I’m thrilled that my poem “Memorial Day” has been selected to appear in Eclectica Magazine’s 20th-anniversary “best-of” poetry anthology, scheduled to appear in spring 2017. If you are at all inclined, please consider donating to their Kickstarter Campaign to make this possible. The campaign ends, I believe, on January 31.
Memorial Day
Arriving at this point
without knowledge of the journey,
the slow collapse and internal
dampening – the shutting down, the closing in – lost
in the shadowed veil, my eyes flutter open to find
everything in its place, yet
altered, as if viewed from a single step
closer at a different height, offering a disturbing
clarity. Looking up, I wonder that she wakes me
from a dream of dogs on this, of all days,
only to detect under me linoleum in place of the bed,
my glasses skewed from the impact,
the floor and left side of my head wet. You looked
like you were reaching for something, she says,
and perhaps I was, though with hand outstretched
I found nothing to hold but the darkness.
Here’s what they say about the campaign:
“Eclectica Magazine has been online for two decades, publishing work by authors from around the world. We’re taking our 20th anniversary as an opportunity to share the work of 250 of those authors in four “best of” anthologies, including volumes for poetry, nonfiction, fiction, and speculative literature.
This Kickstarter campaign is designed to raise, at minimum, $6,500, which is just enough funding to publish all four volumes through Amazon’s CreateSpace program, covering the rewards and providing a contributor copy for each of the authors, artists, and editors involved. However, the campaign is also designed to exceed that minimum goal.
If we can raise our “stretch” goal of $21,750, we will be able to pay a competitive (for small, independent presses) rate of $20 per poem and $50 per short story or nonfiction piece. Over twenty thousand dollars sounds like a lot of money, but if the more than 250 people involved with the project are able to recruit three $25 donors each, we will meet that goal.
This is an exciting project. The quality of the work we’ve selected for inclusion is exceptional, and many of our authors have enjoyed major publishing successes since appearing in Eclectica. If we can raise our “ultimate” goal of $58,000, we will do offset print runs through Lightning Source, which will enable us to distribute the books to brick and mortar stores. And if we sell out the first run of any of the four volumes, we will double the payments made to the authors appearing in those sold out volumes.
We have pursued a single-minded goal all these years to publish the best, most unique work we could find in a clean, easy to access format available for free to everyone on the planet. We still believe in that goal. We also love books, and above all we want to do something to honor the authors appearing in these anthologies and the over two thousand others who have helped Eclectica thrive over the years. That is what this campaign is about for us, but we’re also hoping our efforts will help shine a positive light on online literature in general. We’d like to demonstrate what can be accomplished without corporate or academic sponsorship, banner ads or $23 submission fees.
One measure of what can be accomplished is our performance over the years in the storySouth Million Writers Award. In the twelve years the award has been active, Eclectica has scored twice as many notable (54) and top ten (11) stories as any other online publication, beating out such luminous competitors as Narrative, Carve, Blackbird, Clarkesworld, Agni, Barrelhouse, and Anderbo. Those are some great venues for online literature, and there are many others deserving of recognition. We want to draw attention to Eclectica’s amazing body of work, and then we want to say, look at all the other amazing things to read on the Web.
Whether you are a friend or relative of one of the authors in question, or you’re a reader and supporter of online literature, or you just love literature–online or not–we ask you to help make these anthologies a reality, and the best reality they can be. Help us make our goal of getting these books made, or if we’ve done that, our stretch goal of paying our authors, or beyond that, our ultimate goal of seeing these volumes in your local bookstores.”
Powerful poem. Makes me desire more — what happened? why? My mind fills in the blanks, constructs various narratives. Wow!
Good luck with Eclectica — I’m crossing my fingers!
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Thanks, Carrie. I think that the anthologies will be printed. It’s more of a matter of the type of printing, and the possibility of author payment (which is rare, as you might imagine). I first stumbled upon Eclectica about 15 years ago, and am just pleased as punch to have a poem included in the anniversary issue.
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Congratulations
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Thank you, Tosha.
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You’re welcome x
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Yeah, man. That’s a great poem.
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Thanks, Jeff. It was one of those rare pieces that sprang from me nearly fully formed. I wish that happened more often!
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Congratulations, Bob! Also an impressive publication history for Eclectica (beating out the likes of Anderbo, Clarkesworld, etc.), and a great poem of yours to go with it. At least you’ve made something beautiful out of a bad/painful experience. [I will see if I can’t kick in at least a few bucks to the cause upon the payday; looks like it says Feb. 1 deadline, and they’ve got $4,3xx toward the $6,500 already, so that’s awesome! 🙂 ]
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My admiration for the editors/creators of journal publications knows no bounds. I’m excited to be part of this anthology.
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Done (with Kickstarter contribution)
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Thank you so much, Andrew! Much appreciated.
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Congratulations on the inclusion! I’m left wondering now if you are narcoleptic, or have some sort of condition where you black out, or if you got so drunk you passed out.
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Thank you. It happened just the one time, many years ago. Don’t know why.
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Woah! Well I’m glad it hasn’t happened again. Once again great piece!
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Once was enough! And thank you.
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Congratulations Bob! Waiting on your answer to El Norto 🍻
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Thanks, Mek. Sometimes a poem is just a poem. Sometimes it’s not. 🙂
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It’s when its not that we want an elaboration 😊
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But first you must determine if it is. Ha!
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You’d make a great secret service agent – or a politician! More fun guessing anyway….😉
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Anything but politician! Blecchh!
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I think poets (or any other artists for that matter) and politicians are mutually exclusive. If it wasn’t too hard on my phone id copy and paste a great vonnegut quote i read on another blog.
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Ok here is a link to the post with the quote.
https://ontheland.wordpress.com/2016/01/27/canaries-in-the-coal-mine-haiku-and-quotes/#comment-1476
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Thank you!
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I think Vonnegut was right.
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Yes! Might have to read a book of his one day. So far, I’ve come across a couple of quotes attributed to him that I really like. The other was advice on writing.
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Congratulations, Robert
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Thank you, Derrick.
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Good luck and congratulations on this! A 20th anniversary online is very impressive for any publication.
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Thanks very much. Twenty years as an independent publisher. Amazing.
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Congratulations! Exciting news. I just pledged 😄
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Thank you, Barb. I truly appreciate your support, as does Eclectica.
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Very well done.
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Thanks very much.
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My pleasure Sir♡
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Excellent work. I’m happy for you, and will be sure to support the Anthology. Keep up the great work.
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Thanks very much!
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