Well, hello there.

The liminal – a place between, of stasis and transformation. Of being a little bit of one thing on the way to being a lot of another. The resetting part of the ritual, the quiet in the center of the hurricane.

Shira Lipkin and Matt Joiner are editing Liminality, a new magazine for speculative poetry that “shifts shape, refuses to be to be easily pinned down or categorised.” They are open to submissions through the end of the July.

By sheer coincidence – in-betweens must be in the air — the next issue of inkscrawl, which I am editing, had the liminal as its theme. As in the journey, I am looking forward to how the issue will shape itself. Please send me your speculative poems 10 lines or fewer that — as defined by you — come from or describe that state between.

Jennifer Smith guest-edited the wonderful inkscrawl 7 – the poems by Erik Adumsen, L. Chapman, Vajra Chandrasekera, Kendall Evans,  and Adrienne Odasso especially speak to me but they are all wonderful, small jeweled things, delicious savory bites. Please take a look. And write short poems. And send them to me.

Belatedly, my very short story “Curse” is up at the amazing Tina Connolly’s amazing Toasted Cake podcast.  Check out David Steffen’s “What Makes You Tick” and Tina’s own “Zebebee the Giant Man” as well!  

Today is book release day for Delia’s Shadow, Jaime Lee Moyer’s paranormal historical mystery! Delia has the inconvenient talent of seeing ghosts. In post-earthquake San Francisco this becomes unbearable, and she flees to the East Coast. When the ghost she calls Shadow reappears, Delia knows she has to return to San Francisco, where a serial killer has renewed his hunt, to right the wrongs of the past and stop the slaughter of innocents. This books is a real treat for lovers of mysteries and historicals – set against the backdrop of the World’s Fair, early 1900s San Francisco comes alive. It’s the characters that make this book – a driven police detective, a tormented, convention-defying professional psychic, and most of all Shadow, anything but a passive haunt. Delia’s Shadow is a shivery and entertaining great, perfect for autumn and its ghosts.

I’m very pleased that Nancy Ellis Taylor’s “Sarcophagus,” from inkscrawl 3, has placed 3^rd in this year’s Dwarf Stars Award. Congratulations to Debbie Kolodji, whose “Basho after Cinderella” is this year’s winner.

Other poems from inkscrawl nominated for the Dwarf Star were Ann K. Schwader’s “Desert Protocol;” Melissa Frederick’s “endless weeks;” Rich Magahiz’s “the girl stood sideways;” Sonya Taaffe’s “The Green Man Answers the Classifieds;”  Brittany Warman’s “The Mermaid’s Winter Song;” and Greg Beatty’s “Three Alien Koans;”

I’m also very honored that my poetry chapbook, The House of Forever, has placed second in the chapbook category of the first annual Elgin Awards.  Congratulations to all who placed, and to Mary Turzillo for winning the book-length category and F.J. Bergmann for winning the chapbook-length category. Very many thanks to Karen Romanko of Raven Electrick Ink for publishing The House of Forever.

inkscrawl 6 – the journey, is here! Please pack your bags, put on your magic boots, summon your carriage, buy your train ticket, board the train, unfurl your sails, and come with us.

I’m very happy at how the issue came out. As I began to make my selections, I saw a journey-pattern emerge: a summoning, a pause on the threshold of the unreal; the road before; death behind; and, finally, the arrival at the edge of a fathomless ocean, and a new journey beginning.

Contributors (some inkscrawl veterans, and some new voyagers) are: Michele Bannister, Alexandra Seidel, Francis W. Alexander, N.E. Taylor, Beth Cato, Genevieve MacKay, Peg Duthie, Adrienne Odasso, Romie Stott, Paridhi Agarwal, S. Brackett Robertson, Alicia Cole, Ross Balcom, Sonya Taaffe, Timothy McLafferty, Shannon Conner Winward, Amanda Lynn, Mari Ness, and Albert W. Grohmann.

Many thanks to everyone who sent poems for “the journey,” to Stone Bird Press publisher Rose Lemberg, and to Jennifer Smith for putting the issue together.  The next issue of inkscrawl will open to submissions on September 1, and will be guest-edited by Jennifer Smith.

Los Angeles peeps – if you are in the theater mood this weekend, I HIGHLY recommend Brecht on Brecht by The Other Theater Company at the Atwater Playhouse. A small ensemble, a tiny theater, excellent performance and presentation. My teenage spawn (and lots of reviewers) thought it was fantastic as well. The run has been extended by popular demand through this weekend, then they have to go away. Friday and Saturday at 8pm, Sunday at 2pm.

UPDATE: Kickstarter has removed the seduction guide and issued an apology.

In response to calls to remove this Kickstarter, a guide to seducing woman by a person who, on Reddit, advised men to Don’t ask for permission, GRAB HER HAND, and put it right on your dick, Kickstarter responded:

Some of this material is abhorrent and inconsistent with our values as people and as an organization. Based on our current guidelines, however, the material on Reddit did not warrant the irreversible action of canceling the project.

Casey Malone has more details here. As Kickstarter does not consider sexual assault abhorrent enough to remove a guide by a person advocating it, I will not support any more Kickstarter projects until they reverse their position

Here’s what I have supported on Kickstarter.*

Clockwork Phoenix 4

Glitter & Mayhem

Fearful Symmetries

The Lakeside Documentary

The Melonpool Movie

Cobweb Bride

Pick Your Battle

The Feminist Speculative Fiction Anthology

Pick Your Battle

The Warlock’s Curse

The Titania Movie

I DRAW COMICS Sketchbook

I would love to support others, such as the Flytrap ‘Zine.And if Kickstarter decides not to make their 5% off a rape advocate’s manual, I will.

*I’m not claiming to be any kind of big-time funder, or to pretend Kickstarter will notice I’m gone. But the point of it is lots of little donations, as well as angel backers.

Whew! That took a while. Y’all wore me out with your awesome journeying poems.

As of now I have responded to all the submissions to inkscrawl issue 6. If you haven’t heard back from me, please let me know ASAP.

Story (poem, novel, meandering) prompt for June 10 (Gemini, moonstone, birthday of Louis L’Amour and feast day of Olivia):

Your prompt – take a look at these faces and be inspired by one or more of them. When you click on the photos, see how the faces move, sparkle, express. “Ugly Models” is ironic; these people are gorgeous.

Go.

I’m going to start doing this. Because.
Story (poem, novel, meandering) prompt for June 3 (Gemini, pearl, birthday of Allen Ginsberg and feast day of St. Clotilde):
Your prompt – anything part, phrase, sentence or word of this headline and/or its accompanying article –
Man Hunting for Pythons Finds Mysterious Jewelry
Go