Is The Blotter Magazine a good place for you to submit your work? Maybe. Read on. “The Blotter Magazine exists to nurture underground, outsider literature and art and to provide it to a wide audience. We believe that the economic viability of good art and writing should not interfere with its life, liberty, or happiness; and we deliberately seek to avoid the pretension and “overintellectualism” for which the world of literature and art has become known. Our goal is to treat contributors, donors, and readers alike with dignity, friendship, and respect. The Blotter Magazine is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. That organization currently publishes The Blotter Magazine and is pursuing a book-publishing venture. . . . In May, 2003, the magazine began distributing free at selected newsstands in the North Carolina Triangle area. Since then, our free distribution has expanded to other fine cities in the Southeast. We also ship subscriptions…
Author: mcullen
Marlene Cullen is enthusiastic about encouraging people to write, even those who think they can’t write. Her series of books, The Write Spot anthologies, features writing that entertains as well as inspires writing. Every story, vignette, and poem in The Write Spot books include writing prompts motivating readers to become writers.
Marlene hosts The Write Spot Blog, a treasure chest of inspirational gems for writers.
Fulfilling her passion for writing and sharing with others, Marlene has created unique writing environments such as Jumpstart Writing Workshops, where participants often experience transformational changes. Her workshops provide essential elements for successful writing.
Marlene is the founder of Writers Forum of Petaluma, a monthly literary event featuring presenters talking about the craft and business of writing.
Marlene's awarding winning short stories and essays have been published in literary journals, anthologies, and newspapers, including Tiny Lights, Building Bridges, More Bridges, Redwood Writers anthologies, and The Write Spot anthologies.
She is a member of the California Writer's Club.
New ways of looking at old- Prompt #247
If you have been writing for awhile, you might notice that you keep writing about the same things over and over again: how Aunt Luella always sticks her nose in everybody’s business; how Uncle Ray tells those awful jokes and doesn’t seem to notice that no one laughs; how Nonna’s getting on everybody’s nerves, should Aunt Silvie be put in assisted living and what the heck is up with Joey’s latest tattoo? We all have our stable of characters that we dwell about incessantly. Here’s an opportunity to look at old things in new ways. Inspired by the poem, The visible and the in- by Marge Piercy Read the stanza below (or the partial stanza), then quickly make a list of everybody this reminds you of. No prolonged thinking. You can always add names later. Ready? Go! First stanza of The visible and the in-: Some people move through your…
A poem, from the inside out . . . Prompt #246
Today’s prompt is inspired by Poet Georgia Heard, who suggests the following as a way to create a poem from the inside out. Choose something on your body: a strand of hair, a nail, a ring, glasses, a belt, a necklace, an item of clothing, a freckle . . . anything! Describe the object with as much detail as possible. List all the feelings that the object evokes. Be specific. Create similes for the object: It is like. . . It reminds me of . . . Put yourself in the place of the object. Take on the voice of the object and write from the object’s perspective. Take your time with this. Read what you have written. Add anything that comes up while reading. Take a few moments to reflect. Settle in with what you have written. When you feel done with this part, go on to the next,…
The First Poem — Lucille Clifton
“Poetry began when somebody walked off a savannah or out of a cave and looked up at the sky with wonder and said, ‘Ah-h-h!’ That was the first poem.” — Lucille Clifton Photo by Colby Drake
Quantum Deadline by Daedalus Howell
Quantum Deadline, by Daedalus Howell, reviewed by Meta Strauss. Daedalus Howell’s Quantum Deadline, reminiscent of a Mickey Spillane story, is certain to be the first of a long series of novels about a captivating modern day reporter. The story is fun, and suspenseful with unexpected contemporary twists keeping me entertained and not wanting to put it down. I can’t wait to read the next adventure of the witty, smart-mouthed, ambitious Dade Howell. Note from Marlene: Daedalus Howell will entertain us (I’m sure of it) at Writers Forum on April 21. Meta Strauss, a native Texan, began writing after moving to Sonoma in 2005. “A Cinderella Tale” was included in the anthology “Cry of the Nightbird,” published by the California YWCA in support of victims of domestic abuse. Strauss’s writing is featured on the Sonoma Writer’s Alliance web site and in the Sonoma Sun Newspaper. She reads her work at local Sonoma…
Got fiction, essay , poetry, art? West Marin Review wants.
Fiction! Essays! Poetry! Art! Got any? West Marin Review, a literary and art journal, wants ’em. Deadline: September 1, 2016. West Marin Review is such an upbeat publication, this should be called Upline: September 1, 2016. Need ideas for material to write about? Click Prompts. Choose one and write. Edit. Submit. West Marin Review Submission Guidelines. Cover art for current issue of West Marin Review.
Imagine that . . . Prompt #245
Have you heard of imagist poetry? “Imagism called for a return to what were seen as more Classical values, such as directness of presentation and economy of language, as well as a willingness to experiment with non-traditional verse forms. Imagists use free verse.” Wikipedia The Red Wheelbarrow, by William Carlos Williams (1883 – 1963) is an example of an imagist poem. so much depends upon a red wheel barrow glazed with rain water beside the white chickens. There have been many discussions and theories about this simple little poem. Was it meant to be simple, or is there hidden meaning, plumbing the depths of our sub-conscious? “I was fumbling around, looking for a way to make sense of my life, and seized on William Carlos Williams’s poems . . . His poems were experimental yet safe—a combo I craved in my extra-dark teenage years.” Craig Morgan Teicher, Poetry Foundation One…
Is serialization in your future?
Guest Blogger Daedalus Howell reveals a tried and true method to reach new audiences. The revolution will be serialized. As it’s always been. Much of episodic entertainment, from our favorite shows on Netflix or premium cable to the summertime superhero blockbusters, are issued in discrete elements that comprise a whole story. Comic books have long functioned in this manner, ditto popular literature, which was once serialized in newspapers. And, of course, there’s the staggeringly popular Serial podcast, which not only popularized a new storytelling medium but so embraced the concept of serialization that it branded itself with it. Clearly, serialization is back, representing to some, a vanguard in publishing. It can also be an integral part of your creative process. This is what I’ve found creating Quantum Deadline, a sci-fi crime romp that comically explores the death of newspapers through the foggy lens of a reporter tripping through the multiverse….
Random words plucked from a poem . . . Prompt #244
Random words (plucked from a poem) as a writing prompt. Tell a story, truth or not, with these words: heavy linger delicate footprints flat maroon foam hard perfume Or use the photo as a writing prompt. Set your timer for 15-20 minutes. Write. Polish. Post your writing on The Write Spot Blog. Photo by Karen Bobier
The Bitter Oleander is ready for your submission.
The Bitter Oleander Press: Home of Fine Poetry Collections and The Bitter Oleander: A Journal of Contemporary International Poetry & Short Fiction The Bitter Oleander Press publishes works that contain imagery revealing a “world we thought we knew but were mistaken.” We believe in bringing our readers and writers face to face with each other, with the reality of our uncommon world, like the one that exists in grape seeds blown by hurricanes into hidden corners doors form when closed. The Bitter Oleander prefers “poetry devoid of clichés and predictable twists of well-worn or entrenched truths. We prefer a heightened music driven by a profound linguistic rhythm.” “Because we are open to submissions from all cultures, people and languages, we regard their investment of time spent submitting and creating to be very critical. We pride ourselves on answering every request, every order, every submission, every letter of gratitude and annoyance…