Acorn, Vicious Verses, tinywords

I haven't had much time to read lately, but I have managed to skim through two things -- the current issue of Acorn, and Vicious Verses and Reanimated Rhymes, the book of zombie poems from Coscom Entertainment.

Acorn #23 is, of course, filled with good haiku. There is a very poignant poem by C. William Hinderliter, and a nice pairing of two unrelated haiku by Peggy Willis Lyles and Jennifer Gomoll Popolis. Robert Epstein has a three-word haiku that takes the form's brevity to heart.

There are many more poems in this issue, including two good ones by Timothy Hawkes, and some of the other contributors include Gary Hotham, Chuck Brickley, Ferris Gilli, and John Elsberg.

Vicious Verses and Reanimated Rhymes: Zany Zombie Poetry for the Undead Head doesn't have as many haiku as Acorn (though surprisingly it does have a few, including two of mine) but it does contain a lot of good zombie poems. This collection is a follow-up to Bits of the Dead, an anthology of zombie flash fiction.

Not every poem in the book is a winner, but there is definitely something for everyone (well, everyone who likes zombie poems). There are limericks, a couplet, and even a "Zombie Love Sonnet." Humorous poems occupy a lot of pages, including some good ones by W. Bill Czolgosz, J.H. Hobson, and Zed Zefram. Charles Gramlich has a haunting poetic tale of Gettysburg, and Michael Kriesel's haiku sequence "Last Year" is excellent. "Reanimation" by Casey Quinn is one of the best poems of the book, short and sweet with an eerily nursery-rhyme-like rhythm. Albert Melear's "Say Cheese" is another good one, with graphic description and a good use of line breaks.

Some other notable poems include Rich Ristow's parody of Dylan Thomas, "Rage, Rage in the Dying of Twilight," Paul A. Freeman's long poem "Payback Time," and Lester Smith's "Git Along, You Zombies," which offers a unique way to make zombies useful to society. Vicious Verses has over 135 pages of zombie poems -- plenty for any horror fan to chew and digest.

Ed Markowski passed along some good information today -- tinywords is making a comeback, and it's currently open to submissions. In its new incarnation, it will include all forms of micropoetry (not just haiku) as well as artwork. Read the complete submissions guidelines here.

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.

a new online journal & other news

Divergence, an online multimedia journal, is seeking submissions for its first issue. (They're still working on the website.) Thanks to Ed Markowski for forwarding me the editor's call for submissions:

"You are invited to submit to the first issue of Divergence, an electronic publication of text/image/sound/video. We are interested in receiving poetry, articles, essays, text-art, animated text, as well as hybrids and paratexts (poetics, sketches, works-in-progress, rewritings), etc. Divergence aims to be a critical and creative platform/forum for work that is variously referred to as, and encompasses, 'innovative', 'experimental', 'avant-garde', 'post-avant', etc. We encourage debate, manifestos, commentary, notes and reactions which look at the present and to the future, not the past.

Divergence will be international in scope, with an editorial board composed of significant practitioners and academics in the field, including Robert Sheppard, Geof Huth, John Hall, David Miller, Jeff Hilson, and others. It is edited by Keith Jebb and Kevin Doran out of the University of Bedfordshire, and supported by the Research Institute for Media, Art and Design.

All correspondence and submissions should be sent to divergence[AT]beds.ac.uk; we welcome proposals. The deadline for submissions is 15 September, 2009. Enquire at this address if hardcopy submissions are absolutely necessary."

The British Haiku Society is now taking submissions for its 2009 James W. Hackett/BHS International Haiku Award competition. (Click on Competitions and scroll down for guidelines.) The entry fee is £3 (or $6 US) for up to three haiku, and the deadline is November 30th.

Vicious Verses and Reanimated Rhymes, the book of zombie poetry from the same people who brought you Bits of the Dead, has just been released and I am eagerly awaiting my contributor's copy. The book is available for $12.99 from Amazon, and should be available from Barnes & Noble shortly.

DailyHaiku will be open to submissions for the month of September, so start polishing up those haiku.