After a considerably long wait, not only is Elbow Room Volume 14 finally available for purchase on their website, it’s also ON SALE FOR HALF PRICE! For just 2.50, you can get hold of two of my favorite poems, Monument and Fundamentalism, not to mention loads of great stuff by other artists and writers. This sale is to celebrate Elbow Room’s 5th anniversary of being a publication, so please give us all something more to celebrate and buy a copy. Heck, buy ten.
I’m proud to announce that my poem, On Pompano Beach, is currently The Missouri Review’s Poem of the Week. This piece was inspired by a stranger-than-fiction bit of click bait (no pun intended) that I stumbled upon years ago on several dubious ‘news’ sites, but the tale eventually found itself a more reputable home in National Geographic, where you can enjoy it in full without the distraction of junk in the sidebar or hideous pop-up ads.
In other news, one of my newest poems, Rorschach, has been accepted for publication by The Worcester Review. It isn’t due to appear until later next year, but I’m excited now, so why not share?
Last but not least, I was recently fortunate enough to receive my print contributor’s copy of Issue 3:2 of Impressment Gang. As I said previously, it looks great. But, now that I’ve read it, I also want to give special mention to the poetry of Neil Surkan and the short fiction of Andrew Boden, both of which caught my eye. Do buy a copy of this issue and check out these fine writers.
When it comes to publication, the news tends to come in two parts: acceptance and appearance. Sometimes, the gap between them can be a long one. Sometimes, it’s even be longer than anyone could’ve expected, even the people putting together the literary journals. But, on the bright side, it gives writers two opportunities to get excited.
Though I initially got excited about being accepted by Elbow Room and Impressment Gang quite a while ago, the relevant issues have now finally landed in my lap and I’m thrilled all over again.
In the case of Impressment Gang, the news is bittersweet though, as the release of their Issue 3:2 comes with the sad news that they’ll be throwing in the towel after two more issues. It’s not too late to show this little magazine some support. I’d be thrilled if you bought this issue, as I’m particularly proud of the three poems that I have in it (Murmuration, Two Ways I Might Like It to Be, and The Stone’s Question). But don’t stop there! Buy their last two issues as well. Help them to go out with a bang and feel appreciated for the great work they’ve done. After all, 3:2 really does look great.
The story with Elbow Room is a little different. Issue 14, which features my poems Monument and Fundamentalism, was actually launched at an event back on 23rd September 2016. Unfortunately, I didn’t find out about it until it was too late and therefore, was unable to attend. My contributor copy was on it’s way though, right? Well…something must’ve gone truly screwy with the postal service because it took no fewer than three attempts before it finally got to me! That said, I must thank the people at Elbow Room for their persistence. They must’ve thought I was just feeding the issues to my dog (and I don’t even have one). Anyway, I finally got Issue 14 a few weeks back and now that I’ve got a minute, I just wanted to sing its praises. The stunning art by Xiaoqiao Li and Minami Wrigley adds an extra dimension and the writing’s top notch as well. After reading Harry Denniston’s short story, Happy Anniversary, I thought “I want to meet these people, they sound wild”.
Issue 14 doesn’t appear in Elbow Room’s online shop yet, but I’m sure if you contact them (via social media?), you’d be able to get a copy.
I’m pressed for time, but I just want to thank everyone who came along and participated in the London launch of my debut poetry chapbook, (Reasons for) Moving. It was an intimate gathering, which is code for small, but loads of fun. I particularly wanted to thank Lucy Furlong, Dino Mahoney, and The Flying Horse for letting us use their cosy basement venue, which I now know is called St. Giles Bar. I’ve borrowed/stolen photos from various people below, so thanks to all of you as well. I plan on promoting this book through a variety of other events and readings, so keep an eye out for more news as it becomes available.
Also, almost forgot: the reading at Kingston went well too. It was a great honour to read with Mario Petrucci. I really enjoyed listening to him and chatting with him as well.
Thanks to a little last minute change of plans, I will be taking part in Kingston University Writing School’s superb Reading & Lecture Series this coming up Wednesday evening (26/4/17). I’ll be filling in for Rowena MacDonald and reading with Mario Petrucci. I’ve read at Kingston before and listened to Mario perform his work as well, so I can verify that he is an outstanding poet and these evenings are always good fun. For more information on Mario, check out his site and for details about the event, see the flyer below. I’ll have copies of my debut chapbook, (Reasons for) Moving, for sale, so you can hear the poems in person and go home with your own copy. Hope to see you there!
To celebrate the publication of my debut poetry chapbook, (Reasons for) Moving, I’m throwing a little launch party in London. If you’re interested in poetry, please spread the word and come along to show some support. If you aren’t, then just fill the seats, humor me, and enjoy a few drinks in a great venue.
Some fast facts:
What? Poetry Reading
Where? The Cellar of The Flying Horse, Oxford Street’s Last Alehouse
When? 20th May, 7-8:30 pm
How much? Free Entry
Who? Me (David Russomano), Lucy Furlong, and Possibly One More TBA
I’ll have a stack of copies on sale at the launch for just £5 each, but if you’d like to pick up a copy of (Reasons for) Moving beforehand, you can find it in Structo Press’s online shop.
For more about Lucy Furlong, look up her new poetry book, Villiers Path: Scalloped Time.
For more information about The Flying Horse and how to find it, check out their site.
Hope to see you all there!
Hear ye, Hear ye! This is only the most important news of my literary career thus far: my debut chapbook is available to purchase as of TODAY! It’s called (Reasons for) Moving and represents the culmination of years of work. If you have any interest in poetry generally, or my poetry specifically, then why not pick up a copy? It’s not expensive. I promise. And it’s available in both print and digital formats. Also, I provided the cover art, which just happens to be the same piece of my pi art that was recently featured in The Enemies Project’s recent exhibition at The Museum of Futures in Surbiton. The good folks at Structo are the ones publishing (Reasons for) Moving, so you can buy it from their website or read their glowing blog post about it. Or both.
Just a quick reminder: a piece of my Pi art will be featured in an upcoming exhibition put on by The Enemies Project at The Museum of Futures in Surbiton (or as I like to call it, Suburb-i-tron). Please see the attached flyer for details or check out The Enemies Project site for double plus details.
Here it is January and I’m already behind on my updates! So, what’s the news?
To start with, you can find my poem, Up, in Volume 4, Chapter 2 of Visual Verse (page 92 if you’re looking through the whole chapter). What sets Visual Verse apart is that they provide a compelling image and invite authors to submit responses to the prompt, whether they be fiction, non-fiction, or poetry. But, as their About Us page states, “Visual Verse is a challenge”: 50-500 words in one hour. This is great, because it keeps writers from over-thinking and over-working. The visual prompts also offer a good cure for writer’s block.
Visual Verse was my last publication of 2016, but I’m also excited about my first publication of 2017. You can find my poem Second-hand or the ghosts of company in Issue 2 of All the Sins. Like Visual Verse, All the Sins is an online journal and, though it’s a new addition to the literary scene, it’s certainly off to a solid start. Coincidentally, Second-hand is one of the poems I was referring to back in September when I discussed the unique and unusual things I’ve found in different used books. Here’s your chance to match the text to its inspiration – an old photo left in a 70 year old Steinbeck novel.
I’ve been working on more than just poetry though. For the first time, a piece of my pi art (which I talked about back in May) is due to appear in an exhibition! In February and March, Surbiton’s Museum of Futures will be hosting The Enemies Project and I’m thrilled to be involved. I’d love to say more, but their site explains it better than I could, so be sure to check it out.
