Beasley Barrenton's Lantern Lit Gave My First Poetry Chapbook PODUNK LORE a Home

My poetry chapbook Podunk Lore was given a wonderful home in Beasely Barrenton's series Lantern Lit, Vol. 4. I've spent the day looking over the print copies Beasely sent me by mail. It's a beautiful art object made with love. Labor such as this is a rare thing these days. Speaking of that, the cover art is by my good friend Ryan W. Bradley, and it is, as usual for Ryan, perfect.
I want to thank Beasely here (and I'll continue to thank him every chance I get) for giving my poetry a wonderful home. So few people really, truly understand how much work and love and persistence go into art projects like this. Thank you, Beasely. Thank you, Ryan. Thank you, anyone who had a hand in this who I don't know. I'm sincerely grateful to you all. Please buy a copy here and see what it's all about.

Reading Quote - The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson

"What’s got you down?” he asked her. “Tell me the story—I’ll give it a happy ending."

Reading Quote #1

"I was already placing that book on a shelf and turning out the lights and then closing the door to a room where the dust snowed through the darkness at a rate of three millimeters per decade."

- Adam Johnson, The Orphan Master's Son

A Morning of Random Thoughts

I'm off Facebook now. Since reading of the algorithms the company had in place during the 2016 election, I can't in good conscious continue using the media platform. It's no great loss. And moving on.

Twitter I'm sure is no different; they've only not been caught. I sound conspiratorial but that's okay. I'd rather sound one way and not live another than end up living in a way I wouldn't like the sound of.

I've been guilty of stopping use of social media before but it was always because I was fed up or bitter or any number of other, unsavory reasons. That's not what this is. I'm not quitting outright. I know that cold turkey doesn't work for me (See Also: alcohol, nicotine) but I'm drastically limiting my time until I can ween myself off. It'll work. I'll be happier and safer.

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Watching Angels and Demons today. It's fun. Dan Brown has, like, a thousand people writing his books for him and whatever and I don't care anymore. I wouldn't be able to read one of the novels due to terrifically bad writing, but I surely enjoy these fast-paced, mysterious movies. Kind of like National Treasure but international. Or maybe NT came after, all biblical like.

While watching this I'm writing, trying to hammer down a story for Cowboy Jamboree's upcoming issue. I'm also anxiously awaiting word back on another solicitation from a journal called COG that has published work and interviews relating to some really big swinging writers. I'm exciting at the idea of sharing space there, but am worried the work I have on hand to submit might not be up to the level they want. Either way, it's good to be working on solicitation. It's a rare thing for me these days, and probably a good thing. I'm feeling the pressure.

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Writing, writing, writing. It's all I talk about it seems. Or reading. And I know people must get tired of it. Friends, family. As I get older I'm having a harder and harder time keeping these interests more or less under my hat. Why would I need to do that? Well, it has a lot to do with where I live and more so the desire by most people to think of lighter topics. I figure I'd be in the same situation if my obsessions were physics and geometry.

Even now, well past my middle age and able to see the age of fifty not far off, I continue to write, and write with relatively no ambition. I know I'll never publish with a big house, never have an agent, struggle to sell even a handful of copies of each new book I finish after years of working, etc. These things once kept me from a good night's sleep. No longer is that the case, and I'm thankful.

I still have ambition as a writer and reader of literature, without question. I recently spent hours upon hours attending online lectures through Yale University auditing literature courses, enough of these to have, by now, obtained, at the very least, a four-year degree from the esteemed school. Why? Not to brag about it here, for sure. It's because my ambition now is to learn everything I can about the subject dearest to me.

These lectures, for those interested, are easily found on YouTube under the subscription YaleCourses. There's also other subject areas you can explore, should your curiosity and obsession compel you.

Launch Day for Lantern Lit Vol. 4, a Collaborative Poetry Chapbook

The launch is on for the collaborative poetry chapbook I teamed up for with Dog On A Chain Press's Lantern Lit Vol. 4. Along with William Graham and Mat Gould, my poetry is featured in this new volume. Below is the link to buy a copy.

LANTERN LIT VOL. 4