Literary news

Never say die. The talented iconoclast Montgomery Maxton and I have something in common. Both of us had books that were accepted by small publishers that folded. And then both books were given new life as both of us had the manuscripts recently accepted by different small publishers. For Montgomery his poetry collection This Beautiful Bizarre will be coming out late next year (more on this soon!). For me, my novel For the May Queen, has been taken by a small press and is forthcoming in October of this year (more on this soon, too!).

Surprise! Verse Daily posts a new poem each day, but they don't inform the poets in advance. So you might wake up one morning, like John Evans did today, to discover your poem and bio there. You can read John's amazing poem here. (Verse Daily posted one of my poems earlier this year here.) John is an insanely terrific poet--and he's received a major kudos in the form of a Stegner Fellowship beginning this fall. Previous Stegner Fellows I've had the honor ot meet include ZZ Packer, California poet laureate Al Young , James Houston and Tobias Wolff, all of whom have also taught in the program and all of whom (excelpt Wolff) have taught at my university as a Lurie Professor. Watch this blog; I'll be announcing our new Lurie Professor later this week. She's a well-known poet.

Callin' on Collin. Collin Kelley has written about a slew of online literary magazines that have recently been updated. Collin's edgy, surprising chapbook After the Poison is forthcoming from Finishing Line Press, which is currently accepting advance orders. About the book, Jim Elledge says, "this slim collection is a must-read. In fact, I dare you to read it. I double dare you."

Queer Collection: Poetry & Prose 2008 is now accepting advance orders. Last year's inaugural anthology was terrific. I'm sure this year's will be too--and I'm honored that my story "Leaving the Baby" will appear in it.

Political poison

Some think political poetry is anathema to the poem.

Some think political poetry is an ethical necessity.

Still others say all human activity is political because all writing takes place in an historical, social milieu--therefore there's no such thing as an unpolitical poem.

Wherever you stand, Collin Kelley's After the Poison is damn good poetry.
Advanced sales for Collin's collection have just begun at Finishing Line Press.

I wrote a blurb for After the Poison--so did Jim Elledge and Jackie Sheeler. Here's the low-down:

In After the Poison, Collin Kelley faces war, genocide, rape, human trafficking, terrorism—every imaginable form of human-caused and human-condoned tragedy that plagues our planet—with an unflinching gaze and asks us to do the same. In today’s political climate, where monsters in the White House and out on the campaign trail run rabid, abandoning compassion and understanding for self-righteousness and blind hatred, this slim collection is a must-read. In fact, I dare you to read it. I double dare you.
—Jim Elledge, A History of My Tattoo

After the Poison is CNN on truth serum. Collin Kelley writes the brutal truth, harnessing poetry to reveal us to ourselves. –Kate Evans, author of Like All We Love and Negotiating the Self

Collin Kelley skewers the contemporary political landscape with unbearably precise and elegant language. Edgy, immediate, and brilliant…this is the kind of poetry that makes you want to run into the streets with a machine gun.–Jackie Sheeler, The Memory Factory and Off the Cuffs