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Showing posts from October, 2015

Highlights of Historical [Re]Tell

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The Steel Pen Writers' Conference was a lot of fun and over all too quickly. I really enjoyed presenting with my fellow panelists. For anyone who is interested in the subject and couldn't make it to the conference or the panel, here are my presentation notes. Me, P. Ivan Young, Cat Dixon, Laura Madeline Wiseman, Britny C. Doane Panel Description:   Historical [Re]Tell: The Writing & Craft of Telling Retellings of the Historic “Tell the truth but tell it slant,” writes Emily Dickinson. This panel of poets and writers presents work that engages with the historical past by telling retelling of the historic, tales that offer what wasn’t said but should’ve been, what wasn’t written down but likely happened, whose voices speak that didn’t speak because at the time there wasn’t a platform on which for them to stand. Panelists explore the craft aspect of myths and legends retold from other voices, new perspectives, and counterintuitive stances. Accurate, inaccurate, or c...

Such big news! The 2015 Fairy Tale Review Poetry Contest

Yesterday I missed one of the most important phone calls I've ever received. When I got back to my office after a short errand and listened to the message, I thought maybe the sinus pressure building up in my head this week was finally causing auditory hallucinations. One of my literary idols, the fantastic Kate Bernheimer, said she was calling to tell me on behalf of the Fairy Tale Review staff that my poem(s) "Forestry (parts 1-3)" had been chosen by Poetry Contest  judge Joyelle McSweeney as that year's winner. I'm still in a bit of shock today, but it's finally beginning to sink in.  About a month ago, I had similar feelings when I received the e-mail notifying me that I was a finalist for the 2015 Fairy Tale Review Poetry Contest. Then, I was incredibly excited and surprised, but I was sure that that would be the end of this particular road. I truly never thought I'd win, no matter how much I wanted to. It's hard to articulate how much this spe...