray‘s poem “Girl Gone Rogue” has been published in the journal Tahoma Literary Review, Spring 2019, Issue 14.
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Writers Guild at Bloomington member and former Secretary Shayne Laughter will see her 2010 novel, “YU: A Ross Lamos Mystery,” archived in the Arch & Bruce Brown Foundation’s digital library. Shayne’s novel was a winner in the Foundation’s 2006 national fiction competition. The competition is for historical novels based on real events, that present a LGBTQ protagonist in a positive light.
Open Books Press published “YU: A Ross Lamos Mystery” in 2010. It is still in print and available at http://openbookspress.com/books/yu.php and Amazon.
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Nancy Chen Long‘s poem was selected by Patricia Spears Jones as the winner of the PSA’s Robert Winner Award: http://bit.ly/2HjjKfb
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Lisa Kwong‘s poem “Wonton Soup” has won Sundress Publications 2019 Poetry Broadside Contest. The poem will be letterpress-printed and made available for purchase in SP’s online store.
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Patsy Rahn has published a book of poetry, The Grainy Wet Soul.
For more information go to www.patsyrahn.com
The Grainy Wet Soul is available at Amazon and other retail outlets.
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Tony Brewer‘s poem “Trigger Warning,” published in Tipton Poetry Journal Summer 2016, was nominated for a Pushcart Prize in December 2016
His poems “Cross” and “Hearts and Minds” are in Writers Resist: Hoosier Writers Unite from Chatter House Press.
“harbingers,” and ekphrastic collaboration, is in Bobo Books: 1.1.1., Vol. 2 (all proceeds go toward purchasing bus passes for homeless children)
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James Dorr‘s poem “Godzilla vs. King Kong” was named in a three-way tie for third place for short (fewer than 50 lines) poetry in the Science Fiction and Fantasy Poetry Association’s 2017 Rhysling Award competition. The Rhysling Awards are named for the blind poet Rhysling in Robert A. Heinlein’s short story “The Green Hills of Earth.” Rhysling’s skills were said to rival Rudyard Kipling’s. In real life, Apollo 15 astronauts named a crater near their landing site “Rhysling,” which has since become its official name.
“Godzilla vs. King Kong” was originally published in the journal Dreams and Nightmares #103, in August 2016.
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Award: Indiana Humanities/NEH INcommon Grant
Dr. Maria Hamilton Abegunde and Patsy Rahn, on behalf of the Writers Guild at Bloomington, submitted an INcommon Grant project proposal titled Deep Dialogue: Readings on Race and Ethnicity that was approved for funding by Indiana Humanities. Dr. Abegunde will serve as the project’s director and Ms. Rahn as the project’s co-director. Together they will organize, facilitate, and lead workshops both on campus and in the city that will explore the meanings and legacy of race and ethnicity in Bloomington and the United States.
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Karol Lagodzki’s short story “Berlin” has been accepted for publication in the Spring issue of The Tishman Review due out in April 2017.
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Abegunde‘s suite of poems from her Juba, South Sudan collection-in-progress was named a finalist in the COG poetry awards. This year’s judge was U.S. Poet Laureate Juan Felipe Herrera.
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Lisa Kwong has been awarded the Tennessee Arts Commission Scholarship by the Sundress Academy for the Arts (SAFTA) in Knoxville, Tennessee. As a SAFTA Fellow, she will receive a one week residency in July 2017 to continue work on her poetry manuscript, An AppalAsian Finds Home.
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Lisa Kwong‘s poem “This ABC (Appalachian-Born Chinese) Woman” has been accepted in the Anthology of Appalachian Writers, Charles Frazier Volume IX, April 2017, published by Shepherd University and the West Virginia Center for the Book.
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Nancy Chen Long was awarded a National Endowment of the Arts Fellowship in poetry.
https://www.arts.gov/literature-fellowships-list/by-year/2017?litfellows_type=1
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Tony Brewer‘s poem “Trigger Warning” will appear in Tipton Poetry Journal issue 31 (Summer 2016) sometime in August.
https://issuu.com/tiptonpoetryjournal.
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Patsy Rahn‘s poem “the ten teeth of death” was published in Indiana Voice Journal: June 2016 issue #23, and includes both the text and audio format of the piece. The audio was recorded at a performance and includes audience participation. Thanks to Yael Ksander of WFIU for recording and editing the performance.
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James Dorr has signed a contract with Elder Signs Press for a novel-in-stories, TOMBS: A CHRONICLE OF LATTER-DAY TIMES OF EARTH, to be released in spring, 2017.
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Tony Brewer has 3 poems accepted by Indiana Voice Journal. “Agents,” “¿Donde esta el Bano?” and “Fifth World Problems.” They will appear in the June issue. http://www.indianavoicejournal.com/
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Annette Oppenlander announces the release of her second book in the trilogy Escape from the Past: “Escape from the Past: The Kid.” Historical Fiction – Action/Adventure
Time-traveling gamer, Max, embarks on a harrowing journey through the Wild West of 1881! After a huge fight with his parents, Max tries to return to his love and his best friend, Bero, in medieval Germany. Instead he lands in 1881 New Mexico. Struggling to get his bearings and coming to t…erms with Dr. Stuler’s evil computer game misleading him, he runs into Billy the Kid. To his amazement Billy isn’t at all the ruthless killer history made him out to be. Trouble brews when a dying Warm Springs Apache gives Max a huge gold nugget to help his sister, Ela, escape from Fort Sumner. Shopping for supplies Max attracts the attention of ruthless bandits. Before Max can ask the Kid’s help, he and Ela are forced to embark on a journey to find his imaginary goldmine.
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You’ve heard Shayne Laughter read her “Papaw stories” at Lemonstone, First Sunday Prose and the Spoken Word Stage since 2011. One of those stories, “One Step Further Into Kansas,” has been accepted for publication in SAND, the premier English-language literary journal in Berlin, Germany. Since this is an online journal, Shayne’s tale of a young man and his troubles on the Kansas prairie in 1879 will have an international readership! SAND Journal is found at http://www.sandjournal.com/. Shayne’s Facebook page, which includes excerpts from her 2010 mystery novel, is at https://www.facebook.com/YU-A-Ross-Lamos-Mystery-134465979897439/
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Lisa Kwong’s poems “On the 42nd Anniversary of My Father’s Swim from China” and “Blind Spot” have been accepted for publication in Still: The Journal in their Winter Issue, 2016 coming out in February.
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Andrew Hubbard’s poem “Revelation” has been nominated by Indiana Voice Journal for a Pushcart Prize.
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Andrew Hyubbard’s poem “A Wasp on the Nose” has been accepted for publication by Poetry Quartly.
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Leave the Dogs at Home: A Memoir
by Claire S. Arbogast
“Arbogast delivers a raw and honest narrative of her life as a lover, a widow, and a woman. . . . The theme of death and life, both literally and figuratively, are navigated with such emotion, it seems natural to empathize with the author in sadness, joy, love, and uncertainty as her longtime companion (later husband) Jim combats cancer. . . . An excellent choice for those touched by grief, ready for a change, or just wantin…g to read a beautifully written memoir.” —Library Journal
Leave the Dogs at Home, published by IU Press, is a vibrant, witty, and unflinchingly confessional book challenging the norms about love and grief. It’s the kind of real truth you only hear at the kitchen table with a glass of wine.
More information at:
http://www.iupress.indiana.edu/catalog/807571 o www.ClaireArbogast.com.
Listen to a podcast with the author:
http://ipad.io/gFuo
Read an excerpt from the book (includes book club guide):
http://www.scribd.com/doc/264268159
Break Away Books
Available on Amazon or from IU Press
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Annette Oppenlander’s first historical YA novel A Different Truth, set during the Vietnam era at a military boarding school, was published by Grey Wolfe in April 2015. Her second historical YA novel Escape from the Past-The Duke’s Wrath (Book 1) about a nerdy gamer time-traveling to a medieval castle in Germany will be released by Lodestone in July 2015. Both books are available on Amazon.com.
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Tony Brewer has three publication annoucnements:
“In dreams” and “messy blessing” will appear in the 2015 issue of Open 24 Hours, produced by Brescia University (www.brescia.edu/open-24-hours)
“O’Hare” and “thankless” will appear in Flying Island, produced by the Writers Center of Indiana (www.flyingislandjournal.blogspot.com)
“In other news a peace has broken off” was selected by Indiana Poet Laureate George Kalamaras to appear on the Indiana Humanities Council website for National Poetry Month (indianahumanities.org)
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James Dorr has sold a short vampire story called “Dead Lines” to DAILY SCIENCE FICTION, probably to be published sometime this spring. Also, while the sale itself was over two years ago, White Cat Publications’s feared missing steampunk anthology AIRSHIPS & AUTOMATONS is now scheduled to be out in March with Dorr’s possibly prophetically titled “Raising the Dead.”
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Colleen Wells has several new publications this year: The Women on Fire Series will publish her short story “Scrabble Life,” in March 2015. Colleen’s memoir, Dinner With Doppelgangers – A True Story of Madness and Recovery, is available April 11, 2015 from Wordpool Press and Amazon.com. Preorders can be made beginning March 14, 2015 through Wordpool Press. Watch the book trailer here!
www.dinnerwithdoppelgangers.com
Colleen volunteered in an English class for 9th graders in January at The Academy for Science and Entrepreneurship in Bloomington, Indiana, and spoke on the writing life in an English class at Ivy Tech Community College in Bloomington on February 18, 2015.
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Although not yet a member of the WG, Bloomington High School South student Phiona Raffington, just represented the school at the Poetry Out Loud state finals in Indianapolis. She is starting the poetry club at South and has mentioned future collaborations with our group. Here is Phiona’s story:
http://indianapublicmedia.org/arts/page-stage-needed/
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Carol Edgewas a finalist for the Gover Prize for very short fiction and creative nonfiction. Her story appears in Best New Writing (Hopewell Publications, 2014).
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Lisa Kwong’s creative non-fiction piece “consolation for my younger self” has been published in Rebelle Society.
http://www.rebellesociety.com/2014/10/21/consolation-for-my-younger-self/.
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James Dorr’s ultra short poem “The Werewolf Explains” has been published in DWARF STARS, an anthology of nominees for the Science Fiction Poetry Society’s annual “Dwarf Star” award for speculative poetry of 10 lines or less. If interested, information on the award and the SFPA can be found at http://sfpoetry.com/dwarfstars.html .
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Lisa Kwong’s poem “An AppalAsian Finds Home in Bloomington, Indiana” has been chosen for the annual anthology Best New Poets 2014 produced by Meridian and Samovar Press.
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Tony Brewer’s poem “4bearance” will appear in Issue 78 of the online journal, Right Hand Pointing in September.
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Patsy Rahn’s poem “Sign of the Times” has been accepted for publication in MOTIF volume 4, an anthology series published by MotesBooks. It is scheduled for release in June 2014.
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Alisa Alering‘s story, “The Island of White Houses” was published in Flytrap #11 (Tropism Press, March 2014) http://www.tropismpress.com/?p=104
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Lisa Kwong, a 3rd year MFA candidate in poetry, has been nominated by the IU English Department for a Guy Lemmon Award in Public Writing, in recognition of her work with coordinating Fountain Square Poetry Series. The Guy Lemmon Awards recognize students with impressive records in public writing and public involvement.
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The Horror Writers Association announced Sunday (Feb. 23) that James Dorr‘s THE TEARS OF ISIS is a nominee for the Bram, Stoker Award(R) for Superior Achievement in a Fiction Collection.
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Patsy Rahn‘s poem “Capitalism” has been accepted for publication in Recession, Depression and Economic Reflection published by Local Gems Poetry Press.
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Sophia Frazier -Heltonville and Jennifer Bolling-Johnson have been nominated for Bedford’s Lawrence County Walk of Excellence award to women in culture and the arts for publishing their books.
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James Dorr recently published stories in BLEED, an anthology with profits supporting the National Children’s Cancer Society, SPLATTERLANDS, and, just in time for Thanksgiving, MISERIA’S CHORALE. Also he has stories to come in BIZARRO BIZARRO and DAILY SCIENCE FICTION.
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Patsy Rahn’s poem “In that place” is now available in the collection Sounds of Solace, Meditative Verse, published by Local Gems Press.
“People meditate in a variety of ways, from prayer to yoga stretches, from tai chi to repetitive mindless tasks. Even writing poetry can be an act of meditation; it can help clear the mind and bring about inner balance. While some of the pieces in this anthology are very explicitly about meditation, others are more subtle, while some are meditations themselves.” ~ From The Foreword
Available on Amazon and from https://www.createspace.com/4117917
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Kalynn Brower’s new YA Sci Fi Dystopian Eco-Adventure novel Green Tara will be released on Nov. 15, 2013.
For more information about GREEN TARA, for ages 10 and up, go to: www.KHBrower.com.
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Nancy Chen Long’s chapbook Clouds as Inkblots for the War Prone has been published by Red Bird Chapbooks. More info can be found at the publisher’s website: http://www.redbirdchapbooks.com/nancy-chen-long.html . In addition, two of her poems are forthcoming: “Lessons” will be published in the next issue of Cold Mountain Review and “Pretend Tender” will be published in the next issue of Paper Nautilus. And two other poems were recently published: “Happenstance, Moirai” in Stone Highway Review and “How She First Discovered Sex” in Naugatuck River Review.
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Tony Brewer‘s newest poetry publication is now out. Title: Hot Type Cold Read (Chatter House Press, 2013)
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A poem by James Dorr won grand prize this weekend (Oct. 5-6) in the National Space Society of North Texas/Forth Worth Haiku Society poetry contest for short poems on the theme of Space Exploration, Development, and Settlement. The poem, a limerick, is called “Future Plans.” “Quartet,” a haiku sequence by Dorr was also listed as an honorable mention.
https://sites.google.com/site/nssofnorthtexascontests/home
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New releases from Sophia Frazier: “Family Legends From a Lawrence County, Indiana Family”, Amazing Animal Stories”, “Sleepers: World’s End”, and “Generations”.
New releases from Jennifer Johnson: “One Mind’s Words”, “One Mind’s Word’s II”, contributor of “Our Journey”, contributor of “The World As I See It”, and contributor of “Generations”.
New releases from Jericha and Hailey Johnson: “Our Journey” and “The World As I See It”
All titles are Available on createspace.com., amazon.com, and kindle devices.
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Writers Guild member Alisa Alering is a Recipient of an Indiana Arts Commission Individual Artist grant.
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From Sara Hoskinson Frommer:
Today I’m being featured in three different online spots–and no writer can pass up such kindness.
www.sff.net/people/SaraHoskinsonFrommer
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The Tears Of Isis, James Dorr’s Third Prose Collection Out; Available from Amazon, B&N
James Dorr‘s third dark fantasy prose (mostly) collection, THE TEARS OF ISIS, is now available from Perpetual Motion Machine Publishing as well as from Amazon and Barnes & Noble in both paperback and electronic form. Seventeen stories and an opening poem on art at the hands of Medusa and Isis, fairytales reformed, vampires both actual and metaphorical, women (and men) who keep pets, UFOs, worlds both ancient and modern . . . tales for all seasons as well as all readers, at least those who don’t mind a taste of the unusual. For information see http://perpetualpublishing.com/the-tears-of-isis/
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Alisa Alering‘s short story, “Everything You Have Seen,” won 1st place in the Writers of the Future contest and will be published in Writers of the Future, Vol.29, edited by David Farland. Galaxy Press (June 2013).
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Article on Lisa Kwong
http://inside.iub.edu/spotlights-profiles/featured/2013-04-18-iniub-featured-lisa-kwong.shtml
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James Dorr’s short story “Dead Girls, Dying Girls” has been selected for inclusion in SO IT GOES, a tribute anthology honoring Indiana writer Kurt Vonnegut. Expected out at the end of March from Perpetual Motion Machine Publishing, SO IT GOES is open now for pre-ordering at http://pmmptributes.com/ .
James Dorr wrote the introduction to TELLING TALES OF TERROR: ESSAYS ON WRITING HORROR AND DARK FICTION, Kim Richards, Editor, published by Damnation Books in December 2012. More information on TELLING TALES OF TERROR can be found at http://damnationbooks.com/book.php?isbn=9781615727209 .
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Sequence # 19 of of Eric Rensberger‘s ongoing chronological series Account of My Days is now posted on his website at http://www.ericrensbergerpoetry.net/.
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Joy Shayne Laughter‘s short story “The Valentine,” won 2nd place in the Bacopa Literary Review contest.
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Alisa Alering’s short story “Madeline Usher Usher” will be published in Missing Links and Secret Histories: A Selection of Wikipedia Entries Lost, Suppressed, or Misplaced in Time. ed. L. Timmel Duchamp. Aqueduct Press (May 2013).
Her short story “Keith Crust’s Lucky Numbers” will be published in Flash Fiction online (http://flashfictiononline.com/) in 2013.
Alisa Alering’s short story “The Wanderer King” will be published in Clockwork Phoenix 4. ed. Mike Allen. Mythic Delirium Press (July 2013).
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Lisa Kwong’s poem “Portrait of Appalachian Chinese Girls in Their Grandmother’s Garden” will be published the Spring issue of APPALACHIAN HERITAGE.
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Nancy Long has published the folloiwing in the past 6 months.
“Adulterated” forthcoming in Bourbon for Blood: An anthology of bourbon poetry, Winged City Press / Two of Cups Press, 2013
“but so beautiful, yes?” forthcoming in RHINO, 2013
“Curry” forthcoming in The Louisville Review, Spring 2013
“Dislocated” forthcoming in Elsewhere, 2013
“dream, tiger” The Golden Key, Fall 2012
“Dugong” Penumbra, Winter 2012
“Haibun: Honeymoon on Mackinac Island” forthcoming in Noctua Review, 2013
“Hold on Lightly” Big River Poetry Review, October 2012
“Inflamed” Penumbra, Winter 2012
“Oblivescence” forthcoming in Elsewhere, 2013
“Of Geology and Fruit” forthcoming in Found Poetry Review, Fall/Winter 2013
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Joy Shayne Laughter has two new works up on Rebelle Society.
http://www.rebellesociety.com/2013/01/16/in-moonlit-bong/
http://www.rebellesociety.com/2013/01/25/not-the-enemies-youre-looking-for/
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James Dorr’s science fiction novelette PEDS has been published as an ebook by Untreed Reads. “In a near-future world where the car is king and the people divided between those who ride on a network of highways connecting the glittering hubs of the city and the lowly ‘Peds,’ a stranded ‘Rider’ discovers both love and danger as well as a band of courageous rebels willing to barter their lives to make things right.” For more information, click Untreed Reads’ site athttp://store.untreedreads.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=6_196&products_id=664
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Lisa Kwong’s series of poems titled “The ABC (Appalachian-Born Chinese) Sequence” will be published in the next issue of PLUCK! (#8, Fall 2012).
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Jennifer Johnson, author of One Mind’s Words, publishes a new book, Our Journey, now available on createspace.com. Our Journey is a compilation of poetry from Johnson and her two Step daughters, Jericha and Hailey. They describe life through their own points of view.
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James Dorr‘s short story “Moons of Saturn” will be reprinted in the Romanian anthology
THE BIZARRE AGE. It was originally published July 1993 in TOMORROW. Another short-short story titled “Hunks” was accepted for the summer issue of WHITE CAT MAGAZINE to be posted in July, and the short story, “La Fatale” was accepted for their winter issue. http://whitecatpublications.com
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Nadine Pinede publishes her first book of poetry
An Invisible Geography, a new book of poetry by Nadine Pinede, will be published by Finishing Line Press. Nadine received her PhD from Indiana University and is a two-time recipient of the Indiana Arts Commission Individual Artist Project grant. Her poetry has been featured on NPR/WFIU’s The Poets Weave.
To order copies of An Invisible Geography go to:
http://www.finishinglinepress.com/product_info.php?cPath=2&products_id=946
She has also been awarded a Brown Foundation Fellowship to Dora Maar House in France where she will be working on her fiction book during several months this summer.
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Jennifer Johnsonpublishes her first book of poetry
Jennifer Johnson is a 2002 graduate from Mitchell High School and a 2012 graduate from Ivy Tech Community College. Her first book One Mind’s Words is available at createspace.com and Amazon.com. She is currently seeking to present her book to local stores for sales. She was recently featured on WBIW.com for her participation in a writing contest for Reader’s Digest. She is also a contributor to Stars in our Hearts through a contest with WorldPoetryMovement.com. She is also on Poetry.com. She plans to convert her book to a Kindle version and publish more works in the near future. The works are about the challenges of changing from teen to adult. “Even if my book is not a success I still plan to continue to write and publish. It is my passion.” she says. “If my words only touch one person’s heart then I have succeeded in what I have set out to do. Sales are not my main goal.”
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Shana Ritterpublishes a new book of poetry
Stairs of Separation, a new book by Shana Ritter will be published this summer by Finishing Line Press. To order, go to:
http://www.finishinglinepress.com/index.php?cPath=4&sort=2a&filter_id=617
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Sara Hoskinson Frommer’s new Joan Spencer mystery, Her Brother’s Keeper, will be published by Perseverance Press in early 2013.
Joy Shayne Laughter was selected for the Wildacres Writing Residency, earning a week in the woods in Mount Pisgah National Forest, southwest of Asheville, NC, to focus exclusively on writing. She will be there during the week of July 30-August 5. Residency weeks are allotted all summer and into the fall; the application is competitive. The Wildacres web site is www.wildacres.org.
Patricia Coleman, poet and artists, has opened Patricia’s Wellness Arts Cafe located at 725 West Kirkwood Avenue. Stop by for some of her specialty teas and items by local artists.
The poetry anthology, AND KNOW THIS PLACE: POETRY OF INDIANA, edited by Jenny Kander and Charles Greer and published by the Indiana Historical Society Press is now available. “The book is the first collection of Indiana poetry to appear for more than a hundred years”. Available on Amazon, and in local bookstores.