Friday, May 30, 2008

Wrecks in Effect

To those half-dozen or so who check back semi-regularly to see what I'm up to, my apologies. The contents of this blog are an adequate parallel to the real-life goings-on of one Elizabeth J. Colen... i.e. Not Much.

There's the walking of the dogs every day, the soreness in my calves still from a recent trek down then up the stairs at Wreck Beach in B.C. (a worthy hike for those who like sun on bare skin, beautiful sunsets, other assorted contact highs, and disorganized drum circles). The garden is growing lovely, Bing Cherry has finally sprouted leaves, the grapes are calling for an arbor I haven't the time or energy to build, and the big built box now full of bamboo has truly taken off. Perhaps there will be pictures here some day. I'm contemplating tomatoes, chard, onions, basil. I have a new writing project on the horizon, but am planning a new way of writing: detailed mapping, an outline of a paper city before putting pen to paper, fingers to keyboard, mind to serious work. Perhaps in the coming months I will begin. For now the locations and events are developing, the characters fermenting.

One of my favorite journals for contemporary poetry has recently accepted one of my favorite poems (Aposematic) for publication in the fall. I'm not really sending things out at the moment. Today even the focus must be on organizing the office, as piles of paper and books have now sprouted piles of paper, like tumors, sitting sideways on larger piles. I have no idea where anything is anymore, nor sometimes who I am. I'm hoping to come to organization with both by the end of the day. In the meantime, Her Circle has posted my latest review of a fantastic little book from FC2: Correction of Drift by Pamela Ryder. Check it out here:

http://www.hercircleezine.com/2008/05/30/correction-of-drift-a-novel-in-stories-by-pamela-ryder/

Saturday, May 3, 2008

new in the world...

I have received notice that the new Fifth Wednesday Journal should be hitting the shelves any day now. I join the talents of Allison Joseph, Marge Piercy, Glen Pourciau, Alberto Alvaro Rios, and the late Arthur Saltzman (August 10, 1953 - January 8, 2008), among others. I myself can't wait to read it. Get your copy at www.fifthwednesdayjournal.com

My review of Jen Currin's _Hagiography_ is now up at Her Circle also. Catch that here: http://www.hercircleezine.com/2008/05/01/hagiography-by-jen-currin/