Happy (Disturbingly Dark) 2020 from Thirteen Myna Birds! Dive into this new flock (the first of 2020) and try not to drown!
The first Thirteen Myna Birds Flock of 2020 has arrived and it is sad, dark, unsettling, spooky, and filled with dolls!
Sad broken hooked dolls filled with black holes and death!
Offering poetry and art by Daniel Snethen, Sandra Feen, John Grey, MISH, John Sweet, Ashley Cox, Eileen Murphy, Aaron Pride, and Wayne F Burke.
“through enameled bobbing horses against the centripetal force – You’re awakened in early light by blood dripping from the ceiling – Something’s Up – the sound of baby bones breaking – in broken-down beds – I am a terminal node branched away from the circuit of perfection – my eyes crash through their sockets and I flail at the darkness – sometimes it hurts to be alone – Nurse, can you up the pain meds?”
Read me please –
Source:: Blood Pudding Press
NEW in Burning House Press – The New World Doll Dresser by Juliet Cook and j/j hastain
and corpses hiding under their dresses
until the dresses rot away.
After all, every doll dies,
but first they sacrifice a human.”
within the poem “The New World Doll Dresser” by Juliet Cook and j/j hastain, up at Burning House Press’s Vision issue 🖤
Source:: Blood Pudding Press
NEW in the January 2020 issue of Ghost City Review! – OTHERWORLDLY FORCE FIELD by Juliet Cook and j/j hastain
trying to determine if I’m friend or foe
but I don’t know the answer. What if I’m rabid?
All I know is I want my hair to be the color of a fawn,
but it just keeps turning white.”
Source:: Blood Pudding Press
NEW in Pink Plastic House (a tiny journal) – Keychains as Treats by Juliet Cook!
that tried to escape from the pen
in which they were planted.””
Source:: Blood Pudding Press
THOSE WHO PRAY TO RICE by Julio Montalvo Valentin
we have a very special treat for you!
Those Who Pray to Rice, a new book of poems by Julio Montalvo Valentin!!
(Striking cover art by Jeanette Powers)
Those Who Pray to Rice contains nineteen beautifully written poems about Puerto Rico and what it means to be Puerto Rican-American, expanding on themes of family, food, and the experiences of hurricanes, poverty, and survival. He deftly weaves Spanish words and phrases throughout his poetry, musically and naturally, to give the reader a true sense of his cultural identity.
Of Those Who Pray to Rice, Antonio Barrios, Executive Director at The Lorain Arts Council, has written, “What joy Mr. Valentin brings with the wonderful analogies uses of the everyday simple pleasures of cultural identity through food…and he has added depth to the age-old story of Juan Bobo.”
Beginning with the central theme of “13 Ways of Looking at Rice,” Valentin continues to explore how rice is not just a staple but a way of life in poems like “Rant,” “Interlude in My Mother’s Mouth,” and “The Power Went Out for Three Days.”
THE POWER WENT OUT FOR THREE DAYS
and no one died.
and the bodegas fed everyone.
and we used the supplies for Y2K.
and the drum fires sang us to sleep.
and the fiends shared their childhood memories.
and the sirens went silent.
and the zombies kept watch.
and litter didn’t float in the sky.
and no one had to sell their food stamps.
and we all sipped on the goodnight juice,
and we didn’t have curfew.
and all the stars appeared in the Bronx.
Fifteen years ago,
Grandma cooked all the rice in the neighborhood
and no one died.
Other poems offer the intriguing titles of “Diaspora of the Banana Cloud,” “Under Steve Buscemi’s Eyes,” and “She, the Bomb.”
Julio Montalvo Valentin (they/them) has authored two previous chapbooks, Don’t Give Up the Ship (2015) and Ship Lost (2016). Julio is poetry editor for Coffin Bell Journal and Variety Pack, both based in Buffalo, NY. They also serve as teaching artist at Just Buffalo Literary Center. Aside from studying poetry and English literature at Buffalo State University, they can be found working on their next project, converting a school bus into a poetry caravan.
Those Who Pray to Rice is only $10 plus $3 shipping, and is available through PayPal, right here and now! You need not be a member of PayPal; just have your debit or credit card number available for checkout. (All prices are for U.S. customers only; for out-of-country postage prices, please email the editor.) Get your copy of Those Who Pray to Rice today!
Those Who Pray to Rice made its initial debut at “Streetlight Imaginations: Poets Read from Recent Books” at Cuyahoga County Public Library in South Euclid, Ohio, on November 23, 2019. Sponsored by Laurie Kincer and co-hosted by NightBallet Press/Dianne Borsenik and Crisis Chronicles Press/John Burroughs, S”treetlight Imaginations” brought eight poets together for a wonderful afternoon of readings. This event doubled as the book release for Those Who Pray to Rice.
“Streetlight Imaginations”
Pictured left to right: Karen Schubert (NBP), Nicole Hennessy (CCP), John Burroughs (publisher of CCP), Julio Montalvo Valentin (NBP), Dianne Borsenik (publisher of NBP), Elaine Schleiffer (CCP), Sean Thomas Dougherty (NBP), Lisa M. Dougherty (NBP), Cat Russell (CCP), and Nick Gardner (CCP).
Source:: NightBallet Press
Indigo Inquest — Dragon’s Bane Series: Book 4 by Azriel Johnson
By Unknown
 Present
Kingsley is on the hunt for revenge. An Inquest of epic proportions. His mission must be fulfilled by any means necessary, using countless unsavory characters and methods that make even the most tyrannical combatants shy away in disgust. Past All for one goal…
Currently he can be found teaching English in China if you’re looking hard enough. He also is attempting to learn Chinese, but it is still poor. He admires his students for trying to learn English as he thinks speaking English is much more difficult than speaking Chinese, although the written characters trip him up. His goal is to be bi-lingual by the time he leaves, even if he is still functionally illiterate in Chinese. |
Source:: Writing Knights Press
Happy New Year from Blood Pudding Press!
Source:: Blood Pudding Press
The new Blood Pudding Press poetry chapbook, PEDIOPHOBIA by Daniel G. Snethen is included in Eileen Murphy’s recent book recommendations! AND Daniel G. Snethen has a poetry reading coming up that showcases PEDIOPHOBIA!
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Also, here is a bit of information from Daniel Snethen about a poetry reading on Saturday January 4, that will showcase his work from PEDIOPHOBIA. If you live near here, consider going to see him read some poems from his new Blood Pudding Press poetry chapbook and other books too.
Source:: Blood Pudding Press
NEW in Thimble Literary Magazine – Doll’s Eyes Could Kill by Juliet Cook
plant and uproot,
create their own eyes,
and grow comfortable not fitting in
to anyone else’s fairy tale
or carrying case.”
Source:: Blood Pudding Press
PEDIOPHOBIA has found a new home (and it could haunt your home too)…
John Burroughs has received his copy of the new Blood Pudding Press poetry chapbook, PEDIOPHOBIA, by Daniel G. Snethen! 💜
You can find out more about this chapbook and/or acquire your own copy in the Blood Pudding Press shop, HERE –