Dark Discoveries, 28 Blackbirds, Dwarf Stars

Horror magazine Dark Discoveries has officially raised its pay rate to five cents per word. That's great news for all horror writers, but especially those trying to get into the HWA -- another professional market to submit to.

J. Bruce Fuller's chapbook 28 Blackbirds at the End of the World is now available for preorder at the Bandersnatch Books website. I'm pretty sure it's $8 for a copy, but I can't find that info anywhere on the site. Anyone who orders before the end of January will be entered into a raffle, and the winner will receive a copy of every book Bandersnatch publishes in 2010.

The nominations for the 2009 Dwarf Stars Award have been announced, and there are a lot of familiar names on the list, as well as many new ones. SFPA members get a copy of the Dwarf Stars anthology, which looks to have a pretty good lineup.

HWA column, Vicious Verses

J. Bruce Fuller's recent HWA Column, "Imagination and Persona in Horror Poetry," can now be read over on his blog (which he has recently updated, so check out the new look). It's a great article, plus it includes a sneak peek of his poem "28 Blackbirds at the End of the World," which is being made into a chapbook by Bandersnatch Books (due out sometime this month).

Speaking of books, Coscom Entertainment has just released Vicious Verses and Reanimated Rhymes: Zany Zombie Poetry for the Undead Head, a book of zombie poetry by some of the genre's best writers. I just got my contributor's copy and haven't had a chance to read it yet, but I did glance through the table of contents and I saw names like Charles Gramlich, Keith Gouveia, Rich Ristow, Steve Vernon, and Michael Kriesel. If you're looking to get your holiday shopping done early, it would make a good present for a zombie or horror fan.

Amazon is having a Sci-Fi Extravaganza right now, so if you need to stock up on science fiction DVDs, now's the time.

28 Blackbirds, an Ezra Pound anthology contest

J. Bruce Fuller's haiku series, "28 Blackbirds at the End of the World," appeared in Scifaikuest last year and was subsequently nominated for a Rhysling Award. Now, Bandersnatch Books has decided to make it into a chapbook -- and rightly so -- which should be available sometime in November. Any fans of haiku or speculative poetry should check it out.

Bandersnatch Books is also currently seeking submissions for a new anthology, themed around variations on Ezra Pound's famous haiku-like poem, "In the Station of the Metro." They are looking for "something 100% original that touches the spirit of the original poem, albeit in a haunted/ghostly context." This sounds like a pretty cool anthology to be a part of. Payment is 25 cents per line plus a contributor's copy, and submissions will remain open until the anthology is filled (which might not take very long).

For those looking for places to submit haiku, here are links to submission guidelines for some online haiku journals (all non-paying):

- Chrysanthemum
- The Heron's Nest
- Notes from the Gean
- Simply Haiku
- Roadrunner Haiku Journal
- Shamrock Haiku Journal
- Sketchbook
- Riverbed Haiku

Spec House Distro shut down

Yep, it's true... the online genre store Spec House Distro was raided by federal agents last week and shut down. Well, I'm actually not sure about the raided part, but I know it was definitely shut down. Just for now, hopefully. But you can still buy all the Spec House products here, on the blog page.

Also on the same page, check out the call for submissions on the right hand side. Spec House editor J. Bruce Fuller is looking for some special poems, and yours could be one of them.

In more Spec House of Poetry news, the deluxe edition of Kendall Evans' chapbook, "Poetry Red-Shifted in the Eyes of a Dragon," is SOLD OUT. It's a great collection of some of Evans' best poems, and if you haven't gotten a copy yet, you can still buy the "regular" chapbook (until that one sells out, too).

Here's a haiku contest you may or may not have heard of... the Haiku Calendar ompetition put on by Snapshot Press. Entries are $5 per haiku, or 3 for $10, and they're due in by April 30th.

Just found out Twisted Tongue Magazine is gonna publish a collection of four of my scifaiku in the upcoming issue, which is pretty cool. It's a great magazine if you've never read it, and it's a great magazine if you have read it, too.

A couple of good poems

Here are two poems I've read recently that really stuck with me. Both of them are technically excellent and evoke strong images.

- "April Again" by Charles Gramlich

- "When Again I Feel My Hands" by Marge Simon (scroll down past Tony Bernstein's article and the other poets)

Also, the official list of 2008 Rhysling nominations is online, if anyone hasn't seen it yet. I'm honored to have my name on the list, among so many larger-than-life poets, including David C. Kopaska-Merkel, Kendall Evans, J. Bruce Fuller, Marcie Lynn Tentchoff, Mike Allen, and Marge Simon.

Lastly, if anyone is looking for gifts for a fellow writer (or maybe for yourself), feel free to take a look at my Out to Lunch Cartoons gift shop. I've just lowered the prices on all the products, so now's a great time to buy something. If you're looking for a specific cartoon on a specific item that you don't see, just ask.

Scifaikuest and Black Petals

As those of you who are subscribers already know, the new issue of Scifaikuest is out, and it's a keeper. They've moved to a classy perfect-bound format that fits the magazine well, even though we all know it's what's inside that counts. And inside is pretty much what Scifaikuest readers have come to expect: great scifaiku and horrorku, as well as related forms such as haibun and tanka. There's an article by Joshua Gage on the joining of haiku and horror, and there's a linked scifaiku by the issue's featured poet, J. Bruce Fuller, which is worth the price of the magazine alone.

There's also a companion online version of the magazine, with poems not available in the print issue. Check it out.

And in other news, Black Petals has officially gone online-only. They are still taking submissions and still committed to putting out a quality mag; the only difference is that now you can't take it in the bathroom with you (unless you have a laptop, which I guess a lot of people do, so nevermind). Read their updated submission guidelines here.

Aurore Australe

Aurore Australe is a brochure of poetry by three of Louisiana's (and also America's) finest speculative poets -- J. Bruce Fuller, Charles Gramlich, and Robin Mayhall. Pick up a copy over at Spec House Distro. (At just a penny, I think you can afford it.) While you're there, check out the other great books, magazines, and broadsides available. More titles are being added all the time. Be on the lookout for upcoming projects from Charles Gramlich and Greg Beatty.