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.

Poetry Monday: Montgomery Maxton

If you want to read original, edgy, surprising writing, check out Montgomer Maxton's blog and website.

Here's what he says about the genesis of his writing: "I have no idea how I come up with my work; I just do; like the Nike slogan, Just Do It, so I just do. Perhaps it’s based on life. Perhaps it is not. Mother Teresa sums it up best for me … 'God is the hand, I am just the pencil.' Except replace God with something a bit more logical, like Emily Dickinson’s spirit or Charles Darwin’s clone. And replace pencil with black Compaq laptop or Bic pen on the Chipotle napkin."

Leave it to MM to call Emily Dickinson's spirit or Charles Darwin's clone "logical." Such MM sentiments make the world feel fresh.

Recently I was especially struck by MM's desire to not be "afraid" of language. He's really onto something here. Fear drives the internal critic, who tells us what we're writing is dumb/not worthy/----- [fill in the blank]. I know that to write in honor of my uniqueness I need to work on letting go of the fear as much as possible. Easier than it sounds.

Below are two of MM's poems: "Moon Landing" and "Surviving the Body." To read more of his work, click here.

* * *

Moon Landing

The home haunts
the abused spouse.

The rain is
a master of disguise.

You walk the dog
to get the mail.

You never think about
conspiracies until

They are before you
in newsprint

at the barber shop
that’s open on Sunday

Because any other time
You are too busy

To consider Kennedy,
9/11, Roswell, or

If Walt Disney really is
a block of ice.

* * *

Surviving the Body

we lay against each other
exposed by flesh and soul –
water droplets forming between us.

we made love all night –
it’s six o’clock in the morning
i said looking at the clock on the windowsill.

traffic outside was waking to
steamy coffee and weekend editions of
popular newspapers where,

if they knew,
we would be the front page –
two scandals trying to find relief

in one suburban bedroom,
a touch in a town that
doesn’t know how to touch.

this moment will survive
our bodies.
i want to whisper into your ear.

* * *

About Montgomery Maxton:
Montgomery Maxton was born in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1980 and raised on a rural six acre estate in southwestern Ohio. He is an award-winning journalist. His poetry and prose have appeared in various print and online publications. He is also a photographer, activist, painter, and lunatic. He is the artistic editor of Limp Wrist , an online poetry and art magazine launching in late 2007. He divides his time between New York City and Columbus, Ohio and is working on his first novel and second collection of poetry.

Time and Witnessing

Toastermag is out with its Pride issue. Check out the Freehand Department that features poems by moi, Dustin Brookshire, Montgomery Maxton and others.

My contribution is a sestina I wrote after reading an article about an antique clock restorer who witnessed the falling of the Twin Towers from his little shop around the corner from the trade center.

When he came back to his shop, he found grey dust covering many of his clocks. He also found that many of the broken clocks that had been stopped for years had mysteriously re-started (apparently due to the jolt).

The connection between being a "mender of time" and a witness to tragedy struck me, so I tried to explore it in the poem.

Bird of Another Heaven

Here's the verdict: I sacrificed American Idol and went to Santa Cruz to see Jim Houston read from his new novel, Bird of Another Heaven. And I'm sure glad I did. The excerpts he read were compelling and beautifully written. The novel is an historical one that imagines the life of the last King of Hawaii and his love, Nani; it's told through the eyes of a present-day Bay Area radio talk show host as he discovers his familial connections to Nani.

I can't wait to sink into the novel, which I plan to do soon since the semester is winding down, and my stacks of papers to grade are dwindling.

After reading Collin's blog about tonight's Idol, sounds like I didn't miss much. I may even forego watching the tape my brother-in-law kindly taped for me.

Speaking of other people's blogs, Montgomery Maxton is no longer afraid of words and is therefore blowing people's minds. It's true. Check him out.