EEKsclamations
The Official Newsletter of Karen L. Newman
Volume 2, Issue 3


EEK OF THE WEEK

Once upon a time in a land called America, poets were revered. People respected and strived to be Poet Laureate. That was then. Now poets and poetry editors are lampooned on cartoons such as The Simpsons.

In the November 19, 2006 episode, Springfield’s barkeep, Moe, becomes a renowned poet with the help of eight year old Lisa Simpson. She arranges the Post-It notes scattered around his apartment to create an epic poem that she submits to a national magazine. Moe’s instantly the toast of the literary world with one nonpaying publication and is invited to a conference in Vermont where he sits on a panel with well-known authors.

It’s misconceptions like these that have caused today’s poets to be underappreciated. Every poet I know, myself included, puts a lot of thought into his or her work. We don’t just throw together a hodgepodge of phrases and deem it poetry.

Most editors with whom I’ve worked are knowledgeable, unlike the man who accepts Moe’s poem. That editor is portrayed as a self-absorbed idiot with delusions of grandeur. I’ve also found that publishers of influential national magazines tend to pay for the poems they print.

If you look on any literary convention website, all panel members have authored books. They are not one-hit wonders. One has to be an experienced writer to be on a panel and field questions. I’m talking about several years at least, unless that person is a national bestseller with his or her first book. Notice I’m saying book, not one poem or story.

Like most lampoons, the episode hits on some truths. Since the acceptance of poems and stories is a subjective business, sometime questionable work is published because some editors can’t edit a grocery list. These publications tend not to last long, however. And yes, authors do review each other’s work and publish segments of them on dust jackets. I, for one, will not lie about a review and I think that most other people I know feel the same way. Still, the characters on the panel don’t reflect that.

I’ve been a fan of The Simpsons for years. I plan to keep watching the show. I just wish there’d be an episode praising poets and encouraging people to write poetry. Maybe then more magazines will pay more that a few dollars at best for publication and maybe people might buy more poetry collections and magazines. I’d like the once-upon-a-time I mentioned above to end in a happily-ever-after.



RECENT SIGHTINGS

My work has appeared recently in several places, both online and in print. Please check me out at

Flashshot Daily Genre Flash Fiction, where my stories “New Workers at the Wastewater Treatment Plant” and “Let There Be Peace on Earth” appear online at http://www.gwthomas.org/dailyflashshot.htm.

Sinister Tales, where my short story “Rayne Black and the Seven Sins” appears in print. You can buy a copy of the magazine by visiting the Darkness Productions website at http://www.darknessproducions.com

Noneuclidean Café, where my poems “Blood Is Coal”, “Stripped”, and “Backyard Memories”, appear online at http://www.noneuclideancafe.com/issues/vol2_issue1_Fall2006/newman.htm.

Scifaikuest, where the haiku “dropped on the sidewalk” appears in print and the haiku “NASA orbiter” appears online at http://www.samsdotpublishing.com/scifaikuest/scifaiku.htm. You can buy the print edition at http://www.genremall.com.

Dwarf Stars 2006, where my poem ‘wedding ceremony” is reprinted from my collection EEKU. You can buy a copy through the Science Fiction Poetry Association at http://www.sfpoetry.com.

Kentucky Monthly, where my poem “The Sum of Me” appears in print in the November 2006 issue. You can buy the magazine at http://www.kentuckymonthly.com.

Escaping Elsewhere, where my poem “Cover Girl” appears in print in issue #4. You can buy the magazine at http://www.escaping-elsewhere.com.

AlienSkin Magazine, where my poem “Thought Thieves” appears online at http://www.alienskinmag.com/flash12.htm.



NEWS

My poem, “wedding ceremony” was selected to appear in Dwarf Stars 2006, an anthology of the best science fiction, fantasy, and horror short-short poems (ten lines and under) published in 2005.

I was selected for inclusion in Cambridge Who’s Who among Professional Women in Writing and Publishing, 2006/2007 edition.

My poetry collection, ChemICKals, will not be released this year from Naked Snake Press. Look for it next year.

Appalling Limericks, an anthology from Sam’s Dot that I edited with Scott Virtes and Ed Cox will be out January 1, 2007. Look for it at The Genre Mall at http://www.genremall.com.


INTERVIEWS

I was interviewed by Michele Lee, a fellow writer from Kentucky, on November 2, 2006. You can read it at http://www.michelelee.blogspot.com, http://www.myspace.com/darkauthormichelelee, and http://leatherzebra.livejournal.com.

I was the featured author at The Story Board on October 31, 2006 and gave away two copies of my collection, EEKU.


MARKETS

We are still wide open at Afterburn SF. Please check us out at http://afterburnsf.com/Submit to send us your stories.


FINAL REACTION

Happy Holidays!